Contemporaneous has just launched a new round of Contemporaneous: IMAGINATION — our open call that asks composers (and anyone who dreams in sound) to share their wildest ideas with us — the things they would most like to create if they had no restrictions — no matter how strange, impractical, or seemingly-impossible they might be. From these submissions, Contemporaneous will program as many of the most meaningful projects as we can in the coming seasons, finding the way to bring these boundary-exploding ideas to life. Contemporaneous: IMAGINATION has given rise to dozens of extraordinary and unique new works in the past several years, including a 16-hour inclusive performance following the sun’s trajectory on the longest day of the year, a new multimedia work about quantum physics, and a gorgeous immersive performance that included every sense… including taste!

So far this year, we’ve received hundreds of submissions to Contemporaneous: Imagination, from composers across six continents, each wonderful in its own way and entirely unlike anything else. With $100,000 for artists, we’ll bring as many of these dreams to life as we can. We know how much it means in the lives of those who are developing large-scale ideas to have a chance to share them — your support will be truly transformative in the lives of composers all over the world.

Contemporaneous is bringing as much beauty as we can into the world in 2026, with a dazzling parade of presentations big and small of the most beautiful musical experiences we can imagine.

From performances of dozens of highlights from the most iconic new operatic works of the 21st century on the PROTOTYPE Festival in January to a composer portrait of Lisa Bielawa at Miller Theatre in February, to a show of gorgeous music by Gavin Bryars on Bang on a Can’s LONG PLAY festival, to the release of an extraordinary new album on a major record label with music by Contemporaneous’ executive & co-artistic director Dylan Mattingly drawn from the upcoming epic History of Life, performed by Contemporaneous and Iarla Ó Lionáird, to large-scale world premieres by Brendon Randall-Myers and Paul Pinto, 2026 is going to be a year that is filled to the brim with what we love most about being alive on this planet. And we can’t wait to share it all with you!

Amelia Earhart once also said “everyone has oceans to fly.” Everyone has the capacity to dream — to imagine things that have not yet been. Our job in Contemporaneous is to give all people the chance to point their lives in that direction, to share with the world the experiences that matter most to them. And, in turn, this offers beauty and meaning to the community as a whole.

In 2025, we launched the Open Mic series, which creates an entirely free space for anyone with a musical idea to be able to have it performed by the incredible musicians of Contemporaneous. There are no barriers on the Open Mic — no stylistic, financial, educational, or curatorial limits. No matter who you are, you can sign up for the Open Mic and hear and share your music. There is nothing else like this, and it’s been astonishing to witness in its first year how much this means to composers around the world. The Open Mic has allowed for the premieres of thirty new works in its first year, and with $100,000 for artists, we will continue and grow the Open Mic in 2026.

The response to the Open Mic has been overwhelming in its first year, with people from all backgrounds coming together in a joyful community where the worth of every person and the value of their imaginations are never in doubt.