12th Ivy International Music Festival — Composition Showcase Concert
Date: July 27, 2026
City: Washington, D.C.
Venue: The Mansion at Strathmore Music Hall

On July 27, 2026, the 12th Ivy International Music Festival arrives in Washington, D.C. with a concert dedicated to the art of creating new sound: the Composition Showcase Concert, presented at The Mansion at Strathmore Music Hall. In an era when classical music is often measured by how faithfully it preserves tradition, this evening turns the focus to a different—and equally essential—question: what happens when the tradition continues forward, one new score at a time?

Set within Strathmore’s intimate and acoustically refined Mansion, the program spotlights original works by emerging composers from the Ivy community. These pieces reflect a wide range of musical languages—some drawing on tonal lyricism, others exploring modern textures and extended techniques, many blending cultural influences with contemporary imagination. What unites them is not a single “style,” but a shared commitment to craft: the careful shaping of form, color, and narrative through sound.

The Composition Showcase is also a defining expression of the Festival’s mission. Built on the foundation of the Ivy International Music Competition, the Ivy International Music Festival expands the experience beyond performance into a broader educational ecosystem—where young artists are encouraged not only to interpret great repertoire, but also to contribute new voices to the repertoire itself. By placing composition at the center of the stage, the Festival affirms that tomorrow’s musical landscape is being written today—by the very students and young creators we are here to support.

For audiences, the evening offers a rare opportunity to hear new works in a concert setting that treats them with the same seriousness and care as the classics. For the composers and performers, it is a moment of public dialogue—where ideas become sound, and sound becomes connection.