The American Composers Orchestra (ACO) is an American orchestra administratively based in New York City, specialising in contemporary American music. The ACO gives concerts at various concert venues in New York City, including:
Francis Thorne, Dennis Russell Davies, Paul Lustig Dunkel and Nicolas Roussakis co-founded the ACO in 1975. The ACO gave its first performance on 7 February 1977 at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. Davies served as the ACO's founding music director from 1977 to 2002, [1] and now has the title of conductor laureate with the ACO. In November 2000, Steven Sloane was named the ACO's new music director, effective with the 2002–2003 season. [2] The appointment was unusual in that Sloane had not conducted the ACO prior to his appointment. Sloane's first conducting appearance with the ACO was in March 2002, and his ACO tenure began in November 2002. [3] He held the post through 2006. In 2010, George Manahan became music director of ACO. [4] In January 2021, the ACO announced that Manahan is to conclude his music directorship of the ACO on 1 July 2021, and subsequently to take the title of music director emeritus. [5]
The ACO is the only orchestra in the world solely dedicated to the creation, performance, preservation, and promulgation of music by American composers. ACO has performed music by over 500 American composers, including over 100 world premieres and new commissions. In the 1990s, the ACO added new initiatives such as the Underwood New Music Readings, for young composers to hear their works rehearsed and recorded, and the 'Sonidos de las Américas' festival, focused on Latin-American music. [4] In 2008, ACO expanded on the success of its Underwood New Music Readings to launch EarShot, the first-ever national partnership created to strengthen and support orchestras in their commitment to up-and-coming American composers and their music. [6] Musicians of the American Composers Orchestra have included Eva Gruesser, Steve Lehman, Kelly Hall-Tompkins, Ethan Iverson and Edward W. Hardy. [7] [8] [9] Robert Beaser was the ACO's composer-in-residence from 1988 to 1993, then had the title of artistic adviser through January 2001, at which time he took the title of artistic director. Beaser now has the title of artistic director laureate of the ACO. Derek Bermel was the ACO's composer-in-residence from 2006 to 2009, and was the ACO's artistic director from 2013 to 2022. [10] In December 2022, the ACO announced the appointment of Curtis Stewart as its next artistic director. [11]
ACO has received a number of honours from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, BMI, and ASCAP, for its programming. ACO also received the inaugural METLife Award for Excellence in Audience Engagement, and a proclamation from the New York City Council. ACO recordings are available on ARGO, CRI, ECM, Point, Phoenix USA, MusicMasters, Nonesuch, Tzadik, and New World Records.
The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, numbering over 130 annually, in Verizon Hall.
The New World Symphony is an American orchestral academy based in Miami Beach, Florida. Established in 1987, the organization is a training ensemble for young musicians in preparation for professional careers in classical music. Since 2011, the New World Symphony has its headquarters in the New World Center.
David Eric Robertson is an American conductor. He was chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and was formerly music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra from 2005 until 2018. He is Director of Orchestral Studies at Juilliard.
Derek Bermel is an American composer, clarinetist and conductor whose music blends various facets of world music, funk and jazz with largely classical performing forces and musical vocabulary. He is the recipient of various awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship and the American Academy in Rome's Rome Prize awarded to artists for a year-long residency in Rome.
Robert Spano is an American conductor and pianist. He is currently music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Aspen Music Festival and School, and music director laureate of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO).
Alan Gilbert is an American conductor and violinist. He is principal conductor of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and music director of Royal Swedish Opera. He was music director of the New York Philharmonic from 2009 to 2017.
Alarm Will Sound is a 20-member chamber orchestra that focuses on recordings and performances of contemporary classical music. Its performances have been described as "equal parts exuberance, nonchalance, and virtuosity" by the Financial Times and as "a triumph of ensemble playing" by the San Francisco Chronicle. The New York Times said that Alarm Will Sound is "one of the most vital and original ensembles on the American music scene."
Dennis Russell Davies is an American conductor and pianist, He is currently the music director and chief conductor of the Brno Philharmonic.
The Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) is an American chamber orchestra based in New York City, formed in 1974.
The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) is a professional orchestra in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
Susanna Ulla Marjukka Mälkki is a Finnish conductor and cellist.
The New York Youth Symphony (NYYS), founded in 1963, is a tuition-free music organization for the youth in New York City, widely reputed to be one of the best of its kind in the nation and world. Its programs include its flagship Orchestra, Chamber Music, Jazz, Apprentice Conducting, Composition, and Musical Theater Songwriting Programs. Its members range from 12 to 22 years of age. NYYS members are said to include the most talented young musicians in the New York metropolitan area.
The Tanglewood Music Center is an annual summer music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, in which emerging professional musicians participate in performances, master classes and workshops. The center operates as a part of the Tanglewood Music Festival, an outdoor concert series and the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO).
The Mostly Mozart Festival is an American classical music festival based in New York City.
Steven Sloane is an Israeli-American conductor.
Robert Beaser is an American composer.
The American Classical Orchestra is an orchestra dedicated to performing music from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. As a period instrument ensemble, ACO’s mission is to present the music as the composers might have heard it in their time using instruments and techniques from when the music was written. The American Classical Orchestra strives to present historically-informed performances that add to the cultural landscape of NYC.
Joseph Gramley is an American multi-percussionist, teacher and composer, and a founding member of the Silk Road Ensemble. As a solo performer he each year commissions and premieres new works from such emerging composers as Kojiro Umezaki and Justin Messina. His first solo recording, American Deconstruction, featuring performances of five milestone works in multi-percussion's modern repertoire, appeared in 2000 and was reissued in 2006. His second CD, Global Percussion, was released in 2005.
George Manahan is an American conductor.
This article is for major events and other topics related to classical music in 2021.
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