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ARTISTRY, CREATIVITY, OPPORTUNITY
Who we are. The American Composers Orchestra (ACO) is a national discovery and development pipeline for new orchestral music, focused on bringing the full spectrum of American music to orchestral stages, providing a gateway to the orchestral composition and performance process, and amplifying the expressive power of orchestral music to enable a vibrant future for all Americans. We've made incredible strides over the past 4+ decades, and we are just getting started.
What we do. For composers of all experience levels, we offer an end-to-end composition accelerator to get you from idea to performance in partnership with orchestras nationwide. For orchestral commissioners, we offer a comprehensive suite of resources and relationships to realize your artistic vision. For students and educators, we offer an array of programs and resources designed to nurture creativity through music composition and improvisation. For our country, we bring new works into the world that represent the American experience through the imagination of today’s composers.
Meet ACO
Founded in 1977 by a collective of fearless musicians based in NYC, the American Composers Orchestra expands the definition of American orchestral music to ensure a vibrant and inclusive future. Over more than 40 years committed to artistry, creativity, community, and equity, ACO has blossomed into a national institution that cultivates and develops the careers of living composers, providing a direct pipeline to meaningful partnerships with orchestras across the country.
Composer Advancement
For over 40 years, ACO has discovered and developed the careers of composers whose work expands the definition of American orchestral music. Our national EarShot composer advancement initiatives are the nation’s first ongoing, systemic program for building relationships between composers and orchestras through Readings, CoLABoratory fellowships, consortium commissions, and professional development.
Performances and Events
Join us for electrifying performances featuring world premiere works by artists whose creativity knows no bounds. The American Composers Orchestra performs at Carnegie Hall, the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, the Apollo Theater, and beyond.
Educational Programs
For 30 years, ACO has positioned music composition as a gateway to creative thinking, problem solving, and self-expression. Our long-term Sonic Spark residencies nurture the imagination through creative rituals and play, cultivating personal, social, and academic growth. Sonic Spark serves students at all levels of experience, including those who have never played an instrument before, are learning to write music for the first time, or are on track to develop high level careers in the field.
Featured Artists
Cheng Jin Koh
A Singaporean composer and yangqin performer now rooted in New York City. She draws on the rich textures of Chinese and Western traditions to craft music that dissolves cultural boundaries, telling stories that shimmer with both heritage and imagination. Cheng's masterpiece "Midnight Visions" was recently featured in our 2025 EarShot Readings, click to listen.
A GRAMMY® Award–winning composer, violinist, and educator from New York City. She weaves classical music with vernacular traditions, improvisation, poetry, and social consciousness, creating works that reflect the diverse tapestry of 21st-century American culture. At the heart of her music is collaboration and community, amplifying the voices of young artists and underrepresented composers while reshaping classical music spaces. Click here to view and listen to her sensational works.
An American composer based in Brooklyn whose work defies genre boundaries. He calls his style “mixed music,” a fusion inspired by the hybridity of cultural identity, where diverse traditions merge into soundscapes that are both deeply personal and radically new. Joseph will be participating in our upcoming CoLABoratory session on October 30, 2025.
