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submission guidelines submission form If you dont have Acrobat Reader, you can get it here. ACO's Underwood New Music Readings readings by other orchestras home concert schedule                             submission guidelines submission form If you dont have Acrobat Reader, you can get it here. ACO's Underwood New Music Readings readings by other orchestras home concert schedule                           submission guidelines submission form If you dont have Acrobat Reader, you can get it here. ACO's Underwood New Music Readings readings by other orchestras home concert schedule	ACO and Annenberg Center Present New Music Readings & Lab in April 2007 DEADLINE EXTENDED: January 22, 2007 American Composers Orchestra (ACO) and the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announce the ACO/Penn Presents New Music Readings & Lab, to be held April 13 and 14, 2007 in Philadelphia. The Readings are designed as an unparalleled performance and professional-development opportunity for emerging composers in the Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey tri-state area, and will feature ACO's groundbreaking Orchestra Underground ensemble. The ACO/Penn Presents New Music Readings & Lab will provide the area's brightest, emerging composers an opportunity to work closely with ACO, a nationally acclaimed orchestra singularly dedicated to creating opportunities for today's American composers. Composers will be selected on a competitive basis, and will have their works read by ACO's Orchestra Underground ensemble, followed by a professional workshop and feedback from ACO Artistic Director Robert Beaser, ACO musicians and conductors, and an esteemed panel of mentor composers, including Jennifer Higdon, Gerald Levinson, Jay Reise, and Maurice Wright. Several of the works read will be selected for further rehearsal and will then receive a world premiere performance at ACO's Underground Laboratory concert at the Annenberg Center. Orchestra Underground is ACO's groundbreaking small orchestra ensemble that challenges conventional notions about orchestra music with a focus on new music that embraces a wide gamut of aesthetics, unusual instrumentations, technological innovations and multimedia/multidisciplinary collaborations. Since its launch in 2004, Orchestra Underground has commissioned and premiered fifteen innovative cutting-edge new works at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall in New York and the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia. The ACO/Penn Presents New Music Readings & Lab round out an extended two-year residency for ACO as part of the Annenberg Center's Penn Presents series. The residency and the Readings/Lab have been made possible by The Philadelphia Music Project, an Artistic Initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts, administered by The University of the Arts. Applications and submitted works for the New Music Readings must be received by January 22, 2007.   Submission Guidelines To download the submission guidelines in PDF, click here. Applicant must maintain a permanent residence in the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Delaware, or be studying full-time at a college, university or conservatory in those areas. There are no age restrictions; however, applicants should be composers at the early stages of their professional careers. Each composer may submit only one composition for consideration. Only works which will not have been performed or read by a professional orchestra, nor received a public performance in the Philadelphia-area prior to the reading date are eligible. Please do not submit recordings. Only works completed after December 31, 2001 will be considered. Compositions should not exceed 8 - 10 minutes in length. Shorter works, or a portion or movement from longer works, will also be considered. Instrumentation should not exceed the following Orchestra Underground complement: one flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon; horn, trumpet, trombone, harp and keyboard; 2 percussion (including timpani), and strings (4.3.2.2.1). Standard orchestral doublings are permitted. Though works submitted may use a smaller instrumentation the work should, at minimum, include multiple strings on a part. Examples of acceptable instrumentations include string orchestra, skeleton chamber orchestra, etc. Works with instrumentations that exceed the above limitation will be considered only with advance approval. Works employing electronics, digital technology, or video, in combination with the above instrumental forces will be considered. (See special requirements below.) Works requiring soloists will not be considered. If selected, composers must provide professional, legible orchestral parts and scores prepared according to guidelines established by the Major Orchestral Librarians Association. Materials must be delivered to ACO offices no later than 5 PM, March 17, 2007. The quality of the score submitted is the primary evaluation criteria. It is therefore in the applicant's best interest that the score be clear, accurate, and the best representation of the composer's work. The additional background and educational information is for eligibility and documentation purposes. Incomplete, illegible, or late applications will not be considered. Application Procedure To download the submission form in PDF, click here. All applications must be received no later than 5PM, January 22, 2007. Please complete the submission form and include it with the following: One bound copy of the score, clearly labeled with the composer's name and title of the work on the cover page. A current résumé for the composer including educational background, major teachers, awards, professional affiliations.   A list of works, including title, year composed, instrumentation, duration, and performance history.   One letter of recommendation from an established composer or other music professional, attesting to the applicant's accomplishments and potential as an orchestral composer. The recommendation may be sent under separate cover.   A self-addressed stamped envelope suitable for the return of materials. All supporting materials remain the property of American Composers Orchestra. ACO is not responsible for lost scores.   For works with electronics, digital technologies, or video: include a one-page statement describing the rationale for its use, as well as any pertinent production requirements and technical specifications. Please send all materials to: ACO/Penn Presents New Music Readings & Lab American Composers Orchestra 240 West 35th Street, Suite 405 New York, NY 10001-2506