Composers Now: DIALOGUES @ New Orleans Jazz Museum

Composers Now presents

DIALOGUES

Thursday, October 29, 2026, 7 pm

New Orleans Jazz Museum - 400 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans

Hosted by Founding Artistic Director Tania León.

Featuring Courtney Bryan, Steve Lands, and Sultana Isham.

Marking 15 years of championing living composers and amplifying their diverse creative voices, the renowned Composers Now will continue the celebration of its milestone anniversary season in a city synonymous with musical innovation with Dialogues in New Orleans at the New Orleans Jazz Museum on Thursday, October 29 at 7:00 p.m. This special presentation will launch a dynamic Fall/Winter 2026-2027 season of performances, world premieres, new commissions and composer-centered conversations designed to connect audiences directly with the creators shaping music today.

Dialogues in New Orleans will feature three Louisiana-rooted composer-performers, spotlighting the breadth and vitality of the region’s contemporary landscape to include: New Orleans native, 2023 MacArthur Fellow and composer-pianist Courtney Bryan; Baton Rouge–born composer and trumpeter Steve Lands; and award-winning composer and violinist Sultana Isham. Designed to place composers and their creative processes at the center of the experience, Dialogues pairs live performance with conversation, giving audiences insight into the ideas, influences and creative processes behind their work.

Bringing a distinct musical perspective to the stage, each composer will share a chamber work of approximately 10 minutes. Bryan will perform an excerpt from her piano concerto House of Pianos, newly arranged for piano and string quintet. Lands will perform the Prelude and Part 1 of his Draconid Suite for trumpet, piano and strings, a work inspired by the annual Draconid meteor shower that features Lands alongside pianist Oscar Rossignoli. Isham will share a work for string ensemble informed by her interdisciplinary approach to sound and storytelling.

Composers Now empowers all living composers, celebrates the diversity of their voices and honors the significance of their artistic contributions to the cultural fabric of society.