Choral Arts Initiative Announces 2026 PREMIERE|Project Festival Fellows and Launch of New Conductor Track

Choral Arts Initiative
4 days ago
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IRVINE, CA — After selecting from a competitive pool of applicants, Choral Arts Initiative is proud to announce the Fellows selected for the 2026 PREMIERE|Project Festival. This year’s festival marks an important milestone in the program’s continued growth with the launch of a Conductor Track, marking the first time the festival includes conductors as participating fellows.

The PREMIERE|Project Festival will take place at Concordia University Irvine’s Borland-Mankse Center and the Charlie and Ling Zhang Orchestra Hall from June 23–26, 2026, culminating in a public performance featuring the world premieres of ten new choral works, performed by the professional singers of Choral Arts Initiative.

The 2026 festival will bring together ten composers and ten conductors, paired throughout the residency to develop and premiere these new works. This expanded structure reflects the collaborative nature of the choral field, connecting composers and conductors in creative partnership from rehearsal through final performance.

Since its founding, the PREMIERE|Project Festival has developed a national reputation as an incubator for emerging composers. Created by Artistic & Executive Director Dr. Brandon Elliott, the festival was designed as a professional development experience that models the commissioning process—from initial concept and collaboration to residency and premiere performance. The program addresses a common gap in artistic training: while many composers and conductors receive strong technical education, few opportunities exist to gain practical experience navigating the collaborative, artistic, and professional realities of bringing new works to life.

With the introduction of the Conductor Track, the festival enters a new phase of development, bringing together composers and conductors in direct collaboration throughout the residency. Designed for recent graduates, those in career change, and early- to mid-career artists, the PREMIERE|Project Festival provides a platform for Fellows to develop and refine new works in a workshop setting with Choral Arts Initiative’s professional chorus. Participants take part in rehearsals, mentoring sessions, and seminars exploring artistry, leadership, and the practical realities of building sustainable careers in music. Fellows work closely with the ensemble and distinguished faculty, gaining invaluable experience shaping new repertoire while building their professional networks and contributing to the creation and performance of new choral music. The festival concludes with a live and recorded public premiere of each composer’s work. In addition, Composition Fellows will have the opportunity to establish a distribution partnership with MusicSpoke, an artist-owned sheet music platform, through the Choral Arts Initiative ICON Series.

2026 PREMIERE|Project Festival Fellows

The 2026 PREMIERE | Project Fellows were chosen through a highly competitive evaluation process. The 2013 fellows come to us from 18 cities from across the nation and one international participant, including Olivia Arnold (Virginia Beach, VA), Jacob Boland (Fullerton, CA), Colin Cossi (Minneapolis, MN), Shane Scott Cook (Bolingbrook, IL), Brandon Chase Di Noto (Covina, CA), Juniper Duncan (Boston, MA), Klint Fabian (San Antonio, TX), Catherine Fields (Fairfax, VA), Collin Huffman (Denton, TX), Christopher Jessup (New York, NY), James Keller (Kansas City, MO), Victoria King (Gloucester, VA), Huy Le (Hanoi, Vietnam), Bryan Lin (New York, NY), Liana Perlman (Needham, MA), Nick Pierle (Waxhaw, NC), Calvin Rice (Lake Forest Park, WA), Samuel Siskind (Los Angeles, CA), and Jakob Swetland (Anaheim, CA), Stephen A. White (Irvine, CA).

Composer Fellows

Shane Scott Cook (Bolingbrook, Illinois)

Shane Scott Cook is a composer and performer whose work explores themes of community, nature, and the queer experience. His music has been commissioned by ensembles including Del Sol Quartet, Akropolis Reed Quintet, and Young New Yorkers’ Chorus. A Teaching Artist-in-Residence with the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music (2023–25), Cook began doctoral studies at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in 2025.

Colin Cossi (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Colin Cossi is a conductor, composer, and choral artist pursuing a DMA in Choral Conducting at James Madison University. He previously taught K–12 music in Washington and earned degrees from the University of Oregon and Arizona State University. In 2025 he founded LGBTQ+ Choir Shenandoah, a community chorus centered on inclusion.

Juniper Duncan (Boston, Massachusetts)

Juniper Duncan is a Boston-based composer, conductor, vocalist, and producer whose choral writing blends art song, a cappella, and contemporary vocal styles. Her work has received recognition from the Yale Glee Club, the Festival of New American Music, and the American Prize. Duncan studied at Case Western Reserve University and will pursue graduate studies in vocal composition at the Longy School of Music at Bard College.

Catherine Fields (Fairfax, Virginia)

Catherine Fields is a composer and pianist based in Northern Virginia whose music spans orchestra, wind band, chamber, and vocal repertoire. Her works have been commissioned by ensembles including the Akropolis Reed Quintet and the Waynesboro Symphony. She holds degrees from George Mason University and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and is also active as an educator and clinician.

Collin Huffman (Denton, Texas)

Collin Huffman is a composer-conductor studying composition at the University of North Texas. His music blends Romantic influences with contemporary techniques and includes orchestral, chamber, and choral works. Huffman’s compositions have been performed internationally, including a recent premiere in the Czech Republic, as he continues developing his voice as a composer.

Christopher Jessup (New York, New York)

Christopher Jessup is an award-winning composer and pianist whose music has been praised by The New York Times, Fanfare, and Textura. His works have been performed by ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra, The Crossing, and the Juilliard Orchestra. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Jessup’s music has received honors from ASCAP, the American Prize, and the Respighi Prize.

Victoria King (Gloucester, Virginia)

Victoria King is a composer whose music is known for its melodic, story-driven character. She studies composition and creative writing at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Her works have been performed by ensembles including Ensemble Intercolor and the Balourdet Quartet, and she is active as a collaborator in film, dance, and theatre.

Calvin Rice (Lake Forest Park, Washington)

Calvin Rice is a composer, pianist, and clarinetist studying composition at the University of Oregon. His music has received honors from the American Prize and the ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award. Rice’s works have been performed internationally and by ensembles including Mivos Quartet and nonesuch.reedquintet.

Samuel Siskind (Los Angeles, California)

Samuel Siskind is an award-winning composer whose music has been performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Children’s Chorus, and Choral Arts Initiative. His works have been heard at Carnegie Hall and international festivals. Siskind’s honors include the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award, and he will begin undergraduate studies at the USC Thornton School of Music.

Stephen A. White (Irvine, California)

Stephen A. White has composed music for more than 30 years, beginning in college where he first explored music theory and compositional techniques independently. He is currently studying music composition at Concordia University Irvine while also pursuing piano and violin lessons. His works include a string quartet, piano trio, orchestral pieces, piano solos, and several choral compositions.

Conductor Fellows

Olivia Arnold (Virginia Beach, Virginia)

Olivia Arnold is a conductor and educator who teaches music and education courses at Cloud County Community College, where she directs the Junction City Community Choir. She previously served as Music Lecturer and Interim Choir Director at Washington and Lee University. Arnold holds degrees from Washington and Lee University and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Jacob Boland (Fullerton, California)

Jacob Boland is a conductor, composer, and interdisciplinary scholar studying Music Composition and Religious Studies at California State University, Fullerton. Profoundly hard of hearing and a cochlear implant user, he advocates for accessibility and inclusive choral practice. Boland is Artistic Director of Resonaré Chamber Ensemble.

Brandon Chase Di Noto (Covina, California)

Brandon Chase Di Noto is a conductor, vocalist, educator, and composer who directs the Bel Canto Women’s Choir at Azusa Pacific University and serves as Assistant Director of Sterling Ensemble Los Angeles. An advocate for new music, he regularly commissions and conducts premieres by emerging composers and is pursuing a DMA at the USC Thornton School of Music.

Klint Fabian (San Antonio, Texas)

Klint Fabian is a choral conductor, educator, composer, and performer dedicated to building inclusive musical communities. He serves as Director of Choral Activities at John Jay High School and Robert Vale Middle School in San Antonio, Texas, and performs with the San Antonio Chamber Choir and Opera San Antonio.

James Keller (Kansas City, Missouri)

James Keller is a composer, conductor, and baritone from Kansas City, Missouri. He holds degrees in composition from the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory and in choral conducting from Louisiana State University. Keller is founder of BRACE New Music Choir, an ensemble dedicated to contemporary choral repertoire.

Huy Le (Hanoi, Vietnam)

Huy D. Le is a choral conductor and educator with more than a decade of experience directing sacred and community choirs in Vietnam and the United States. He founded the Hanoi Catholic Youth Choir and has served as Chorus Master with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra. Le is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Choral Music at California State University, Long Beach.

Bryan Lin (New York, New York)

Bryan Lin is a Taiwanese-American conductor and composer based in New York City. He is a member of C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective and has directed ensembles at Mannes Prep and Adelphi University. His music blends minimalism, jazz, and postmodern aesthetics.

Liana Perlman (Needham, Massachusetts)

Liana Perlman is completing a Master’s in Choral Conducting at Georgia State University. She previously earned a BA in Vocal Performance from Brandeis University and has taught music in schools throughout Massachusetts and Georgia. Perlman also serves as a staff singer and conducting intern at Christ the King Cathedral in Atlanta.

Nick Pierle (Waxhaw, North Carolina)

Nicholas Pierle is a conductor, tenor, and educator pursuing a DMA in Choral Music at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he also serves as Director of Music Ministries at Grace Lutheran Church. His research explores vocal pedagogy and the application of Estill Voice Training in choral rehearsal.

Jakob Swetland (Anaheim, California)

Jakob Swetland is a choral conductor and educator who earned a Bachelor’s degree in Choral Music Education from California State University, Fullerton. He serves as Artistic Director of the Cantate Community Choir of University Hills and Director of Music Ministries at University United Methodist Church in Irvine.

About Choral Arts Initiative

We believe that we have the opportunity to be a living metaphor that celebrates unity. We believe that fostering and embracing the music of emerging composers is critical to our art form. We believe that our community deserves to hear the greatest performances of new choral music. We believe that passion and sincerity should be at the forefront of all musical endeavors. We are Choral Arts Initiative.

Choral Arts Initiative is a non-profit 501(c)(3) choral organization comprised of some of the most talented and passionate musicians in the Southern California region. Widely recognized as a champion of new music, Choral Arts Initiative has been praised as “gracefully lyrical” (Voice of OC), hailed as one of Orange County’s “Best Choirs” (CBS News, Los Angeles), and noted for its “sublime” and “triumphant” performances (Textura). Winner of the American Prize in Choral Performance, recipient of the ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming, and Winner of the San Francisco Classical Voice Audience Choice Awards for Best New Music Performance, Choral Arts Initiative continues its commitment to musical innovation and excellence. Their inaugural album, How to Go On: The Choral Works of Dale Trumbore, ranked #6 on the Billboard Charts (Traditional Classical Albums), and #4 on the iTunes Best Seller Classical Charts. Their passion for new music has led to the commission of nineteen compositions and the premiere of over seventy works. Navona Records released their second album in April of 2022. From Wilderness: A Meditation on the Pacific Crest Trail, by composer Jeffrey Derus, is a concert-length work and meditation on the transformative experience of traveling the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,650 mile scenic coastal hiking pathway that stretches the length of the pacific coastline of the United States and traverses the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. Their most recent album, Tapestry of Becoming, released in March 2024, and quickly soared to #1 on the Billboard Charts (Traditional Classical Albums).

About Brandon Elliott, Artistic Director

Dr. Brandon Elliott is an influential conductor, educator, and consultant dedicated to empowering artists to thrive at the intersection of music, business, and creative growth. As Founder and Artistic Director of Choral Arts Initiative, Brandon has shaped an award-winning new music ensemble that champions contemporary choral works, commissioning over 25 works, premiering more than 150 works, and producing three Billboard-charting albums. His leadership has positioned Choral Arts Initiative as a leading voice in innovative choral performance and artistic development, garnering accolades such as the ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming and the Louis Botto Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

In academia, Brandon serves as Professor of Music and Director of Choral and Vocal Studies at Saddleback College and as Lecturer in Music Education at California State University, Fullerton, where he guides emerging musicians with a focus on resilience, artistry, and entrepreneurship. His dedication to lifelong learning and comprehensive music education has been recognized by the Recording Academy, where he was honored as a GRAMMY Music Educator Award semifinalist.

Brandon’s consultancy extends into the broader entertainment industry, advising on music rights, artist management, and strategic growth for creatives and organizations. His expertise in contract negotiation, leadership development, and inclusion initiatives has made him a sought-after consultant and industry commentator, featured in U.S. News & World Report, Lifewire, and other major outlets. A trusted mentor and visionary in the arts, Brandon is committed to fostering sustainable artistic careers and shares insights through industry publications, podcasts, speaking engagements, and conferences. Learn more at brandon-elliott.com.