Resonance: September 2020
Friday, September 4th, 2020
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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Announcing 신 선 영 辛善英 Sun Yung Shin as editor of the ACF Resonance Series.
Thursday, September 3rd, 2020
We are thrilled to announce that Sun Yung Shin will become the new editor of ACF’s Resonance Storytelling series.
Continue ReadingACF Statement of Commitment to Racial Equity available for public feedback
The ACF Racial Equity Statement will be available for public feedback from September 3rd through October 5th.
Continue Reading19th Amendment Centennial series UNEVEN MEASURES begins
Friday, August 7th, 2020
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 […]
Continue ReadingResonance: July 2020
Friday, July 3rd, 2020
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 […]
Continue ReadingJasper Talwani: Following His Own Path
Friday, June 26th, 2020
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 […]
Continue ReadingGene Angelo Nucal: Sound as Chemistry
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.
Continue ReadingHelen Feng: In A Fluid Space
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 […]
Continue ReadingRohan Srinivasan: In Curious Rhythms
Wednesday, June 24th, 2020
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 […]
Continue ReadingKiMani Bridges: Exploring the Inner Workings
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2020
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.
Continue ReadingCharlotte Weinstein: Searching for Balance in These Times
Monday, June 22nd, 2020
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.
Continue Reading2020 McKnight Composer Fellows and McKnight Visiting Composers Announced
Thursday, June 18th, 2020
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 […]
Continue ReadingACF Accepts League’s Gold Baton Award
Monday, June 15th, 2020
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 […]
Continue ReadingACF Receives the League of American Orchestra’s Highest Honor
Friday, June 12th, 2020
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 ReadingContract Negotiation for Composers & Performers
Friday, June 5th, 2020
This 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 ReadingWinners of the NextNotes High School Music Creator Awards Nominate Educators for Recognition
Thursday, May 21st, 2020
The 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 ReadingCreating & Monetizing a Livestream Performance
Monday, May 18th, 2020
Matt “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 ReadingMusic Production 101
James 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 […]
Continue ReadingResonance: June 2020
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 ReadingSetting up a Podcast
Sunday, May 3rd, 2020
Kyle 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 […]
Continue ReadingResonance: May 2020
Friday, May 1st, 2020
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 ReadingSetting up an Affordable Home Composition Studio Webinar
Tuesday, April 28th, 2020
James 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 ReadingRecording Sound With Your Phone Webinar
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 […]
Continue ReadingACF Announces Winners of the NextNotes® High School Music Creator Awards
Monday, April 20th, 2020
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 […]
Continue ReadingACF Message Regarding COVID-19
Thursday, March 12th, 2020
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 ReadingComposers Selected for 2020 Minnesota Emerging Composer Awards (MECA)
Thursday, January 16th, 2020
The American Composers Forum is pleased to announce the results of the 2020 Minnesota Emerging Composer Awards (MECA), supported with funds from the Jerome Foundation. Three area music creators have […]
Continue ReadingComposers Selected for ACF | create Program
Thursday, January 9th, 2020
ST. PAUL, MN – The American Composers Forum is pleased to announce the 2020 recipients of its ACF | create program (formerly JFund – Jerome Fund for New Music). For […]
Continue ReadingCall for Articles: New Series on Cultural Appropriation in Partnership with I CARE IF YOU LISTEN
Friday, November 22nd, 2019
AMERICAN COMPOSERS FORUM and I CARE IF YOU LISTEN are launching a ten-month series entitled “Out of Context” to help our collective field open new channels for exploring and understanding […]
Continue ReadingArtist Management Webinar
Wednesday, November 20th, 2019
Trudy Chan from Black Tea Music discusses various aspects of artist management—what to consider and what to expect when seeking a manager, the difference between a manager and a personal […]
Continue ReadingComposer Jen Shyu Named Composer-in-Residence to Write New Piece for William Alexander Middle School Choir
Monday, November 4th, 2019
We are pleased to announce that composer Jen Shyu has been selected as our 2019-2020 ChoralQuest® composer. Shyu will work with choir director Mimi Broderick at William Alexander Middle School […]
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