The Seminar on Contemporary Music for the Young at the Rivers School Conservatory is not just a long-standing annual tradition; it is also a one-of-a-kind opportunity for young musicians to discover and perform contemporary music. Now in its 47th year, Seminar participants have collectively performed thousands of contemporary works, many of them world-premiered by RSC musicians. The uniqueness of this event, founded by long-time RSC faculty member and former director A. Ramón Rivera, has inspired others like it throughout the United States.
Each Seminar features a guest composer who prepares a work to be premiered at the closing concert. Previous guest composers have included John Cage, Chen Yi, Andrew List, and Elena Ruehr. This year’s featured composer is a special anniversary year return appearance from RSC alum and 2018 MacArthur Fellow Matthew Aucoin (previously featured in 2017). Matthew Aucoin is an American composer, conductor, writer, and pianist. In recent seasons, his music has been performed by artists ranging from Yo-Yo Ma to the Philadelphia Orchestra, and commissioned by institutions including the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, and the Ojai Music Festival.
The 2026 Seminar will run April 10–12, opening on Friday night with a presentation by Aucoin and a reception, followed by a faculty concert. RSC students will be performing in three concerts on Saturday afternoon and three concerts on Sunday afternoon. The performers range in age from 6 to 18 and will perform works for piano, string quartet, percussion, voice, flute, and more! In addition to hearing works by renowned contemporary composers from near and far, including Ludovico Einaudi, Wynn-Anne Rossi, and John Harbison, audiences will also hear pieces composed by RSC faculty and student composers.
The closing concert on Sunday, April 12, at 5:00 p.m. will feature the world premiere of a new arrangement, for voice and string quartet, of songs from Matthew Aucoin’s song cycle The Inner Core. The piece will be premiered by an RSC student string quartet comprised of Eduardo De Souza, violin; Sophia Kim, violin; Henry Goldstein, viola; and Alexander Slowotzky, cello, alongside the award-winning bass-baritone William Socolof.
All of the weekend’s events, including the opening night reception and faculty concert, are free and open to the public. Learn more about Seminar, view this year’s schedule, and RSVP for the opening night reception here.
Article written by Emily Lobono.
