COMMISSIONING INITIATIVES
Each year, LunART commissions original works by women composers and visual artists, supporting the creation of groundbreaking new music and interdisciplinary collaborations. This initiative brings together artists across disciplines to develop compelling premieres that reflect the organization's mission and artistic vision. By investing in new work, LunART not only expands the contemporary repertoire but also amplifies diverse voices and fosters innovative artistic exchange.
Season 25/26
Andree Valley
RESONANCE
"The artwork is a visual exploration of sound and how different sounds are put together into a cohesive unit. My art work has always been a response to music and its structure. I think of music in an abstract way in that sounds are shapes and color. Layering of shapes, negative spaces and their interweaving mimic the complication of a measure, bar, or page of music. I remember reading a while ago on the scientific difference between an electronic sound and an analogue sound. The difference is in its depth or sound. Rather than one or two oscillating lines measured from an electronic string, the sound produced from a plucked or rubbed string, divorced from electronics, have signals that are complicated and messy, rendering the sound with depth and I suppose you could say an emotional quality. Throughout my career as a visual artist, I have always tried to use this quality, in an abstract way, in my work through shape, color and their tangling and layering within the piece. Resonance describe these concepts. The artwork abstractly mimics sound vibrations, layerings, tempo and color of music."
Lauren Brianna Ware
CREANE CYCLE
for flute/piccolo, clarinet, horn/trumpet, marimba, violin & cello
Commissioned by LunART for the LunART Festival 2026, with generous support from Judith Brandt, who is inspired by the beauty, elegance, fragility, and resilience of Cranes and the people, worldwide, who are committed to their welfare.
Season 24/25
Desere Mayo
PORTRAITS
LunART is proud to have commissioned visual artist Desere Mayo to create a powerful series of portraits honoring three groundbreaking women composers of the past: Amy Beach, Clara Schumann, and Florence Price. Each portrait is rendered in Mayo’s signature pointillist style, using thousands of meticulously placed dots to bring these musical pioneers to life with stunning depth and texture. These original works celebrate the enduring legacy and artistic brilliance of these women, aligning with LunART’s mission to uplift and amplify women's voices in the arts.
Sato Matsui
LA SUITE ÉNTRANGÈRE
for flute, viola, cello & piano
La Suite Étrangère, or the Foreign Suite was composed in 2025 as a generous commission from Iva
Ugrcic and LunART. It is my homage to France, my new and welcoming home since 2019, and its rich tradition of
dance music. The celebrated French dance suite has its origins in the Renaissance and flourished in the Baroque era, particularly during the reign of Louis XIV, when dance became a central element of both courtly and
theatrical expression. This suite takes inspiration from four of the popular dance forms of that early
period (Allemande, Courante, Pavane, and Gaillarde), honoring their traditional meters, characters, and phrasing, while revisiting them with a fresh spirit of today.
Season 23/24
Issis Macias
REBIRTH
“Rebirth” is a deeply personal piece that revisits my journey into motherhood and my artistic evolution during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. This painting reflects the profound and life-altering experience I felt with the birth of my daughter, as well as my creative rebirth as an artist. The stress and difficulties of being isolated and caring for a newborn without any family support greatly influenced the emotional depth and complexity of my art during this time.
To me, "Rebirth" represents resilience, growth, and the transformative essence of both motherhood and artistic expression, serving as a vivid testament to this pivotal chapter in my life. In a broader sense, “Rebirth,” the theme of the 2024 LunART Festival, encapsulates the transformative power of challenging life experiences and the capacity of individuals to find beauty, meaning, and joy even amid uncertainty and hardship.
Season 22/23
Patricia Lopes
FLOWER CYCLE
for winds, strings, harp & vibraphone
“Flower Cycle,” by Brazilian composer Patricia Lopes, is a collection of musical vignettes, each representing a different flower. This 45 minutes-long work features a diverse tonal palette written for nine performers, including strings, winds, harp, and vibraphone. The work served as a “springboard” of inspiration for a collaboration between LunART and Little Picassos.
Edna Alejandra Longoria
EL BAILONGO
for flute, violin, cello & piano
El bailongo was commissioned by the LunART Festival.
They were looking for a piece that was rhythmic and lyrical. The
“Bailongo” is usually a very casual party that goes on in the
neighborhood streets and is full of music, dance, and food. When writing
this piece, I was imagining people dancing, having fun, talking to each
other, and most importantly, eating some delicious tacos!
Amira Ciare
REIMAGINE
"For this piece, I wanted to compliment and capture the essence of LunArt. Being an organization that honors and promotes women in the arts, as well as having the Moon as its symbol, it was the best plan I had for the artwork. I chose to have the woman lack a skin color to represent the diversity of women LunArt takes into account. It was also crucial to me to incorporate the Moon being centered and held by her, since I see us women being the Moon’s mirror. Throughout history, we have had challenges being seen and considered, but our unwavering resilience granted us the ability to be a light, shining bright in the dark experiences we were dealt. We are necessary in this world, and as creators and artists, we are destined to show that we and our work matter."
Season 21/22
Eunike Tanzil
HUES OF SPRING
for flute & piano
Growing up in Indonesia, I had only ever experienced one season - summer all year round -before moving to the United States. It never occurred to me just how colorful and vibrant the trees would look and how beautiful the flowers would be when they bloom. Having recently moved to New York City in September 2021, I was inspired by how the colors change with the seasons - orange in the fall, white in winter, and pink in the spring. This piece reflects how the hues of spring bring joy and warmth to families and New Yorkers across the city. This piece is written for flutist and LunART direcgtor, Iva Ugrcic.
Season 20/21
Amira Caire
HUMAN FAMILY
This digital artwork has been commissioned by LunART for the "Human Family" Virtual Festival 2020.
“This whole piece is really about supporting and holding a person up, and being there for someone when they are down. That's something that is lacking in our world. Many people think too much about themselves; almost all of the world's problems stem from a lack of empathy and compassion for others. When I think of family, I think about the words care, nurture, uplift, support, and present.”
