Author

Amanda Cook

Amanda Cook (she/her) is a music critic and digital editor based in the Twin Cities. She is the Editor of I CARE IF YOU LISTEN.
Lisa Bielawa -- Photo by Rob Davidson for Miller Theatre

In Miller Theatre Composer Portrait, Lisa Bielawa Revels in Her Creative Identities

An omnipresent dialogue between Lisa Bielawa the composer and Lisa Bielawa the singer was on enticin...
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Chelsea Wimmer, Claire Solomon, Contemporaneous, Daniel Kochersberger, David Bloom, Gleb Kanasevich, Josh Henderson, Lisa Bielawa, Meaghan Burke, Paul Kerekes
Peter Meanwell, outgoing Borealis director -- Photo by Sasha Azanova

Peter Meanwell Bids Farewell to Borealis with One Final Festival

Borealis is somewhat of a unicorn in the world of new and experimental music festivals. Held each Ma...
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Borealis, Camille Norment, Jaleh Negari, Johan Sara Jr., Peter Meanwell, Sara Marielle Gaup
Rachel Beetz -- Photo by Miriam Brummel

ListN Up Playlist: Rachel Beetz (February 26, 2026)

Rachel Beetz is an American performer-composer-improvisor on flutes, various electronics, and an Arp...
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Alma Laprida, Berglina María Tómasdóttir, Chris Williams, Heather Stebbins, Julie Herndon, Mattie Barbier, Patrick Shiroishi, Rachel Beetz, Raven Chacon
Photo by Teemu Paananen, courtesy of Unsplash

Artists are Dying. We Must Dismantle the Cultural Industrial Complex

In the last few years, arts workers have been hitting massive walls, witnessing the absurdity, toxic...
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Basel Abbas, Black Quantum Futurism, Dancers for Palestine, Decolonize this Place, DJs Against Apartheid, Dread Scott, Just Stop Oil, Moor Mother, Nan Goldin, PAIN, Ruanne Abu Rahme, Ruanne Abu Rahme and Basel Abbas, Shellyne Rodriguez, Toshi Reagon
Camila Agosto -- Photo by Jonathan Echevarria

5 Questions to Camila Agosto (composer, interdisciplinary artist)

Stunning textures and timbral exploration are hallmarks of Camila Agosto’s compositional output. As...
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Camila Agosto, International Contemporary Ensemble, the International Contemporary Ensemble
Zeena Parkins -- Courtesy of artist

On Zeena Parkins’ “Lament for the Maker,” the Melodic and Experimental Beautifully Merge

In new music, there is a world of primarily textural music that I sometimes refer to as “creaky door...
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James Fei, John Bischoff, Laetitia Sonami, Mills College, Zeena Parkins
MEGUMI -- Courtesy of author

Cross-Cultural Music is Not Just About Knowledge – It’s Embodying Another Way of Being

In an age where music from around the world is only a few clicks away, more and more people feel inc...
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MEGUMI, Megumi Saruhashi
The Industry LAB residents -- Carmina Escobar, Matana Roberts, and Guillermo E. Brown

The Industry LAB 2026 is Cracking Opera Open and Inviting New Voices in

Multidisciplinary collaboration is essential to bring opera to life, fusing singing, acting, choreog...
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Carmina Escobar, Guillermo E. Brown, Matana Roberts, REDCAT, The Industry, The Industry LAB
Marlo De Lara -- Photo by Martin Paul Wright

ListN Up Playlist: Marlo De Lara (February 12, 2026)

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, artist Marlo De Lara received a PhD in the School of Fine Art, History...
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Ingrid Plum, Judith Hamann, Marlo De Lara, NikNak, Semay Wu, Susie Ibarra, Vincent Moon
Flutronix at

Flutronix Collapses Time and Mines Multitudes on “Black Being” Album

The multitudes of Black womanhood are center stage in Black Being, a new four-part song cycle by Flu...
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Allison Loggins-Hull, Chicago Sinfonietta, Flutronix, Jaki Shelton Green, Mei-Ann Chen, Nathalie Joachim
Complications in Sue -- Photo by Ray Bailey

Opera Philadelphia’s “Complications in Sue” is a Delicious Mosaic of Life’s Absurdities

Opera Philadelphia’s Complications in Sue is a fun, fantastically stylish, genre-defying work that r...
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Alistair Coleman, Andy Akiho, Anthony Roth Constanzo, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Dan Schlosberg, Errollyn Wallen, Imara Miles, Justin Vivian Bond, Kamala Sankaram, Kiera Duffy, Michael R. Jackson, Missy Mazzoli, Nathalie Joachim, Nicholas Newton, Nicky Spence, Nico Muhly, Opera Philadelphia, Rehanna Thelwell, Rene Orth
Ishmael Ali -- Photo by Yvonne Schmedemann

Ishmael Ali’s “Burn the Plastic, Sell the Copper” Explores Quirky, Communal Sonic Palettes

Ishmael Ali carries many titles and is in no danger of running out of projects. He is a cellist, imp...
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Amalgam Arts, Bill Harris, Brianna Tong, Corey Wilkes, Ed Wilkerson Jr., Ishmael Ali, Jim Baker
Apparat brass quartet performs Bergrún Snæbjörnsdóttir’s

Dark Music Days 2026 Embodies the Communal Spirit of Icelandic Contemporary Music

When I got on the plane to attend Reykjavík’s Dark Music Days festival, I expected to have plenty of...
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Apparat, Arngerður María Árnadóttir, Bára Gísladóttir, Bergrún Snæbjörnsdóttir, Björg Brjánsdóttir, Charles Ross, Dark Music Days, Dúplum dúó, Haukur Þór Harðarson, Huldur Chamber Choir, Ingibjörg Ýr Skarphéðinsdóttir, James MacMillan, Jón Arnar Einarsson, Luke Deane, M Alberto, Magnús Jóhann Ragnarsson, Negla Piano Quartet, Pétur Eggertsson, Ragnar Árni Ólafsson, S. Gerup, Siggi String Quartet, Veronique Vaka, Þórhildur Magnúsdóttir
Sonic Pavilion Redux at Experimental Sound Studio -- Photos courtesy of Experimental Sound Studio

Experimental Sound Studio’s Sonic Pavilion Redux is Public Art that Nourishes

Last summer, Chicago’s Experimental Sound Studio invited ten artists to compose multichannel works f...
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Angel Bat Dawid, Anna Friz, Audible Gallery, Brendan Principato, David Bird, Experimental Sound Studio, Eyeisha Sistrunk, Glenn Kotche, Jeff Kolar, Myles Emmons, Paige Alice Naylor, Saapato, Sonic Pavilion Redux, Zouning Liao
Kaoru Watanabe's Bloodlines Interwoven at National Sawdust -- Photo by Jose Alvarado

“Bloodlines Interwoven” Navigates the Push and Pull of Diasporic Cultures at National Sawdust

Freezing cold conditions demand collective care. Outside National Sawdust on Jan. 29th, old snow was...
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Fay Victor, Kaoru Watanabe, Kweku Sumbry, Mafer Bandola, National Sawdust, Seamus Egan, Shahzad Ismaily, Sunny Jain, yuniya edi kwon
Update on innova Recordings image||

An Update on innova Recordings

To Our Artists, Supporters, and Partners: For the past 40 years, American Composers Forum has been p...
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innova Recordings
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Applications Now Open for the 2026 ACF McKnight Composer Fellowships

Applications for our 2026 McKnight Composer Fellowships are now open. These awards are presented in...
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McKnight Composer Fellowships
ACF presents Recomposing America logo -- Designed by Valerie Creative Agency|

Announcing the Recomposing America Initiative

Today, we’re excited to announce Recomposing America, a multi-year initiative that considers the rol...
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Recomposing America
Loki Karuna -- Photo by Devon Fails

New Leadership at American Composers Forum

Loki Karuna Joins ACF as Executive Director, Vanessa Rose becomes CEO American Composers Forum (ACF)...
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American Composers Forum, Loki Karuna, Vanessa Rose
John Schaefer, Loki Karuna, Hannah Edgar, and Amanda Cook

Media Professionals Rely On Your Digital Footprint — Here’s What We Wish Artists Knew

As an artist, your digital presence is both a practical marketing tool and an opportunity for storyt...
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Amanda Cook, Hannah Edgar, I Care if You Listen, John Schaefer, Loki Karuna
Andreia Pinto Correia

American Composers Forum and American Composers Orchestra Announce Composer Andreia Pinto Correia as the Inaugural Recipient of The Sorel Award

Three-Year Opportunity for Mid-Career Women Composers Includes the Workshopping and Premiere of a Ne...
Chris Campbell

Saying Goodbye to Chris Campbell, ACF’s Director of Recordings

We are honored to have had Chris Campbell on staff for 20 years!  He has decided that’s a good...
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ACF McKnight 2025 Program Applications Are Now Open

American Composers Forum (ACF) has announced the opening of applications for the 2025 McKnight Visit...
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American Composers Forum, McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship Program, McKnight Composer Fellowships, McKnight Visiting Composer Residency, The McKnight Foundation
2024 ACF | create awardees|||||

Announcing the 2024 ACF | create Awardees

American Composers Forum (ACF) is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s ACF | create awa...
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Jhoely Garay, Muyassar Yousef Kurdi, Rob Cosgrove, Shara Lunon, Zack Baltich
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