Past Events

ACO's Compose Yourself classes help young composers develop their creativity and learn professional standards in a supportive, hands-on environment; the program has a strong record of preparing students for the rigors of college and beyond. Five college students who have been part of Compose Yourself classes over several years will present original works at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music.Featured Composers:Che BufordAustin CelestinMarisol EstrellaCooper MyersJonah MurphyTherese RubiFeatured Musicians:Jonah Murphy, fluteAaron Haettenschwiller, oboeAlexander Parlee, clarinetsAlexander Davis, bassoonCameron West, french hornWayne Dumaine, trumpetBen Herrington, tromboneJohn Ferrari, percussionChing-Chia Lin, pianoLeah Asher and Mia Smith, violinsLev Zhurbin, violaTyler J Borden, celloEvan Runyon, double bassAll 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.

Friends and Family is a chamber concert that features ACO musicians performing works by a broad array of composers, many of whom are near and dear to the orchestra.PROGRAMSTEVEN GERBER: Five Greek Folksongs (after Ravel)AUGUSTA GROSS: Towards NightALVIN SINGLETON: Argoru VIIIKAREN LEFRAK: Daybreak; WhenMELINDA WAGNER: Unsung ChordataEDWARD THOMAS: ReflectionsJONATHAN BAILEY HOLLAND: MobiusROBERT BEASER: SouvenirsAll 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. We have capped attendance at 50% seating capacity at Cary Hall, and have arranged for a flexible, distanced seating arrangement. Learn more here.

ACO's Compose Yourself classes help young composers develop their creativity and learn professional standards in a supportive, hands-on environment; the program has a strong record of preparing students for the rigors of college and beyond. Ten high school composers who are participating in the Compose Yourself Summer Intensive Readings, focused on traditional and non-traditional ways of scoring music, will have their original works read on August 31, 2021 at 4pm at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music. A limited number of in-person tickets are available, as well as the option to stream the readings live.

Central to its values of diversity, disruption, and discovery, American Composers Orchestra partners each year with orchestras nationwide through its EarShot program (formerly the New Music 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 (formerly the Women Composers Readings and Commissions Program), an initiative of the League of American Orchestras in partnership with ACO, has commissioned three EarShot alumni each year to write a new orchestral work that is premiered by participating orchestras across the country.

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 series highlights four composers on each panel on June 23 and July 7, whose pieces have been recently premiered, or 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 included below.

July 7, 2021 ModeratorsMelissa Ngan, President & CEO, American Composers OrchestraMeghan Martineau, Vice President, Artistic Planning, Los Angeles Philharmonic

Composers, Works & Partner Orchestras Julia Adolphe, Underneath the Sheen, New York PhilharmonicCindy Cox, Transfigurations of Grief, Saint Paul Chamber OrchestraStacy Garrop, The Battle for the Ballot, St. Louis Symphony OrchestraNiloufar Iravani, The Seven Valleys, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra

The 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.

ACO's Artistic Director Derek Bermel hosts an hour-long listening party of live archival recordings made from ACO performances in Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium from 1985-2012, with special guests John Adams, Laurie Anderson, Anthony Davis, Hannibal Lokumbe, Eugene Moye, and Melinda Wagner. Registrants will listen to previously unheard audio recordings of the following works:David Diamond'sSymphony No. 9. Conducted by Leonard Bernstein (November 17, 1985)Hannibal Lokumbe's African Portraits. Conducted by Paul Lustig Dunkel, ACO Co-Founder. (October 11, 1990)Earl Kim's Violin Concerto with soloist Itzhak Perlman. Conducted by Paul Lustig Dunkel, ACO Co-Founder. (February 10, 1991)Melinda Wagner's Falling Angels. Conducted by Paul Lustig Dunkel, ACO Co-Founder. (October 29, 1995)Derek Bermel's Voices with Bermel on Clarinet. Conducted by Tan Dun (May 24, 1998)Laurie Anderson's Songs for A E. Conducted by Dennis Russell Davies, ACO Co-Founder & Conductor Laureate (February 27, 2000)Frank Zappa's The Adventures of Greg Peccary. Conducted by Steven Sloane (March 2, 2003)Anthony Davis’Wayang V. Conducted by Steven Sloane (April 28, 2004)John Adams' My Father Knew Charles Ives Conducted by John Adams (April 27, 2007)Philip Glass' Symphony No. 9. Conducted by Dennis Russell Davies, ACO Co-Founder & Conductor Laureate (January 31, 2012)Following the event, full recordings will be made available to donors who give $250+ to this event. Recording links will be password-protected, hosted online, and available for on-demand streaming through August 31, 2021.Don’t miss this chance to hear previously unavailable recordings with commentary and history provided by Derek Bermel, and a chance to support ACO's work in the coming season.

ACO's Artistic Director Derek Bermel hosts an hour-long listening party of live archival recordings made from ACO performances in Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium from 1985-2012, with special guests John Adams, Laurie Anderson, Anthony Davis, Hannibal Lokumbe, Eugene Moye, and Melinda Wagner. Registrants will listen to previously unheard audio recordings of the following works:David Diamond'sSymphony No. 9. Conducted by Leonard Bernstein (November 17, 1985)Hannibal Lokumbe's African Portraits. Conducted by Paul Lustig Dunkel, ACO Co-Founder. (October 11, 1990)Earl Kim's Violin Concerto with soloist Itzhak Perlman. Conducted by Paul Lustig Dunkel, ACO Co-Founder. (February 10, 1991)Melinda Wagner's Falling Angels. Conducted by Paul Lustig Dunkel, ACO Co-Founder. (October 29, 1995)Derek Bermel's Voices with Bermel on Clarinet. Conducted by Tan Dun (May 24, 1998)Laurie Anderson's Songs for A E. Conducted by Dennis Russell Davies, ACO Co-Founder & Conductor Laureate (February 27, 2000)Frank Zappa's The Adventures of Greg Peccary. Conducted by Steven Sloane (March 2, 2003)Anthony Davis’Wayang V. Conducted by Steven Sloane (April 28, 2004)John Adams' My Father Knew Charles Ives Conducted by John Adams (April 27, 2007)Philip Glass' Symphony No. 9. Conducted by Dennis Russell Davies, ACO Co-Founder & Conductor Laureate (January 31, 2012)Following the event, full recordings will be made available to donors who give $250+ to this event. Recording links will be password-protected, hosted online, and available for on-demand streaming through August 31, 2021.Don’t miss this chance to hear previously unavailable recordings with commentary and history provided by Derek Bermel, and a chance to support ACO's work in the coming season.

Central to its values of diversity, disruption, and discovery, American Composers Orchestra partners each year with orchestras nationwide through its EarShot program (formerly the New Music 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 (formerly the Women Composers Readings and Commissions Program), an initiative of the League of American Orchestras in partnership with ACO, has commissioned three EarShot alumni each year to write a new orchestral work that is premiered by participating orchestras across the country.

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 series highlights four composers on each panel on June 23 and July 7, whose pieces have been recently premiered, or 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 included below.

June 23, 2021ModeratorsMelissa Ngan, President & CEO, American Composers OrchestraAlecia Lawyer, Founder, Artistic Director & Principal Oboe, ROCO

Composers, Works & Partner OrchestrasLeanna Primiani, 1001, ROCOHilary Purrington, Harp of Nerves, Philadelphia OrchestraAndrea Reinkemeyer, Water Sings Fire, Louisiana Philharmonic OrchestraWang Jie, Symphony No. 1, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

The 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.

Established film composers talk about the film industry and the essentials of being a film composer. ACO Artistic Director Derek Bermel moderates a panel of experts. The panel will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience.Co-presented by ACO and American Composers ForumPanelists:Terence Blanchard, composer and trumpeterKathryn Bostic, composerLaura Karpman, composerRachel Portman, composerIf you require an interpreter, closed-captioning, or any other accommodations to fully engage, please contact ACF’s Laura Krider within 48 hours of the webinar (lkrider@composersforum.org or 612.314.9228).

Join ACO for an hour-long interactive event, led by ACO-commissioned composer Lisa Bielawa, that celebrates and unlocks the creativity and curiosity that lives in each of us. Do you delight in making things up? Are you ready to explore how to spark new vitality in your life through your natural creativity? This event is for you! Please join us for a unique opportunity to energize your imagination through prompts, Surrealist games and interactive idea-making, while supporting ACO’s Sonic Spark education programs.

Lisa Bielawa is known for her participatory works including Broadcast from Home, Voters’ Broadcast and her current project, BFH Radio - Broadcast from Here. Described by The Washington Post as “spellbinding,” Broadcast from Home was realized online throughout the period of the coronavirus lockdown, featuring over 500 submitted testimonies and recorded voices from six continents. Voters’ Broadcast’s mission was to stimulate voter engagement, political awareness, and community participation in challenging lockdown conditions, through the act of giving voice to the concerns of fellow citizens, during the lead-up to the 2020 Presidential election. Bielawa is currently at work on BFH Radio, a continuous and evolving soundscape incorporating words, voices, and found audio from participants all over the world which gathers the sounds of people’s first experiments with narrowing social distance or re-engaging with formerly familiar activities, as well as their encounters with new lockdowns or new challenges, and weaves these together with musical materials.

Don’t miss this chance to create, experiment, and play with Lisa, ACO’s artistic director Derek Bermel, and the ACO community.

Photo: Lisa Bielawa's movement map for her composition Crissy Broadcast, courtesy of Bielawa

The Composer to Composer series features major American composers in conversation with each other about their work and leading a creative life. The intergenerational discussions will begin by exploring a single work with one composer interviewing the other. Attendees will gain insight to each work’s genesis, sound, influence on the American orchestral canon, and be invited to ask questions of the artists. Events will be live-streamed and available for on-demand viewing for seven days following the live event. The conversation will be hosted by ACO's Artistic Director, Derek Bermel.On May 26, Jonathan Bailey Holland talks with Alvin Singleton about his work BluesKonzert, a triple commission from 1995 by the Detroit, Houston and Kansas City symphony orchestras. Of the piece, Michael Fleming writes in the program note, "Vernacular and classical traditions have often cross-pollinated in American music, both in performance and composition. A case in point is BluesKonzert, which mixes musical bloodlines as neatly as its title does language. Konzert is a German term that can mean either 'concert,' as in a musical program, or 'concerto,' as in a work for solo instrument and orchestra. Singleton, who trained in both classical music and jazz, is perfectly positioned to exploit such ambiguities and crossovers."

Photo of Alvin Singleton by Jo Eldredge MorrisseyPhoto of Jonathan Bailey Holland by Robert Torres

How does traditional programming change when it’s focused online? Where is classical music headed in the digital age? American Composers Orchestra CEO and President Melissa Ngan moderates a panel of experts, followed by a Q&A with the audience.Co-presented by ACO and American Composers ForumPanelists:Keith Obadike, maker of music, art, and literatureMendi Obadike, maker of music, art, and literaturePaola Prestini, composer, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of National SawdustKamala Sankaram, composer, performerIf you require an interpreter, closed-captioning, or any other accommodations to fully engage, please contact ACF’s Laura Krider within 48 hours of the webinar (lkrider@composersforum.org or 612.314.9228).

Orchestral conductors Marin Alsop&George Manahan provide insight into the conductor-composer relationship, programming new works, and other topics relevant to composers, followed by a Q&A with the audience. Hosted by ACO Artistic Director Derek Bermel.Co-presented by ACO and American Composers ForumIf you require an interpreter, closed-captioning, or any other accommodations to fully engage, please contact ACF’s Laura Krider within 48 hours of the webinar (lkrider@composersforum.org or 612.314.9228).

The Composer to Composer series features major American composers in conversation with each other about their work and leading a creative life. The intergenerational discussions, moderated by ACO Artistic Director Derek Bermel, begin by exploring a single work with one composer interviewing the other. Attendees will gain insight to each work’s genesis, sound, influence on the American orchestral canon, and be invited to ask questions of the artists. Events will be live-streamed and available for on-demand viewing for seven days following the live event.On April 28, Angélica Negrón talks with Tania León about León's work Carabalí for orchestra, from 1991. James Melo writes in the note for the piece, “The title Carabalí refers to a people of West Africa who rebelled against slavery, and whose saga continued through the cimarrones in the Caribbean region. The quiet and introspective character of much of the piece belies something that stirs much more deeply below the surface in preparation for the final outburst, a carnavalesque frenzy that seems to release all the energy accumulated in the previous sections. The trumpets’ calls at the end acquire a heroic and defiant urgency.”Tania León (b. Havana, Cuba) is highly regarded as a composer, conductor, educator and advisor to arts organizations. Recent commissions include works for New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, NDR Symphony Orchestra, Grossman Ensemble, International Contemporary Ensemble, and pianist Ursula Oppens with Cassatt String Quartet. Appearances as guest conductor include Philharmonic Orchestra of Marseille, Gewandhausorchester, Orquesta Sinfonica de Guanajuato, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Cuba. Upcoming premieres feature commissions for the NewMusic USA Amplifying Voices Program, The Musical Fund Society in Philadelphia to celebrate their 200^th anniversary, and for The Crossing chamber choir with Claire Chase, flutist, among others. A founding member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, León instituted the Brooklyn Philharmonic Community Concert Series, co-founded American Composers Orchestra’s Sonidos de las Américas Festivals, was New Music Advisor to the New York Philharmonic, and is the founder/Artistic Director of the nonprofit and festival Composers Now. Her honors include the New York Governor’s Lifetime Achievement, awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the ASCAP Victor Herbert Award, among others. She also received a proclamation for Composers Now by New York City Mayor, and the MadWoman Festival Award in Music (Spain). León has received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from Colgate University, Oberlin and SUNY Purchase College, and served as U.S. Artistic Ambassador of American Culture in Madrid, Spain. A CUNY Professor Emerita, she was awarded a 2018 United States Artists Fellowship.Puerto Rican-born composer and multi-instrumentalist Angélica Negrón writes music for accordions, robotic instruments, toys, and electronics as well as for chamber ensembles, orchestras, choir, and film. Her music has been described as “wistfully idiosyncratic and contemplative” (WQXR/Q2) while The New York Times noted her “capacity to surprise.” Negrón has been commissioned by the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Kronos Quartet, loadbang, MATA Festival, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Sō Percussion, American Composers Orchestra, and the New York Botanical Garden, among others. She has composed numerous film scores, including Landfall (2020) and Memories of a Penitent Heart (2016), in collaboration with filmmaker Cecilia Aldarondo. Upcoming premieres include works for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, LA Philharmonic and NY Philharmonic Project 19 initiative.

Photo of Tania León by Michael ProvostPhoto of Angélica Negrón by Catalina Kulczar

Chris Campbell, Director of Recordings at Innova Recordings, leads a panel covering the basics of recording law and licensing. The panel will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience.Co-presented by ACO and American Composers ForumPanelists:Meerenai Shim, flutist, artist, record producer, music educator, movement coachAri Solotoff, Esq., entertainment lawyer / Founder & Managing Attorney, Solotoff Law Group, PLLCIf you require an interpreter, closed-captioning, or any other accommodations to fully engage, please contact ACF’s Laura Krider within 48 hours of the webinar (lkrider@composersforum.org or 612.314.9228).

Violinist Jennifer Koh’s ongoing exploration of “The New American Concerto” provides the impetus for works by Christopher Cerrone and Lisa Bielawa. Koh’s initiative encourages composers to engage with the issues of the day and respond to them with a violin concerto. Cerrone’s “Breaks and Breaks” features intense dialogues between solo violin and orchestra as they comment on current affairs. Bielawa’s work meditates on the word sanctuary and its significance in the American consciousness. It’s also a deeply personal work with moving quotations of Chopin and Bach—music where Bielawa finds her own sanctuary.

Be part of a new musical work: from the composer’s first creative spark to the premiere at Carnegie Hall. You support fees paid to the composer, printing, rehearsal and performance costs. We invite you to exclusive events to interact with the artists, like this discussion about with Lisa Bielawa about her extensive research when composing her piece, Sanctuary.“My task was simple: find instances of the use of 'sanctuary' in a broad range of American writings, in order to reach a greater understanding of its layered meaning within American consciousness. I undertook the historical research for the Sanctuary project at the American Antiquarian Society in MA, where I was the William Randolph Hearst Artist Fellow in July 2018. I explored broadsides, poetry, political tracts and speeches, novels and children’s literature – vernacular as well as statesmanlike works – discovering writings that capture the off-hand use of the word in different eras of American history.” -Lisa Bielawa

Orchestral conductors Mei-Ann Chen and David Alan Miller provide insight into the conductor-composer relationship, programming new works, and other topics relevant to composers.Co-presented by ACO and American Composers ForumIf you require an interpreter, closed-captioning, or any other accommodations to fully engage, please contact ACF’s Laura Krider within 48 hours of the webinar (lkrider@composersforum.org or 612.314.9228).

The Composer to Composer series features major American composers in conversation with each other about their work and leading a creative life. The intergenerational discussions, moderated by ACO Artistic Director Derek Bermel, begin by exploring a single work with one composer interviewing the other. Attendees will gain insight to each work’s genesis, sound, influence on the American orchestral canon, and be invited to ask questions of the artists. Events will be live-streamed and available for on-demand viewing for seven days following the live event.On March 31, Missy Mazzoli talks with Meredith Monk about her work WEAVE, from 2010, of which Monk writes, “I conceived of WEAVE for Two Voices, Chamber Orchestra and Chorus as a continuous, seamless form in which layers that are at first part of a texture are gradually revealed, take on their own life and then are modified by the next layer that appears. Each passage evolves from the preceding one . . . There is an organic build of momentum in each passage of WEAVE leading naturally to the next, as indicated by the marked tempi. The ebb and flow of the piece depend on the relationship of tempi from one passage to another and the balance between the solo voices, instruments and chorus.”Meredith Monk is a composer, singer, and creator of new opera and music-theater works. Recognized as one of the most unique and influential artists of our time, she is a pioneer in what is now called “extended vocal technique.” Celebrated internationally, her work has been presented at major venues around the world. Over the last six decades Ms. Monk has been hailed as one of National Public Radio’s 50 Great Voices and “one of America’s coolest composers.” Her numerous awards and honors include a MacArthur Fellowship, Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters from the Republic of France, induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, and a National Medal of Arts. Most of her music can be heard on the ECM label, including the Grammy-nominated impermanence. Since the early 2000s, Monk has been creating vital new repertoire for orchestra, chamber ensembles, and solo instruments, with recent commissions from the San Francisco Symphony and Carnegie Hall where she held the 2014-15 Richard and Barbara Debs Composer’s Chair in conjunction with her 50th Season of creating and performing. Currently Monk is developing Indra’s Net, the third part of a trilogy of music-theater works exploring our interdependent relationship with nature.Recently deemed “one of the more consistently inventive, surprising composers now working in New York” (New York Times) and “Brooklyn’s post-millennial Mozart” (Time Out NY), Missy Mazzoli has had her music performed by the Kronos Quartet, LA Opera, eighth blackbird, the BBC Symphony, Scottish Opera and many others. In 2018, she became the first woman to receive a main stage commission from the Metropolitan Opera and was nominated for a Grammy award in the category of Best Classical Composition. She is currently Composer-in-Residence at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and from 2012-2015 was Composer-in-Residence with Opera Philadelphia. Her 2018 opera Proving Up, a commentary on the American dream commissioned and premiered by Washington National Opera, was deemed “harrowing… a true opera for its time” by The Washington Post. Her 2016 opera Breaking the Waves was called “one of the best 21^st-century American operas yet” by Opera News and had its European premiere at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival. Upcoming commissions include works for Opera Philadelphia, the National Ballet of Canada and Norwegian National Opera. In 2016, with composer Ellen Reid and in partnership with the Kaufman Music Center she founded Luna Lab, a mentorship program for young female, nonbinary and gender non-conforming composers. Her works are published by G. Schirmer.

Photo of Meredith Monk by F. Scott SchaferPhoto of Missy Mazzoli by Caroline Tompkins

A panel of experts converse about the role of race in orchestral culture, individual responsibility, and how racism manifests in the classical music industry. They will use Nebal Maysaud's article, "It's Time to Let Classical Music Die'" as a jumping off point. Pratichi Shah, President and CEO, Flourish Talent Management Solutions, moderates. A Q&A with the audience will follow.Co-presented by ACO and American Composers ForumPanelists:Nebal Maysaud, composer and consultantMelissa Ngan, American Composers Orchestra CEO & PresidentDaniel Bernard Roumain, composer, violinist, educatorIf you require an interpreter, closed-captioning, or any other accommodations to fully engage, please contact ACF’s Laura Krider within 48 hours of the webinar (lkrider@composersforum.org or 612.314.9228).

How can composers help guide their own careers? What part does creating an ensemble play in that? Frank J. Oteri moderates a panel of innovative ensemble creators to explore topics of entrepreneurship and career advancement as a composer. Q&A with audience will follow.Co-presented by ACO and American Composers ForumPanelists:Afa Dworkin, Sphinx OrganizationNadia Sirota, yMusicSugar Vendil, The Nouveau Classical ProjectIf you require an interpreter, closed-captioning, or any other accommodations to fully engage, please contact ACF’s Laura Krider within 48 hours of the webinar (lkrider@composersforum.org or 612.314.9228).