Travel to 1615 and be immersed in the grand procession of Brussels' Ommegang pageant. Experience art, technology and history collaborations come to life, presented together for the first time in the U.S. This amazing animated experience and illustrated public lecture on street theater kicks off The Triumph of Isabella, a year-long exploration of performance through art, and art through performance.
A new work by Elisabeth Greene, the winner of the third annual Opera Composition Contest, gets an early reading by Maryland Opera Studio singers. Presented in partnership with the UMD School of Music.
UMD students perform 30 two-minute plays they wrote themselves! Presented under the guidance of alumnus Kurt Chiang, and in partnership with UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies.
This performance is part of the NextNOW Fest Alumni Commissioning Project, which supports the creation of new works by alumni of the UMD School of Music; and the UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies.
Make your NextNOW Fest experience come full circle with your own flower or leaf crown. Twist some twine and deck out your head in foliage. Presented in partnership with Artsphere.
Born and raised in Durham, NC with a Buddhist background, poet-emcee G Yamazawa blurs the lines between poetry and rap to challenge American perspectives of race and culture. He is the youngest poet to be a National Poetry Slam Champion, is a two-time Individual World Poetry Slam Finalist, and a three-time Southern Fried Champion. G has also been a featured performer at the Sundance Film Festival, TV One's Verses and Flow, the Pentagon, and the White House Initiative for AAPI.
A local singer/songwriter on the rise, Vanny is known for her unique covers of hit songs. Her sound is a blend of pop, R&B, reggae, jazz and classic rock.
The Soul Rebels started with an idea – to expand upon the pop music they loved on the radio and the New Orleans brass tradition they grew up on. They took that tradition and blended funk and soul with elements of hip hop, jazz and rock all within a brass band context. The band has built a career around an eclectic live show that harnesses the power of horns and drums in a deep pocket funk party-like atmosphere. The Soul Rebels continue to chart new territory as they combine topnotch musicianship with songs that celebrate dancing, life, funk and soul.
Here at NextNOW Fest, we want you to find inspiration in our community and create something new. What will be your next step to shaping the future with art? Share your thoughts at the “My Next Step Is” Wall. All answers will be added to the NextNOW Time Capsule.
TEMPO New Music Ensemble performs the premiere of Particle Collider, a new work by this year’s Alumni Music Commission recipient, Nathan Lincoln de Cusatis (‘08). The performance will feature live-manipulated, immersive projection art by Osman Koc.
Immersive Atoms is a student-run project dedicated to exhibiting work at the intersection of technology and art. Check out their different projects throughout the festival!
