American Composers Orchestra Welcomes LaRob K. Rafael as New Director of Composer Advancement
American Composers Orchestra (ACO), widely acclaimed for its commitment to innovation and inclusion in the orchestral field, announced today the appointment of LaRob K. Rafael as its new Director of Composer Advancement.
In this pivotal leadership role, LaRob will guide ACO’s national EarShot composer advancement initiatives, which include readings, residencies, commissions, professional development, publishing, and recording. In partnership with orchestras across the Americas and the world, service organizations, ACO’s publishing partner Boosey & Hawkes, artist managers, and a deep network of composers at every stage, EarShot builds and sustains equitable frameworks that empower the next generation of artists shaping American orchestral music.
A visionary curator, speaker, and founder of the nonprofit Hearing in Color, LaRob brings a decade of experience amplifying historically excluded voices across classical music. His collaborative work with institutions such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and WFMT, along with his leadership of the 2025 Ear Taxi Festival, positions him at the forefront of a national movement redefining whose stories are told on concert stages.
“The underscoring of all my work asks the question—What is American classical music? And how do we build systems—institutional, artistic, and cultural—that align with the truth that its development and advancement requires the voices of many?” says LaRob. “My transition into this role with American Composers Orchestra allows me to take an active part in bolstering necessary and equitable systems so all contributors see themselves reflected and valued at every step.”
As Director of Composer Advancement, LaRob will work closely with ACO’s Artistic Director, President & CEO, composers, partners, and community stakeholders to evolve and expand ACO’s composer pipeline programs. From early career mentorship to high-profile commissions, LaRob’s work will help cultivate a vibrant and inclusive future for orchestral music in America.
“We are thrilled to welcome LaRob to ACO,” says President & CEO Melissa Ngan. “His expansive vision and deep understanding of the support system needed to advance the work of today’s creative artists are essential to the work we do on behalf of composers and to the future of American orchestral music. We look forward to the continued growth of our EarShot initiatives under his leadership.”
ACO’s Artistic Director Curtis Stewart enthusiastically states, “I can’t wait to work with LaRob in this way. We have been in each other's orbit - from Chicago post-new music show hangs to radio broadcasts - let’s get it!”
A Sphinx LEAD alum and 2025 MPower Artist Grant recipient, LaRob’s work is rooted in community-centered performance, intersectional storytelling, and systems change. His voice will be instrumental as ACO advances its mission to uplift composers whose music reflects the rich and complex tapestry of American life.
About LaRob K. Rafael
LaRob K. Rafael is the Founder and Artistic Director of Hearing in Color, a Chicago-based nonprofit committed to amplifying historically misrepresented voices through thoughtful programming, commissioning, and community-centered performances. LaRob leads Hearing in Color in reshaping how audiences engage with music, placing authenticity, cultural memory, and equity at the forefront.
A dynamic speaker, curator, and lecturer, LaRob is a sought-after collaborator with institutions such as the Evanston Symphony Orchestra, Society of Disobedient Listeners (UMS), Grant Park Music Festival, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He brings deep knowledge, accessible storytelling, and a decolonial lens to music education and public programming. He frequently lectures on the intersections of race, culture, and history in classical music, helping audiences and institutions reimagine the canon and their place within it. He has led community engagement initiatives at Lyric Opera of Chicago and serves on the boards of the Chicago Philharmonic and Picosa Ensemble.
LaRob is the Artistic Director for Chicago’s Ear Taxi Festival (October 2025), a preeminent contemporary music festival in the Midwest. There, he curates and commissions performances in collaboration with artists, ensembles, and venues across the Chicagoland area—an effort set to become the largest commissioning initiative in Illinois history.
Nationally, LaRob was one of 11 arts leaders selected for the prestigious Sphinx LEAD program (2021) and is a 2025 recipient of the Sphinx MPower Artist Grant, supporting his creative and professional development as a thought leader in the arts. His work continues to reflect the Sphinx Organization’s mission to transform lives through the power of diversity in the arts. At WFMT (Chicago, 98.7 FM), LaRob played a key role in diversifying the station’s music library and led innovative programming that deepened community engagement. His efforts included the expansion of Soundtrack—a weekend segment dedicated to music from film, television, and video games—as well as specially curated holiday programs and on-air features amplifying Black voices and cultural narratives within the classical field. He also helped shape the station’s evolving identity as co-host and producer of Sounds Classical, a podcast-style radio program offering fresh, culturally relevant perspectives on classical music. Through this work, he broadened the scope of what classical radio could sound and feel like, bringing new audiences into the fold.
With each project, LaRob continues to unveil the evolving story of American classical music—past, present, and future—through bold, imaginative, and community-rooted approaches to performance, presentation, and public engagement.
About American Composers Orchestra
In 1977, a collective of fearless New York City musicians came together to form the American Composers Orchestra (ACO), an ensemble dedicated to the creation, celebration, performance, and promotion of orchestral music by American composers. Over more than 40 years committed to artistry, creativity, community, and equity, ACO has blossomed into a national institution that not only cultivates and develops the careers of living composers but also provides composers a direct pipeline to partnerships with many of America’s major symphony orchestras.
In addition to its annual season, presented by Carnegie Hall since 1987, the ACO serves as a New York City hub where the most forward-thinking experimental American musicians come together to hone and realize new art by developing talent, established composers, and underrepresented voices, increasing the regional, national, and international awareness of the infinite variety of American orchestral music.
ACO produces national educational programs for all ages, and composer advancement programs to foster a community of creators, audience, performers, collaborators, and funders – all dedicated to American composition.
To date, ACO has performed music by 800 American composers, including over 350 world premieres and newly commissioned works. Recent and notable commissioned composers include John Luther Adams, Andy Akiho, Clarice Assad, Carlos Bandera, Courtney Bryan, Valerie Coleman, Dai Wei, Du Yun, inti figgis-vizueta, Marcus Gilmore, Vijay Iyer, Yvette Janine Jackson, Joan La Barbara, Steve Lehman, Tania León, Paula Matthusen, Trevor New, Mendi + Keith Obadike, Ellen Reid, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Carlos Simon, Henry Threadgill, and many more.
Now encompassing all of ACO’s composer advancement initiatives, EarShot is the first ongoing, systematic program for developing relationships between composers and orchestras on the national level. Through orchestral readings, CoLABoratory fellowships, consortium commissions, publishing, and professional development, EarShot ensures a vibrant musical future by investing in creativity today. Serving over 350 composers since its inception, ACO Readings in NYC began in 1991, and since 2008, national Readings have been offered in partnership with orchestras across the country in collaboration with the League of American Orchestras, New Music USA, and American Composers Forum. EarShot Readings composers have gone on to win every major composition award, including the Pulitzer, Grammy, Grawemeyer, American Academy of Arts and Letters, and Rome Prizes.
ACO has received numerous awards for its work, including those from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and from BMI recognizing the orchestra’s outstanding contribution to American music. ASCAP has awarded ACO its annual prize for adventurous programming 35 times, singling out ACO as “the orchestra that has done the most for new American music in the United States.” ACO received the inaugural MetLife Award for Excellence in Audience Engagement, and a proclamation from the New York City Council. Learn more at www.americancomposers.org.
