The New Virtuoso: For Art’s Sake
Photo Credit: Alfred Kan
THE NEW VIRTUOSO: FOR ART'S SAKE
Mélisse Brunet, Conductor
Lucy Fitz Gibbon, Soprano
Daniel Rozin, Responsive Sculptures
Daniel Kramer, Libretto
PROGRAM:
RAVEN CHACON – Inscription (NY Premiere, ACO Co-commission, developed via EarShot CoLABoratory) – 15’
TAMAR MUSKAL – Square Off for voice, interactive kinetic sculpture, and orchestra (World Premiere, ACO Commission) – 20’
ELIJAH DANIEL SMITH – The Fall of Ideals (World Premiere, ACO EarShot Commission) – 15’
MAZZ SWIFT – Memory FIVE: Freedom Initiate for Conductrix and Orchestra (World Premiere, ACO Commission, developed via EarShot CoLABoratory) – 10’
AARON ISRAEL LEVIN – Lear in the storm (World Premiere, ACO EarShot Commission) – 10’
On Wednesday, October 29, the American Composers Orchestra returned to Carnegie Hall for the second iteration of The New Virtuoso, an ongoing project celebrating composers and performers who defy musical norms and expand the possibilities of orchestral music.
This season’s program, For Art’s Sake, took inspiration from the 19th-century French slogan l’art pour l’art (“art for art’s sake”), exploring the idea that true art exists for its own expressive purpose. The concert brought together a remarkable ensemble of artists who embody that vision: Mélisse Brunet, conductor; Lucy Fitz Gibbon, soprano; Daniel Rozin, responsive sculptures; and Daniel Kramer, librettist.
Throughout the evening, audiences experienced works that challenged the boundaries of symphonic form—introducing new sonic media, technologies, and ways of thinking about the orchestra itself. Conversations between Curtis Stewart, conductor Mélisse Brunet, and the featured composers created a fluid dialogue between pieces, deepening the audience’s connection to each work’s process and inspiration.
From ACO’s Artistic Director Curtis Stewart, “It was a treat to see the experiments of these five works in action. These composers bravely provide new technologies and modes of music-making for composers to witness new possibilities and ideas in orchestral composition.”
The program featured local and world premieres by Raven Chacon, Tamar Muskal, Elijah Daniel Smith, Mazz Swift, and Aaron Israel Levin. Each composer approached the idea of virtuosity not only through technical mastery, but through experimentation—whether in the interplay of kinetic sculpture and sound, the relationship between movement and score, or the fusion of digital and acoustic textures. From the responsive sculptures of Daniel Rozin to the expressive depth of Lucy Fitz Gibbon’s voice, the concert revealed the orchestra as a living, evolving laboratory for new art forms, and left a lasting impression on those who attended.
“A stalwart in the creation and support of new classical music for the last half century, American Composers Orchestra is firmly in its next era thanks to new leadership and increasingly topical programming,” writes Stephanie Boyd (I CARE IF YOU LISTEN) in her review of the evening's program. “American Composers Orchestra has helped so much light leak into the darkest parts of recent history, and together with the capable and attuned ensemble, Brunet brought each piece to a beautifully full expression of its parts, making for an evening that will spark thought and reaction long after its vibrations have left the hall.” To read the full review, click here.
As part of ACO’s broader mission, The New Virtuoso: For Art’s Sake reflects the orchestra’s ongoing commitment to innovation, inclusion, and creative collaboration—championing artists whose voices redefine what orchestral music can be.
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Aaron Israel Levin's Lear in the storm was commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra with support from the 2025–2026 Commission Club.
The commission of Mazz Swift's Memory FIVE: Freedom Initiate for Conductrix and Orchestra was made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and the 2025–2026 Commission Club. Memory FIVE was developed through the American Composers Orchestra’s EarShot CoLABoratory program, with lead funding from TD Charitable Foundation and additional support from the Jerome Foundation.
Raven Chacon’s Inscription was co-commissioned by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra with the support of the Norma and Don Stone New Music Fund, Tucson Symphony Orchestra with the support of Shirley Chann, and American Composers Orchestra with the support of Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting and the 2025–2026 Commission Club. Inscription was developed through the American Composers Orchestra’s EarShot CoLABoratory program, with lead funding from TD Charitable Foundation.
Elijah Daniel Smith’s The Fall of Ideals was commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra with the support of Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting and the 2025–2026 Commission Club.
The commission of Tamar Muskal’s Square Off for Voice, Interactive Kinetic Sculpture, and Orchestra was made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and the 2025–2026 Commission Club.
American Composers Orchestra is grateful to the many organizations that make its programs possible including Arthur F. & Alice E. Adams Charitable Fund, Altman Foundation, Amphion Foundation, Benevity, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, BMI Foundation, BMI, Inc., Charity Navigator's Giving Basket, Cheswatyr Foundation, Edward T. Cone Foundation, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Ford Foundation’s Good Neighbor Committee, Give Lively, Francis B. Goelet Charitable Trust, Fromm Music Foundation, Steven R. Gerber Trust, G. Schirmer/Wise Music Foundation, The Hearst Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, The Adele and John Gray Endowment Fund, Jephson Educational Trusts, Jerome Foundation, MacMillan Family Foundation, Mellon Foundation, New Music USA’s Organization Fund, The New York Community Trust (Musical Arts Fund, Clara Lewisohn Rossin Trust, and Edward and Sally Van Lier Fund), Pacific Harmony Foundation, Paypal Giving Fund, Rexford Fund, Sphinx Venture Fund, TD Charitable Foundation, Turrell Fund, UKOGF Foundation, Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.
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.
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