American Composers Forum

40TH ANNUAL MESSIAH SING-ALONG
2021-12-20 21:30 - 22:00 (America/Chicago)
Kicking off 2022 is “City Called Heaven,” featuring 62 voices, piano, and percussion. It will in-law music by Skye, Trumbore, McFerrin, Choi, Kahane, Shatin, Adolphus Hailstork (a BandQuest composer), Bocanegra, and Guillaume, among others. Jenny Wong and Grant Gershon conduct.
Date & Time: Monday, December 20, 2021 at 9:30 PM CT | 7:30 PM PT
Get tickets here.

Music Monday LIVE!
2021-12-20 17:00 - 18:00, 2021-12-13 17:00 - 18:00, 2021-12-06 17:00 - 18:00
The Lewis Prize for Music has teamed up with Save The Music Foundation to host youth-led weekly conversations with today’s music leaders starting on Mondays, October 18, 2021 through December 20, 2021 at 5 PM CT | 3 PM PT
Music Monday LIVE is an exciting opportunity for youth across the United States to connect with music industry professionals, ask questions, and share ideas. This event is open to the public and hosted on INSTAGRAM LIVE.
This 10-week series kicks off with Songwriter and Photographer Teron Beal (@teronbeal) and Xavier Washington (@zaytheartist), youth leader and Development Coordinator at Save The Music Foundation.
If you want to join the conversation, don’t be shy! You’re welcome you to hop on the Live during the Q&A. Next week’s Instagram Live will be hosted on the Save The Music Instagram (@savethemusic).

Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal
2021-12-17 22:00 - 23:00, 2021-12-11 16:30 - 17:30
The first live concert in over two years, the Peninsula Women’s Chorus (PWC) celebrates being together with classic choral works interwoven with the ethereal sounds of the harp.
Opening with Alice Parker’s (a ChoralQuest composer) rousing setting of “Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal” followed by Brahms’s first choral work, the lilting “Ave Maria,” PWC presents Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols as a journey, choreographed and staged by local director and choreographer MaryStarr Hope.
Date & Time:

Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 4:30 PM CT | 2:30 PM PT
Friday, December 17, 2021 at 10 PM CT | 8 PM PT

Learn more and get tickets here.

Kaufman Music Center – Piano Dialogues: Timo Andres
2021-12-16 18:30 - 19:30
R. SCHUMANN – Waldszenen (9 short solo piano pieces)
SARAH GOLDFEATHER – World Premiere of a new work
ERIC SHANFIELD – Timo Variations
Post-concert conversation with Andres, Goldfeather and Shanfield moderated by Adam Tendler
Date & Time: Thursday, December 16, 2021 at 6:30 PM CT | 7:30 PM ET
The program explores the musical friendships, influences, and borrowings between three contemporaries — Eric Shanfield, Sarah Goldfeather and Timo Andres — as well as the overarching influence of Robert Schumann’s piano music (represented here by Waldszenen). Besides Sarah’s new work for Timo, the centerpiece of the program is Eric’s new work, appropriately titled Timo Variations, a grand set in the tradition of Beethoven and Rzewski based on a theme which Timo composed for Eric in 2019.
Timo Andres is a composer and pianist who grew up in rural Connecticut and lives in Brooklyn, NY. A Nonesuch Records artist, his album of orchestral works, Home Stretch, has been hailed for its “playful intelligence and individuality,” (The Guardian) and of his 2010 debut album for two pianos Shy and Mighty (performed by himself and duo partner David Kaplan), Alex Ross wrote in The New Yorker that “it achieves an unhurried grandeur that has rarely been felt in American music since John Adams came on the scene… more mighty than shy, [Andres] sounds like himself.
$10 students tickets are available. Call the box office at 212 501 3330.
Learn more and get tickets here.

Innova Recordings National Call Info Session
2021-12-14 14:00 - 15:00
This info session for Innova Recordings National Call program is for anyone who may be curious about this program and its mission, applying to the program, Innova’s curatorial process, and even the process of recording and releasing music in general. Click the link to register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpdeqopz8sE9dT9xSimqnTje5AMW8tgTFZ
The Innova’s National Call program seeks to foster an artist centric cooperative model where both label and artist work closely to achieve the artist’s goals.
Applications will be accepted December 2nd 2021 -January 7th 2022. There is no cost to apply.
You can find more information about the pilot program and apply here: https://www.innova.mu/apply-0

WELCOME CHRISTMAS 2021
2021-12-12 16:00 - 17:00, 2021-12-11 19:00 - 20:00, 2021-12-11 16:00 - 17:00
Experience the mystery of the season through a mother’s eyes featuring the VocalEssence Chorus, Singers Of This Age, and members of the Ensemble Singers. José Maurício Nunes Garcia’s exquisite setting of the Magnificat (Song of Mary) and selections by B.E. Boykin, Vicente Lusitano, and Zaniaida Robles shine alongside stories from modern day mothers and familiar carols transporting us to a place of deep love, exuberant joy, everlasting hope, and abiding peace felt on that first Christmas morning.
Dates, Times, Locations:
Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 4 PM CT
Plymouth Congregational Church
1919 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 7:30 PM CT
Plymouth Congregational Church
1919 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 4 PM CT
Roseville Lutheran Church, Roseville
1215 Roselawn Avenue W, Roseville, MN
Learn more and get tickets here.

HAILSTORK, HOLIDAY, & A LITTLE HALLELUJAH
2021-12-12 15:00 - 17:00
Join Fairfield County Chorale (FCC) and tenor Anthony P. McGlaun this upcoming holiday season as we gather together for the first time since March 2020 to offer our holiday favorites – some old, some new, some unexpected. With so much to honor and remember, FCC begins with Mendelssohn’s sacred cantata Verleih uns Frieden, a heartfelt plea to ‘Grant us peace.’
FCC is fortunate and honored to participate in the birthday celebration of Chorale friend and composer Dr. Adolphus Hailstork (a BandQuest composer), who turns 80 this year. (And who will be visiting in person!) Born in Rochester and educated in New York and Michigan, Dr. Hailstork, whose current composition tally tops 300, is an heir to the midcentury American style, writing vibrant forward-looking pieces threaded with internal emotion. He has written so many pieces in so many styles that his work is impossible to pigeonhole, getting inspiration from the sacred, the spiritual, contemporary events, and the other arts. His commitment to cross-fertilization is very much in keeping with FCC’s two online performances from last year.
Date & Time: Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 3 PM CT | 4 PM ET
Learn more and get tickets here.

The Pasadena Chorale presents "GIVEN."
2021-12-11 21:30 - 22:30
On Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 9:30 PM CT | 7:30 PM PT Pasadena Chorale presents “Given” at the First United Methodist Church of Pasadena. Featuring The Ballad of the Brown King by Black American composer Margaret Bonds, Christmas selections from Handel’s Messiah, and other holiday goodies. Accompanied by a 30-piece orchestra.
Masks required, and proof of vaccination for those 12 and older (and encouraged for others), with attendance capped at half capacity.
“Listen First, Then Give” tickets and further information available at here.

Angelic Voices
2021-12-11 18:00 - 19:00
Hear the sounds of angels this holiday season by attending the Young Women’s Choral Projects Holiday Showcase where all four of our choruses perform solo and together in music of the season! The heavenly voices will soar with music by Britten, Rachmaninoff, Betinis, Thompson, Kaulkin, Abbie Betinis (a McKnight fellow and a ChoralQuest composer) and more. Treat yourself to this uplifting holiday tradition.
Date & Time: Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 6 PM CT | 4 PM PT
Get tickets here.

Music of the Unsung America: “An Orchestra Beneath the Stars”
2021-12-11 18:00 - 19:00
The New Canon Chamber Collective presents the music of Margaret Bonds and South Florida Black composer, Michael Dudley, under the stars.

Join the The New Canon Chamber Collective as they finish their inaugural “Music of The Unsung America” season with a concert under the stars featuring the music of Margaret Bonds and South Florida Black composer, Michael Dudley.
Date & Time: Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 6 PM CT | 7 PM ET
Advance tickets are $20 online and $25 at the door
Get tickets on Eventbrite here.
American Composers Forum (ACF) has offered creative and administrative support for the development and launch of the full Music of the Unsung America series over the course of this past year through its ACF | connect program.
This performance is made possible with funding from the John S. and James L Knight Foundation and ACF| Connect
And partnership with the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center

Vocal Arts Ensemble of Durham Holiday Concert
2021-12-10 18:30 - 19:30
On Friday, December 10, 2021 at 6:30 PM CT | 7:30 PM ET the Vocal Arts Ensemble invites you to join them for their Christmas holiday concert, “O Holy Night” at First Presbyterian Church, 305 E. Main St, Durham, NC.
This concert features glorious music celebrating the holiday season written by composers such as Franz Biebl, Benjamin Britten, Rene Clausen (a ChoralQuest composer), and John Rutter.
Learn more here.

ACF Study Group: Davu Seru on Dead King Mother (2018) and Archiving History
2021-12-09 16:00 - 18:00
2020 ACF McKnight awardee and scholar, Davu Seru composed Dead King Mother in 2018 in partnership with Zeitgeist. It was a reflection on the story of “the night of April 4, 1968, [as] news was spreading quickly of Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, setting off riots in cities across the nation. Davu’s uncle, Clarence Underwood, upon hearing the news, told his wife, ‘My King is dead.’ He vowed to kill the first white man he found.”
Davu has also been instrumental in archiving the history of the Black community in North Minneapolis through his photo journal Sights, Sounds, Soul: The Twin Cities Through the Lens of Charles Chamblis “a photographic celebration of musicians, artists, and everyday scenes from the Twin Cities African American community of the 1970s and ’80s by a renowned local photographer.”
On Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 4:00 PM CT, Davu joins us for our ACF Study Group to discuss the importance of these works and a current archival project with multi-disciplinary artist Seitu Jones focussed on communities in Saint Paul.
Register in advance on zoom here.
If you require an interpreter, closed-captioning, or any other accommodations to fully engage, please contact Laura Krider (lkrider@composersforum, 612.314.9228) at least 48 hours before the event.

PRISM Quartet World Premieres: New Music from Philadelphia (NYC)
2021-12-07 18:30 - 19:30
Credited with more than 300 commissions since its founding, the intrepid PRISM Quartet (Matthew Levy, Timothy McAllister, Zachary Shemon, Taimur Sullivan) presents a program of new and recent works by composers with deep ties to the City of Brotherly Love. The program features world premieres by four extraordinarily talented composition students, each representing one of four eminent music institutions in Philadelphia: Atomic Tangerine and Indigo; Green by Elise Arancio (a NextNotes creator) (Curtis Institute of Music), Spliced Tapes by Brendan McMullen (University of Pennsylvania), Four Short Songs by Gloria Quinn (University of the Arts), and Transgression (Act of Sin) by Sepehr Pirasteh (Temple University Boyer College of Music and Dance). All four works were commissioned by the newly-formed Philadelphia Student Composers Project under the direction of Erin Busch.
Date & Time: Sunday, December 07, 2021 at 6:30 PM CT | 7:30 PM ET
Learn more and get tickets here.

Jennifer Koh: Bridge to Beethoven
2021-12-06 18:30 - 20:00
Forward-thinking violinist Jennifer Koh is widely admired for her commanding performances of “stirring intensity” (New York Times); she has also promoted inclusivity in classical music by commissioning over 70 new works from a truly diverse range of composers. Here, she expands upon her Bridge to Beethoven project with two world premieres by Daniel Bernard Roumain (commissioned by Music Mondays) and his mentee Deanne Rusnock, alongside Beethoven’s ”Kreutzer” Sonata and his first violin sonata, op. 12, no. 1. With Thomas Sauer, piano.
Date & Time: Monday, December 6, 2021 at 6:30 PM CT | 7:30 PM ET

Learn more here.

Carols by Candlelight
2021-12-05 18:00 - 19:00
The premier ensemble of YWCP, the Young Women’s Chorus, opens its season as a guest artist on the Old First Concert Series. Start your holiday season with an exquisite candle-lit concert that includes Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols performed in full with harpist Meredith Clark, as well as music by Hildegard von Bingen, Rachmaninoff, Busto, Randall Thompson and many contemporary settings of traditional carols.
The holiday showcase will feature all four of YWCP choruses, with music by Benjamin Britten, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Abbie Betinis (a McKnight fellow and a ChoralQuest composer), Randall Thompson, Michael Kaulkin and more.
Date & Time: Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 6 PM CT | 4 PM PT
Get tickets here.

The Waves
2021-12-05 16:00 - 17:00
Come hang out and listen to music, enjoy snacks, and drinks! Help support local artists and meet new people!
Doors open at 4:15pm $10 cover (a little extra for a snack ticket), shows begin at 5pm and go until 8pm. Feel free to move around or just stay for a few shows. Proceeds go to the artist!
Date & Time: Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 4 PM CT
Learn more on Facebook here.

A Concerto for the Holidays
2021-12-05 14:30 - 15:30, 2021-12-04 19:30 - 20:30
The Heartland Symphony Orchestra presents its winter concert series with the theme “A Concerto for the Holidays.”
In addition to holiday favorites, HSO will feature the world premiere of the 2020 composer competition winner Quinn Mason’s overture in a classical style and Hilary Lowery from Bemidji State University. See dates and locations below:
Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 7:30 PM CT
Log Church
37218 County Road 66, Crosslake, MN 56442
Saturday, December 4, 2021 at 7:30 PM CT
Charles D. Martin Auditorium
Little Falls High School
1001 5th Avenue SE, Little Falls, MN 56345
Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 2:30 PM CT
Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts
602 S 5th Street, Brainerd, MN 56401
Featuring:
Quinn Mason (a NextNotes creator), 2020 Composer Competition Winner
Dr. Hilary Lowery, clarinet
Conducted by Ryan Webber. Conductor Chats held prior to each concert.
Learn more here.

"Woman on a Journey", for orchestra (2021)
2021-12-04 19:00 - 20:30
Peri Mauer‘s new piece for orchestra “Woman on a Journey” composed 2021, is a New York Repertory Orchestra commission. This performance will be the world premiere.
Date & Time: Saturday, December 4, 2021 at 7 PM CT | 8 PM ET
It will be performed live for a live audience at Church of St. Mary the Virgin located at 145 West 46th St, NY NY 10036. Proof of vaccination and wearing of masks are required. Free admission.
Get updated information here.

Sing Noël
2021-12-04 18:30 - 19:30
LancasterChorale, central Ohio’s premier professional chamber choir, will perform its annual “prelude to Christmas” concerts in late November and early December in Lancaster and Columbus. Carols arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Stephen Paulus (ACF’s co-founder, a BandQuest and ChoralQuest composer) as well as original American carols by Alfred Burt will round out the program with seasonal favorites.
The program, entitled “Sing Noël,” will be performed on Saturday, December 4, 2021 at 6:30 PM CT | 7:30 PM ET at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2151 Dorset Rd., Columbus, OH.
Learn more and get tickets here.

Wintersong 2021: Merry and Bright
2021-12-04 15:00 - 16:00, 2021-12-03 19:30 - 20:30
The Glen Ellyn Wheaton Chorale presents “Wintersong 2021: Merry and Bright” on Friday, December 3, 2021 at 7:30 PM CT and Saturday, December 4, 2021 3 PM CT at College Church, 335 E. Seminary in Wheaton, IL.
According to Music Director Jennifer Whiting‘s “Director’s Notes,” guest organist Kevin Lange will open the concert with Andrew Carter‘s glittering “Toccata on Veni Emmanuel,” and the chorale will perform Rosephanye Powell‘s (a ChoralQuest composer) “The Word Was God.”
Online tickets are $19, $17 for 62 or older, or $9 for students. A $1 online handling fee is included in the price of each ticket. Online sales at the advance ticket prices are available through Dec. 2. Tickets are the door are an additional $2.
Learn more and get tickets here.

"Discovery": Kolton Ascheman’s Senior Composition Recital
2021-12-04 15:00 - 16:00
Concordia University-St Paul student Kolton Ascheman will hold his senior composition recital at the Buetow Music Center Auditorium (300 Hamline Ave, St Paul, MN) on Saturday, December 4, 2021 at 3 PM CT.
Having experience with computers and technology, Ascheman will be presenting his work as both live performances and digital music. The pieces are arranged for piano, as well as other instruments like clarinet and double bass. They will include performances by David Mennicke, Monica Murray, Jeana Ogren, Lois Latinen, and Kayla Gundermann.
The recital will be a hybrid of the two mediums, exploring the different ways in which music can be created and shown to people. Because of this, Ascheman named his recital Discovery. The live performances bring modern perspectives on genres ranging from classical forms to popular music. The digital pieces will feature all kinds of visuals. Some of them are more abstract, designed to answer the question of what music looks like, as well as what it sounds like. Other pieces, like In the Meadows, includes footage from a video game.
“I decided to make some of the visuals more abstract,” Ascheman explains, “I designed them to answer the question of what music looks like, as well as what it sounds like. Video game music is interesting, because unlike musicals or movies, you have no control over when things happen.”
Ascheman, who studies with Concordia University adjunct composition professor Abbie Betinis, plans to compose music for various forms of media, like movies, TV shows, and in particular, video games. The recital is presented in partial fulfillment of his Bachelor of Arts in Music, with an emphasis in Music Theory and Composition. A reception will follow. Admission is free and open to the public.

The New Jersey Youth Symphony Concerts at Dolan Hall at the University of St. Elizabeth
2021-12-04 08:00 - 17:00
The New Jersey Youth Symphony presents a concert featuring Primo Strings, Sinfonia, Concertino Strings, Flute Choir, Flute Forum, and Fortissimo Flutes performing works by Mendelssohn, Bizet, Tchaikovsky, Valerie Coleman (a BandQuest composer), Soon Hee Newbold, and more.
NJYS Primo Strings & Concertino Strings Michelle Hatcher, conductor
NJYS Sinfonia Nevena Bojovic, conductor
NJYS Flute Choir, Flute Forum & Fortissimo Flutes Natasha Loomis, conductor
Date & Time: Saturday, December 4, 2021 at 12 PM CT | 1 PM ET
Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students/seniors. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets.

Beats By Girlz invites you to BBG.wav Louder Than Ever!
2021-12-03 20:00 - 21:00
Beats By Girlz invites you to BBG.wav Louder Than Ever! – a virtual celebration and fundraising party on Friday, December 3rd, 2021 at 6 PM CT | 7 PM ET & 8 PM CT | 9 PM ET.
This year’s event honors the immense amount of dedication and work our collective community has accomplished all over the world, opening 37 chapters across 15 countries and 4 continents. You read that right…!
Over the past year we have basically doubled in size and have seen a tidal wave of growth year after year. We need your help to mark this momentous milestone and your financial support to ensure our continued expansion into the communities that need us most.
Register now to have fun and watch these artists at the top of their game all while supporting a rad organization that needs you!
