The 2026 First Commission Award - Amil Abumrad

Composers Now also proudly presents the 2026 First Commission Award to Amil Abumrad. Amil's composer mentor is Derek Bermel.

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The work, "I Am America," is based on poems by Walt Whitman, "I Hear America Singing," and Langston Hughes, "I, Too." Members of The Dessoff Choirs, Malcolm J. Merriweather, Music Director will premiere the piece at the 2026 Composers Now Festival Kick-off concert on January 28, 2026, at the National Sawdust.

Amil Abumrad is a 16-year-old junior at Special Music School where he studies composition. He started his musical journey with classical piano and developed an interest in jazz during middle school. Influenced by his early love for Bill Evans, Amil enjoys incorporating jazz harmonies into his compositions. His works have been performed by a big band at Merkin Hall and workshopped with the Attacca Quartet. Amil is of Lebanese, Filipino, and South Asian heritage and lives in New York City.

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