Annenberg | American Composers Orchestra

ACO and Annenberg Center
Present New Music Readings
& Lab in April 2009

APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED: February 13, 2009

American Composers Orchestra (ACO) and the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announce the ACO/Penn Presents New Music Readings & Lab, to be held April 16 and 17, 2009, in Philadelphia. The Readings are designed as an unparalleled performance and professional-development opportunity for emerging composers in the Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey tri-state area, and will feature ACO’s groundbreaking Orchestra Underground ensemble.

The ACO/Penn Presents New Music Readings & Lab will provide the area’s brightest, emerging composers an opportunity to work closely with ACO, a nationally acclaimed orchestra singularly dedicated to creating opportunities for today’s American composers. Composers will be selected on a competitive basis, and will have their works read by ACO’s Orchestra Underground ensemble, followed by a professional workshop and feedback from ACO Artistic Director Robert Beaser, ACO musicians and guest conductor Cliff Colnot, and an esteemed panel of mentor composers, including Anna Weesner, Jay Reise, and ACO Music Alive Composer-in-Residence Derek Bermel. The works will be further rehearsed and will receive a world premiere performance at ACO’s Underground Laboratory concert at the Annenberg Center.

Orchestra Underground is ACO’s groundbreaking small orchestra ensemble that challenges conventional notions about orchestra music with a focus on new music that embraces a wide gamut of aesthetics, unusual instrumentations, technological innovations and multimedia/multidisciplinary collaborations. Since its launch in 2004, Orchestra Underground has commissioned and premiered two dozen innovative cutting-edge new works at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall in New York and the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia.

The ACO/Penn Presents New Music Readings & Lab round out an extended four-year residency for ACO as part of the Annenberg Center’s Penn Presents series. The residency and the Readings/Lab have been made possible by The Philadelphia Music Project, an Artistic Initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts, administered by The University of the Arts.

Applications and submitted works for the New Music Readings must be received by February 13, 2009.

Submission Guidelines

To download the submission guidelines in PDF, click here.

Applicant must maintain a permanent residence in the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Delaware, or be studying full-time at a college, university or conservatory in those areas.
There are no age restrictions; however, applicants should be composers at the early stages of their professional careers.
Each composer may submit only one composition for consideration.
Only works which will not have been performed or read by a professional orchestra, nor received a public performance in the Philadelphia-area prior to the reading date are eligible.
Please do not submit recordings.
Only works completed after December 31, 2002, will be considered.
Compositions should be up to 10 minutes in length. Shorter works or a portion or movement from longer works will also be considered.
Instrumentation should not exceed the following Orchestra Underground complement: one flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon; horn, trumpet, trombone; 2 percussion (including timpani); keyboard; and strings (4.3.2.2.1). Standard orchestral doublings are permitted. Works submitted should be for a mixed ensemble of seven (7) or more players; works with multiple strings on a part are preferred, as are works that require a conductor. Works with instrumentations that exceed the above limitation will be considered only with advance approval.
Works employing electronics, digital technology, or video, in combination with the above instrumental forces will be considered. (See special requirements below.)
Works requiring soloists will not be considered.
If selected, composers must provide professional, legible orchestral parts and scores prepared according to guidelines established by the Major Orchestral Librarians Association. Materials must be delivered to ACO offices no later than 5 PM, March 13, 2009.
The quality of the score submitted is the primary evaluation criteria. It is therefore in the applicant’s best interest that the score be clear, accurate, and the best representation of the composer’s work. The additional background and educational information is for eligibility and documentation purposes.
Incomplete, illegible, or late applications will not be considered.

Application Procedure

To download the submission form in PDF, click here.

All applications must be received no later than 5PM, February 13, 2009.

Please complete the submission form and include it with the following:

One bound copy of the score, clearly labeled with the composer’s name and title of the work on the cover page.
A current résumé for the composer including educational background, major teachers, awards, professional affiliations.
A list of works, including title, year composed, instrumentation, duration, and performance history.
One letter of recommendation from an established composer or other music professional, attesting to the applicant’s accomplishments and potential as an orchestral composer. The recommendation may be sent under separate cover.
A self-addressed stamped envelope suitable for the return of materials. All supporting materials remain the property of American Composers Orchestra. ACO is not responsible for lost scores.
For works with electronics, digital technologies, or video: include a one-page statement describing the rationale for its use, as well as any pertinent production requirements and technical specifications.

Please send all materials to:

ACO/Penn Presents New Music Readings & Lab
American Composers Orchestra
240 West 35th Street, Suite 405
New York, NY 10001-2506