Tomorrow’s Music Today

Music at the Anthology (MATA) was founded in 1996 by Philip Glass, Eleonor Sandresky, and Lisa Bielawa and has become the world’s most sought-after performance opportunity for adventurous emerging music artists experimenting with composition, multimedia, and collaborative performance art. 

MATA presents, supports, and commissions new music by early-career composers at an internationally recognized concert festival each spring in NYC. MATA Presents funds projects shown throughout NY and hosts MATA Jr., an evening of music by pre-college composers, mentored by emerging composers, and performed by top performers in new music.

NEWS & UPDATES

Past Events

28TH ANNUAL MATA FESTIVAL

INTERVAL:
In Between Silence and Stasis
May 21 - 23, 2026

The 28th annual MATA Festival of New Music takes place May 21 - 23, with three concerts at the DiMenna Center in New York City. Hailed by The New Yorker as “the most exciting showcase for outstanding young composers from around the world,” the 2026 Festival draws on the ever-expanding artistic legacy of composer Morton Feldman, whose 100th anniversary is celebrated this year.

MATA was founded in 1996 by Philip Glass, Lisa Bielawa, and Eleanor Sandresky to address the lack of presentation opportunities for unaffiliated composers. Since then, MATA has gained international renown, presenting hundreds of fresh voices from around the world, including composers, sound artists, and performers. True to its slogan, “Tomorrow’s Music Today,” MATA is known as a vital incubator for emerging talent. 

This year’s Festival features performances by MATA Mavens, a hand-picked ensemble of top NYC new-music players, including violinists Miranda Cuckson, Conrad Harris, and Leah Asher; pianists Marilyn Nonken and Taka Kigawa; flutist Roberta Michel; singers Juliet Schlefer; cellist Julie Kim; and percussionist Dennis Sullivan. |

Also performing are BlackBox Ensemble, a dynamic and versatile collective specializing in multidisciplinary works; Unnameable Strings, an intrepid new string-driven experimental ensemble with an emphasis on improvisation; and The Bang Group, a boundary-bursting tap and pointe dance company that merges contemporary and percussive forms.

As an upbeat to the concert events, MATA presents Experimental Resonance, Wednesday, May 20 (6 pm - midnight), a six-hour experimental “rave” -- an evening-length exploration of the function of music in contemporary culture, curated by clarinetist/DJ Eric Umble at Trans-Pecos, 915 Wyckoff Avenue in Ridgewood, Queens. With a focus on ambient, downtempo, and experimental sounds, the gathering will bring together the nightlife and contemporary classical communities for experience and discussion in one room. Along with Umble, there will be sets by cellist/electronic artist Mizu, violinist/electronic artist Yaz Lancaster, DJ Aka Sol, and DJ/flutist Concrete Husband. The evening will also include a discussion with the performers, joined by composer/scholar Mario Diaz de Leon.

MATA Presents:
"in place of the blade"

MATA Presents at Carnegie Hill Concerts
Tuesday, April 28 at 7:30 PM

The New York Premiere of AMANE SAKAGUCHI’s “in place of the blade” for String Quartet and Soprano

Azalea Twining, Soprano
Sebastian Grinberg-Bly, Piano
A new song-cycle

PROGRAM:

須磨の浦 Suma-no-Ura (2019) “The Bay of Suma”  by Amane Sakaguchi, shamisen and voice

“In Place of the Blade” (2026) by Amane Sakaguchi  (a Kyo-Shin-An Arts commission), soprano and string quartet

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 7 in F-sharp minor, Op. 108

(Q & A immediately following the program)

Featuring:

KODAK Quartet
Juliet Schlefer (Soprano)
Yoko Reikano Kimura (Voice)
Amane Sakaguchi (Shamisen)

Kodak Quartet Members:
Edgar Donati, Violin
Martin Noh, Violin
Daniel Spink, Viola
Blake Kitayama, Cello

Your continued support is vital to our mission. For 26 years, MATA has been a home for early-career composers, sound artists, and other music creators. Through our annual festival, artist residencies, and educational initiatives, MATA has fostered the work of hundreds of experimental artists. Help us continue to serve the freshest voices in new music by making a tax-deductible donation today!

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