Next Up! 2025
8 Composers. 8 World Premieres.
Join us for our second installation of Next Up! featuring eight rising LA-based composers and their new works for brass ensemble, composed just for LAB-A.
Our 2025 composer cohort hails from institutions such as the Jacobs School at Indiana University, the Herb Alpert School at UCLA, the Thornton School at USC, the Yale School of Music, the University of Northern Colorado, and Cal State University Northridge. In collaboration with LAB-A leadership and musicians, our composers have written for every flavor of brass ensemble, from quintet to brass orchestra, pushing the boundaries of music for brass ensemble.
We hope to see you on May 4th for our season finale, and the celebration of their new works for brass!
Sponsors
Next Up! is generously sponsored by Bob Reeves Brass Mouthpieces, a strong supporter of the brass arts in Los Angeles. We thank Bob Reeves for their commitment to new music and support of young professionals.
If you are interested in supporting this performance, new music for brass or future LAB-A performances, please drop us a line, and we'll get in touch. Or, visit our Support page.
Concert Date & Venue
May 4th, 2025 at 7:00 PM
First Baptist Church of Glendale
209 N Louise St, Glendale, CA 91206
Ticketing Information
This concert is free and open to the public. Let us know you're coming via our Eventbrite!
About LAB-A's Next Up! Concert Series
Next Up! is a once-annual concert series that aims to broaden the brass ensemble repertoire with a uniquely Los Angeles flair and spotlights emerging composers as they build their musical careers and foster artistic collaboration between composers and brass musicians.
We believe that as students, freelancers and performers, we're responsible for ensuring the rich and vibrant future of brass performance. This concert is an investment in our musicians, these incredible composers, and the accessibility of new music to Los Angeles audiences.
Our 2025 Composer Cohort & Compositions
Ben Beckman
Cloudmass
for brass ensemble
Jeremy Dávalos
Next Time Around
for brass ensemble
Ryn Jorgenson
Do Not Go (Gentle)
for brass ensemble
Estevan Olmos
Sounds of Crossing
for brass quintet
Mckenna Reeve
Sayacmarca
for brass ensemble
Ariel Sol
Thirty Crossed Paths
for brass ensemble & fixed media
Sydney Wang
The Celestial Alchemist
for brass ensemble
Jeremy Zerbe
Acension
for brass ensemble
Interested in applying to Next Up! 2026?
Eligibility & Application
Composers who are currently studying at the graduate level, have graduated from collegiate studies in the last 5 years, OR are between the ages of 22 and 30 are eligible to apply.
Applications for Next Up! 2026 will open Winter 2025. Applications involve submission of a prior work, resume, and a proposal for a 5-12 minute work. Composers begin writing following their selection for the cohort. Composers selected for Next Up! 2025 are not eligible for the 2026 concert.
Upon selection, composers are asked to create 5-12 minute works for standard brass ensemble, unconventional brass ensemble, or brass chamber ensemble setting (dectet or larger). Works need not be constrained to Western art music -- LAB-A welcomes all genres and styles of composition.
Benefits for Composers
Selected composers will:
Collaborate their piece over several weeks with the LAB-A board, 30+ brass musicians, and fellow Next Up! composers.
Deepen their knowledge of idiomatic and functional writing for brass instruments by working directly with brass musicians.
Have their work performed in a public venue in front of LAB-A's audiences.
Receive a high-quality recording of the work from the performance for their portfolio.
Have the option to participate in a composer-musician roundtable event and engage in peer feedback with other composers.
Composers may also have the opportunity to conduct their work, if desired, and will retain full rights to their composition following premiere with LAB-A. Composers will recieve a small honorarium from LAB-A as a gesture of appreciation and professionalism.
Expectations for Collaboration with LAB-A
Next Up! is an intensely collaborative experience between LAB-A and selected composers.
During the cycle of composition, rehearsal, workshopping, and performance, composers are expected to:
Attend brief check-in meetings with LAB-A leadership to workshop ideas and receive feedback from the ensemble.
Attend at least 1 Sunday morning rehearsal at the University of Southern California to workshop their piece in real time with LAB-A.
Attend the premiere of their work.
We also offer the opportunity to conduct your own work, if desired. Please note that this is subject to the approval of our resident conductor, Svend Lykkegaard.
If you opt to conduct your own work, please be aware that you will be required to attend at least 2 rehearsals to help prepare the ensemble for performance.