John Nuechterlein has announced that he will retire as President/CEO of the American Composers Forum effective December 31, 2018. He shared the news recently with Forum board and staff, noting the […]
Continue ReadingThis winter, BandQuest series editor and composer Thomas C. Duffy met with the 7-8th grade band and director Daniel Kinsman at Fair Haven Middle School in Connecticut to jump-start the […]
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Written by Michael J. Cyrs. “America is a great place. But it’s also not so great. You can have those two happen at the same time, and that’s a beautiful […]
Continue ReadingOur sincerest congratulations goes out to Joanna Cortright who is being inducted into the Minnesota Music Educators Association Hall of Fame for her significant career contributions to music education […]
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ACF is thrilled to announce that composer Tawnie Olson has been selected as the 2018 BandQuest® composer. Olson will work with band director Susan Oakley at E.C. Adams Middle School […]
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In 1960, Smell-o-Vision came to the big screen. Accompanying a movie called The Scent of Mystery, moviegoers were treated to 30 different scents throughout the course of the film, triggered […]
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written by Michael J. Cyrs In 1845, when expressionism was decades away from being an identifiable movement, artist JMW Turner showcased four oil paintings at London’s Royal Academy. Despite the […]
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by Tim Hansen 2012 JFund recipient Heath Mathews draws from a broad palette in the creation of his work. Throughout his youth he played guitar in rock and […]
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BandQuest composer Jodie Blackshaw recently wrote about composing with music concepts during rehearsal using her piece Letter from Sado. As Jodie puts it, “Letter from Sado was commissioned as part of […]
Continue Readingwritten by Michael J. Cyrs At many classical music performances, concertgoers place themselves at the whims of the composer, whose music might often communicate: Here’s how I did it, here’s […]
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Last month, Laura Krider, Director of Education, and Patrick Marschke, Memberships Manager, attended the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, IL to connect with educators, conductors, and performers about BandQuest, our band […]
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NextNotes High School Composition Awards is partnering with Noteflight to provide Noteflight Premium for free for all applicants! Regardless if students write down their music or not, we want every […]
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by Michael Cyrs “I love the art of film music, but I’m not at all into defining labels when it comes to one being a concert or film composer,” explains […]
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ACF is thrilled to announce that composer Judd Greenstein has been selected as the 2017-2018 ChoralQuest® composer. Greenstein will work with choir director Kayla Roth at Great Falls Middle School […]
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SAINT PAUL, MN – The American Composers Forum is pleased to announce the results of two programs supported with funds from the Jerome Foundation; The Jerome Fund for New […]
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We are thrilled to announce our newest addition to BandQuest®, our music series for middle-level band: Steps Ahead by Michael Gandolfi. “Steps Ahead is a delightful piece with something interesting for every instrument […]
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By Michael Cyrs Close your eyes, turn out the lights, and listen to Trevor Babb’s “Septet.” Each guitar note paints a different color of a landscape in your dream. Dozens […]
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When I Sing by Rosephanye Powell for 3-part treble and piano with optional hand percussion We are thrilled to announce our newest addition to ChoralQuest®, our music series for middle-level […]
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JFund Profile by Michael Cyrs “Genre-defying” and “experimental” are words that critics enjoy tossing around, especially when it comes to genre-mixing. However, in music, most genre-mixing is old news, and […]
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I am humbled and excited to announce that as of September 1st, I begin my term as the next President of the American Composers Forum of Los Angeles. In addition, […]
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by Michael Cyrs Reality is rarely compartmentalized into the rigid structure of a three-minute pop song. Recalling the full beauty of a painting or a landscape can’t be related without […]
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by Michael Cyrs In May of 1995, Taiwan lost a cultural trailblazer. Teresa Teng, then 42 and already a legend in her time, died while on vacation in Thailand. Known […]
Continue Readingby J. Anthony Allen I spent the month of June on a residency aboard a ship in the Arctic. This was a residency primarily designed for visual artists, but I’ve […]
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Submitted by Louisa Castner and Victor Zupanc The Healing and Hope through Song community residency has officially begun! During the last two weeks of June, we spent time with the […]
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Written by Michael Cyrs Even if it’s with someone unquestionably genuine, verbal communication is difficult to recall. Although one may remember the words that were spoken, there were feelings, […]
Continue ReadingACF President John Nuechterlein and ACF Board member Vivian Fung presented the 2017 Champion of New Music Award to Charles Amirkhanian, Executive and Artistic Director of the Other Minds Festival […]
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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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A profile of a 2016 NextNotes finalist by Michael Cyrs A Google search of Ángel Jochi Hernandez-Camen (or Josh, as he prefers to be called) pulls up a small handful […]
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Facebook Event Page Join us for a night of new music by the winners of the NextNotes High School Composition Award program at the Lab Theater in Minneapolis, MN. Emceed […]
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The American Composers Forum (ACF), in partnership with MakeMusic®, is proud to acknowledge the influential teachers of the 2017 NextNotes® High School Composition Awards winners. NextNotes is a national program […]
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