Past Events

Valerie Coleman has quickly become one of America’s leading living composers, and couldn’t have done it without the help of her music publisher, Jonathan Page! He joins ACO in this webinar to offer insights on self-publishing as well as the ins and outs of the publishing process.Attendance is free, but advanced registration is required.

Central to its values of diversity, disruption, and discovery, American Composers Orchestra partners each year with orchestras nationwide through its EarShot Readings, which has identified and championed some of the most important rising compositional voices in the orchestral field since its founding in 1991.

To deepen the creative community around this work, the Virginia B. Toulmin Orchestral Commissions Program, an initiative of the League of American Orchestras in partnership with ACO, supports women and nonbinary composers who are alumni of EarShot to write a new orchestral work to be premiered by participating orchestras across the country each year. Beginning in 2022, the program to a consortium model, supporting 6 composers to write works that will be premiered by 30 orchestras across nineteen U.S. states and Canada.Whether you are looking to discover composers new to you for your orchestra’s programming, or simply share the boundless curiosity that comes with the discovery of new work, this virtual event highlights five composers whose works will soon premiere as part of the program. Get to know each artist, hear recordings of their music, and catch an inside look into the relationships they’ve built with the orchestras that will premiere their works.Featured composers, works, orchestras, and moderators are listed below.ModeratorsDavid Styers, Director, Learning and Leadership Programs, League of American OrchestrasGarrett McQueen, Director Artist Equity, American Composers OrchestraComposers, Partner Orchestras & Premieres Wang Lu, New York Philharmonic | Premiere: January 20-23, 2023Sarah Gibson, Sarasota Symphony Orchestra | Premiere: March 31-April 2, 2023Gity Razaz, San Diego Symphony Orchestra | Premiere: May 20-21, 2023Angel Lam, Kansas City Symphony | Premiere: TBDArlene Sierra, Detroit Symphony | Premiere: TBDThe Virginia B. Toulmin Orchestral Commissions Program (formerly the Women Composers Readings and Commissions Program) has created partnerships between composers and orchestras since 2014, and is embedded in EarShot, an initiative of American Composers Orchestra in collaboration with American Composers Forum, the League of American Orchestras, and New Music USA. All Toulmin Commission winners were participants of past EarShot readings. The Virginia B. Toulmin Orchestral Commissions Program is an initiative of the League of American Orchestras, in partnership with American Composers Orchestra (ACO) and supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

The Natural Order explores our relationship to the Earth in an age of climate anxiety, led by conductor Mei-Ann Chen and featuring the Attacca Quartet, Sandbox Percussion, and cello soloist Jeffrey Zeigler. The program includes the New York premiere of Mark Adamo’s Last Year, a dystopian reflection on Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Viet Cuong’s highly charged Re(new)al is a concerto for percussion quartet inspired by the power of hydro, wind, and solar energies. Complemented with newly commissioned works by inti figgis-vizueta and Yvette Janine Jackson, the program grapples with our centuries-long struggle to harmonize with Mother Nature sharing both apocalyptic and aspirational visions of humanity’s future.

Read more about Composers & their Works. CLICK HERE –>

FEATURED ARTISTS

Mei-Ann Chen, ConductorJeffrey Zeigler, celloAttacca QuartetSandbox PercussionYvette Janine Jackson, electronicsMARK ADAMO: Last Year: Concerto for Cello and String Orchestra (New York Premiere, Commissioned by ACO, New Century Chamber Orchestra, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and River Oaks Chamber Orchestra)VIET CUONG: re(new)al for chamber orchestra and percussion quartet (New York Premiere)INTI FIGGIS-VIZUETA: Seven Sides of Fire (World premiere, ACO commission)YVETTE JANINE JACKSON: Hello, Tomorrow! (World premiere, ACO commission)Q&A Interviews with Composers with Garrett McQueen, ACO's Director of Artist Equity

• Composer Mark Adamo & cellist Jeffrey Zeigler | YouTube LINK
• Composer Yvette Janine Jackson | YouTube LINK
• Composer inti figgis-vizueta | Soundcloud LINK

ACO’s 2022 Gala launches the inaugural year of ACO’s Creative Catalyst Award, which recognizes artists and leaders who exemplify its core values of discovery, diversity, disruption. 2022 Creative Catalyst Award Recipients are artist and SFJAZZ Board Chair Denise Young and composer and conductor John Adams.

READ MORE about the honorees and featured artists here.

Event Details6:00pm Cocktails7:00pm Dinner and Performance8:30pm After Party

Featured ArtistsMark Adamo, composerJohn Arida, pianistTimo Andres, composer & pianistGilbert Galindo, Composer & DJ-ProducerStephen Gosling, pianistAbby Harris, ACO student composerPaula Matthusen, composerTrevor New, violist & composerAlicia Olatuja, vocalistLeanna Primiani, composerHuang Ruo, composerOlivia Valentine, artistKaren Vuong, sopranoJeffrey Zeigler, cellistLEVELS OF SUPPORTVisionary $25,000

• 8 VIP tickets to Dinner & Performance with Priority table placement, includes placement of two guest artists at your table
• Inside Gala Journal Cover Ad (full color)
• Recognition as an official sponsor of The Natural Order, ACO’s October 20, 2022 concert at Carnegie Hall
• 8 VIP tickets to ACO’s The Natural Order, ACO’s October 20, 2022 concert at Carnegie Hall, plus invite to exclusive post-show reception$23,000 of this purchase is tax-deductible

Icon $10,000

• 8 VIP tickets to Dinner & Performance with Preferred table placement, includes placement of two guest artists at your table
• Full page Gala Journal Ad (B&W)
• Recognition as an official sponsor of The Natural Order, ACO’s October 20, 2022 concert at Carnegie Hall
• 4 VIP tickets to ACO’s The Natural Order, ACO’s October 20, 2022 concert at Carnegie Hall, plus invite to exclusive post-show reception$8,000 of this purchase is tax-deductible

Maverick $5,000

• 4 VIP tickets to Dinner & Performance with Select table placement, includes placement of one guest artist at your table
• Listing in Gala Journal
• Invitation to a special ACO insider event$4,000 of this purchase is tax-deductible

Muse $1,000

• 1 VIP ticket to Dinner & Performance with Select seating
• Listing in Gala Journal
• Invitation to a special ACO insider event$750 of this purchase is tax-deductible

Explorer $600

• 1 VIP ticket to Dinner & Performance
• Listing in Gala Journal$350 of this purchase is tax-deductible

AFTER-PARTY ONLYDynamic Duo $250

• 2 tickets to DJ After-Party with dessert, open bar and dancing
• Listing in Gala Journal$80 of this purchase is tax-deductible

Reveler $150

• 1 ticket to DJ After-Party with dessert, open bar and dancing
• Listing in Gala Journal$65 of this purchase is tax-deductible

TRIBUTESIf you can’t attend, please consider making a donation in support of ACO, or placing a tribute in the program book:

• Back Cover (color) 5” x 7 5/8” $1,500
• Inside Covers (color) 5” x 7 5/8” $1,000
• Full page (B&W): 5” x 7 5/8” $500
• ½ page (B&W): 5” x 3 11/16” $300
• ¼ page (B&W): 2 3/8” wide x 3 11/16” $175

QUESTIONS? Write to Lyndsay Werking at lyndsay@americancomposers.org

Hear in-progress works before their ACO premieres by four EarShot CoLABoratory Fellows including inti figgis-vizueta, Trevor New, Yvette Janine Jackson, and Mendi & Keith Obadike. The EarShot CoLABoratory Open Workshop features each artist collaborating with ACO musicians to workshop musical ideas and facilitate co-learning, and will engage in ACO’s artistic curation and educational and community-focused programming. Their resulting works will be premiered by ACO over the course of the season. Glenn Alexander II will conduct this CoLABoratory Workshop, and will also be the cover conductor for ACO’s October 20 concert at Carnegie Hall. Attendance is free, but registration is required.

EarShot CoLABoratory Fellowships advance the work of composers whose work is experimental or rooted in musical traditions underrepresented in orchestral repertoire. The program addresses systemic barriers within orchestral commissioning, providing a gateway to the field and a generative environment for composers from diverse musical backgrounds to create definition-expanding work for orchestra.Read more about ACO’s EarShot CoLABoratory program here.

ACO holds its 30th EarShot New Music Readings (formerly Underwood New Music Readings) in June 2022 in New York City, conducted by George Manahan.

Experience the full read through of works by seven composers including Adeliia Faizullina, Patrick Holcomb, Tommy Dougherty, Will Stackpole, Yuting Tan, Elijah Smith, Yuqin (“Strucky”) Yi. Read More about the selected composers, click here.

Led by conductor George Manahan, the room crackles with energy in anticipation of the expert music-making of ACO as they bring these emerging composers music to life. One composer will be selected to receive a $15,000 commission for a new work to be performed by ACO in a future season.

Tickets are $10 for general admission. Capacity is limited.Live Stream Registration is also available. Cost is free.Photo credit: Alfred Kan

ACO holds its 30th EarShot New Music Readings (formerly Underwood New Music Readings) in June 2022 in New York City, conducted by George Manahan.

In this initial reading session, hear the works of today’s emerging composers in an open rehearsal with American Composers Orchestra members and artistic staff. You will get an immersive view into what happens when an ensemble sits down to read a new work for the first time. Conductor George Manahan, Artistic Director Derek Bermel, and composer mentors Jonathan Bailey Holland and Jessie Montgomery will be on hand to facilitate the process and navigate the ins and outs of the first reading with ACO. Participants include Adeliia Faizullina, Patrick Holcomb, Tommy Dougherty, Will Stackpole, Yuting Tan, Elijah Smith, and Yuqin (“Strucky”) Yi.

Read More about the selected composers, click here.

The rehearsal is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Capacity is limited.

Drawing from a national network of advisors and advocates, EarShot works with orchestras around the country to identify and support promising composers in the early stages of their careers. From May 17-21, 2022, Tucson Symphony will host.Conductor José Luis Gomez leads the readings with mentor composers Billy Childs, Michael Torke, and Melinda Wagner.Participating composers include Chelsea Komschlies, Nathan Nokes, Xavier Muzik, and Steven Sérpa.READ MORE about participating composers, click here.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 Gathering: A Collective Sonic Ring Shout on Saturday,May 7, 2022 at the Apollo Theater is a sonic quest rooted in the African and African-American ritual of the Ring Shout, co-presented by American Composers Orchestra and the Apollo Theater, co-curated with National Black Theatre in partnershipwith Gateways Music Festival and Harlem Chamber Players.The Gathering is a sonic quest rooted in the African and African American ritual of the Ring Shout, directed by National Black Theatre’s Executive Artistic Director Jonathan McCrory and conducted by Chelsea Tipton with choirmaster Gregory Hopkins. A Shout, or Ring Shout, is an ecstatic, transcendent religious ritual, first practiced by enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and in the United States, in which worshipers move in a circle while shuffling, stomping, and clapping.Woven together through a diverse array of multidisciplinary artists featuring new musical works for orchestra and choir, this evening-length event, anchored by a 70-member orchestra and 60-voice choir composed of singers, professional and amateur, from multiple African American churches and choral ensembles in New York, brings the ancestral tradition of the Ring Shout into a contemporary context, opening a space to collectively grieve, to awaken joy as a source of liberation, and to find love as a form of resistance. The evening includes the New York premiere of Seven Last Words of the Unarmed by Joel Thompson, Carlos Simon’s Amen!, and Courtney Bryan’s Sanctum. These works are in conversation with a new commission by Tony Award-winner Jason Michael Webb, world premieres of new arrangements by Toshi Reagon and Nona Hendryx, plus Say Her Name sung by Abby Dobson. Please join us for an evening created to honor our present needs for a collective space of remembrance.The Gathering collaboration includes an array of powerful community engagement activities leading up to the performance, with the intent of creating space for hope, healing, and the collective exhale. For a full list of those activities, click here.All audience members will be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 with a vaccine authorized by the World Health Organization or the Food and Drug Administration and must maintain appropriate face coverings in accordance with current CDC guidelines. Learn more here.The Gathering: A Collective Sonic Ring Shout is generously supported by Art for Justice, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Linda and Stuart Nelson, Anonymous, JP Morgan Chase, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and The New York Community Trust.Steinway is the official piano sponsor of The Gathering.

For centuries, Black artists have used music as a form of protest and to bring people together to fight for freedom. For this Live Wire event, Apollo Fellow and arts curator Justice Robinson explores political performance from the 19th century to the present day and the systems within which Black entertainment exists.The Apollo’s Live Wire series was created to spark deeper insight and consideration of the contribution of Black arts and culture to the broader American canon. These electrifying events feature discussion with unpredictable and impromptu performative elements that shed new light on the timely topics of today. This program will be taking place on the Apollo’s Soundstage.To learn more about The Gathering: A Collective Sonic Ring Shout on May 7, 2022, click here. For a full listing of community events, click here.

The Apollo, ACO, and the National Black Theatre present Resistance and Healing: Engaging The Ring Shout. First practiced by enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and in the United States, a Shout (or Ring Shout) is an ecstatic, transcendent religious ritual in which worshipers move in a circle while stomping, shuffling, and clapping to open a space to collectively grieve, awaken joy as a source of liberation, and find love as a form of resistance. A panel of experts, thought leaders, and the creative team for TheGathering explore the historic origins and significance of the Ring Shout, and will then lead audiences through a communal ring shout.Tickets & Information: https://bit.ly/ACOApolloResistanceHealing. (Free with RSVP)To learn more about The Gathering: A Collective Sonic Ring Shout on May 7, 2022, click here. For a full listing of community events, click here.

Drawing from a national network of advisors and advocates, EarShot works with orchestras around the country to identify and support promising composers in the early stages of their careers. From April 18-20, 2022, Oregon Symphony will host.Conductor Raúl Gómez-Rojas leads the readings with mentor composers Andy Akiho, Kenji Bunch, and Andreia Pinto-Correia.Participating composers include Andrea Chamizo Alberro, Nicolas Chuaqui, Horacio Fernández Vázquez, and Marisol Gentile.READ MORE about participating composers, click here.EarShot is a program of American Composers Orchestra completed in partnership with American Composers Forum, the League of American Orchestras, and New Music USA.

Arts consultant Joseph H. Kluger, ACO President Melissa Ngan, and Artistic Director of the London Philharmonic Elena Dubinets present the basics of orchestra unions and answer attendee questions about common aspects of the union relating to orchestral composers.Joseph H. Kluger, a Principal of WolfBrown, has over 30 years of experience as an arts and culture executive and consultant in strategic planning, organizational collaboration, facilities development, governance, executive coaching, executive compensation and succession planning projects for nonprofit museums, theaters, opera companies, symphony orchestras, performing arts centers, and arts education institutions.A high-profile artistic leader and music scholar, Elena Dubinets was appointed Artistic Director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from September 2021, having previously held top artistic planning positions at the Atlanta and Seattle symphony orchestras. In 2018 she was named one of Musical America’s Professionals of the Year. Serving the wider music community, she has held appointments on the Recording Academy Board of Directors and as Chair of the City of Seattle Music Commission.Attendance is free but registration is required. REGISTER NOW.

Drawing from a national network of advisors and advocates, EarShot works with orchestras around the country to identify and support promising composers in the early stages of their careers. From March 29-30, 2022, Houston Symphony will host.

Conductor Yue Bao leads readings with mentor composers Derek Bermel, Jimmy López Bellido, Gabriela Ortiz. Selected participant composers include José Martínez, Marina López, Marco-Adrián Ramos, and Diana M. Rodriguez.

Read more about the participant composers, click here.EarShot is a program of American Composers Orchestra completed in partnership with American Composers Forum, the League of American Orchestras, and New Music USA.

ACO returns to Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall for Sanctuary, a concert that explores the places, company, and states of mind in which composers seek inviolable refuge, led by conductor Marin Alsop and featuring violin soloist Jennifer Koh. The program includes the New York premiere of Lisa Bielawa’s Sanctuary, a concerto written for Koh. Bielawa’s Sanctuary is an extraordinary historical research project around this powerful word, documenting the rhetoric around founding American principles and every important struggle along the way. Anna Clyne’s Restless Oceans from 2018 is inspired by a poem by Audre Lorde; the musicians raise their voices in song and use their feet to stand united in a defiant work that embraces the power of women. Hannah Kendall’s alternately buoyant and serene Tuxedo: Vasco ‘de’ Gama takes its title from Jean-Michel Basquiat’s iconic collection of diagrammatic block pieces. With a nod to the traditional African American spiritual “Wade in the Water,” the work conjures both the majesty and elegance highlighted by the artist as well as Kendall’s own reflective take on the history of globalization and multiculturalism ushered in by the Portuguese explorer. Newly commissioned works by Dai Wei and Paula Matthusen complete this rich musical odyssey.Read more about Composers & their Works. CLICK HERE -->DIGITAL PREVIEW ON MARCH 22, 2022 at 3:00p ETCatch a behind-the-scenes look on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 at 3:00p ET during our Digital Preview with ACO's Artistic Director Derek Bermel and guest conductor Marin Alsop. They will discuss the programming and themes of the concert, and introduce featured composers Hannah Kendall, Paula Matthusen, and Lisa Bielawa to discuss their works and share recordings. Attendance is free via Facebook Livestream and Zoom webinar. To receive reminders and a direct link, register now.All audience members will be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 with a vaccine authorized by the World Health Organization or the Food and Drug Administration and must maintain appropriate face coverings in accordance with current CDC guidelines. Learn more here.

Composer Aaron Jay Kernis presents the basics of etiquette as a composer working with an orchestra, discusses the general form of rehearsals with orchestras, and answers questions from the attendees.Pulitzer Prize and Grammy-Award winning composer Aaron Jay Kernis draws artistic inspiration from a vast and often surprising palette of sources, among them the limitless color spectrum and immense emotional tangle of the orchestra, cantorial music in its beauty and dark intensity, the roiling drama of world events, and the energy and drive of jazz and popular music. All are woven into the tapestry of a musical language of rich lyric splendor, vivid poetic imagery, and fierce instrumental brilliance, and he has been praised for his “fearless originality [and] powerful voice” (The New York Times).Attendance is free, but advanced registration is required. REGISTER NOW.

​ACO Artistic Director Derek Bermel leads a session on orchestration, exploring Steven Gerber’s article “Tricks of the Trade”

ACO Artistic Director Derek Bermel explores the basics of orchestration through the lens of composer Steven R. Gerber’s NewMusicBox article “Orchestration: Composers Reveal Tricks of the Trade.” Useful for composers new and old to orchestration, Bermel explores the staples of orchestration with various score examples.Twice Grammy-nominated composer and clarinetist Derek Bermel has become recognized as a dynamic and unconventional curator of concert series, via ACO’s concert season, SONiC Festival, Earshot Readings, and Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute. His honors include the Rome Prize, Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellowships, Herb Alpert Award, and an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.Attendance is free but registration is required. REGISTER NOW.

ACO President Melissa Ngan, entertainment attorney Ari Solotoff, and Director of Artistic Planning and Operations for the Richmond Symphony Jennifer Arnold answer questions regarding commissioning and consortia contracts for orchestral composers.Trained as a classical musician, Ari Solotoff is the Founder and Managing Attorney of Solotoff Law Group, PLLC, where he focuses his law practice on serving clients in entertainment and intellectual property law, as well as related areas of business and nonprofit law practice. He represents leading musicians, composers, artists, literary authors, and other creative entrepreneurs from Portland, Maine, one of New England’s hottest destinations for music, creativity, and the arts.Jennifer Arnold is a native of North Royalton, Ohio. She was a violist in the Oregon Symphony for fifteen years. She holds a large teaching studio in Portland, OR, is former State Chapter President of the American String Teachers Association, and is a faculty member at the Sphinx Performance Academy. Arnold was the first Sphinx Diversity Fellow for the Sphinx Organization. She is Director of Artistic Planning and Operations for the Richmond Symphony.Attendance is free but registration is required. REGISTER NOW.

In-person tickets are currently SOLD OUT; please join us via livestream at this link.

The Apollo, CUNY School of Medicine, ACO, and National Black Theatre present Healing, Liberation and Joy: Mental Health and the Arts. Thought leaders and creatives will encourage community healing through honest conversations about trauma, its effects, and how to transmute those feelings into opportunities for introspection, creation, and celebration. Joy Williams, creator, host and producer of the Sunday Civics radio show and podcast, will co-host the event which will include artistic rituals for healing, music from Charisa the ViolinDiva and The Harlem Connection radio show Conductors; visual art from photographer and filmmaker Peter Cooper; “America’s Psychologist,” Dr. Jeff Gardere; licensed psychologist Dr. Shaakira Haywood Stewart, and interfaith minister and spiritual life coach Reverend Melissa Moorer-Nobles.

To submit questions to the panelists in advance, please use this link.

To learn more about The Gathering: A Collective Sonic Ring Shout on May 7, 2022, click here.

For a full listing of community events, click here.

Soprano and philanthropy expert Yolanda F. Johnson joins ACO President Melissa Ngan to give advice and tactics to bolster fundraising for small-to-medium ensembles.Yolanda F. Johnson has had an outstanding career as a performing artist and philanthropist; as a composer, as an educator, and as a supporter of the arts and women’s equity. In addition to her life as an artist, she is also a current International Advisory Board member of and the former Representative for the Foundation for Post-Conflict Development to the United Nations, a member of the board of directors of the Hudson River Museum, Special Advisor to the American Composers Orchestra, board of directors of PowHer NY, board of directors of the Lehman College Art Gallery and is the first African American President of Women In Development, New York. Johnson is also the Founder and President of YFJ Consulting, LLC and Founder of Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC)® and Allies in Action Membership Network™.