On Nov. 4, Copland House announced the winners of its 2026 Residency Awards. These incoming residents will have the opportunity to spend three to eight weeks in the lower Hudson River Valley at Rock Hill, the former home of famed composer Aaron Copland.

The 2026 winners of the Copland House Residency Awards

Copland lived and worked at Rock Hill for the last thirty years of his life. In 1998, after the composer’s death in 1990, the house was transformed into a non-profit creative center that supports musicians both financially and artistically. Copland House offers programs related to the entirety of the artistic process, allowing artists to immerse themselves fully in their craft and share their work with others.

Out of 133 total applicants from 29 states, ten composers were selected for the residency. The awardees are Nicholas Bentz, T. Gregory Bloomfield, Jonathan Cziner, Michael Dudley Jr., Keith Fitch, Carolyn Yarnell, Frances White, Evis Sammoutis, Celka Ojakangas, and Paul Novak. Among these composers, Dudley and Sammoutis hail from New York State (Brooklyn and Rochester, respectively).

In addition to an all-expenses-paid, three- to eight-week residency at Copland House, each of these distinguished winners will gain access to a wide variety of post-residency opportunities. These possibilities include performance, recording, commissioning, and career development.

Copland House Artistic and Executive Director Michael Boriskin explained, “These composers range widely across genres, styles, idioms, and artistic goals, and come from diverse backgrounds. But they’re all fearless, free thinkers, whose works share impressive multifaceted mastery, deep engagement with the world around them, and a strong bond with their listeners. We can’t wait to hear what they’ll come up with when they get to Rock Hill!”

For more information, see the Copland House website.