Founded in 2012, the CULTIVATE Fellowship offers six young composers the opportunity to undertake an intensive, week-long creative workshop and mentoring program at Aaron Copland’s National Historic Landmark home in Cortlandt, New York. The 2026 program will take place from June 1 through 9.

This year, the program received 220 applications from 36 states and 3 countries. The six selected composers are Arjan Singh Dogra, 26 (Brooklyn, NY); Keir GoGwilt, 34 (New York, NY); Alexa Rinn, 35 (Chicago, IL); Isaac Santos, 25 (Princeton, NJ); Akshaya Avril Tucker, 33 (Los Angeles, CA), and Benjamin Webster, 28 (Plymouth, MA).

During the residency, the Fellows will each create a new small-ensemble composition, which will be workshopped at individual daily rehearsals with program director Derek Bermel and artists from the Copland House Ensemble, who specialize in new music.

They will also benefit from evening discussion sessions with a range of arts leaders, who will offer them real- life perspectives on how best to develop their careers.

The residency will conclude with two concerts by the Copland House Ensemble, the first at Copland House and the second at the Elebash Recital Hall at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. The program will feature the world premiere performances of the six new works, performed by clarinetist Moran Katz, violinist Pala Garcia, cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach, and pianist Margaret Kampmeier.

The 2026 jury comprised Derek Bermel (Chair), as well as former Residents or CULTIVATE Fellows Christopher Cerrone, Henry Dorn, Shih-Hui Chen, Jeremy Gill, Juri Seo, and Stephen Andrew Taylor.

"As usual, the jurors and I were bowled over by the imagination and craft of this year’s CULTIVATE applicants," said Derek Bermel. "I’m looking forward to a week of stimulating conversations as we explore the creative process of composing, rehearsing, refining, and performing the brand-new works of these outstanding young composers."