June 13–14, 2024EarShot Readings: American Composers OrchestraNeidorff-Karpati Hall, Manhattan School of MusicNew York City, NYEnsemble:American Composers OrchestraMentor Composers:TBDConductor:TBDFeatured Artists and Works:TBD

Through orchestral, choral, gospel and soul choral music, this one-night-only event is the signature celebration for The Kennedy Center’s Conflux partnership with the National Black Theatre (NBT) running May 26 - June 2, 2024.  The Gathering: A Collective Sonic Ring Shout will take us on a sonic quest produced by National Black Theatre & The Apollo. Taking place in the Opera House at The Kennedy Center, The Gathering will center the soul of Black folks and the heart of America's brilliant and bitter present. With Creative Concept and Direction by NBT’s Executive Artistic Director, Jonathan McCrory, and featuring the American Composers Orchestra and NEWorks Voices of Inspiration chorale, this night will feature the DC premiere of Seven Last Words of the Unarmed by Joel Thompson alongside Carlos Simon’s Amen! and Courtney Bryan’s Sanctum. In conjunction with these pieces, the night has been curated in the African tradition of call and response to include original works by genre-defying Black artists such as Abby Dobson, Toshi Reagon, Troy Anthony, and Nona Hendryx. The Gathering: A Collective Sonic Ring Shout was originally performed at The Apollo in Harlem, New York 2022.

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April 15–16, 2024EarShot Readings: Illinois Philharmonic OrchestraVenue TBDPalo Heights, ILEnsemble:Illinois Philharmonic OrchestraMentor Composers:Jessie MontgomeryJames StephensonConductor:Stilian KirovFeatured Artists and Works:TBD

April 6–7, 2024Virginia B. Toulmin Commission ConcertAngel Lam, TBD (World Premiere)Quad City Symphony OrchestraToulmin Commissioning Consortium: ACO and LAO have established a 30-orchestra consortium to support commissions by 6 women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer will write a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develop an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra.

March 22–24, 2024Virginia B. Toulmin Commission ConcertAngel Lam, TBD (World Premiere)Kansas City SymphonyToulmin Commissioning Consortium: ACO and LAO have established a 30-orchestra consortium to support commissions by 6 women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer will write a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develop an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra

March 20–22, 2024EarShot Readings: Indiana UniversityBloomington, INMentor composers:TBDConductor:Jeffrey MeyerFeatured Artists and Works:TBD

March 12, 2024, 7:30pm Zankel Hall, Carnegie HallRei Hotoda, conductorChrystal E. Williams, mezzo-sopranoFelipe Hostins, accordionJerod Impichcha̱achaaha' Tate, narrator and lead vocalAMERICA IN WEIMAR: ON THE MARGINSGeorge Antheil: Jazz Symphony 7’Jerod Impichcha̱achaaha' : Lowak Shoppala' (Clans) (NY premiere) 10–15’John Glover (composer)/Kelley (librettist): Right Now (World Premiere) 15’Duke Ellington: “Solitude” and “Sophisticated Lady”, arr. Morton Gould 8’Tonia Ko: Breath, Untamed (World Premiere) 15’Kurt Weill/Ira Gershwin: “My Ship” from Lady in the Dark 5’AMERICA IN WEIMAR: ON THE MARGINS explores American influence on the Weimar period and—conversely—the legacy of Weimar's embrace of transgression, non-Teutonic identity, and utopian ideals, all of which continually resonate in today's American art and music.

February 22–23, 2024“Beethoven Violin Concerto”Virginia B. Toulmin Commission ConcertSarah Gibson, to make this mountain tallerKnoxville Symphony OrchestraToulmin Commissioning Consortium: ACO and LAO have established a 30-orchestra consortium to support commissions by 6 women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer will write a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develop an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra.

February 7–8, 2024“Pouliot & Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto& Shelley conducts Scheherazade”Virginia B. Toulmin Commission ConcertGity Razaz, Methuselah (In Chains of Time)National Arts Centre OrchestraToulmin Commissioning Consortium: ACO and LAO have established a 30-orchestra consortium to support commissions by 6 women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer will write a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develop an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra.

January 25, 2024“Birth of a Culture”Virginia B. Toulmin Commission ConcertArlene Sierra, KiskadeeLouisiana Philharmonic OrchestraToulmin Commissioning Consortium: ACO and LAO have established a 30-orchestra consortium to support commissions by 6 women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer will write a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develop an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra.

Event Details

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November 9, 2023, 7:30pm

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Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall

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Vimbayi Kaziboni, conductor

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Sidney Outlaw, baritone

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Luke Dubois, video design

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THE QUEST: EPIC JOURNEYS

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Augusta Read Thomas: Sun Dance—In memoriam Oliver Knussen (NY Premiere) 6’

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George Lewis: New Work (World Premiere/ACO Commission) 15’

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Jack Hughes: Three Ways of Getting There (World Premiere/ACO Underwood commission) 10-12’

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Guillermo Klein: The Kingdom (CoLABoratory/World Premiere) 10’

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Nina C. Young: Out of whose womb came the ice (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall/ACO Co-commission) 28’

ACO invites you to kick off the 2023-24 season with us at our 2023 Gala & Creative Catalyst Awards, a joyful celebration of the music and culture of the Americas honoring three visionary leaders - Paquito D'Rivera, Dr. Indira Etwaroo, and Edward Yim - who exemplify our core values of artistry, creativity, community, and equity.Meet rising stars of tomorrow over a caipirinha at the bar. Discover new sounds with NYC's most culturally curious. Make lifelong connections through the one-of-a-kind communal dining experience that is Brazilian churrasco. And, because it's a party after all, bring out your most creative festive attire!Save the date and join us for a night featuring music by composer & saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera, soprano Chrystal E. Williams, forró musician Felipe Hostins, composer Raquel Acevedo Klein, and sound artist Chris Kallmyer, among others, and a fabulous dinner.Founded in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Fogo de Chão's interactive tableside service features fire roasted meats, fish, and vegan/vegetarian entrees alongside Fogo's signature Market Table spread inspired by the farms of Southern Brazil where family and friends gather to share the finest and freshest from their harvests.We look forward to welcoming you for an evening of enthralling performances, sparkling company, and delicious food, while supporting the expansion of ACO's national EarShot composer advancement programs, orchestral performances, and educational initiatives.EVENT6:00pm Cocktail Hour7:00pm Awards Ceremony & Performances7:30pm Dinner & DessertTICKETSOnline tickets will be available by August 2023. Until then, please RSVP to Chaele Davis at chaele@americancomposers.orgVisionary $25,000

• 8 VIP tickets to the dinner & performance with priority table placement; includes placement of two guest artists at your table, if desired
• Inside Gala Journal Cover Ad (full color)
• Recognition as an official sponsor of The Quest: Epic Journeys, ACO’s November 9, 2023 concert at Carnegie Hall
• 8 VIP tickets to ACO’s The Quest: Epic Journeys concert at Carnegie Hall, plus invite to exclusive post-show reception

$23,000 of this purchase is tax-deductibleIcon $10,000

• 8 VIP tickets to the dinner & performance with preferred table placement; includes placement of two guest artists at your table, if desired
• Full-page Gala Journal Ad (B&W)
• Recognition as an official sponsor of The Quest: Epic Journeys, ACO’s November 9, 2023 concert at Carnegie Hall
• 4 VIP tickets to ACO’s The Quest: Epic Journeys concert at Carnegie Hall, plus invite to exclusive post-show reception

$8,000 of this purchase is tax-deductibleMaverick $5,000

• 4 VIP tickets to the dinner & performance, with select table placement, includes placement of one guest artist at your table, if desired
• Listing in Gala Journal
• Invitation to a special ACO insider event

$4,000 of this purchase is tax-deductibleMuse $1,000

• 1 VIP ticket to the dinner & performance with select seating
• Listing in Gala Journal
• Invitation to a special ACO insider event

$750 of this purchase is tax-deductibleExplorer $600

• 1 VIP ticket to the dinner & performance
• Listing in Gala Journal

$350 of this purchase is tax-deductibleTRIBUTESI cannot attend, but I’d like to place a tribute in the program book:Back Cover (color) 5” x 7 5/8” $1,500 Full page (B&W): 5” x 7 5/8” $500½ page (B&W): 5” x 3 11/16” $300¼ page (B&W): 2 3/8” wide x 3 11/16” $175ABOUT THE HONOREESNEA Jazz Master Paquito D'Rivera defies categorization. The winner of 14 combined Grammy and Latin Grammy awards with his celebrated musical career that reflects a dedication to jazz, bebop, and Latin music, including his impressive contributions to classical music. In his passion to bring Latin repertoire to greater prominence, D'Rivera has successfully created and championed all types of classical compositions, including chamber compositions and symphonies. His second National Symphony commission "The Journey" premiered in 2022 with Yo-Yo Ma as Soloist.Dr. Indira Etwaroo is an award-winning producer, director, scholar, and non-profit arts leader, and currently serves as the Director of the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple. Previously, she led RestorationART and The Billie Holiday Theatre through radical growth, including the launch of the first national strategic plan for Black theaters, The Black Seed.As Chief Content Officer and Senior Vice President of WQXR, Edward Yim is responsible for developing and implementing a strategic vision that helps WQXR reach a broader, more inclusive audience, drives digital innovation, bolsters the station’s role in New York City’s arts and culture ecosystem, and increases WQXR’s relevance and service to the city’s communities. Prior to joining WQXR, he served as President & CEO of the American Composers Orchestra.

October 19–21, 2023“Korngold’s Violin Concerto”Virginia B. Toulmin Commission ConcertArlene Sierra, KiskadeeDetroit Symphony OrchestraToulmin Commissioning Consortium: ACO and LAO have established a 30-orchestra consortium to support commissions by 6 women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer will write a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develop an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra.

Presented by the Pittsburgh Symphony, this concert is free and open to the public. This 90-minute concert features selections from Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Suite, and Gershwin’s An American in Paris. Also, a RAD Days first: the Pittsburgh premiere of “to make this mountain taller” by American composer Sarah Gibson. Online reservations are encouraged. This concert is family-friendly, recommended for ages six and older.Sarah Gibson's work is made possible through the Virginia B. Toulmin Commissioning Consortium: ACO and LAO have established a 30-orchestra consortium to support commissions by 6 women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer will write a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develop an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra.

October 6–8, 2023Kimmel Center"Trifinov Plays Brahms"Virginia B. Toulmin Commission ConcertAnna Clyne, This MomentThe Philadelphia OrchestraToulmin Commissioning Consortium: ACO and LAO have established a 30-orchestra consortium to support commissions by 6 women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer will write a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develop an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra.

CSO Assistant Conductors Samuel Lee and Daniel Wiley will conduct the CSO in a performance featuring composers of EarShot, the nation’s first ongoing, systematic program for creating relationships between orchestras and composers. EarShot is operated in partnership with the American Composers Forum, New Music USA, and the League of American Orchestras. The composers will be mentored by CSO Music Director Louis Langrée.

Featured Artists & Works:

Leyou Wang: Impressions from TianqianMartin Hebel: Radiant PillarsGiuseppe Gallo-Balma: Los Huesos de YayaelJoseph Sowa: Summer Has Ten Thousand StarsMentor Composers: Melinda Wagner, Curtis Stewart, Texu KimRead more about Composers & their Works. CLICK HERE –>

“The Four Seasons”Virginia B. Toulmin Commission ConcertGity Razaz, Methuselah (In Chains of Time)Rochester Philharmonic OrchestraSeptember 28th and 30th, 2023Toulmin Commissioning Consortium: ACO and LAO have established a 30-orchestra consortium to support commissions by 6 women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer will write a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develop an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra.

Brooklyn’s own Tamar-kali joins forces with international opera and theatre director James Blaszko and the American Composers Orchestra to bring Freedom Is a Constant Struggle to Lincoln Center. A second-generation musician with roots in the coastal Sea Islands of South Carolina, Tamar-kali has designed an evening of orchestral performances and readings that highlight the African-American struggle to reap the benefits of liberty and justice defined as a part of American citizenry. The concert traces the African-American struggle to achieve freedom—from the call to abolish chattel slavery through the Civil War, from reconstruction and the early movement for racial equality to the ‘60s civil rights movement, all the way to our present-day fights for equity. The performance includes the world premiere of Tamar-kali’s Sea Island Symphony: Red Rice, Cotton and Indigo, and spotlights pivotal works by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Frederick Douglass, Langston Hughes, Nina Simone, and Ida B. Wells, among other notable works. Featuring an orchestra, choir, guest vocalists, orators, and ring shouters, this will be an unforgettable, not-to-be missed evening of innovation, experimentation, and introspection.

Brooklyn’s own Tamar-kali joins forces with international opera and theatre director James Blaszko and the American Composers Orchestra to bring Freedom Is a Constant Struggle to Lincoln Center. A second-generation musician with roots in the coastal Sea Islands of South Carolina, Tamar-kali has designed an evening of orchestral performances and readings that highlight the African-American struggle to reap the benefits of liberty and justice defined as a part of American citizenry. The concert traces the African-American struggle to achieve freedom—from the call to abolish chattel slavery through the Civil War, from reconstruction and the early movement for racial equality to the ‘60s civil rights movement, all the way to our present-day fights for equity. The performance includes the world premiere of Tamar-kali’s Sea IslandSymphony: Red Rice, Cotton and Indigo, and spotlights pivotal works by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Frederick Douglass, Langston Hughes, Nina Simone, and Ida B. Wells, among other notable works. Featuring an orchestra, choir, guest vocalists, orators, and ring shouters, this will be an unforgettable, not-to-be missed evening of innovation, experimentation, and introspection.This is a FREE event with first-come first-served General Admission. If you have any questions about this event, please contact Guest Experience at 212-875-5456 or guestexperience@lincolncenter.org.

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra hosts EarShot Readings on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 with four featured composers: Moni (Jasmine) Guo, Diallo Banks, Ricardo Ferro, and Iván Enrique Rodríguez. The composers will work throughout the day with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra musicians and DSO Assistant Conductor Maurice Cohn, and receive feedback from mentor composers Quinn Mason, a 27-year old Dallas-based composer and conductor; “expert in orchestration” (The New York Times) Jimmy López Bellido; and Xi Wang, a Dallas-based composer and faculty member at Southern Methodist University. At 2:00pm that afternoon, the DSO and Cohn perform all four works at Meyerson Symphony Hall, after which a recording will be provided to the participants and published online. The public is invited to a free concert at 2:00pm.

EarShot is the first ongoing, systematic program for developing relationships between composers and orchestras on the national level, developed by the American Composers Orchestra to ensure the vibrant future of new American orchestral music. Over the last 25 years, these readings have provided more than 250 composers with vital artistic and technical resources, as well as career-accelerating public exposure. Alumni of EarShot have won every composition award, including the Pulitzer, GRAMMY, Grawemeyer, American Academy of Arts & Letters, and Rome Prizes, to name a few. Composer-orchestra relationships extend beyond the EarShot Readings, and since 2009, 28 works have been commissioned by partner orchestras from EarShot participants and more than half of selected EarShot composers report receiving a commission directly resulting from their participation.

Reserved tickets are required for this free event. General admission seating.

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

Program:

Moni (Jasmine) Guo – Rays of the After-rain Evening Sun

Diallo Banks – Chute Libre

Ricardo Ferro – ‘17-North

Iván Enrique Rodríguez – Symphony No. 2: Naa Okùnkùn ti Òkúnta Dídán

Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Maurice Cohn, conductor

Music from Copland House presents six world premieres of the new works it commissioned from the 2023 Fellows of its acclaimed annual Emerging Composers Institute: Henry Dorn, Seare Farhat, Oswald Huỳnh, Maya Miro Johnson, Grace Ann Lee, and Max Vinetz. CULTIVATE 2023, directed by Grammy-nominated composer-clarinetist Derek Bermel, is an intensive, creative workshop and mentoring program for gifted American composers of all backgrounds and identities, in the initial stages of their professional careers. Each year, six young composers are awarded fellowships to participate in this immersive, weeklong session, which takes place at Aaron Copland’s National Historic Landmark home in Westchester County, one hour north of New York City.

SONiC and Mannes/The New School co-present three new interactive works developed through ACO’s EarShot CoLABoratory composer residency program. Inspired by the African-American history of resilience, healing, and awakening post-trauma, Grammy-winner Marcus Gilmore’sPulse, developed with ACO through the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative with his mentor, world-renowned tabla player Zakir Hussain, is scored for drums, jazz ensemble, spoken word, and orchestra. Pulse will feature spoken word by Tracy K. Smith, the 22nd Poet Laureate of the United States and a Pulitzer Prize winner. Trevor New’s Cohere Touch connects artists across continents using the composer’s own augmented reality environment and performance on viola. Mendi + Keith Obadike’s DreamTrain is an immersive sound installation and performance that encourages audiences to dream collectively as a means of social transformation. The American Composers Orchestra will be led by David Bloom.Featuring American Composers OrchestraDavid Bloom, conductorPaloma McGregor, director/choreographerMarcus Gilmore TrioTrevor New, violistTracy K. Smith, poetProgramDreamTrain by Mendi + Keith Obadike, sound artistsCohere Touch by Trevor New, electro-acoustic violist and composerPulse byMarcus Gilmore, drummer and composer, Fellow in the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts InitiativePost-Concert Discussion and Q&A, moderated by Melissa Ngan, featuring Rolex Mentor and Protégé Artists Zakir Hussain & Marcus Gilmore, plus CoLABoratory Fellows Trevor New, Mendi + Keith Obadike

SONiC teams up with Luna Composition Lab and International Contemporary Ensemble to present a concert of brand new works by the 2022–23 Luna Lab Fellows. Founded in 2016 by composers Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid, Luna Composition Lab provides mentorship and performance opportunities to young composers ages 13–18 who are female, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming. Missy Mazzoli, Ellen Reid, and George Lewis curate this evening of world premieres as well as additional works by Luna Lab mentors.

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

Featured Artists2022–23 Luna Lab FellowsHannah ChenLucy ChenLili MasoudiGabrielle SmithElaina Rae StupplerIsabelle TsengLuna Lab MentorsWang LuNina ShekharInternational Contemporary EnsembleAlice Jones, fluteLeah Asher, violinMeaghan Burke, celloEmmalie Tello, clarinetErika Dohi, pianoProgramHannah Chen: Spiral (World Premiere)Lucy Chen: Seventeen (World Premiere)Wang Lu: From the Distant Plains IILili Masoudi: [to be determined] (World Premiere)Nina Shekhar: GLITCHGabrielle Smith: Stellar Evolution (World Premiere)Elaina Rae Stuppler: Waluga (World Premiere)Isabelle Tseng: Bumbershoot (World Premiere)

Curators: George Lewis, Missy Mazzoli, Ellen Reid