Top 20 Emerging Composers of 2026
BENJAMIN REIKE
Ben Rieke (b. 2000) is a composer and pianist from Naperville, Illinois. He has previously won awards from Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, ASCAP, Tribeca New Music and NYC's Metropolitan Youth Orchestra. Ensembles and musicians that have performed Ben's work include JACK quartet, Wet Ink Ensemble, the Indiana University Concert Orchestra, and the Juilliard Orchestra. He is currently at the Yale School of Music as a DMA candidate. Before that, he studied at The Juilliard School (MM), and Indiana University, obtaining BMs in music composition and piano performance. At IU, he also obtained a BS in computer science.
ANAIS MAVIEL
Anaïs Maviel is a multidisciplinary artist whose work transforms spiritual concepts into sensory experience, treating perception as a medium. A composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist, she works across traditional and experimental practices to explore sound’s power to shape reality and highlight the stakes of cultural multiplicity.
She creates multidimensional, “spiritually illuminating” experiences (New York City Jazz Record). Her collaborations include Alarm Will Sound, Craig Taborn, Meshell Ndegeocello, Meredith Monk, and the Merce Cunningham Trust. She has received the Van Lier Fellowship, American Composers Forum Create Award, Jerome Foundation Fellowship, NYFA Artists Fellowship, and New Music USA’s Next Jazz Legacy, plus a nomination for the Herb Alpert Award in Music Composition. She holds a master’s degree from Paris Diderot University in modern literature, aesthetics, and contemporary thought.
MAILE PACUMIO
Maile Pacumio is a Filipino-Thai composer and orchestrator who explores the connection of cultural representation and identity through music. Her original compositions have been premiered and recorded both locally and internationally. With a background in media scoring, her work combines and blends several musical genres from around the world. Maile serves as the Composer in Residence and Marketing Director for Alwani Middle Eastern Orchestra, where she also performs on the flute and piano. Through music, she strives to showcase the beauty and diversity of all musical traditions.
Arjan Singh
KIAN RAVAEL
Composer Kian Ravaei (b. 1999) takes tone painting to a new level, synthesizing diverse inspirations ranging from the Iranian music of his ancestral heritage to the pulsating electronic music of late-night dance clubs. From Carnegie Hall to the Concertgebouw, sought-after musicians including Fleur Barron, Lara Downes, and Anthony McGill have brought Ravaei’s works to global stages. His music has been commissioned by Seattle Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Northwest, and American Composers Orchestra, with commissioning awards from Chamber Music America, New Music USA, and the Barlow Endowment. He is currently a C.V. Starr Doctoral Fellow at The Juilliard School.