American Composers Orchestra Welcomes Susan Bender as New Director of Development
With a career spanning classical music and philanthropy, Susan Bender has been named Director of Development at American Composers Orchestra (ACO), where she will lead efforts to expand the organization’s impact and reach. She will oversee ACO’s development strategy, guiding fundraising efforts and growing support for its programs, performances, and national composer advancement initiatives.
Susan has cultivated an impressive track record of leadership within the international music community. As the Founding Executive Vice President of American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, she partnered with Zubin Mehta to establish the organization’s presence in the United States and build its board and donor base. Her expertise has been instrumental in supporting major institutions including the Mendelssohn Foundation with Kurt Masur, the Salzburg Easter Festival with Claudio Abbado and Sir Simon Rattle, the Budapest Festival Orchestra with Iván Fischer, and the St. Petersburg Orchestra with Yuri Temirkanov.
At Manhattan School of Music, Susan served as Vice President of External Affairs, where she collaborated with Marta Istomin to launch and complete a successful capital campaign that raised 50 million dollars for new facilities and scholarship funding. She also held senior development roles at the Jewish Theological Seminary and Yeshiva University, and previously worked in wealth management as a Vice President at Bernstein Global Wealth Management and Merrill Lynch.
Susan holds a degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Art History and Romance Languages, with additional studies completed at the Sorbonne in Paris and Sarah Lawrence College in Florence. Her enduring passion for the arts includes a background in classical ballet and a lifelong interest in visual culture.
“We are thrilled to welcome Susan to ACO,” says President & CEO Melissa Ngan. “Her lifelong dedication to the arts and global track record for driving vital resources towards groundbreaking work are an incredible asset as we support the expansive imagination of living American composers.”
“My passion for music drives me to collaborate with Melissa and the ACO team to help shape a strong and vibrant future for the organization,” says Susan.
In her new role, Susan will work closely with ACO’s leadership and community of supporters to advance the organization’s mission of fostering a vibrant and inclusive future for American orchestral music by investing in creativity today.
About American America 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.
