New York Festival of Song’s 2021 Next Festival kicks off with 9 UNDER 34: Composers Younger Than NYFOS, co-curated by baritone Gregory Feldmann. The evening will feature works by composers born after NYFOS’s first program was presented, performed by baritone Gregory Feldmann and mezzo-soprano and 2021 Naumberg Award winner Erin Wagner, together with pianists Nathaniel LaNasa and Shawn Chang and cellist Thapelo Masita. Works include songs by Jake Landau, Sato Matsui, Shawn Chang, Iván Enrique Rodríguez, David Clay Mettens, Emily Cooley, Tariq al-Sabir, Curtis Stewart, and Molly Joyce. Co-curator Feldmann says about the 9 UNDER 34 program, “In building this program, I hoped to present composers from a wide array of backgrounds and demographics that were writing songs about what mattered to them. The final result has had several themes emerge that, while not unique to our generation, are absolutely core conversations of today: Identity, the shifting social and environmental landscape, and our ability to communicate and connect within these new landscapes. The songs feature texts ranging from 19th century Scotland, to the lesser known words of Francis Scott Key, to nonverbal individuals with autism in Chicago, to personal reflections.” Works by composers born after NYFOS’s first program: JAKE LANDAU: “Mary’s Song” from Scotch Lyrics SATO MATSUI: “Fushigi uta” from Songs of Curiosity SHAWN CHANG: “Green” and “Yellow” from Portraits of Unrelated Colors IVÁN ENRIQUE RODRÍGUEZ: “Alabaster Thread” DAVID CLAY METTENS: 2 songs from The sustaining air EMILY COOLEY: Beautiful Small Things TARIQ AL-SABIR: The Sixth Extinction CURTIS STEWART: Do You See the Flag? MOLLY JOYCE: Redesign Our Time Performers: Gregory Feldmann, baritone and co-curator Erin Wagner, mezzo-soprano and 2021 Naumberg Award winner Nathaniel LaNasa, piano Shawn Chang, piano Thapelo Masita, cello Attendees at Kaufman Music Center are currently required to wear masks and provide proof of vaccination. View the current COVID policy at https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/covid/.