NEW YORK COMPOSERS CIRCLE ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND BOARD APPOINTMENT

Leadership changes strengthen the organization’s administrative and governance structure as it prepares for its Annual Meeting

NEW YORK, NY — September 4, 2026 — The Board of Directors of the New York Composers Circle (NYCC) is pleased to announce a series of administrative and Board leadership changes that will further strengthen the organization’s operations and support its continuing commitment to contemporary music. The changes take effect immediately and precede the organization’s Annual Meeting on September 20, 2026.

Timothy Miller has been appointed Executive Director of the New York Composers Circle, succeeding David Mecionis, who has served in the role since 2024. Mecionis will continue his leadership with the organization as Artistic Director, maintaining his focus on the Circle’s artistic activities, programming, and support of contemporary composers.

In addition, the Board has appointed Craig Zeichner as a new Director. Zeichner will succeed Robert Paterson, whose current Board term concludes in October.

“We are very pleased to announce these changes as the New York Composers Circle continues to build for the future,” said Clifford Hall, Chair of the Board of Directors. “David Mecionis has made important contributions to the organization in his role as Executive Director, and we are delighted that he will continue to serve NYCC as Artistic Director. We also welcome Timothy Miller to his new leadership role and look forward to Craig Zeichner’s contributions to the Board.”

The leadership changes reflect the Board’s ongoing efforts to strengthen NYCC’s administrative infrastructure while maintaining a strong focus on its artistic mission. The Board looks forward to continued collaboration among its leadership, directors, composers, performers, and the broader community to advance the Circle’s work on behalf of contemporary music.

The changes will be presented at the New York Composers Circle’s Annual Meeting on September 20, 2026.

In Memoriam: Peter Kelsh

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dear friend and composer, PETER KELSH. He passed away in his home at approximately 3 PM on Saturday, August 29. He is survived by his wife, Sabine Koengeter.

Peter joined NYCC in 2015, where he presented a lovely piece as part of his membership application, and was shortly thereafter accepted into the organization. His uncrowded tonal style was reminiscent of a British pastoral composition style, though he was from Brooklyn and about the furthest thing from British! Since joining, he has had a piece performed with us in every season except 2024–25. His last piece performed was at our last concert on May 26th. His lovely Quartet for Oboe & String Trio filled the reverberant Church of Saint Mary the Virgin and received rousing applause. You may view the video here.

Peter was a superb and supportive NYCC member. He attended just about every salon and concert, whether or not he had a piece being presented. He will be sorely missed.

ANNOUNCING THE WINNER OF THE 19th ANNUAL JOHN EATON MEMORIAL COMPETITION

New York Composers Circle is happy to announce the winner and runners-up of the 19th annual John Eaton Memorial Competition. The selection of the winning work was a unanimous decision. Congratulations to our competition winner, LUCA PASQUINI, for his string quartet, Sospira. Congratulations also to our two runners-up, KOLTEN HEEREN for his string trio, Scherzo, and WHITNEY SHENG for Foxfire for solo alto flute. The winning work will be performed in our upcoming 24th concert season. Both the winner and runners-up will receive a complimentary one-year membership in the New York Composers Circle.

Our sincere thanks to all of the entrants in the John Eaton Memorial Competition. We wish you continued success in your musical endeavors. We look forward to getting to know Luca, Kolten, and Whitney and their music over the next year as they join the ranks of NYCC.

Luca Pasquini, 2026 Winner, for Sospira, for string quartet

Kolten Heeren, 2026 1st Runner-up, for Scherzo, for string trio

Whitney Sheng, 2026 2nd Runner-up, for Foxfire, for solo alto flute

WE WELCOME THESE NEW MEMBERS

We welcome FIVE new members to the roster of the New York Composers Circle. We are happy to announce that MATT KRANE, ALON NECHUSHTAN, CLOVIS NICOLAS, KARL SCHULTZ, and EMILIA TAMBURRI have been selected for membership as new composer members. Each composer presented their music at recent salons and has met all of the requirements for membership. We look forward to their continued contributions to NYCC, as well as the presentation of their music at concerts beginning in the 2026-2027 concert season.

Welcome aboard!

Matt Krane

Alon Nechushtan

Clovis Nicolas

Karl Schultz

Emilia Tamburri

Salon Schedule

The Salon schedule for the 2026-2027 Season has been posted on our Salons page. Click HERE to view the schedule. The agendas and links to the Zoom feed will be announced when they become available. Please click on the Subscribe tab below to stay informed of these and other announcements from NYCC. 



Announcement of the Upcoming 24th Season of Concerts is Coming Soon!

New York Composers Circle presented five concerts during our 23rd season, featuring 21 world premieres, 7 New York premieres, and 3 US premieres from 28 composers from our roster, and pieces from two of our Honorary Members, Richard Brooks and Raoul Pleskow. The winner of the 18th John Eaton Memorial Competition, Robert Carl, was featured in a performance of his winning work, Just Listen, in February. We also honored long-time composer member Kevin McCarter, who recently passed away, with a performance of his memorable work for viola and piano, Quiet Moments.

We are already hard at work putting together our 24th Season of Concerts, which will be announced in late summer. The season will be highlighted by many more premieres from our roster of composers, as well as the performance of the winner of the 19th John Eaton Memorial Competition, Luca Pasquini’s Sospira for string quartet. To stay informed of news and information from the New York Composers Circle, please click HERE to subscribe to our mailing list. You will be among the first to know when the new season is announced,