Olga Bell: Krai

ACF is pleased to co-present the premiere of Krai by Olga Bell as part of the SPCO Liquid Music series. The piece received support in 2011 from the JFund commissioning program, with funding generously provided by the Jerome Foundation. It is a nine-movement song cycle which has been called a “sonic love letter” to her […]

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The aurally omnivorous Olga Bell

Written by Tim Hansen Rejection is the pits. All artists experience it at some point, and there’s no denying that rejection can sting. And yet sometimes a rejection can be more influential on our career as artists than our successes, as it’s only when we’re rejected that we’re forced into a moment of truth: what, […]

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A new work seven years in the making: JFund awardee Christopher Trapani

Written by Tim Hansen Composer Christopher Trapani had a typically active upbringing for an aspiring musician growing up in New Orleans: playing guitar in coffeehouses one day and gospel piano in a Methodist church the next; attending orchestral concerts of the Louisiana Philharmonic, while working on his own creations at the New Orleans Center for […]

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A small party for those with big amibitions

Written by Tim Hansen American Composers Forum held a friendly soiree in New York this November for ACF members, hosted by president John Nuechterlein. The night was an informal opportunity for members to meet and network with each other, learn about some of the upcoming opportunities ACF has in the pipes, and for Nuechterlein to […]

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Mariel Roberts launches new album nonextraneous sounds

Written by Tim Hansen It’s a warm September night and I’m in seated in the pews of Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral in Brooklyn. The place is pretty spectacular. The floor is white marble; the walls are adorned with ornate wood-and-gold filigree, and the arched ceilings that vault away into the darkness. The muted conversation […]

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Armenian-American composer and JFund awardee Mary Kouyoumdjian keeps an ancient aesthetic alive

Written by Tim Hansen Composer and JFund awardee Mary Kouyoumdjian is drawn to colliding worlds. As a first-generation Armenian-American, Kouyoumdjian is perfectly poised to take advantage of the old and the new, juxtaposing the most avant-garde of experimental compositional techniques with the centuries-old traditions of her Armenian musical roots. As a result, she is in […]

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A Matrimonial Collaboration: JFund Awardee Ruben Naeff

Written by Tim Hansen The Jerome Foundation’s Jerome Fund for New Music – the JFund – has been instrumental in launching the careers of emerging composers for thirty years, and no wonder: it’s no trivial amount of money. Composers are eligible for up to $7,000 worth of funding, with an additional $1,500 to cover associated […]

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