The Saint Petersburg Contemporary Music Center reMusik.org, under the artistic direction of composer Mehdi Hosseini, is pleased to announce the 13th St. Petersburg International New Music Festival, which will take place from May 23 to June 5, 2026. The festival serves as a meeting point for contemporary composers, offering a crossroads for diverse musical perspectives that have shaped the artistic landscape of recent years. It presents a wide array of concepts designed to explore and understand the innovative musical language of the late 20th and 21st centuries, expressed through numerous stylistic “dialects”.
The 2026 festival will feature a dynamic and varied program. Beyond traditional concert formats, attendees can participate in online master classes, presentations, educational lectures, and interactive workshops. Concerts themselves are conceived as educational experiences, with a focus on chamber ensemble performances. These programs highlight both emerging ensembles and leading figures of the European contemporary music scene, fostering creative dialogue and the exchange of ideas within the artistic community.
As part of its 2026 two-week festival, reMusik.org will host its International Composition Course for the eighth consecutive year. This flagship initiative invites young and emerging composers worldwide to immerse themselves in an intensive program of creative exchange under the mentorship of a renowned faculty and in collaboration with world-class ensembles. Up to 40 composers will be selected through a competitive portfolio application to participate in a rich schedule of masterclasses, reading sessions, and presentations. The course culminates in the professional live recording of participants’ works during official festival concerts. The esteemed faculty for the upcoming course continues the program’s tradition of excellence, featuring leading international figures such as Mark Andre, Aaron Cassidy, Sivan Cohen Elias, Pierre Jodlowski, Nikolay Khrust, Alexander Khubeev, Mauro Lanza, Svetlana Lavrova, and Deqing Wen.
The festival will be hosted at prominent venues throughout St. Petersburg, including the Mariinsky Theater Concert Hall, the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater, New Holland, the Masterskaya M. K. Anikushina, the Sound Museum, St. Petersburg State Conservatory, and others.
Internationally-acclaimed ensembles and performers will grace the stage, including ‘Ensemble Répons’, ‘Studio for New Music Ensemble’, ‘Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble’, ‘St. Petersburg Improvisers Orchestra’, ‘Vacuum string quartet’, ‘Gallery of Actual Music Ensemble’ and many other participants of the festival. The festival program features an exclusive lineup of world and Russian premieres.
Deadlines
24 January 2026 (Groups A0, A1, A3),
15 February 2026 (Groups A2, A4, B1, B2, C),
10 May 2026 (Free auditors).
Website
www.en.remusik.org