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The Next Fest: A festival for emerging artists

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Written By Rich Holly, Executive Director of ARTS NC STATE

The Next Festival of Emerging Artists is an intensive music festival for young professional string players, founded by NC State Director of Orchestral Studies Peter Askim. Held in June on the grounds of the historic Music Mountain in western Connecticut, the festival centers on technical and artistic development, entrepreneurial career strategies and contemporary music performance practice. An elite group of 20 string players from around the country gathered to perfect their art and work closely with Askim, the Artistic Director, as well as prominent guest artists and composers.

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                                    Next Fest artists performing at La Poisson Rouge in NYC

This season, the third, the artists of the festival collaborated with Jeffrey Zeigler, a renowned cello soloist and former member of Kronos Quartet, and prepared a concert of contemporary music in close consultation with the composers. The festival culminated in a concert at the prestigious (le) poisson rouge in New York City’s Greenwich Village. A cutting-edge venue for contemporary music and cross-genre musical styles, LPR was the perfect venue to showcase the artists of the festival and their program of music written in the last ten years.

WQXR, the most prominent New York City classical radio station (and the most-listened-to classical station in the United States), was on hand to record the concert and currently features it on the WXQR/Q2 website, where it is available to stream for free: http://www.wqxr.org/story/listen-jeffrey-zeigler-and-artists-next-festival/.

 

Congratulations to Peter and the festival participants!

 

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