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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
Raven Chacon
Hailing from Fort Defiance on the Navajo Nation, Raven Chacon is a composer and installation artist whose work bridges sonic experimentation and cultural storytelling. His boundary-pushing practice fuses noise, silence, and Indigenous identity into compositions that challenge the very framework of contemporary music. His work will be presented at Carnegie Hall on Wednesday, October 29th, 2025.
Based in New York City, Arjan Singh Dogra is a genre-spanning composer, conductor, and performer shaped by his training in Indian Classical music. His artistic voice thrives in the collision of disciplines, weaving sound, science, and spirituality into works that ask listeners to reimagine time and perception. Arjan's masterpiece, "Live Salmon" was recently featured in our 2025 EarShot Readings at Manhattan School of Music.
A multidisciplinary musician and composer from the White Mountain Apache tribe, Laura Ortman creates through violin, voice, and visual media. Her work is a visceral expression of place and spirit, transforming landscapes and lived experience into fiercely emotive sound worlds. Learn more about her works here.
