With the rising public health concerns about the coronavirus (COVID-19), the American Composers Forum (ACF) is committed to the health and wellness of our large national community. We are paying […]
Continue ReadingIn its 20 years, BandQuest® has connected middle-level learners with living composers in meaningful ways. For those who may be new to it, BandQuest is a series of new music […]
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Accomplished music educator Portia Dunkley is the next artists in the ACF | connect program, which provides sustained support for music creators to build relationships with ensembles based in the United States. Through the development of new work, the program intentionally supports a spectrum of voices and music to advance creative musical expression, which ACF believes is essential to human culture. Dunkley has lived in Miami most of her life and she generously shared some stories from her journey in music. She’s the innovative founder of Teeny Violini, a mobile music education program provider for early education sites and schools. Spending over 16 years throughout Florida in string education, Dunkley’s leadership in music education is a bright light in the music-rich city of Miami, the South Florida region, and beyond.
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ACF | connect’s Partnership with Portia Dunkley Saint Paul, MN (October 5, 2020) – South Florida is rich with historic Black musical traditions that are diverse, vibrant, and span generations. […]
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For nearly 30 years Philip Blackburn has been unwavering in his dedication to the work of the American Composers Forum (ACF). His work has enabled hundreds of artists to receive […]
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St. Paul, MN (September 17, 2020) – I CARE IF YOU LISTEN, the award-winning multimedia hub for living music creators, has officially become part of the American Composers Forum. After […]
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Program Expansion and Staff Changes at the longtime Label of ACF Leading into its 50th anniversary in 2025, American Composers Forum (ACF) has developed a new strategic plan. Key aspects of […]
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The Healing Culture Work of Composer and Vocalist Mankwe Ndosi by Sun Yung Shin “The aim of each thing which we do is to make our lives and the lives […]
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We are thrilled to announce that Sun Yung Shin will become the new editor of ACF’s Resonance Storytelling series.
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The ACF Racial Equity Statement will be available for public feedback from September 3rd through October 5th.
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American Composers Forum in partnership with I Care If You Listen to kickoff UNEVEN MEASURES: Artists Reflect on the 19th Amendment in 2020 series The centennial anniversary of the ratification […]
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Learning through the Ears: Reflections on Heard in Havana In 2014, President Barack Obama announced that his administration would begin the process of normalizing relations between the United States and […]
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Jasper Talwani comes from a musical family but his journey to music was anything but a straight path. His parents studied music at different parts of their lives and wanted […]
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When Gene Angelo Nucal was less than 5 years old, he stumbled upon the instruments that were readily available in his house; piano and strings, primarily. He felt immediately drawn to them and began to experiment. His parents, seeing this, decided they should get him lessons so he would know what he was doing.
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Helen Feng is a recipient of the 2020 NextNotes High School Music Creator Award Helen Feng has perfect pitch. When she was very young, her parents encouraged her to take […]
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Rohan Srinivasan is a recipient of the 2020 NextNotes High School Music Creator Award Rohan Srinivasan is a curious listener and is already an accomplished award winning composer as a […]
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KiMani Bridges is very interested in how things work. In 5th grade she picked up the flute, the instrument her mom played when she was younger, and began her exploration into the workings of that instrument.
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Charlotte Weinstein found an old cello her mother had and she also knew that her mother truly enjoyed the sound of the cello. So she started experimenting with it. It was rough going initially as she tried to figure out proper bowing technique. Eventually that love for experimentation grew into a love for improvisation and composition.
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The American Composers Forum (ACF) today announced the recipients of this year’s McKnight Fellowships for Composers, funded by the McKnight Foundation. These awards, which include $25,000 in unrestricted funds for […]
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On Friday, June 12, CEO Vanessa Rose accepted the League of American Orchestras’ Gold Baton Award on behalf of ACF at their conference’s closing event (online). Read her acceptance speech […]
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The American Composers Forum (ACF) and New Music USA will jointly receive the League of American Orchestras’ highest honor, the Gold Baton, the League announced today. ACF President and CEO […]
Continue ReadingThis one-hour, interactive session with legal experts covers topics for musicians and performing artists including: – Addressing current contracts tied to event dates in the next 6-12 months. – Advice […]
Continue ReadingThe American Composers Forum (ACF), in partnership with MakeMusic®, is proud to acknowledge the influential teachers of the 2020 NextNotes® High School Composition Awards winners. NextNotes is a national program […]
Continue ReadingMatt “Nur-D” Allen shares advice and experience on concert streaming, which services you can use and their different qualities, a few technical options to increase quality, and a few ways […]
Continue ReadingJames Patrick from Slam Academy led this free intro to music production webinar, which walked participants through how to compose a piece of music within your digital audio workstation, focusing mostly […]
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Visualizing the Visceral: a conversation between multimedia visual artist Yuliya Lanina and composer/vocalist Bora Yoon. This dialogue was curated by SXSW to be presented as a panel on Experiential Storytelling. Unfortunately, SXSW was cancelled due to the Covid-19 Global Pandemic. However, we are able to offer it as part of our Resonance Series.
Continue ReadingKyle King from Slam Academy led this free webinar with practical tips for anyone interested in launching a podcast. It focused on getting professional sounding podcasts with the smallest amount of […]
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This month Jen Shyu, dynamic performer, bandleader, and current ACF ChoralQuest® Composer-in-Residence shares her story of growing up in rural Illinois, her 50 state multi-tiered tour, and her project with William Alexander Middle School MS 51 in Brooklyn, New York.
Continue ReadingJames Patrick from Slam Academy led this free webinar with advice for how to set up an affordable home composition studio. He covered the topics of: Hardware and software; recommended […]
Continue ReadingKyle 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 […]
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Download PDF Press Release here. The American Composers Forum (ACF) is thrilled to announce the winners of the sixth annual NextNotes® High School Music Creator Awards. NextNotes is a national […]
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