To Our Artists, Supporters, and Partners: For the past 40 years, American Composers Forum has been proud to offer record label services to composers through innova. In early 2025, ACF staff discovered that a significant number of royalty payments had not been made to composers in a timely manner due to a breakdown of systems […]
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Applications for our 2026 McKnight Composer Fellowships are now open. These awards are presented in partnership with the McKnight Foundation as part of their Artist & Culture Bearers Fellowships, which support Minnesota-based creative work by mid-career artists and culture bearers who demonstrate achievement, commitment, and a high level of proficiency in their area of practice. […]
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Today, we’re excited to announce Recomposing America, a multi-year initiative that considers the role of music in the narrative of our nation’s founding and future. This large-scale project will highlight artistic perspectives unique to the United States through direct commissions, institutional collaborations, and public dialogue. Timed with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, […]
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Loki Karuna Joins ACF as Executive Director, Vanessa Rose becomes CEO American Composers Forum (ACF) announced today the appointment of LOKI KARUNA to the position of Executive Director. Vanessa Rose, who has led the organization since 2019, will assume the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) role. This new leadership structure reflects the organization’s movement towards a […]
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Three-Year Opportunity for Mid-Career Women Composers Includes the Workshopping and Premiere of a New Orchestral Work, Personalized Professional Development, Active Relationship Building Resources, and Booking Support American Composers Forum and the American Composers Orchestra today announced a new joint initiative: The Sorel Award, a three-year opportunity for mid-career women composers that includes the workshopping and […]
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American Composers Forum (ACF) is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s ACF McKnight Composer Fellowships and ACF McKnight Visiting Composer Residencies. These awards celebrate the vitality of Minnesota’s musical landscape, with the selected artists blending and transcending genre through composition, songwriting, modular synth improvisations, cross-cultural collaborations, and communal art-making. Both programs are funded […]
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We are honored to have had Chris Campbell on staff for 20 years! He has decided that’s a good milestone to step away from his time at innova Recordings/ACF, and we can’t wait to hear more of his music and other projects he’ll be pursuing now. Most recently, Chris has been our Director of Recordings, […]
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American Composers Forum (ACF) has announced the opening of applications for the 2025 McKnight Visiting Composer Residencies and McKnight Composer Fellowships. Applications for all programs will be reviewed by panels of artist-curators, to be announced soon on ACF’s website and social media platforms. The awards are presented in partnership with the McKnight Foundation as part […]
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American Composers Forum (ACF) is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s ACF | create awards. Presented in partnership with the Jerome Foundation, which supports early-career artists in Minnesota and the five boroughs of New York City, this program provides funding to composers and collaborators for the creation of a new work. The five […]
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American Composers Forum (ACF) is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s ACF McKnight Composer Fellowships and ACF McKnight Visiting Composer Residencies. Both programs are funded by the McKnight Foundation and provide meaningful support to artists to create music through engagement with Minnesota communities. These awards celebrate the vitality of Minnesota’s musical landscape, with […]
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For the first time, students from Juilliard’s Pre-College Orchestra will perform side-by-side with the New York Philharmonic. The concert, which takes place Saturday, April 20, at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, is the second orchestral performance of the two-year Composing Inclusion program, a partnership between Juilliard, the Philharmonic, and the American Composers Forum (ACF), powered by the Sphinx […]
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innova Recordings is pleased to announce the fourth collection of recording projects selected through its new business model. These artists illustrate the breadth and depth of artistry in the world today, with projects featuring electroacoustic improvisers, avant-garde bands, singer-songwriters, and cross-cultural collaborations. As the in-house record label of American Composers Forum, innova aims to make […]
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American Composers Forum (ACF) is pleased to announce the opening of applications for the 2024 ACF | create program, which supports the creation and presentation of new works by early-career music creators based in Minnesota or the five boroughs of New York City. To be eligible, artists must have been residents for at least one […]
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American Composers Forum (ACF) has announced the opening of applications for the 2024 McKnight Visiting Composer Residencies, McKnight Composer Fellowships, and innova Recordings’ National Call. Applications for all programs will be reviewed by panels of artist-curators to be announced soon on ACF’s website and social media platforms. ACF envisions a world where living music creators […]
Continue ReadingAmerican Composers Forum (ACF) is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s ACF | create award, made possible with funding from the Jerome Foundation. The awardees of ACF | create are Nava Dunkelman, Eliana Fishbeyn, Clae Lu, Cleo Reed, and Phong Tran. ACF would like to acknowledge the strength of the applications beyond those […]
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American Composers Forum (ACF) is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s ACF McKnight Composer Fellowships and ACF McKnight Visiting Composer Residencies. Both programs are funded by the McKnight Foundation and provide meaningful support to artists to create music through engagement with Minnesota communities. The awardees of the ACF McKnight Composer Fellowships are Mychal […]
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Today innova Recordings, the in-house recordings label of American Composers Forum, announced the second collection of recording projects selected through its panel process. innova’s new business model is aimed at making the process of envisioning, producing, and releasing recordings more inclusive and accessible to artists. Multi-year lead support from the Elizabeth & Michel Sorel Charitable […]
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Today, American Composers Forum (ACF) announces the launch of a new digital resource titled “Anatomy of a Commission.” Designed for both music creators and their collaborators, this year-long initiative aims to provide transparency about the commissioning process, informed by a variety of field-wide insights and perspectives. Joined by partners American Composers Orchestra and National Sawdust, […]
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Students from Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program (MAP) will perform side by side with musicians from the New York Philharmonic on Saturday, May 6, at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall.The program includes three world premieres, by composers Jordyn Davis, James Díaz, and Trevor Weston. The Davis and Díaz premieres are part of the two-year Composing Inclusion […]
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innova Recordings, the in-house recording label of American Composers Forum, invites artists to submit recording projects for this year’s Spring National Call. We welcome projects representing a variety of musical approaches and at various stages of the recording process. Applications will be accepted from March 15 to April 28, 2023, and will be reviewed by […]
Continue ReadingAmerican Composers Forum (ACF) and the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music (GLFCAM) today announced a new partnership for a pilot program that will create more opportunities for composers and performers to collaborate throughout the music creation process. An extension of the Academy’s existing Bahlest Eeble Readings, the weeklong residency in Minnesota will host […]
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American Composers Forum (ACF) is pleased to announce the opening of applications for the 2023 McKnight Visiting Composer Residencies, McKnight Composer Fellowships, and ACF | create. These programs are for music creators ranging from early to mid-career and beyond, and funding ranges from $11,000 – $25,000. In addition to financial support, each program includes consultation, […]
Continue ReadingAmerican Composers Forum (ACF) announced today a transformative investment in resources and capacity to help artists navigate and utilize opportunities in the digital media marketplace. The expansion includes the creation of a new senior-level staff position, the Director of Digital Media, who will help curate webinars, resources, and ongoing support for artists seeking help with […]
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July 27, 2022, St. Paul, MN. Today American Composers Forum (ACF) announces the second collection of recording projects selected through a panel process for its in-house record label, innova Recordings. Launched earlier in the season, innova’s new business model is aimed at making the process of visioning, producing, and releasing recordings more inclusive and accessible […]
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Today American Composers Forum (ACF) announces the first collection of recording projects selected through a panel process for its in-house record label, innova Recordings. A national call issued in December 2021 launched innova’s new business model aimed at making the process of visioning, producing, and releasing recordings more inclusive and accessible to artists. Multi-year lead support from the Elizabeth & Michel […]
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American Composers Forum (ACF) is excited to announce “Liberation! Lifting up our Youth:” a multi-part residency led by artist and St. Paul native PaviElle French and six St. Paul-based arts organizations. Developed from a desire to empower the young people of the community, French will pursue activities over the next nine months that include workshops, commissions, and […]
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Marking a paradigm shift in the way the business operates, innova Recordings, the in-house record label of American Composers Forum (ACF), is excited to announce its first national call for recording artists and their projects. The national call and its curatorial process provides a new, more transparent, equitable process for artists from diverse backgrounds and […]
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Editor’s note: As of February 15, 2022, applications are now open for Composing Inclusion. Composers/creators who identify as Black or Latinx are invited to apply before March 15, 2022. American Composers Forum (ACF), in partnership with The Juilliard School’s Preparatory Division and the New York Philharmonic, has been selected by the Sphinx Organization as a recipient of a 2022 Sphinx […]
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SAINT PAUL, MN, August 26, 2021. American Composers Forum (ACF) is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s ACF | create and Minnesota Music Creator Awards, made possible with funding from the Jerome Foundation. The awardees of ACF | create are Sonya Belaya, Pablo Santiago Chin, Renée Copeland, Vicente Hansen Atria, and Alicia Waller. […]
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American Composers Forum (ACF) is thrilled to announce its next BandQuest® commission and residency partnership with flutist and composer Valerie Coleman and The Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program (MAP). Over the course of the 2021-2022 school year,Coleman will collaborate with the young musicians of MAP in a residency that will span workshops, conversations, performances, chamber […]
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