The 72-hour Composition Challenge features new work by students in the UMD School of Music. Composers who wish to participate have 36 hours to write a piece and another 36 hours to rehearse the music with the performers before it is premiered in concert as part of the NextNOW Fest. Committing to participate means that you have a performer or a group of performers who have agreed to perform your piece under the conditions noted above (36 hours to prepare).

Participating composers include:

• Aadhitya Ashok
• Lily Gallihue
• Sean Klink
• Molly Leach
• Johannes Visser
• Aidan Wilbur

About NextNOW Fest

Started in 2014, The Clarice’s annual NextNOW Fest is an inspiring arts experience that celebrates imagination, creativity and community. By amplifying the voices of intriguing, inventive artists from around campus and our community, NextNOW Fest creates a forward-looking microcosm where art transforms our future and connects us all.

NextNOW Fest is a signature event in University of Maryland's Arts for All initiative, which leverages the combined power of the arts, technology and social justice to address the grand challenges of our time.

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Funding

NextNOW Fest is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council and The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Additional support is provided by Terps After Dark and the University of Maryland's Arts for All initiative. NextNOW Fest's Silent Disc-Glo event is supported by UMD's Student Entertainment Events; and the Vital Signs Mini-Grants Showcase is supported by the Venable Foundation and Pepsi.