Performances
& Events
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May 17, 2025
Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert
Karena Ingram, TBD (World Premiere)
Memphis 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.
This work was commissioned by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.
May 17, 2025
Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert
Karena Ingram, TBD (World Premiere)
This work was commissioned by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.
June 1, 2025
Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert
Gity Razaz, Methuselah (In Chains of Time)
Berkeley Symphony
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.
June 1, 2025
Virginia B. Toulmin Commission Concert
Gity Razaz, Methuselah (In Chains of Time)
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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June 5–6, 2025
EarShot Readings: American Composers Orchestra
Neidorff-Karpati Hall, Manhattan School of Music | New York City, NY
Link TBA
Conductor Rei Hotoda
Featured Artists and Works:
Grace Ann Lee
Marie Douglas
Cheng Jin KOH
Lavell Blackwell
Shawn Johnson
Arjan Singh
Mentor Composers:
Curtis Stewart
June 5, 2025
EarShot Readings: American Composers Orchestra
Neidorff-Karpati Hall, Manhattan School of Music | New York City, NY
EarShot CoLABoratory Workshop: Shelley Washington
Thursday, June 5, 2025 @ 1:30-2:30pm | Neidorff-Karpati Hall, Manhattan School of Music
In her first work for full orchestra, Shelley Washington builds on a previous work, Seething, for cello and kick drum, commissioned and performed by Amanda Gookin. She will explore the question: What would it mean to treat each musician as a virtuoso within the context of a larger group of musicians?
June 5, 2025
Featured Artist & Work
Shelley Washington
June 5–6, 2025
EarShot Readings: American Composers Orchestra
Neidorff-Karpati Hall, Manhattan School of Music | New York City, NY
Conductor Rei Hotoda
Featured Artists and Works:
Grace Ann Lee
Marie Douglas
Cheng Jin KOH
Lavell Blackwell
Shawn Johnson
Arjan Singh
Mentor Composers:
Curtis Stewart
June 6, 2025
EarShot Readings: American Composers Orchestra
Neidorff-Karpati Hall, Manhattan School of Music | New York City, NY
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Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at 7:30 PM
American Composers Orchestra
Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall | New York City, NY
Link TBA
The New Virtuoso: For Art’s Sake features works that utilize newly created instruments and sonic media to explore symphonic texture. Spanning the use of sculptures that move and sonically react to their environments; graphic scores; gestural conduction; a survey of contemporary techniques for traditional instruments; the fashioning of instruments based on composers’ unique cultural backgrounds, these artists’ sense of design propels them into new compositional spaces.
Lucy Gibbon, Soprano
Mélisse Brunet, Conductor
Daniel Rozin, Responsive Sculptures
The New Virtuoso: For Art's Sake
RAVEN CHACON, Inscription (NY Premiere, ACO Co-commission, developed via EarShot CoLABoratory)
TAMAR MUSKAL, Square Off for Voice and Mirror with Responsive Sculptures (World Premiere, ACO Commission)
ELIJAH DANIEL SMITH, Horizon of Closure (World Premiere, ACO Commission)
MAZZ SWIFT, Memory FIVE: Freedom Initiate (ACO Commission, developed via EarShot CoLABoratory, World Premiere)
AARON ISRAEL LEVIN, Multiverse verse chorus bridge verse chorus chorus (ACO Commission, World Premiere)
The New Virtuoso: For Art’s Sake features works that utilize newly created instruments and sonic media to explore symphonic texture. Spanning the use of sculptures that move and sonically react to their environments; graphic scores; gestural conduction; a survey of contemporary techniques for traditional instruments; the fashioning of instruments based on composers’ unique cultural backgrounds, these artists’ sense of design propels them into new compositional spaces.
January 26-30, 2026
EarShot Readings: Lawrence University Symphony Orchestra
Appleton, WI
TBD, Conductor
Featured Artists and Works: TBD
Mentor Composers:
Joanne Metcalf
Asha Srinivasan
Marcos Balter
January 26-30, 2026
EarShot Readings: Lawrence University Symphony Orchestra
Appleton, WI
TBD, Conductor
Featured Artists & Works: TBD
Mentor Composers: Joanne Metcalf, Asha Srinivasan, & Marcos Balter
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American Composers Orchestra
Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall | New York City, NY
Link TBA
Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we focus on artists’ musical open letters to America, which reflect narratives around the summer homes of turn-of-the-century Black folk; dreams; unspoken emotions; rituals of celebration; and the connection between the historic and current patriotism of Black American women.
Karen Slack, soprano
Amanda Goookin, cello
Cynthia Yeh, percussion
Carolyn Kuan, conductor
Hello, America: Letters to Us, from Us
JOSEPH PHILIPS, We hold these truths (ACO Commission, developed via EarShot CoLABoratory)
BRITTANY GREEN, Letters to America (ACO Co-commission, developed via EarShot CoLABoratory)
KITE, Wičhínčala Šakówin (ACO Commission, developed via EarShot CoLABoratory)
SHELLEY WASHINGTON, Haymaker (ACO Commission, developed via EarShot CoLABoratory)
JESSIE MONTGOMERY, Procession (arrangement)
Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we focus on artists’ musical open letters to America, which reflect narratives around the summer homes of turn-of-the-century Black folk; dreams; unspoken emotions; rituals of celebration; and the connection between the historic and current patriotism of Black American women.
19th Annual Underwood New Music Readings featuring new music by American composers.
The ACO partners with the Pioneer Valley Symphony for their 2010 Earshot New Music Readings.
The ACO partners with the Pioneer Valley Symphony for their 2010 Earshot New Music Readings.
The ACO partners with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra for their first season of Earshot New Music Readings
The ACO partners with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra for their first season of Earshot New Music Readings
The ACO joins the Memphis Symphony Orchestra for their very first Earshot New Music Reading in 2009
The ACO joins the Memphis Symphony Orchestra for their very first Earshot New Music Reading
The Underwood New Music Readings present an opportunity to selected young composers to have there works read and recorded by a professional orchestra. The event is open to the public and ACO reaches out to schools and other music organizations inviting them to attend the readings.
The American Composers Orchestra presents the 17th Annual Underwood New Music Readings, featuring readings by emerging American Composers.
The American Composers Orchestra presents the 17th Annual Underwood New Music Readings.
American Composers Orchestra announces its 16th annual Underwood New Music Reading Sessions to be held at the Skirball Center for Performing Arts in New York City on May 8 & 9, 2007. Up to eight composers in the early stages of their careers will be selected to participate. One will be awarded a $15,000 commission to write a new work to be performed by ACO.Writing for the symphony orchestra remains one of the supreme challenges for the aspiring composer. The subtleties of instrumental balance, timbre, effective part preparation, and communication with conductor and musicians are critical skills. But openings for composers to gain hands-on experience working with a professional orchestra are few. ACO's New Music Reading Sessions are designed to give emerging composers the opportunity to work with an orchestra singular in its commitment to the development of the American composer and to hear their work performed by some of the country's most outstanding contemporary music instrumentalists.Led by ACO Artistic Director Robert Beaser, the Readings are the core of ACO's ongoing professional training programs for emerging American composers.At the Readings, composers will meet with ACO artistic staff, orchestra members, and composer advisors and receive critical commentary and feedback. Members of ACO's composer advisory panel and guest composers participate in preliminary reviews of scores, post-Reading evaluations and selection of the composer to receive the commission award. The Reading are professionally recorded, and each composer a high-quality audio recording to be used for study purposes.ACO's related programs include an annual composer fellowship that allows a composer to work with ACO's artistic and administrative staffs over the course of a season; and Orchestra Tech, a multi-year project to explore the past, present and future applications of electronics and digital technologies in orchestral music. Through Orchestra Tech, works employing electronics and digital technology are now encouraged for the Readings.Lead support for the New Music Readings comes from Mr. Paul Underwood, the Fromm Foundation and The Helen F. Whitaker Fund. ACO's emerging composers programs are made possible with the support of Jerome Foundation, and with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
American Composers Orchestra announces its 16th annual Underwood New Music Reading Sessions
American Composers Orchestra announces its 15th annual Underwood New Music Readings Sessions and Commission. Up to eight composers in the early stages of their careers will be selected to participate. One will be awarded a $15,000 commission to write a new work to be performed by ACO at Carnegie Hall. The Readings are led by Artistic Director Robert Beaser and, and will be held on May 18 & 19, 2006 in New York City. Composers Paul Moravec and Stephen Paulus will serve as composer-mentors.
American Composers Orchestra announces its 15th annual Underwood New Music Readings Sessions and Commission.
American Composers Orchestra announces its 14th annual Underwood New Music Readings Sessions and Commission. Up to eight composers in the early stages of their careers will be selected to participate. One will be awarded a $15,000 commission to write a new work to be performed by ACO at Carnegie Hall. The Readings are led by Artistic Director Robert Beaser and Music Director Steven Sloane, and will be held on May 5-6, 2005 at Columbia University. The application deadline is November 10, 2004. The submission form, guidelines, and additional information is available at www.americancomposers.org/nmr or by calling ACO at 212 977 8495 x202/readings@americancomposers.org.
American Composers Orchestra announces its 14th annual Underwood New Music Readings Sessions and CommissionAmerican Composers Orchestra announces its 14th annual Underwood New Music Readings Sessions and Commission.
