Past Events

June 6, 2025

EarShot Readings: American Composers Orchestra

Friday, June 6, 2025 at 7:30 PM – Public Reading

Neidorff-Karpati Hall, Manhattan School of Music

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Live Stream available here.

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Rei Hotoda, conductor

Vijay Iyer, mentor composer

Curtis Stewart, mentor composer

Melinda Wagner, mentor composer

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LAVELL BLACKWELL, Toccata for Orchestra

ARJAN SINGH DOGRA, Live Salmon

GRACE ANN LEE, In Crystallized Time

STEVEN R. GERBER, Spirituals for String Orchestra, 6. Call and Response (“Go Down, Moses”)

SHAWN JOHNSON, The Cardinal Takes Flight

CHENG JIN KOH, Midnight Visions

MARIE DOUGLAS, The People Could Fly

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Live Salmon is presented in partnership with the BMI Foundation

Spirituals for String Orchestra is made possible by the Steven R. Gerber Trust

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EarShot is a program of American Composers Orchestra completed in partnership with American Composers Forum, the League of American Orchestras, and New Music USA. The program is made possible with lead support from Altman Foundation, Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting, Mellon Foundation, Sphinx Venture Fund, TD Charitable Foundation, Fromm Foundation, Ford Good Neighbor Committee, Jerome Foundation, BMI Foundation, and The New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellowships; additional support is provided by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Arthur F. & Alice E. Adams Charitable Fund, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, G. Schirmer/Wise Music Foundation, and the League of American Orchestras with support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

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Public funds are provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

EarShot CoLABoratory Workshop: Shelley Washington

Thursday, June 5, 2025 @ 1:30-2:30pm | Neidorff-Karpati Hall, Manhattan School of Music

In her first work for full orchestra, Shelley Washington builds on a previous work, Seething, for cello and kick drum, commissioned and performed by Amanda Gookin. She will explore the question: What would it mean to treat each musician as a virtuoso within the context of a larger group of musicians?

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June 5, 2025

EarShot Readings: American Composers Orchestra

Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 10:30 AM – Open Rehearsal

Neidorff-Karpati Hall, Manhattan School of Music

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Rei Hotoda, conductor

Vijay Iyer, mentor composer

Curtis Stewart, mentor composer

Melinda Wagner, mentor composer

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LAVELL BLACKWELL, Toccata for Orchestra

ARJAN SINGH DOGRA, Live Salmon

GRACE ANN LEE, In Crystallized Time

STEVEN R. GERBER, Spirituals for String Orchestra, 6. Call and Response (“Go Down, Moses”)

SHAWN JOHNSON, The Cardinal Takes Flight

CHENG JIN KOH, Midnight Visions

MARIE DOUGLAS, The People Could Fly

‍

Live Salmon is presented in partnership with the BMI Foundation

Spirituals for String Orchestra is made possible by the Steven R. Gerber Trust

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EarShot is a program of American Composers Orchestra completed in partnership with American Composers Forum, the League of American Orchestras, and New Music USA. The program is made possible with lead support from Altman Foundation, Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting, Mellon Foundation, Sphinx Venture Fund, TD Charitable Foundation, Fromm Foundation, Ford Good Neighbor Committee, Jerome Foundation, BMI Foundation, and The New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellowships; additional support is provided by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Arthur F. & Alice E. Adams Charitable Fund, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, G. Schirmer/Wise Music Foundation, and the League of American Orchestras with support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

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Public funds are provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

June 1, 2025

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert

Gity Razaz, Methuselah (In Chains of Time)

Berkeley Symphony

The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program for women composers is an initiative of the League of American Orchestras, in partnership with American Composers Orchestra (ACO) and supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Selected composers are previous participants in ACO's EarShot Readings.

The League and ACO have established two 30-orchestra consortiums, each supporting commissions by six women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer writes a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develops an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra. In the 2024-25 season,  10 composers have their works performed by 15 orchestras across the U.S.

In Chains of Time was commissioned by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

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May 17, 2025

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert

Karena Ingram, TBD (World Premiere)

Memphis Symphony Orchestra

The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program for women composers is an initiative of the League of American Orchestras, in partnership with American Composers Orchestra (ACO) and supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Selected composers are previous participants in ACO's EarShot Readings.

The League and ACO have established two 30-orchestra consortiums, each supporting commissions by six women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer writes a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develops an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra. In the 2024-25 season,  10 composers have their works performed by 15 orchestras across the U.S.

This work was commissioned by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

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May 12-13, 2025

EarShot Readings: Lawrence University Symphony Orchestra

Appleton, WI

Michael Clayville, Conductor

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Via EarShot, Lawrence University will workshop scores that fall outside of typical performance and notation standards including graphic scores, scores that engage improvisation, and scores with other components that are non-typical to Western musical notation. Selected works include those for open instrumentation (scores that can be read by any configuration of instruments), compositions that integrate "shape note" notation, and works that require light improvisation. Selected composers - Alicia Castillo, Matthew Mason, Lila Meretzky, and Logan Rutledge - will receive individualized feedback from mentor composers Marcos Balter, Joanne Metcalf, and Asha Srinivasan.

Artists will return to Lawrence University in January 2026 to participate in EarShot Readings where they will develop these compositions for the Lawrence University New Music Ensemble.

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May 8, 2025, 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM

CoLABoratory Workshop

American Composers Orchestra

Benzaquen Hall at DiMenna Center

New York City, New York

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Quintet: Violin, viola, cello, bass, percussion + electronics

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Featured Artists and Works

Horacio Fernandez, New Work (ACO Commission, developed via EarShot CoLABoratory)

Kian Ravaei, New Work (ACO Commission, developed via EarShot CoLABoratory)

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April 6, 2025

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert

Angel Lam, Let there be a paradise…

Quad City Symphony Orchestra

Link: https://qcso.org/event/masterworks-vi-rhapsody-in-blue/

The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program for women composers is an initiative of the League of American Orchestras, in partnership with American Composers Orchestra (ACO) and supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Selected composers are previous participants in ACO's EarShot Readings.

The League and ACO have established two 30-orchestra consortiums, each supporting commissions by six women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer writes a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develops an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra. In the 2024-25 season,  10 composers have their works performed by 15 orchestras across the U.S.

Let there be a paradise... was commissioned by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

“Signing the Dotted Line”

Licensing and Publishing

April 2, 2025

4:00 PM ET

Staff Moderator: Melissa Ngan

Featured Speaker: Deirdre Chadwick

Understanding media rights, broadcast regulations, and payments is a vital part of making a living as a composer. BMI’s Deirdre Chadwick will lead a dialogue built to demystify some of the fine print that composers face as their careers reach larger scale.  

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REGISTRATION LINK (FREE)

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March 26-28, 2025

EarShot Readings: Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music

Bloomington, IN

Conductor: Jeffery Meyer

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Featured Artists and Works:

Natalia Camargo Duarte

Emre Sener

Gabriel Novak

Wenxin Li

Alexey Logunov

Corey Chang

Laura Pacheco

Xinyuan Deng

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Mentor Composers:

Augusta Read Thomas

David Dzubay

Han Lash

Curtis Stewart

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EarShot CoLABoratory Special Event

March 22, 2025

Harlem Samba | Philly Salsa featuring Edmar Castañeda & Curtis Stewart

Esperanza Arts Center | Philadelphia, PA

This event is hosted and curated by Grammy-nominated artists Edmar Castañeda and Curtis Stewart. Harlem Samba/Philly Salsa spotlights two Latino dance and music traditions that blossomed to two separate cities in the 20th century: Samba in New York City and Salsa in Philadelphia, and celebrates the cultural legacy of the Brazilian and Puerto Rican residents responsible for cultivating and sustaining these traditions. Featuring performances by Harlem Samba and Siempre Salsa Philly.

This program is part of American Composers Orchestra’s CoLABoratory Fellowship program at Carnegie Hall – an exploration of how Latin American, Afro-Caribbean, and United States cultures have been interconnected for centuries by the effects of colonization and how these musics have been transformed and transported across the Atlantic in the process.

Presented in partnership with AMERICAN COMPOSERS ORCHESTRA

“Away from the Writing Desk and Into the World”

Creating Relationships with Orchestras 

March 14, 2025

4:00 PM ET

Staff Moderator: Loki Karuna

Featured Speakers: Allison Loggins-Hull

For most composers, developing and maintaining relationships with orchestras is a key factor toward first and repeat performances. Composer/flutist Allison Loggins-Hull will discuss the “how-tos” of making initial and repeat connections with orchestra administration and staff, sharing her experiences and guidance along the way.

REGISTRATION LINK (FREE)

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“Helping Hands”

Traversing Artist Management

March 12, 2025

4:00 PM ET

Staff Moderator: Melissa Ngan

Featured Speaker: Dan Visconti

Professional representation has helped countless artists reach the next levels of their careers, but the process of identifying and securing management can be a heavy lift for those who are unfamiliar with how to do so. This session will highlight both the ways in which representation can help orchestral composers continue their professional trajectories, and how composers can gain the attention of management agencies. 

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REGISTRATION LINK (FREE)

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March 6-9, 2025

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert

Arlene Sierra, Kiskadee

Dallas Symphony

Link: Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 - Dallas Symphony Orchestra

The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program for women composers is an initiative of the League of American Orchestras, in partnership with American Composers Orchestra (ACO) and supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Selected composers are previous participants in ACO's EarShot Readings.

The League and ACO have established two 30-orchestra consortiums, each supporting commissions by six women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer writes a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develops an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra. In the 2024-25 season, 10 composers have their works performed by 15 orchestras across the U.S.

Kiskadee was commissioned by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

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March 6-9, 2025

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert

Arlene Sierra, Kiskadee

Dallas Symphony

Link: Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 - Dallas Symphony Orchestra

The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program for women composers is an initiative of the League of American Orchestras, in partnership with American Composers Orchestra (ACO) and supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Selected composers are previous participants in ACO's EarShot Readings.

The League and ACO have established two 30-orchestra consortiums, each supporting commissions by six women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer writes a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develops an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra. In the 2024-25 season, 10 composers have their works performed by 15 orchestras across the U.S.

Kiskadee was commissioned by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

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March 6-9, 2025

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert

Arlene Sierra, Kiskadee

Dallas Symphony

Link: Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 - Dallas Symphony Orchestra

The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program for women composers is an initiative of the League of American Orchestras, in partnership with American Composers Orchestra (ACO) and supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Selected composers are previous participants in ACO's EarShot Readings.

The League and ACO have established two 30-orchestra consortiums, each supporting commissions by six women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer writes a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develops an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra. In the 2024-25 season, 10 composers have their works performed by 15 orchestras across the U.S.

Kiskadee was commissioned by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

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