The North American New Music Festival was founded in 1983 by Yvar Mikhashoff and Jan Williams, faculty members of the University at Buffalo Music Department and dedicated proponents of contemporary and avant-garde art music. Their aim was to produce, over a ten-day period, a concentrated series of concerts and related events at multiple Buffalo-area locations. These annual music festivals featured a wide range of modern musical styles composed and performed both by emerging creative musicians and by established composers of national and international reputation.

The Festivals were held in March or April in the years between 1983 and 1992, in October of 1993, in February of 1995, and in April of 1996, with events occurring in more than a dozen locations, including concert halls, art galleries, churches, theaters, and cabarets. The works of more than 300 composers were presented, including many world premieres.

The 173 images in the archive have been digitized to create this separate, online image collection. The original photographs include publicity stills submitted by participating musicians as well as photographs of musicians in rehearsal or performance. Notable composers represented in the collection include Milton Babbitt, Earle Brown, John Cage, Morton Feldman, Lejaren Hiller, La Monte Young, Netty Simons, Pauline Oliveros, and Frank Zappa.

Please refer to the finding aid for the festival archive for complete details.