What is the ACF Opportunities Page?

The ACF Opportunities page is a curated listing of calls for music, participation in festivals, commissions, and granting opportunities for music creators. You can view ACF’s Opportunities Page here. ACF is committed to equity, access, and anti-racism, which requires us to be transparent in our selection processes and practices. You can read more about our mission, vision, and values here.

Each opportunity submission is reviewed by a member of ACF’s Artist Services staff to ensure it is appropriate and fair according to our equity values prior to posting. To allow time for staff to review and post the opportunity, please contact us at least 2 months prior to the opportunity’s submission deadline. An Artist Services staff member will review the opportunity and post it to the website within 2-3 weeks. During this time, a staff member may reach out with questions or suggestions to make the opportunity as equitable as possible.

Values regarding how we choose which opportunities to publish 

When publishing an opportunity to our page, we look at the following factors:

  • compensation: 
    • The organization/ensemble is fairly compensating artists for their work and clearly states what the participating artist will receive, including recordings, commissions, performances, a monetary prize, etc.
  • piece requirements: 
    • The organization/ensemble clearly states the requirements of the work(s) being submitted or considered for commissioning. Make sure to provide information regarding the duration of the work and instrumentation. 
  • submission requirements: 
    • The opportunity is upfront about the submission materials needed. We recommend inviting a range of materials that reflect the artist’s work, as opposed to requiring materials that don’t resonate with an artist’s creative process.  Artists can best demonstrate their creative process in this way without having to alter their representation of their work, which can be costly and burdensome. 
    • Duration and instrumentation of the work(s) are clearly stated.
    • The opportunity is clear about whether previously existing and previously recorded/performed pieces are acceptable for submission. Please review your requirements to ensure there are not conflicting guidelines.

Submission Guidelines

To submit a call to the Opportunities page, please email all information, including the full call, submission and website links, and relevant contacts to opportunities@composersforum.org. To allow time for staff to review and post the opportunity, please contact us at least 2 months prior to the opportunity’s submission deadline. An Artist Services staff member will review the opportunity and post it to the website within 2-3 weeks. During this time, a staff member may reach out with questions or suggestions to make the opportunity as equitable as possible.

ACF strives to provide artists with opportunities for equitable, collaborative experiences. We ask that all opportunity submissions are aligned with ACF’s mission and are committed to facilitating an equitable environment (please read ACF’s Statement of Commitment to Racial Equity). ACF reserves the right not to post an opportunity if we feel it does not meet these values.

Opportunities Coaching

Are you looking to create a call for works or commission a music creator? ACF staff is available for consultations and coachings to help you craft an equitable opportunity for your organization or ensemble. Send an email to opportunities@composersforum.org with a brief description and we will set up a meeting with one of our staff members for a consultation!