American Composers Forum

Film Score Fest 2020 Kickoff
2020-04-11 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual, United States
Like everything else, our Film Score Fest Kickoff will be going virtual on April 11.
Head to https://www.facebook.com/groups/400647030668513
Don’t miss this evening of short films, filmmaker/composer networking, and sign-ups for Film Score Fest 2020!
Film Score Fest is a one-of-a-kind festival that pairs Minnesota filmmakers and composers to create short films, and an orchestra will perform the scores live at the screening in September 2020. Come meet potential collaborators and sign up to participate. Learn more at http://filmscorefest.org.
To open the kickoff event, we’re holding a MNKINO screening. MNKINO screenings are an excuse for filmmakers to experiment and show their work in a casual setting. The current theme is “Nostalgia”–bring a new film under 5 minutes and we’ll show it.
Schedule (Central time zone)
5:00 – MNKINO screening
5:30 – Introduction to Film Score Fest
5:45 – Sign-ups open, meet potential collaborators

Virtual Quarantine Concert No.1
2020-04-11 19:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual, United States
Quarantine Concert #1 Is announced!
from the comfort of your own home…
Featuring: Eri Isomura and Friends
Long Distance for marimba (and vibraphone) and electronics by Steven Snowden
I. Atlanta, GA – 1972
II. Monroe, NC – 1977
Eri Isomura: Percussion, Electronics
Legal Highs for violin and marimba by David P. Jones
I. Mister Coffee (pending)
Eri Isomura: Marimba and Ashley Ng: Violin
Piece in the form of Habanera by Maurice Ravel, adapted for cello and marimba
Song of the Birds – traditional folk tune arr. Pablo Casals, adapted for cello and marimba
Eri Isomura: Marimba and Patty Ryan: Cello
Red Dragonfly for marimba solo by Kosaku Yamada arr. Fumito Nunoya
Eri Isomura: Marimba

BEARTHOVEN: TV DINNERS
2020-04-11 20:00, 2020-04-18 20:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual, United States
‘TV Dinners’ is a live stream concert series
Each Saturday in April 8pm Eastern Time
streaming on the Bearthoven and Johnstone Fund Facebook Pages
April 4
Matt Evans:New Topographics
April 11
Karl Larson plays Anthony Vine:
Music for an apartment on Coles St.
April 18
Bearthoven plays Jaimie Branch:
new piece for streaming ensemble*
Presented with the unbelievably gracious support of the Johnstone Fund for New Music
*Commissioned by the Johnstone Fund for New Music

The Quarantine Concerts
2020-04-12 14:30 (America/Chicago) | Virtual, United States
The Quarantine Concerts are a collaborative endeavor meant to provide artists a space to share their work and continue to earn a living during this time when most live performance opportunities have been cancelled due to COVID-19. We believe in the necessity of art during difficult moments like these, and feel fortunate to live in a time when loss of mobility does not have to mean loss of community. Thank you for being here.
Suggested donation of $5/evening – think of it like paying cover to a concert! 100% of the donations contributed during each performance go to the artists who played that night.

FULL EPISODE: Villa Diodati
2020-04-14 - 2020-04-24 | Virtual, United States
Past and present collide in “Villa Diodati,” the off-Broadway musical theater show that imagines the fateful vacation that Mary Shelley, Lord Byron and their friends enjoyed in the summer of 1816. The stormy weather kept the friends inside telling ghost stories, and it provided the inspiration for “Frankenstein.” In the play, a modern couple finds their lives overlapping with the literary greats.
Music by Mira J Spektor
Lyrics by Colette Inez
Additional Lyrics by Byron, Shelley, Spektor & Wordsworth… Produced by Bank Street Films & on Albany Records

ACF Creative Community Wellness Check-In
2020-04-14 11:00 - 12:00, 2020-04-21 11:00 - 12:00, 2020-04-28 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual, United States
In response to the unique emotional challenges of this global pandemic, ACF is hosting a weekly, virtual space for creative musicians to check in, listen and be heard, and feel more connected to the national composer community. These sessions will be facilitated by Jen Rives, MA, LMFT (she/hers) of Relationship Insights Therapy & Coaching. Feel free to reach out to Kris Kautzman with any questions: kkautzman@composersforum.org or 651.243.0049.
The format of each session will follow this framework:

Introduction & guidelines
Settle in and get in touch with your breath.
Share first name, and 1 or 2 sentences about how you’ve been doing and how things are in your world this past week.
Introduction of this Week’s Theme: Potential themes could be challenges of practicing physical distancing while living alone; how have you been doing self-care at home; navigating these disruptive financial times; navigating fear and anxiety.
Individual sharing: 3-4 minutes for each person to respond to the theme and share how it is for them. Option to say “pass,” and simply listen.
Check out & closing: helpful suggestions, specific encouragement, and reminders that more support is available from adjacent resources.

DATES
Tuesday, April 7 @ 11:00am-12:00pm Central Time | REGISTER
This session is reserved for music creators who are living alone and experiencing isolation

Tuesday, April 14 11:00am-12:00pm Central Time | REGISTER
This session is open to all creative musicians
Tuesday, April 21 11:00am-12:00pm Central Time | REGISTER
This session is open to all creative musicians

Tuesday, April 28 11:00am-12:00pm Central Time | REGISTER
This session is open to all creative musicians

Please note that these sessions:

are not therapy or support groups.
do not substitute for therapy if needed, and do not prevent, cure, or treat any mental disorder or medical disease.
do not involve the diagnosis or treatment of mental disorders as defined by the American Psychiatric Association.
are not a substitute for counseling, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, mental health care, substance abuse treatment, or other professional advice by legal, medical or other qualified professionals.

Composer Zoom Roundtable & Happy Hour Series
2020-04-15 19:00, 2020-04-22 19:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual, United States
ACF member and Rhode Island composer Elliott Miles McKinley is hosting a weekly series for music creators across the country to connect virtually on Zoom. Follow the link below to sign up, and then Elliott will reply with the secure Zoom link.
Elliott shares, “I am a composer, improviser, and teacher and, like most of us, am in a state of imposed isolation as we collectively navigate through this difficult and unexpected moment in time. However, we are fortunate to have tools for communication, such as Zoom and other multi-participant real-time platforms, that just a few years ago were not available. In what started as a kind of get together composition group lesson for a few former and current students, I hatched an idea to engage the wider composer-creator community in an open forum leveraging my access to Zoom for the purpose. It is my hope sessions such as these may offer a chance for people to gather, talk, share ideas and music, and/or just provide a place to share a virtual “drink” together with colleagues as fellow artists. At the moment, this is a little bit of an experiment, and as such, in the interest of allowing more space for discussion and sharing, and to preserve bandwidth, I will try to limit the number of participants for each session. Hence the “first-come, first-serve” RSVP form. If this proves to be popular, I’ll look for more ways to expand. Thank you and stay safe!”

Recording Sound with Your Phone
2020-04-16 11:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual, United States
Kyle King from Slam Academy leads this free webinar with practical tips for all musicians. Get advice about technical best practices for using your phone’s microphone and explore creative ways to capture and manipulate sound to simulate instruments and expand your palette of timbres and colors.
Register
This webinar is part of the Stay Plugged In series, co-sponsored by American Composers Forum, Slam Academy, and Springboard for the Arts
Notice to Participants
By participating in this webinar you agree to the following:

You acknowledge and agree that the session will be recorded (in both video and audio format) and that ACF may make such recordings publicly available in the future via download, streaming, or other means.
You acknowledge and agree that to the extent you participate in the session by asking questions, sharing examples of your music, or otherwise appearing in the recording, you grant ACF a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use your name, voice, likeness, and any other intellectual property you share during the session as part of ACF’s distribution of recordings of the session.
You acknowledge and agree that ACF and/or the session leader, as appropriate, own all rights to the materials distributed that ACF and /or the session leader, as appropriate, own all rights to materials distributed in connection with the session and the recordings of the session, and that you do not gain any rights in such materials by participating in the session.

Transient Canvas: Living Rooms Unite
2020-04-16 18:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual, United States
From their home to yours, Transient Canvas presents music and discussion every Thursday featuring works from our repertoire, test-runs of new pieces, workshops with composers, traditional arrangements, and more!
Featuring music and discussion, live-streamed from our Facebook Page
With Lilit Hartunian, violin
Jonathan Bailey Holland, Calibrating (2016)
Dalit Warshaw, Solstice (2012)
Mischa Salkind-Pearl, silt (2014)
Barbara White, When The Smoke Clears (1995)
Kevin Puts, And Legions Will Rise (2001)

ListN Up
2020-04-17, 2020-04-24 | Virtual, United States
ListN Up is a series of weekly artist-curated playlists. Born from a desire to keep artists sharing and connected during times of isolation, ListN Up offers an intimate sonic portrait of contemporary artists by showcasing the diverse and stylistically varied music that influences their creative practice. This series is sponsored by American Composers Forum/innova Recordings with new releases every Friday on I CARE IF YOU LISTEN.

Moreechika: Season of Mirage
2020-04-17 - 2020-04-24 | MN
This full-length video of our 2012 production, Moreechika: Season of Mirage, is available for viewing on Vimeo until 8pm CDT, April 24, 2020: https://vimeo.com/406989561. Running time: 01:26:52.
Conception and Choreography: Ananya Chatterjea
In collaboration with: Laurie Carlos
Composer: Greg Schutte
Musicians/Vocalists: Laurie Carlos, Mankwe Ndosi, Pooja Goswami, Michelle Kinney, Renee
Copeland, and Lela Pierce.
Scenic, Costume, and Shadow Puppet Design: Annie Katsura Rollins
Lighting Design: Mike Wangen
Dancers: Sherie Apungu, Sarah Beck-Esmay, Ananya Chatterjea, Renee Copeland, Alexandra
Eady, Rose Huey, Orlando Hunter, Lela Pierce, Brittany Radke, Chitra Vairavan, and Hui Niu
Wilcox.
Guest appearances: Claire Wilcox and Lynn Wilcox
Puppeteer: Alessandra Lebea Williams
This production video is provided free of charge, but if you would like to donate to Ananya Dance Theatre, please visit givemn.org/organization/Ananya-Dance-Theatre.

Tech Support Happy Hour
2020-04-17 17:00 - 18:00, 2020-04-24 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Chicago) | MN
Slam Academy’s Free Tech Support Happy Hour!
Are you an artist that has been forced into the world of working online?
Are you a music or art educator that is struggling with your online teaching options?
Or are you just curious how all of this stuff is supposed to work?
Join us for a free pop-in meeting to chat, and get tips, ideas, and solutions from our tech ninjas.
Every Friday 5 – 6pm CDT.
Event Link
Beverages optional.
about slam academy
Slam Academy is devoted to creating a non-competitive, experiential learning environment to anyone who seeks it. We believe that each of our students has something valuable to say, and our ultimate goal is to empower them with the ability to release it through music.
When it comes to electronic music education in the Twin Cities, there are two options: 1. YouTube, and 2. College Programs. While we at Slam Academy are big fans of a college education, there seemed to be a gap in options. On the one hand was a free and completely unsupervised, non-reactive medium (YouTube), and on the other a highly focused (and fairly expensive) college education. In our opinion, there should be something in between. Something that gives the student one-on-one, personal education at an affordable price.
Since the start of each electronic art form – music, video, digital image making, software development – participation has been reserved for those who can afford the technology. In the last few years, technology has become more and more inexpensive and accessible. Anyone can make great work – all you really need is a computer. If you have a computer, we can show you how to make art on it.

Black Maternal Health Week Show
2020-04-17 20:00 (America/Chicago) | MN
In honor of Black Maternal Health Week, Kashimana have been posting a song a day from my Phantom Cries suite. Tonight is the Finale and we are celebrating the whole week of programming around the Centering of Black Mother’s past, present and future. Special thanks to some amazing organizations BlackMamasMatter.org, TrillMoms Podcast, DIVA moms and more for hosting some amazing conversations. #BMHW20 #Blackmaternalhealthweek #blackmamasmatter

Alone Together
2020-04-18 19:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual, United States
“I would like to invite you again to participate in our project, Alone Together. ARCO Collaborative launched this micro-commissioning project on April 4, 2020. The heart of this project lives in response to the isolation and financial devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic. These 42 “micro-works” for solo violin are less than a few minutes in duration.
I am donating my time for performances of all of these pieces on Saturdays at 7:00 pm EDT on Instagram (@jenniferkohmusic) and Facebook(jenniferkohviolin). In addition, in the days preceding each Saturday evening performance, I will be posting mini-interviews with each composer. All performances and interviews will subsequently be available on YouTube(/jenniferkohviolin) and embedded on the ARCO Collaborative website.
Please join us this Saturday, April 18th at 7:00 pm for new works by Adeliia Faizullina, Nina C. Young, inti figgis-vizueta, and Jen Shyu.
Here are just few of the articles written about the project, and more are available on the ARCO Collaborative website.
The Washington Post
The New Yorker
Cleveland Classical”
-Jennifer Koh, ARCO’s Founder & Artistic Director

Music: The Gathering Adam Kiesling, Scott Keever and Liz Draper
2020-04-21 19:30 (America/Chicago) | MN
Feel free to actively engage in wherever the conversation happens to go, or turn your camera off and just listen to the music. This is an opportunity to hear new music, support artists and also meet and connect with the performers as well as others in the “audience.”
Bassist and composer Liz Draper is a staple in the Twin Cities music scene. She performs regularly with such groups as the Grammy Award-winning Okee Dokee Brothers, Charlie Parr, Okestar Bez Ime and portal iii. She is equally comfortable throwing down among the “who’s who” of jazz heavyweights as she is with performing in new music ensembles and experimental post doom metal basements.
Scott Keever is a composer/guitarist who specializes in fingerpicking and open tunings, with influences from Balkan and Celtic to blues, jazz and classical.
Adam Kiesling performs with Pert Near Sandstone, the Town Hall Stompers, Pig’s Eye Landing and The Tune Jerks, among others.

PADDLE TO THE SEA | THIRD COAST PERCUSSION
2020-04-22 19:30 (America/Chicago) | Virtual, United States
Based on the classic children’s book and Academy Award-nominated film, Paddle to the Sea explores our relationship to the bodies of water that connect our lives. Third Coast Percussion will perform their original soundtrack along with the film, as well as water-inspired works by composers Philip Glass and Jacob Druckman and the traditional music of the Shona people of Zimbabwe.

Earth Day premiere: It Is One-Hundred Seconds to Midnight
2020-04-22 20:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual, United States
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, composer Dorian Wallace wrote “It Is One-Hundred Seconds to Midnight” to raise awareness, inspire action, and raise mutual aid.
Collaborating with 16 pianists and 32 dancers from around the globe, the video will premiere on Facebook and YouTube on Earth Day, April 22, 8pm ET.
In January 2020, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock to 100 seconds to midnight due to looming existential threats of nuclear war, climate change, disruptive technologies and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the closest to midnight the Clock has ever been set.
All donations will go to the Earth Day Network. The time to act is now. For Earth!
Pianists:
Adam Marks
Andrea Violet Lodge
Andrew Kosinski
Anna Preston
Anthony R. Green
David Kulma for Congress
Kathleen Supove
Mary Prescott
Meg Zervoulis
Melinda Faylor
Nathan Hall
Rachel Kerr
Sarah Cahill
Spencer Perkins
Sugar Vendil
Adam Tendler
Dancers:
Michael Spencer Phillips
Liedewei Verbelen
Ayaka Kamei
Becky Grace Kalman
Danielle Marie Fusco
Alison Cook Beatty
Robert Mark Burke
Jessica Lynne
Jenny Hegarty Freeman
Carolina Rivera Moreno
Hannah Gross
Sugar Vendil
Jere Hunt
Lynda Senisi
Sofia Bagiopoulou
Sarah Chien
Diane Auriol
Nicole Speletic
Amy Saunder
Nagisa Tashiro
Delia Hou (Plastikita)
Sabatino Verlezza
Fiona D. Belford
Rebecca Crystal
Kat Wildish
Alex Zaglin Christie
Elizabeth Troxler
Julia Stirmanova
Svetlana Maltseva
Noah Michael
Patricia Sagardía Calderón
Jesse Obremski

Setting Up an Affordable Home Composition Studio
2020-04-23 11:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual, United States
James Patrick from Slam Academy leads this free webinar with advice for how to set up an affordable home composition studio. He’ll cover the topics of: Hardware and software; recommended configurations for a musician or music producer/engineer to operate a functional home studio on a budget; interfaces; microphones; mixers; sound treatment, and basic recording techniques.
Register
This webinar is part of the Stay Plugged In series, co-sponsored by American Composers Forum, Slam Academy, and Springboard for the Arts
Notice to Participants
By participating in this webinar you agree to the following:

You acknowledge and agree that the session will be recorded (in both video and audio format) and that ACF may make such recordings publicly available in the future via download, streaming, or other means.
You acknowledge and agree that to the extent you participate in the session by asking questions, sharing examples of your music, or otherwise appearing in the recording, you grant ACF a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use your name, voice, likeness, and any other intellectual property you share during the session as part of ACF’s distribution of recordings of the session.
You acknowledge and agree that ACF and/or the session leader, as appropriate, own all rights to the materials distributed that ACF and /or the session leader, as appropriate, own all rights to materials distributed in connection with the session and the recordings of the session, and that you do not gain any rights in such materials by participating in the session.

OIGC VIRTUAL: ANNUAL FREE SPRING CONCERT
2020-04-25 13:30 (America/Chicago) | Virtual, United States
The Oakland Interfaith Family of Choirs, under the direction of Terrance Kelly, hosts their Annual Free Spring Concert at the First Congregational Church of Oakland. The program features music by living composers:
Everybody Dancin – Judith McAllister
Open Your Mouth – Brent Jones
Please note the change in time so that our choir friends and family from around the world may be able to join us!
For over two decades, this concert is OIGC’s way of saying thank you to the Oakland community. The concert will feature performances by OIGC’s three choirs, as well as guests artists who continue to support us during this time:
Joining us this year:

Robin J. Williams and the Peace Gospel Choir

Aliya Hall

Dale Anthony and Faith Out Loud

Scott Keever - Online Concert 50th Birthday Party
2020-04-25 18:30 (America/Chicago) | Virtual, United States
Scott Keever is a composer/guitarist who specializes in fingerpicking and open tunings, with influences from Balkan and Celtic to blues, jazz and classical. He will be hosting online YouTube solo guitar concert.
“April 27th is my 50th Birthday! And I was hoping for a large gathering celebration type thing. But that’s not going to happen. So instead, I’m creating a special online concert for all of you, so I can give you the gift of music, in celebration for another trip around the sun.
And the gift you can give is by joining me in the celebration!! I’ll be playing covers and even TAKING REQUESTS! (I can’t promise that I’ll play ’em, but I’ll certainly take ’em!) Please note that that the concert will be on my YOUTUBE channel: https://youtu.be/PaPczKB_ng4
Also, all donations for the evening will be going to an Artist who has been struggling throughout this situation, to be named during the concert. For those interested in my Solo Guitar album, you can download it: https://scottkeever.bandcamp.com/albu… And you can enjoy it streaming on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6iVtkx…”
– Scott

ALONE TOGETHER | JENNIFER KOH
2020-04-25 19:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual, United States
Violinist Jennifer Koh’s Alone Together is an online commissioning project that brings composers together in support of the many freelancers among them. Twenty-one composers have each agreed to donate a new, 30-second micro-work for solo violin while also recommending a fellow composer to write their own 30-second solo violin work on paid commission from the artist-driven nonprofit ARCO Collaborative. Koh will premiere a selection of these donated and commissioned works each Saturday at 7:00 p.m Eastern Time.

Connecting ACO Community - Shara Nova & Ahya Simone
2020-04-26 17:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual, United States
Gather as a community online and experience the creation of new work!
In response to the impacts of COVID-19 on composers and performers, American Composers Orchestra announces Connecting ACO Community, a new initiative to commission short works for solo instrument or voice. Each composer will receive $500 to write the work, and each performer will receive $500 to perform the work, with the rights to stream for six months. With this project, ACO aims to support artists who need financial assistance; to create new work that will live beyond this crisis; and provide virtual, interactive performances to ACO’s supporters and the general public.
This event will include the world premiere of Shara Nova’s new work for harpist Ahya Simone and an exclusive Q&A with Shara and Ahya, hosted by Ed Yim and Derek Bermel.
Ticketholders will receive a private link to join the performance, and all of the proceeds from the ticket sales will go solely to fund artists involved in this project. If the $5 entrance fee poses a barrier to participation, please fill out an anonymous form at bit.ly/ACOConnectComp or email Aiden Feltkamp at aiden@americancomposers.org.
The recorded session will be available within 24 hours after the performance on ACO’s website and social media platforms, as well as on MUSIC on the REBOUND: an online festival for participating in live events as well as a platform for streaming concerts.
Learn more about the artists on their websites:
Shara Nova: https://www.mybrightestdiamond.com/bio
Ahya Simone: https://ahyasimone.live/
For all upcoming Connecting ACO Community Events, see our website: bit.ly/ACOConnect

ACF Town Hall
2020-04-28 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual, United States
Creative artists and supporters are welcome to join this safe space – for sharing, listening, and connecting. Please RSVP to receive a zoom link.

ALAN CHAN MOO-SIC GROUP @ San Gabriel Mission Playhouse
2020-04-28 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual, United States
A live recording from Alan Chan‘s 6-piece group’s concert at San Gabriel Mission Playhouse stage last February. Program includes original music from “Shrimp Tale” to “Moon Walk” projects, as well as arrangement of songs in multiple languages!
It is scheduled for April 28 at 8pm (Los Angeles), watch from around the globe via ACJO’s YouTube channel. ▶︎Subscribe Now
This webcast is a fundraiser for Week of Compassion, a U.S.-based charity that works with partners to respond to the global coronavirus pandemic, as well as relief, refugee and development efforts around the world. ▶︎ Read more
