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Festival of New American Music
About the Festival
November 1-6, 2026
The Festival of New American Music brings extraordinary musicians to Sacramento, California, each year to present high-quality performances of a broad body of recently composed or improvised music by some of America’s most exciting artists. 2026 marks the 49th annual Festival!
Through public concerts, educational events, and outreach, the Festival serves three principal communities: those of the Sacramento State School of Music; the California State University, Sacramento; and the greater Sacramento region.
Committed to making music accessible to all, the Festival offers all of its concerts free of charge to the public. If you have any disability-related access needs to participate in our events, please contact us as soon as possible, and we will work with the Office for Disability Justice on arranging and meeting those needs.
The Festival concerts will be live-streamed on our YouTube page:
Questions?
NOVEMBER 1 - Opening Gala
3:00 p.m. - Capistrano Concert Hall
The Opening Gala concert features the Pan Pacific Ensemble, violinist Yvonne Kim, local artists, and composer Shawn Okpebholo.
NOVEMBER 2 - Faculty Jazz Ensemble
7:00 p.m. - Capistrano Concert Hall
Our Faculty Jazz Ensemble performs, featuring Greg Johnson (saxophone), Lucas Bere (saxophone), Mike Rocha (trumpet), Steve Roach (trumpet), Mike Souliere (trombone), Joe Gilman (piano), Molly Redfield (bass), Sean Britt (guitar), Tim Metz (drums), and with the vocal talents of Gaw Vang Williams and Julian Cunningham.
NOVEMBER 3 - Yvonne Kim, violin
7:00 p.m. - Capistrano Concert Hall
NOVEMBER 4 - Pan Pacific Ensemble
7:00 p.m. - Capistrano Concert Hall
Established in 2016, the Pan Pacific Ensemble is a wind quintet committed to performing music from composers in Asia and the Americas. The ensemble released its first two CDs, Feng and ironhorses, on Albany Records in 2019. The group has delighted audiences across the United States and recently completed a mid-Atlantic tour with performances at James Madison University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and the University of Maryland, College Park.
NOVEMBER 5 - Earplay
7:00 p.m. - Capistrano Concert Hall
Founded in 1985 by a consortium of composers and musicians, Earplay has performed over 600 works by more than 350 composers, including 158 world premieres and 93 new works commissioned by the ensemble. The group consists of Terrie Baune (violin), Tod Brody (flute), Peter Josheff (clarinet), Thalia Moore (cello), Ellen Ruth Rose (viola), and Brenda Tom (piano), and is conducted by Mary Chun.
NOVEMBER 6 - Closing Concert
7:00 p.m. - Capistrano Concert Hall
The 49th Annual Festival of New American Music closes with compositions by Shawn Okpebholo, featuring the Sac State Symphony Orchestra, Sac State University Chorale, Pan Pacific Ensemble, and more.
Named the 2024 Chicagoan of the Year in Classical Music by the Chicago Tribune and one of Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals of 2023, Grammy-nominated composer Shawn Okpebholo's music has been praised as “devastatingly beautiful” (The Washington Post), “lyrical, complex, singular” (The Guardian), “dreamy, sensual” (The Boston Globe), and “affecting” (The New York Times). Okpebholo holds master’s and doctoral degrees in composition from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and currently serves as the Jonathan Blanchard Distinguished Professor of Composition at Wheaton College Conservatory of Music.
Parking Info
Sac State uses virtual parking permits. A limited number of courtesy permits will be available for our evening concerts; links will be posted here (below) each day. You will need to create a parking Guest Account, if you don't already have one, then use the link below to reserve your parking permit. (Daily permits may also be purchased from the machine on the 5th floor of the parking structure adjacent to our building, or online)
PARKING LINK - Sunday - November 1 (not yet available)
Directions
- Click the Parking link above and select "Guest Login". This should open a window titled "Virtual Parking Permits". Sometimes the Login screen glitches and goes to the wrong window. If this happens, close the window and click on the link above again
- Clicking "Next" at the bottom of the screen should show you a $0 permit option, then a calendar to select the start date ("effective" and "expiration" date should be the same date), and then your registered vehicle. Follow through the steps to the purchase section to finish the transaction.
- After you complete the permit checkout process, you will be emailed a receipt confirming the details of your virtual parking permit. You don't need to display a permit on your vehicle; your license plate is your parking permit. If you need assistance, email parking@csus.edu