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ACO will be collaborating with the League of American Orchestras on a new initiative to increase opportunities for early-career women composers. The program represents a comprehensive approach to career-development for women composers, through a series of orchestral readings followed by the awarding of commissions to two of the participating composers. The project is made possible by the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Program for Commissioning Women in the Performing Arts.
The readings will be administered by American Composers Orchestra on behalf of EarShot, the National Orchestral Composition Discovery Network, and take place with Berkeley Symphony Orchestra; Detroit Symphony Orchestra; New York Philharmonic; and American Composers Orchestra. During the readings composers are mentored by established composers and participate in career development workshops. Women composers who have participated in EarShot readings will be considered for two orchestral commissions of $15,000 each being offered, with premieres to be coordinated among ACO and EarShot orchestras.
ACO president Michael Geller commented, “Through EarShot we are able to provide guidance and career-support to a wide range of women composers with great orchestras around the country. This program allows us not only to commission two fine emerging composers, but to have a positive impact fieldwide, through a systematic approach providing women composers with opportunity, mentoring and exposure.
Jesse Rosen, League President and CEO of the League of American Orchestras said, “This new effort complements our priorwork in support of women conductors, which has included professional- development grants and career-development seminars. Bringing new artisticvoices to the fore is a keymission for the League, and this program offers the rare opportunity for composers tohave their works read and to receive a commission — two essential, but hard to come by, opportunities for professional growth.