Festival president Charles H. Stone, in discussing the joint collaboration, said, “We have been looking for some time to develop a program which would benefit both organizations and shine a bright light on the musical life in Lexington, and we are very pleased with how this has evolved to become a composer-in-residence collaboration.”

“Our decision to highlight an original work from a young composer each summer has been very rewarding and we are so pleased to have our audiences appreciate and accept this new music. We want to become known as a venue where both traditional and not-so-traditional music can be enjoyed,” Nathan Cole said.

Jim Clark, president and CEO of LexArts, said, “As a founding sponsor, we are thrilled to see the progress that has been made in terms of both community support and artistic achievement. It is nothing short of astounding that such a young chamber music festival is commissioning new work by some of America’s finest young talent.”