American Composers Orchestra Announces June 2026 EarShot Readings at The DiMenna Center
(L-R Top): Jeffery Meyer, Kimberly Osberg, Coral Douglas, Seare Farhat
(L-R Bottom): Ty Bloomfield, Benjamin T. Martin, Tyler Kline
Benjamin T. Martin — Unfurling Dances
Ty Bloomfield — fragrances of something sweet
Coral Douglas — TERROR MANAGEMENT THEORY
Steven R. Gerber — Spirituals for String Orchestra 1. Homage to Dvořák (Goin' Home)Tyler Kline — West of the Sun
Seare Farhat — shadows rising soundless as night
Kimberly Osberg — Night Lights
Conducted by Jeffery Meyer, our June 11 and 12 Readings present a broad selection of works selected through the EarShot initiative, including Benjamin T. Martin’s Unfurling Dances, Ty Bloomfield’s fragrances of something sweet, Coral Douglas’ TERROR MANAGEMENT THEORY, Tyler Kline’s West of the Sun, Seare Farhat’s shadows rising soundless as night, Kimberly Osberg’s Night Lights, and Steven R. Gerber’s Spirituals for String Orchestra: Homage to Dvořák (“Goin’ Home”). The program highlights a range of contemporary voices engaging with themes of memory, grief, surrealism, ecology, personal narrative, and sonic imagination, each work shaped through close collaboration between composers and orchestra. Mentor composers for the 2026 EarShot Reading are Valerie Coleman, Huang Ruo, and Curtis Stewart, whose guidance supports participating composers in developing their orchestral work through the program.
Thursday, June 11, features a CoLABoratory workshop with Malachi Brown, an EarShot alum, exploring cello section possibilities and spatial orchestration — examining how ensemble placement can shape musical perception and the experience of distance. Additionally, audiences are invited to attend the 2:00 PM Compose Yourself! program for high school composers, featuring readings and workshops of new works, followed by a 4:30 PM performance led by ACO Education Director Kevin James. The reading will take place in the Rudolph Nureyev Studio at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, located on the 4th floor at The DiMenna Center.
The working rehearsal and public reading take place during New York Music Month, a city-run festival presented by the NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, with 60 events across the five boroughs throughout the month of June.
“As part of New York Music Month, we’re proud to partner with the American Composers Orchestra to support the next generation of composers through the EarShot Readings program, giving emerging artists the opportunity to develop their work with a full orchestra right here in New York City,” said Commissioner Rafael Espinal of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. “This is about more than performance, it’s about building a pipeline for the future of music. And by making it accessible to the public, we’re opening the door for New Yorkers to experience and learn from that process firsthand. Because in this city, music isn’t a luxury, it’s essential.”
ACO 2026 EarShot Readings are supported by the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.
Lead support for EarShot CoLABoratory is generously provided by TD Charitable Foundation. EarShot is a program of American Composers Orchestra completed in partnership with American Composers Forum, the League of American Orchestras, and New Music USA. The program is made possible with support from Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting, Mellon Foundation, Fromm Music Foundation, Jerome Foundation, and BMI Foundation, Inc. Additional support is provided by The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc., Arthur F. & Alice E. Adams Charitable Fund, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, G. Schirmer/Wise Music Foundation, the Stephen R. Gerber Trust, and the League of American Orchestras with support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.
Public funds are provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
Corporate gifts to match employee contributions are made by Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, Triton Container International Incorporated of North America, and Neiman Marcus.
Public funds are provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, Office of Brooklyn Borough President Reynoso, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
