Past Events

“Onstage Do’s and Do’s”

Rehearsal Techniques and Procedures 

February 24, 2025

4:00 PM ET

Staff Moderator: Loki Karuna

Featured Speakers: Leanna Primiani and John Devlin

Receiving a performance by an orchestra isn’t the end of the road for a composer, but the beginning of an ongoing relationship. This webinar will offer rehearsal techniques to composers, and will speak to how they should engage conductors, orchestras, and its musicians throughout the rehearsal process.

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REGISTRATION LINK (FREE)

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February 22, 2025

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert

Brittany J. Green, TESTIFY!

Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra

Link: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36404/production/1198898?performanceId=11466141

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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“Put Me On”

Commissions and Consortia Workshop 

February 18, 2025

4:00 PM ET

Staff Moderator: Melissa Ngan

Featured Speaker: Vanessa Reed and Juan Pablo Contreras

There's a lot more to getting a commission and building a consortium than writing a great piece of music. In this webinar, the leaders of the American Composers Orchestra and New Music USA will dialogue with one of today's most successful composers about the ins and outs of navigating contracts, fee negotiations, and more! 

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REGISTRATION LINK (FREE)

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‍“Beyond Bars”

Creating ‘Non-Traditional’ Scores and Parts

February 4, 2025

4:00 PM ET

Staff Moderator: Loki Karuna

Featured Speaker: inti figgis-vizueta

While creating and providing standard orchestral scores and parts to orchestras is a key component of being a broadly-performed composer, more ensembles are exploring the world of graphic and improvised scores. ACO Director of Artist Equity Loki Karuna will dialogue with composer inti figgis-vizueta on how to successfully traverse this growing corner of new music. 

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REGISTRATION LINK (FREE)

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February 1–2, 2025

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert

Chelsea Komschlies, Mycelialore (World Premiere)

Tucson Symphony Orchestra

Link: https://www.tucsonsymphony.org/event/mahler-and-schumann/2025-02-01/1/

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.

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

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February 1–2, 2025

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert

Chelsea Komschlies, Mycelialore (World Premiere)

Tucson Symphony Orchestra

Link: https://www.tucsonsymphony.org/event/mahler-and-schumann/2025-02-01/1/

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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Composing the Future

Composers and Music Education

January 28, 2025

4:00 PM ET

Staff Moderator: JL Marlor

Featured Speaker: Leila Pertl

New music isn't just for adults- a growing population of K-12 students is also taking a deep dive into creative collaborations with contemporary composers! Leila Pertl, Instructor of Music Education at Lawrence University & Music Education Curator for the Mile of Music, will join ACO Education Coordinator JL Marlor to offer insights on what a successful collaboration between composers and schools looks like. This, the first of a series, will focus on middle and high school ensembles. Join them on Wednesday, January 28th, at 4pm ET on Zoom. Registration is free at the link below.

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REGISTRATION LINK (Free)

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EarShot CoLABoratory Workshop

January 20, 2025

10:30a-1:00p

Ripley Grier Studios (939 8th Ave # 2B)

CoLABoratory Fellow Mali Irene leads this improvisatory workshop exploring music as ritual and recognizing the "audience" as fellow music creators in the space. Attendees will be invited to participate in call and response, graphic score reading, sound creating, and deep listening. Attendance is free but registration is required. Capacity is limited.

REGISTER HERE (FREE)

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About the Work

For her ACO-commissioned CoLABoratory work, Mali Irene will draw upon two existing compositions: Rite to Freedom, carried by the Praise House Project, and Becoming (Be Suite), which is an electronic dance work for cello, improvised voice, and visual art. 

Rite to Freedom is musically informed by Lined-Hymn singing and the Ring Shout. Becoming (Be Suite) depicts styles of African chanting, spirituals, blues, jazz, and scat singing, and expresses the timeline and evolution of Black music from Africa to modern-day popular music. In Mali’s own words, “I will draw these musical themes of Black sacred music to incorporate into this new orchestral work.”

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“Tricks of the Trade”

Orchestration Workshop

January 15, 2025

4:00 PM ET

Staff Moderator: Loki Karuna

Featured Speaker: Curtis Stewart

Curtis Stewart has made a name for himself taking works from the past and re-envisioning them for contemporary relevance. In this session, Curtis will take musical works from the “canon” and use them as a guide to highlight key aspects of orchestration, part writing, and more.

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REGISTRATION LINK (FREE)

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December 13–14, 2024

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert

Meilina Tsui, Floridian Symphony (World Premiere)

Artis––Naples, Naples Philharmonic

Link: https://artisnaples.org/subscriptions/masterworks

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

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December 13–14, 2024

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert

Meilina Tsui, TBD (World Premiere)

Artis––Naples, Naples Philharmonic

Link: https://artisnaples.org/subscriptions/masterworks

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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December 13, 2024

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert

Angel Lam, Please let there be a paradise…

Utah Symphony & Opera

Link: https://utahsymphony.org/event/id/33382/

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.

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

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December 6-7, 2024

American Composers Orchestra

Link: BAM | Journey LIVE

Part of Next Wave 2024 & Emerging Visions

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Austin Wintory, Composer & Conductor

Tommy Mesa, cello

Ariadne Greif, soprano

Patrick O’Malley, arranger

Danny Cohen, projectionist

Ode to Joy, Executive Producer

You wake alone, surrounded by miles of burning, sprawling desert and discover the looming mountaintop that is your goal—your passage will not be an easy one.

In this alchemical collision of video gameplay and music, BAM teams up with composer/conductor Austin Wintory, American Composers Orchestra, and Ode to Joy for an interactive live orchestral performance of the Grammy-nominated score of Journey, “the most beautiful game of its time" (IGN). Never the same each time it is played, Journey LIVE marks an unprecedented formal exploration in which live musicians respond to audience members' journeys through the game—in real time—as they play on-stage.

Do you love Journey? Are you an avid player of the game? Tell us what it means to you for a chance to play the game live on-stage with accompaniment from the American Composers Orchestra.

Have you ever created Journey fan art, or wanted to? Submit your Journey fan art for a chance to be featured on our social channels and entered into a raffle to win a pair of tickets to either performance!

Get excited to hear the stunning soundtrack performed LIVE! You can listen to it on Spotify here.

December 6-7, 2024

American Composers Orchestra

Link: BAM | Journey LIVE

Part of Next Wave 2024 & Emerging Visions

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Austin Wintory, Composer & Conductor

Tommy Mesa, cello

Ariadne Greif, soprano

Patrick O’Malley, arranger

Danny Cohen, projectionist

Ode to Joy, Executive Producer

You wake alone, surrounded by miles of burning, sprawling desert and discover the looming mountaintop that is your goal—your passage will not be an easy one.

In this alchemical collision of video gameplay and music, BAM teams up with composer/conductor Austin Wintory, American Composers Orchestra, and Ode to Joy for an interactive live orchestral performance of the Grammy-nominated score of Journey, “the most beautiful game of its time" (IGN). Never the same each time it is played, Journey LIVE marks an unprecedented formal exploration in which live musicians respond to audience members' journeys through the game—in real time—as they play on-stage.

Do you love Journey? Are you an avid player of the game? Tell us what it means to you for a chance to play the game live on-stage with accompaniment from the American Composers Orchestra.

Have you ever created Journey fan art, or wanted to? Submit your Journey fan art for a chance to be featured on our social channels and entered into a raffle to win a pair of tickets to either performance!

Get excited to hear the stunning soundtrack performed LIVE! You can listen to it on Spotify here.

November 22, 2024

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert

Angel Lam, Please let there be a paradise…

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.

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

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October 30, 2024, 7:30 PM ET

Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall

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Mei-Ann Chen, Conductor

Kebra-Seyoun Charles, Bass

Mak Grgik, Guitar

Inbal Segev, Cello

Curtis Stewart, Violin and Electronics

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PROGRAM

Michael Abels: Borders 

Kebra-Seyoun Charles: New Work (ACO Commission, developed via EarShot CoLABoratory/World Premiere)

Curtis Stewart, Embrace (ACO Commission)

Paul Novak, Forest Migrations (ACO Commission/World Premiere)

Victoria Polevá, The Bell

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“The New Virtuoso“ is a series of programs featuring works that defy genre expectations for a solo instrument, and in doing so carve out novel texture, affect and technique in Symphonic composition. This program features works that question the nature and effect of political, gender, and ecologic borders, and how we as humans move and migrate in reaction. With conductor Mei-Ann Chen on the podium, this concert features guitarist Mak Grgik, cellist Inbal Segev, and violinist Curtis Stewart.  ACO will perform three commissions by Kebra-Seyoun Charles, Paul Novak, and Curtis Stewart, alongside works by Michael Abels and Victoria Polevá.

October 28–29, 2024

EarShot Readings: National Arts Centre Orchestra

National Arts Centre | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

TBD, Conductor

Featured Artists and Works TBD

Mentor Composers:

Jimmy López Bellido

Ana Sokolović

Dinuk Wijeratne

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October 28–29, 2024

EarShot Readings: National Arts Centre Orchestra

National Arts Centre | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

TBD, Conductor

Featured Artists and Works TBD

Mentor Composers:

Jimmy López Bellido

Ana Sokolović

Dinuk Wijeratne

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October 26, 2024

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert

Wang Lu, Surge

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops

Link: https://www.cincinnatisymphony.org/tickets-and-events/buy-tickets/cso/2425-cso-season/sibelius--saint-saens/

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.

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

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October 19, 2024

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert

Gity Razaz, Methuselah (In Chains of Time)

Akron 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.

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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