Past Events

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.

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“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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March 7, 2025, 3:30 PM

CoLABoratory Workshop

American Composers Orchestra

DiMenna Center

New York City, New York

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Full orchestra

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Featured Artists and Works

Mazz Swift, New Work (ACO Commission, developed via EarShot CoLABoratory)

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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, 2025, 7:30 PM ET

Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall

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Tito Muñoz, Conductor

Clarice Assad, Vocals and Electronics

Edmar Castañeda, Harp

Harlem Samba, Percussion

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PROGRAM

Clarice Assad: The Evolution of AI (ACO Commission/World Premiere)

Edmar Castañeda: Bordones (ACO Commission, developed via EarShot CoLABoratory/World Premiere)

Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda, Curtis Stewart, and Harlem Samba – Fantasy and Interludes on Going Home (inspired by Alice Coltrane’s Lord of Lords) (World Premiere Arrangement)

Tania León, Ácana

Tomàs Peire Serrate: Wayfarer (ACO Commission/World Premiere)

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Latin American, Afro-Caribbean, and United States culture have been interconnected for centuries by the effects of colonization and the musics transported and transformed overseas as a result. This program features music from various parts of Latin America and its influence on jazz and “Classical” music in the United States. Conductor Tito Muñoz leads ACO in the performance of works by Clarice Assad, Edmar Castañeda, Alice Coltrane, Tania León, and Tomàs Peire Serrate. Guest artists Clarice Assad (vocals and electronics), Edmar Castañeda (harp), and percussion ensemble Harlem Samba join ACO onstage.

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Mil Mundos Books is a bilingual bookstore and community center located in Brooklyn, NY whose curation celebrates Black, Latinx, and Indigenous heritage. Founder and Co-Director of Mil Mundos, Maria Herron worked to create a suggested reading list that compliments ACO's Hello, America: Transatlantic program.

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Tania Leon's Stride: A Polyrhythmic Life - Alejandro L. Madrid

Rites, Rights & Rhythms: A Genealogy of Musical Meaning in Colombia's Black Pacific - Michael Birenbaum Quintero

Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America - Juan Gonzalez

An African American and Latinx History of the United States - Paul Ortiz

Monument Eternal: The Music of Alice Coltrane - Franya J. Berkman

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March 5, 2025, 10:00 AM

CoLABoratory Workshop

American Composers Orchestra

DiMenna Center

New York City, New York

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Full orchestra

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Featured Artists and Works

Mazz Swift, New Work (ACO Commission, developed via EarShot CoLABoratory)

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“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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