Celebrating Queer Composers and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music with Riley Nicholson and Sean Shepherd

Celebrating Queer Composers and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music with Riley Nicholson and Sean Shepherd

Author: ksqd.org July 21, 2026 Duration: 0:00
The 2026 Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music takes place in downtown Santa Cruz from July 26 to August 9. The theme this year is “We the Dreamers” and features four world premiere Festival Commissions, eight West Coast premieres, and two U.S. premieres, brought to life by a dynamic global roster of over 20 composers and an extraordinary array of guest artists.  “We the Dreamers is both an invitation and a responsibility…and we are asking how music can help imagine a more expansive ‘we’” says Music Director Cristian Măcelaru.  Two queer composers who will be featured are Elena Kats-Cherin who composed Rainbow Promise that celebrates the struggle and success of marriage equality in the UK, and Sean Shepherd presents Wanderlust that is an homage to movement and belonging. Executive Director D. Riley Nicholson along with composer Sean Shepherd shared their insights about the festival. 

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