EARSHOT:
(Re)Loading the Canon
EARSHOT: (Re)Loading the Canon
What is the Classical music canon? How do we define it? How does it define us?
American experiences are constantly evolving, and American conservatories are adding an influx of high powered, open-minded musicians to our ecosystem. Virtuosity, now more than ever, is a perpetually moving target.
The American Composers Orchestra, in partnership with institutions including the Juilliard School, the Northwestern University, the Eastman School of Music, and the Sphinx Organization, is initiating “(Re)loading the Canon,” a consortium commissioning initiative that speaks to this cultural and musical moment––reinvigorating the impact of the concerto on our American “Canon.”
“(Re)loading the Canon'' engages with conservatories, orchestras, and young artist competitions in a new wave of virtuosic, eight-minute concertos for violin, viola, cello, and bass by Black and Latine composers that embody the energy, excitement, and innovation that great competitions inspire. The project brings together leading organizations and artists in the field to understand and harness the nature of “Canonization,” identity, and vitality in Classical music––inviting orchestras, soloists, faculty, composers, administrators, and students to own, contribute to, and challenge their “canon.”
In the end, “(Re)loading the Canon” reframes American classical music as “of the now, made by us, for us.” The project posits that we all become the canon, by making a pathway for next generations to contribute to it in a consistent way.
American experiences are constantly evolving, and American conservatories are adding an influx of high powered, open-minded musicians to our ecosystem. Virtuosity, now more than ever, is a perpetually moving target.
The American Composers Orchestra, in partnership with institutions including the Juilliard School, the Northwestern University, the Eastman School of Music, and the Sphinx Organization, is initiating “(Re)loading the Canon,” a consortium commissioning initiative that speaks to this cultural and musical moment––reinvigorating the impact of the concerto on our American “Canon.”
“(Re)loading the Canon'' engages with conservatories, orchestras, and young artist competitions in a new wave of virtuosic, eight-minute concertos for violin, viola, cello, and bass by Black and Latine composers that embody the energy, excitement, and innovation that great competitions inspire. The project brings together leading organizations and artists in the field to understand and harness the nature of “Canonization,” identity, and vitality in Classical music––inviting orchestras, soloists, faculty, composers, administrators, and students to own, contribute to, and challenge their “canon.”
In the end, “(Re)loading the Canon” reframes American classical music as “of the now, made by us, for us.” The project posits that we all become the canon, by making a pathway for next generations to contribute to it in a consistent way.
- For Conservatories, the project provides an opportunity to participate in a national peer consortium, commission and workshop new concertos on campus, and foster student engagement with nationally-renowned composers and soloists.
- For Composers and Soloists, the project provides opportunities for paid commissions, performances, and visibility on a national level
- For Faculty, the project provides excellent options for new repertoire for auditions and study
- For Competitions, new exciting repertoire is created, having been workshopped, recorded, and road-tested through conservatory partnerships.
- For Orchestras, the consortium showcases exciting new compositional voices and soloists through a series of new concert works
COMPOSERS
QUESTIONS & INFORMATION
For additional information, please visit our website, americancomposers.org.
For questions or comments on (Re)Loading the Canon, please contact LaRob K. Rafael, Director of Composer Advancement: larob@americancomposers.org