Ensemble for These Times Names Winners of 2026 Solo Piano Call for Scores

Award-winning SF contemporary chamber group Ensemble for These Times (E4TT) has announced the winners of its 2026 Call for Scores for Solo Piano, its third Call for Scores for music for solo piano. The works chosen will be performed by E4TT emerita pianist extraordinaire, Dale Tsang, in two recitals that will open E4TT's 19th Home Season at the Community Music Center in San Francisco (October 18, 2026), and at the Berkeley Piano Club (October 25, 2026).

Tsang writes, 'We deeply appreciate the wealth and depth of the 150+ submissions we received, and thank our wonderful composer community for entrusting us with their musical projects. We easily could have created more excellent concerts and regret that we were not able to program every work submitted. Nonetheless, after careful review of every score and recording, we chose a varied program that explores many different musical styles, cultures and personalities-and we're looking forward to presenting it this fall!'

E4TT received 155 scores from 89 composers and chose 13 winners: Jinjoo Choi, Gilad Cohen, Michael Coleman, Andrew Davis, Xinyuan Deng, Isiah Diaz-Lopez, Arturo Fernandez, Matthew Lam, Joao Oliveira, Luca Pasquini, Josh Rodriguez, Louis Rosen, and Brady Wolff. Tsang will perform 'E4TT Call For Scores: Solo Piano, Vol. 3,' on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 3:00 p.m., at the Community Music Center in SF, and on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 3:00 p.m., at the Berkeley Piano Club. Both performances can be attended online (free, donations welcome) and in-person ($5-30, no one turned away for lack of ability to pay), with tickets/RSVPs available through Eventbrite (SF & BERKELEY).

ABOUT THE CALL FOR SCORES

Following her wildly successful Call for Scores solo piano and piano four-hands recitals with Ensemble for These Times in their 17th and 18th seasons, E4TT emerita pianist extraordinaire Dale Tsang will return in E4TT's 19th season to perform fourteen works chosen from the group's third Call for Scores for solo piano on both sides of the Bay. For this year's Call for Scores the group received 155 scores from 90 composers hailing from 20 countries (Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, China, Cuba, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Taiwan, United States) and 19 U.S. states, with the composers ranging from students to established composers to professionals in non-musical fields. As ever, the quality and variety of the submissions made choosing the winners challenging.

The fourteen works chosen for performance are: 'Cogwork Rhapsody' (2026) by Jinjoo Choi (b. 1994); 'Pulse' (2018) by Gilad Cohen (b. 1980); 'Seville Rag' (2001) by Michael Coleman (b. 1955); 'Album Leaves - III. Pulse Train' (2025) by Andrew Davis (b. 1986); 'Autumn Landscape' (2024) by Xinyuan Deng; 'Magenta - The First to Dream' (2025) by Isiah Diaz-Lopez (b. 2004); 'Pedro's Come Home Suite - Conga en forma di Corrente' (2026) by Arturo Fernandez (b. 1990); 'Fragments of Rain' (2025) by Matthew Lam (b. 1999); 'ff - I. Frozen Fred' (2012) by Joao Oliveira (b. 1959); 'Dispositions - 1. Leggiero, flickering' (2023) by Luca Pasquini (b. 2004); 'LUZ ENTRE AGUAS - II. Estancia' (2024) by Josh Rodriguez (b. 1982); 'ACT ONE SUITE - 1. Opening - The City' (2014) and '3. Traveling Music' (2014) by Louis Rosen; and 'Evoke Stardust' (2026) by Brady Wolff (b. 2002).

Tsang will launch E4TT's 19th season by performing these excellent works on October 18, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. at the Community Music Center in SF and October 25, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. at the Berkeley Piano Club, with both concerts available for online attendance on E4TT's YouTube channel.

FOURTEEN WORKS BY THIRTEEN OUTSTANDING COMPOSERS

JINJOO CHOI (b. 1994) is a South Korean composer and music director. She received her B.A. in Composition from Chung-Ang University. Her work spans concert music, commercials, musicals, and audio dramas. She has served as music director for commercial campaigns for Coca-Cola, Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Pulmuone, and SASA. She also composed, arranged, and produced the OST for the audio drama Genre is Modern Fantasy and served as music director for the web musical If Our Life Were a Musical. In 2020, she was a prize winner in the Creative Unification Children's Song category at the 7th Youth Peace & Unification Cultural Contest.

GILAD COHEN (b. 1980) is an active composer, performer, and theorist in various genres including concert music, rock, and music for theater. Highlighted engagements include commissions by Barlow Endowment, Concert Artists Guild, and Chamber Music America; awards such as the Barlow Prize, the Israeli Prime Minister Award for Composers, and top prizes in international competitions in the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle-East; and releases on Albany Records, Naxos/Delos and Navona Records. In the 24-25 season, Gilad's music was played in more than 60 concerts in nine countries. Gilad performs regularly with various ensembles around the US, playing piano, bass guitar and guitar. An Associate Professor of Music at Ramapo College of New Jersey, Gilad holds a Ph.D. in composition from Princeton University. His research about the music of Pink Floyd has resulted in publications in academic journals and in producing the first-ever academic conference devoted to the band at Princeton University. www.giladcohen.com

Michael Coleman (b. 1955) has participated as composer/pianist in numerous new music programs and festivals in the U.S and Russia and has also had works performed in Central America, Europe, and Eurasia. He has also had multiple online performances of his works which include Festival Osmose (Brussels, Belgium) and 'Fifteen Minutes of Fame' (Vox Novus, Manhattan, NY). Recent awards include being named Winner of the III Leopold Auer International Composition Competition (2023) and other recent awards include the An Art Artistry Prize (Athens, Greece (2018)). He received his doctorate from the University of Maryland and holds degrees from the University of New Orleans and the University of South Alabama, studying with Lawrence Moss, Jerry Sieg, and Carl Alette. Dr. Coleman is on the faculties of Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida.

Andrew Davis (b. 1986) is a composer, pianist, and electric guitarist from Columbia, MD. His works have been performed nationally and internationally by groups such as the JACK Quartet, PRISM Quartet, Alarm Will Sound, Daedalus Quartet, ETHEL Quartet, the Argento Ensemble, loadbang, the Boston New Music Initiative, the Luna Nova Ensemble, Blueshift Ensemble, Variant 6, the Florida State Wind Ensemble, and the University of Texas New Music Ensemble. He has received honors from ASCAP and BMI, among others. Additionally, his music has been heard at a variety of festivals, including the International Computer Music Conference, SEAMUS, TUTTI Festival, RED NOTE Music Festival, Mizzou New Music International Composers Festival, New Music on the Point, NYCEMF, and the Atlantic Music Festival. He is currently an Assistant Professor in Music at Ursinus College, where he directs the music technology program and teaches additional classes in composition, songwriting, and music theory.

XINYUAN DENG is a composer, pianist, sound artist, and educator from China, currently based in the United States. Her work bridges traditional Chinese aesthetics with contemporary sonic practices, exploring memory, movement, and flow through immersive acoustic, electroacoustic, and multimedia soundscapes. Her music has been performed internationally by ensembles and orchestras including PHACE Contemporary Ensemble, The Rhythm Method String Quartet, ENSEMBLE CONCEPT/21, TEMPO Ensemble, Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra, and Harbin Symphony Orchestra. She frequently collaborates with performers across diverse musical traditions, engaging in intercultural dialogue and experimental approaches to sound. Her electronic works have been featured at EMM, SEAMUS, Click Fest, and NYCEMF, and she is the recipient of the 2025 Morris and Sheila Hass Award in Computer Music. Deng holds degrees from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, where she is currently a Doctor of Music candidate in Composition.

ISIAH DIAZ-LOPEZ (b. 2004) is a multidisciplinary composer from San Francisco, California, currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studies with composer and department chair David Conte. His music blends acoustic and hybrid elements to create emotionally resonant narratives for both the concert hall and the screen. Isaiah's work spans concert music, film, singer-songwriter collaborations, and commercial media, including promotional content for Topo Chico. At 19, he placed third in the International Indie Film Scoring Contest. The following year, he attended the prestigious Chigiana Film Scoring Intensive in Siena, Italy, where he studied with Patrick Kirst and Lawrence Shragge and recorded with the Orchestra della Toscana. Now entering his final year of study, Isaiah is dedicated to developing a distinctive artistic voice and pursuing a career in concert music.

ARTURO FERNANDEZ (b. 1990) is a composer, violist, and Thereminist originally from Miami, Florida. He has degrees in composition from the Boston Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, and the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. As an emerging composer, he has premiered several projects with Mostly Modern Festival and its Netherlands outpost, Heartland Marimba, the Musser Marimba Orchestra, the Shakespeare Concerts, Hypercube CubeLab, FUSE Collaborations in Song, and for fellow Thereminist Thorwald Jørgensen, and is presently working on other projects with Thorwald and librettist Sarvin Parviz. As a Thereminist, he is a regular performer; his soloist debut was with the Musser Marimba Festival Orchestra. Performances have also included outings with the Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Baltimore symphonies, as well as VGM group Otter Chaos. He is an active recitalist on the instrument, which has included solo recitals with pianist Yun Hao and with chamber players of the Mostly Modern Festival.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, MATTHEW LAM (b. 1999) is an active composer of acoustic and electroacoustic music and an enthusiast of contemporary music style. His music experiments on a wide array of sounds and timbre with contemporary instrumental techniques and electronics, and integrates electroacoustic elements into acoustic music. His recent interests include saturation in music and ambisonics. Winning multiple awards, his works were featured in numerous events, including ACO Earshot (USA), June in Buffalo (USA), International Rostrum of Composers (Netherlands), TagTEAMS (Thailand), Espacios Sonoros (Argentina), Paysages | Composés (France), and International Review of Composers (Serbia). Groups such as the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Toledo Symphony, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, Mivos Quartet, and [Switch~ Ensemble] are among the many who have presented Lam's music. He is currently pursuing his doctoral studies at Eastman School of Music and serves as a teaching assistant at Electroacoustic Music Studios at Eastman.

Composer JOÃO PEDRO OLIVEIRA (b. 1959) holds the Corwin Endowed Chair in Composition for the University of California at Santa Barbara. He studied organ performance, composition, and architecture in Lisbon. He completed a Ph.D. in Music at the University of New York at Stony Brook. His music includes opera, orchestral compositions, chamber music, electroacoustic music, and experimental video. He has received over 70 international prizes and awards for his works, including the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 2023, the Bourges Magisterium Prize, and the Giga-Hertz Special Award, among others. His music is played all over the world. He taught at Aveiro University (Portugal) and Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil). His publications include several articles in journals and a book on 20th century music theory. www.jpoliveira.com

LUCA PASQUINI (b. 2004) is a NYC-based composer, pianist, and sound artist exploring the complexity of human emotions through themes of the natural, supernatural, and digital worlds, often meditating on memory and connection. Luca's work spans various mediums, from the concert music stage to music for dance and film. His work has received recognition from ASCAP, Tribeca New Music, Voices of Change, YoungArts, NYCC, and more. Luca has also collaborated with Salastina, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, the Rhythm Method Quartet, Hub New Music, UnheardOf Ensemble, Dither, Chamber Project St. Louis, and the NYU Orchestra. He has taken part in programs such as the Norfolk, Connecticut Summerfest, Salastina Sounds Promising, Yellow Barn, and Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and recently earned his Bachelor of Music Theory and Composition from New York University Steinhardt School, studying with Michael Gordon, Robert Honstein, and Justin Dello Joio.

Known for his energetic rhythms, rich harmonic language, and striking colors, award-winning composer Josh Rodriguez (b. 1982) continues to gain recognition as an emerging composer and collaborator on a national and international scale. Born in Argentina and raised in Guatemala, Mexico and the United States to Colombian American parents, Rodriguez's musical imagination has been formed by this bilingual, multi-cultural heritage. He collaborates regularly with theatre and film directors and has received notable concert commissions in a wide range of musical genres. Rodriguez serves as Associate Professor of Music Theory and Composition at Elmhurst University. His music is published by Walton GIA, Murphy Music Press, LeDor Music, J. W. Pepper, and is available for purchase through his website. www.joshrodriguezmusic.com

Louis Rosen, composer, lyricist, author, is a Guggenheim Foundation Music Composition Fellowship recipient whose musical style crosses and juxtaposes classical, folk, jazz and popular idioms. 14 ALBUMS of Louis's songs and instrumental music include the most recent 'American Sunset' (Music and Lyrics - Cadence Jazz Magazine Top Ten Album, 2025); 'The Pearl Octet - Riversongs Nonet' (2024) and 'Love and Ashes', 2023); and the three-album 'The Black Loom Trilogy,' cycles on poems by Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou and Nikki Giovanni. Broadway, Off-Broadway & Regional THEATER: Two musical theater pieces and 30 scores for plays. Additional AWARDS & HONORS: NEA New American Works Grant; 2nd Gilman & Gonzalez Falla Award (Best Emerging Theater Composer); Puffin Foundation Grant; Anna Sosenko Trust Award; ASCAP Awards, 1993-2026; 'Love of Song - The Music of Louis Rosen' Retrospective Concert, 92NY, and many more.

BRADY WOLFF (b. 2002) is a Kansas City-native composer whose work blends intense rhythmic activity and mathematical processes to create works dealing with themes of climate change, queer identity, and neurodiversity. Inspired by his experiences with Tourette syndrome, his music explores discomfort, tension, and control. Brady's compositions have been performed by artists such as the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, the Boston New Music Initiative, and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. Wolff's works have also been featured at events such as the Estivales de Lods and the International Double Reed Society Conference. He has received honors from ASCAP, The Presser Foundation, the Off The Dock Festival and others. He holds a B.M. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and is pursuing an M.M. at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. When he is not composing, Brady enjoys tending to his collection of houseplants.

ABOUT DALE TSANG

E4TT emerita pianist DALE TSANG earned her BM in Performance from the University of Southern California, her MМ from the University of Michigan, and her DMA from Rice University. She is a faculty member at Laney College and teaches an inspiring assortment of adult students. A winner of numerous competitions and an active solo and chamber musician, she frequently performs locally and in Europe and Asia. As a core member of Ensemble for These Times, she championed 20th and 21st century music and collaborated in many commissions, premieres, and international performances. Her collaborative work on E4TT recordings resulted in a 2016 Silver Medal and a 2018 Gold Medal in the Global Music Awards. She enthusiastically continues to disseminate the music of living composers.

ABOUT ENSEMBLE FOR THESE TIMES

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