McKnight Visiting Composer Residencies

The American Composers Forum is pleased to announce the 2025 McKnight Visiting Composers Residency Program. This program is made possible by the generous support of The McKnight Foundation.

2024 McKnight Composer Residency Awardees

The panelists who selected the 2024 awardees were Pascal Le Boeuf, Mary Prescott, J.E. Hernández, and Queen Drea.

John Peitso photo by Kim Chin-Gibbons; Tidtaya Sinutoke photo by Shawn Poynter

The Purpose of the ACF McKnight Visiting Composer Residencies

The intent of the McKnight Artist and Culture Programs is to recognize and support artists and culture bearers who are beyond emerging and have sustained experience in their area of practice. Visiting Composers demonstrate achievement, commitment, and high-level proficiency in artistic and/or culture-bearer practice. This program invites artists to respond to or reflect on the unique qualities of people and communities in Minnesota.

The addition of culture bearer acknowledges that the McKnight programs support creative leaders from cultures that don’t use the word “artist” (such as Native American and Hmong), as well as those who center the transmission and preservation of cultural lifeways.

Awards

• Two residencies of $10,000 will be awarded. Awards are subject to state and federal income tax guidelines.
• A $3,000 stipend for travel and lodging expenses during their residency.
• Funds are distributed directly to the music creator across four installments.
• Consultation, time, and resources from ACF.

2025 McKnight Composer Fellowships Panelists

The panelists who will be selecting the 2025 awardees are Carmina Escobar, Troy Rogers, Jess Rowland, and Mychal Fisher.

Photo credits: Carmina Escobar photo by Ben Semisch; Troy Rogers photo by Paul Ludgren; Mychal Fisher photo by Adja Gidersleve.

2024 McKnight Composer Fellowships Panelists

Photo Credits: Pascal Le Boeuf by Shervin Lainez; Mary Prescott by Bill Phelps; J.E. Hernández by Claire McAdams; Queen Drea, photo provided by artist

APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2025 MCKNIGHT VISITING COMPOSER RESIDENCY ARE OPEN. 

To view the complete guidelines as a separate document, please click HERE.

2025 McKnight Visiting Composer Residency Program

The American Composers Forum (ACF) is pleased to announce the 2025 McKnight Visiting Composer Residency Program. This program is made possible by the generous support of the McKnight Foundation.

GUIDELINE INFORMATION

ONLINE APPLICATION DEADLINE: Tuesday, October 29th, 2024 (11:59 PM Central)

Please note: ACF is intentional in its interchangeable use of the terms artist, music creator, and composer, as we recognize not everyone identifies themselves by one of these terms.

Program Description

• The ACF McKnight Visiting Composer Residencies invite music creators living outside of Minnesota to spend approximately 30 days in the state over an 18-month period, fostering connections and taking part in creative projects that engage the local community.
• ACF will select two music creators for an artistic residency in Minnesota.
• Proposals should respond to or reflect on the unique qualities of people and communities in our home state.
  • For example, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area is currently home to one of the largest and most tribally diverse urban Indigenous populations.
• New work may be part of the residency but is not required. The focus is on the exploration of an artist within a Minnesota community.

Awards

• Two residencies of $10,000 will be awarded. Awards are subject to state and federal income tax guidelines.
• This year composers will receive up to $3,000 to support travel expenses related to their visit to Minnesota.
• Funds are distributed directly to the music creator across installments.
• Consultation, time, and resources from ACF.

The Purpose of the ACF McKnight Visiting Composer Residencies

The intent of the McKnight Artist and Culture Programs is to recognize and support artists and culture bearers who are beyond emerging and have sustained experience in their area of practice. Visiting Composers demonstrate achievement, commitment, and high-level proficiency in artistic and/or culture-bearer practice. This program invites artists to respond to or reflect on the unique qualities of people and communities in Minnesota.

The addition of culture bearer acknowledges that the McKnight programs support creative leaders from cultures that don’t use the word “artist” (such as Native American and Hmong), as well as those who center the transmission and preservation of cultural lifeways.

Eligibility: (you must check all boxes)

• You live outside of Minnesota.
• You must have a Social Security Number or Tax ID (such as an ITIN) for our program administrator to process financial awards.
• You are beyond early practice and have sustained experience in your discipline.
• You demonstrate achievement, commitment, and high-level proficiency in music creation practice.
• You have not received a McKnight Artist Fellowship within any artistic discipline in the last five award years. Recipients of 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 McKnight Fellowships in any discipline are not eligible. 2019 fellows are eligible to apply again for 2025 fellowship awards. Past fellows can search the McKnight Artists Fellowship webpage to confirm their award year.
• You are not staff, board, or immediate family of the McKnight Foundation or fellowship administrative partners (including ACF). See the list of all partner organizations named above. The partners are also shown here: https://www.mcknight.org/programs/arts-culture/the-mcknight-artist-fellowships/
• You are not enrolled full-time in an academic program. (Low-Residency MFA students, and Ph.D. and DMA candidates who have completed all requirements except their dissertation, are not considered “full-time” students.)

The panelists will review your application and score the following:

Key Evaluation Criteria

We believe that the cultural, political, and social landscape around us shapes how we create, share, and receive art. We see artmaking as a profound form of expression and engagement with the world around us – not the objective experience often promoted by Western European traditions. We are interested in supporting artists who intentionally engage with this larger context in their artmaking, in particular those who have been historically excluded from funded opportunities.

Furthermore, we seek to deconstruct the historical concept of “composer,” as well as the assumed default of who is “American.” We encourage applicants to self-identify their music, perspective, and demographic information.

Residency Proposal:

• Creative potential, imagination, and effectiveness of the proposed project.
• Technical proficiency necessary to achieve the desired results, as proven by previous experience and work samples.
• The anticipated value of the residency project for both the composer’s artistic work and the ensemble and/or designated Minnesota community.

The applicant has clearly reached beyond early practice, as evidenced by the following:

• Significant body of work
• Creative achievement
• Sustained contribution to their artistic field

Notification 

The panelists’ decision is final and will be announced in late January 2025. Results will be posted on ACF’s website, and applicants will be notified by email. After the 2025 McKnight Visiting Composer Residencies are announced, all applicants can set up a 15-minute feedback session with an ACF staff member.

How to Apply

The music creator applicant completes or uploads the following in the Online Application Form via the SlideRoom Application System. The online application can be found HERE.

1. Composer’s Personal Information:

Name, Pronouns, Address, Phone, Email Address, Webpage

2. Questions Regarding Eligibility & Past Participation:

A series of questions to confirm your eligibility for this program and past participation.

3. Project proposal: Link to video (max. duration: 6 minutes), OR typed answer (max. length: 4000 characters, or ca. 600 words)

The project proposal should include a description of your residency goals and planned activities while you are in Minnesota, including:

• Your interaction with the community you’ve chosen.
• Why do you seek to work in Minnesota?
• An explanation of the anticipated value of the residency for you and that community.
• Innovative or unconventional aspects that set your project apart.
• And any other information you would like to present to the review panel.
• If you choose to provide a video link, the video (up to 6 minutes) can be hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, your own site, or another location. This link must remain active until February 1st, 2025.

Note: Make sure you address the questions: Why you? And why Minnesota? Review the key evaluation criteria to aid your narrative and intention.

4. Past experiences that have prepared you for this residency: Link to video (max. duration: 6 minutes), OR typed answer (max. length: 4000-character, or ca. 600 words)

Provide information regarding your past collaborative experiences that have prepared you for this residency.

• Examples may include commissions, community engagement projects, mentorship experience, etc. This section could also contain important information about your self-assessment as a mid-career music creator.
• If you choose to provide a video link, the video (6 minutes max) can be hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, your own site, or another location. This link must remain active until February 1st, 2025.

5. A list of potential organizational partners in Minnesota, or types of organizations you might like to collaborate with for your project (4000-character max, or ca. 600 words).

After being selected and before the start of a residency in Minnesota, the selected artists will work to secure collaborative partners aligned with their proposed residency and residency goals.

6. Work Samples.

In this section, you will provide 2-3 work samples of your music. Together, the work samples should demonstrate the depth of work in your creative practice, including high-level proficiency in your artistic and/or culture bearer practice and your contributions to the field as well as their relevance and relation to your residency proposal.

General Guidelines

• Submit up to 15 minutes (total) of your original music in audio or video format.
• Include at least one sample of work created in the past five years.
  If you’ve previously received a McKnight Composer Fellowship or Visiting Composer Residency, focus on work completed since your last award.
• Work sample 3 is optional and should be included only if you haven’t reached the total limit of 15 minutes of music.
• Excerpts are accepted as work samples.
• Work samples that are not eligible to be utilized in this application are: works that you arranged or performed in but did not compose.

Recommendations

• Work Sample 1 makes the most critical impression on the panelists and should represent your most distinctive and compelling musical example.
• Work Samples 2 and 3 should each be a complementary sample.
• At least one of the work samples should directly support your residency proposal by showing previous successful experiences or engagement with the mentioned communities.
• Regardless of the linked or uploaded media duration, you will indicate start and end cue times.
• Ensure links remain accessible and unchanged until February 1, 2025.
• Provide active web links (SoundCloud, YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, etc.) to your work samples.
• For private samples, make them unlisted so the committee can still access them. Instructions for creating unlisted links:
  • SoundCloud: Click HERE
  • Vimeo: Click HERE
  • YouTube: Click HERE
  • Google Drive: Click HERE   

Documentation

• Each sample must clearly connect to your proposal, demonstrating how it reflects your vision, commitment, and role within your body of work.
• The work description is crucial for illustrating this relationship and helping the panel understand the significance of each sample. (Up to 3000 characters.)
• Include any supporting materials that provide insight into your creative process and role in your residency proposal.
• If relevant, provide PDFs of notated scores (up to 10MB). For larger files, include a web link.
• If your work includes lyrics, provide lyric sheets.
• Acceptable sonic representations include video, spectrograms, waveforms, and graphics.

Note: Panelists cannot access music notation or specialized software directly.

Instructions for Submission 

For each sample, provide:

• Cue Start and End Times (for the specific excerpt from the audio/video files)
• Title
• Full Duration
• Year of Completion
• Ensemble/Name(s) of Performer(s)
• Instrumentation
• Description of the Work

7. Questions regarding social media, information sessions, and how you learned about this opportunity.

8. Acknowledgement of McKnight Artist Fellowship Community Values

9. Acknowledgement of Terms and Conditions

By applying, you attest:

• You have carefully reviewed the 2025 McKnight Visiting Composer Residency application guidelines.
• The information supplied in the application is accurate.
• Application materials submitted are the applicant’s sole and original work.
• You understand the purpose and conditions of the McKnight Visiting Composer Residency program and accept them should you be selected as a resident.
• You are eligible for the competition, and you will notify the Director of Programs if you become ineligible before the conclusion of the competition.
• Providing false or misleading information on this application or failing in any other way to comply with the rules will subject you to disqualification and forfeiture of the award.
• You understand that your application must be completed by the online application deadline of Tuesday, October 29th, 2024 (11:59 PM Central). ACF/McKnight Composer Residency program takes no responsibility for applications that are not in Submitted status at the deadline.

10. Music Creator’s demographic information

In our commitment to racial equity, we include within that scope, but do not limit it to, diverse gender identities, musical approaches and perspectives, religions, ages, abilities, cultures, backgrounds, and sexual orientations.

Sharing your information is optional but helps us to understand the impact of our efforts to invite and welcome a broad range of artists. This information will not be shared publicly or with funders/other third parties with your name unless explicitly approved by you.

Instructions:

What you share in the 2025 Demographic Information form as part of your SlideRoom application for this program will be included in your application and seen by curators. If you prefer to keep your answers separate/anonymous, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/6e6

DDsug5Xq81NE7. Not sharing your information will not negatively impact your application.

1. I identify as:

• BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person Of Color), ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, Native American), Mixed Race, or Global Majority (Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, people that has been racialized as ‘ethnic minorities’)
• White

2. Which of the following regions do you identify with? (check all that apply)

• African descent/Diaspora.
• Southern African descent
• Central African descent
• East African descent
• North African descent
• West African descent
• Caribbean descent
• North American descent
• Central American descent
• South American descent
• Central Asian descent
• East Asian descent
• South Asian descent
• Southeast Asian descent
• Middle Eastern/Southwest Asian descent
• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Island descent
• European descent
• Decline to State

3. Please share the words you use to more fully communicate who you are and your experiences. You may include specific race, ethnic, region, national group, and/or tribal/band affiliations with which you identify. (Examples: Alaskan Native, Dakota-Shakopee Mdewakanton, Honduran, Azeri/Persian, Puerto Rican, Nigerian, Hmong, Thai, Scots-Irish, Russian Jewish descent, Laotian, Chicano, Italian, Rural/Remote resident, Yupik, Haitian and Creole, Norwegian, decline to state, I don’t know, etc.)
4. What gender(s) do you identify with? (check all that apply)

• Female
• Gender non-conforming
• Gender fluid
• Male
• Non-binary
• Two Spirit
• Decline to State
• Prefer to self-identify (use open field in next question)
  Open field for question above:

5. which gender(s) do you identify with?
6. Do you identify as transgender?

• Yes
• No
• Decline to State

7. Do you identify as disabled or as a person with a disability?Yes

• No
• Decline to State

8. Do you identify as neurodivergent?

• Yes
• No
• Decline to State

Selection Process

A review panel of four music creators, artists, and/or advocates is selected for their familiarity with diverse musical approaches. The panel will review applications and select fellowship recipients.

Prescreening: ACF staff review all applications for eligibility and completeness.

Panel Review Phases:

• Phase 1 – Independent Review: In this phase, panelists assess each applicant individually and score them based on the six key evaluation criteria (see above). Panelists will only listen to up to 5 minutes of Work Sample 1 in this phase.
  • About 50% of the applications will be passed on to the next phase based on combined scores and the panelists’ review of the list.
• Phase 2 – Panel Review: In this phase, panelists will listen to applicants’ music together and have conversations in which they will make comparative judgments about each applicant.
  • Round 1: Panelists will adjust scores on the key evaluation criteria as needed and select between ten and fifteen applications to proceed to the next round.
    • The panelists may revisit Work Sample 1, this time collectively. If you wish for the panelists to listen to different sections of the same work, you can indicate alternative cue times for this review stage (always up to 5 minutes).
    • Panelists will listen to up to 10 minutes of Work Sample 2 (and Work Sample 3, if applicable).
  • Round 2: Panelists will provide an overall score and select the four awardees, alternates, and honorable mentions.
    • Panelists will revisit all work samples as needed.

Past curators have included Pascal le boeuf, Mary Prescott, J.E. Hernandez,Andrea Reynolds, Maria Chávez, Texu Kim, inti figgis-vizueta, Matthew Evan Taylor, Forbes Graham, Sarah M. Greer, Ritika Ganguly, Danny Clay, Jannina Norpoth, Carlos R. Carrillo.

The ACF staff members who oversee the McKnight Fellowship program do not contribute to the decision-making process or the selection of the McKnight Composer Fellows. The staff’s role is to provide clarity for the review process and ensure that the curators’ review and discussions proceed according to the program guidelines.

Additional Information

• Entries must be submitted electronically on or before 11:59 PM Central on Tuesday, October 29th, 2024.
• There will be a 24-hour grace period to accommodate any issues submitting your application by the deadline, but your application must have been started before the deadline. After the grace period, late applications will not be considered under any circumstance.
• Entries submitted by mail or means other than the provided online application process will not be eligible for consideration.

Questions

The American Composers Forum encourages applicants to contact ACF staff to ask questions and discuss potential applications. For general questions regarding the McKnight Composer Fellowship program applications, please contact Natalia Camargo Duarte, Programs Associate, at ncamargo@composersforum.org.

2023

2023 panelists were Maria Chávez (New York, NY), inti figgis-vizueta (New York, NY), Texu Kim (San Diego, CA), and Matthew Evan Taylor (Burlington, VT).

Yoon-Ji Lee photo by Estro Studio, Haksoo Kim; Steve Parker photo courtesy of the artist

2022

2022 panelists were Forbes Graham (Boston, MA), Sarah M. Greer (Minneapolis, MN), Ritika Ganguly (Minneapolis, MN), Danny Clay (San Francisco, CA), and Jannina Norpoth (Brooklyn, NY).

Byron Au Young photo by Gaku Shiroma; Victor Márquez-Barrios photo by Tim Barcus

2021 Participants

2021 panelists were Carlos R. Carrillo (Urbana, IL), Lovett Hines (Philadelphia, PA), Emily Koh (Norcross, GA), Isaac Schankler (Pasadena, CA), and Samita Sinha (Jackson Heights, NY).

J.E. Hernández photo by Spencer Young ; Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti photo by Blaise Hayward Studio

2020 Participants

2020 panelists were composers Carolina Heredia (Columbia, MO), Donovan Mixon (Evanston, IL), and Beth Wiemann (Maynard, MA).

Nathan Hall photo by Sten Melin; Angélica Negrón photo by Catalina Kulczar

2019 Participants

2019 panelists were composers Gavin Chuck (Chicago, IL), Elainie Lillios (Bowling Green OH), and Gilda Lyons (Rhinebeck, NY)

Sergia Barer photo by KI Concerts; Danny Clay photo by John Fisher

 

2018 Participants

2017 Participants

2016 Participants

 

2015:  Clarice Assad and Wayne Horvitz
Panelists: David Dzubay, Aruán Ortiz, Zeena Parkins

2014:  Robin Eschner and Pamela Z
Panelists: Amir ElSaffar, Stacy Garrop, and Daniel Trueman

2013:  Chris Coyle and Jin Hi Kim
Panelists: Anne LeBaron, Nicole Mitchell, Sven-David Sandstrom

2012:  Hugh Livingston and Charles Peck
Panelists: Nancy Galbraith, Graham Reynolds, Huang Ruo

2011:  William J. Lackey, Kanniks Kannikeswaran
Panelists: Linda Dusman, J.D. Parran, Jack Perla

2010: Ellen Fullman, David James Nielsen
Panelists: Fernando Benadon, David Conte, Mary Jane Leach

2009: Eve Beglarian, Ryan Ingebritsen
Panelists: Derek Bermel, Jennifer Bilfield, Newman Baker

2008: Jeff Herriot, William Neil
Panelists: Mark Applebaum, Margaret Leng-Tan, David Stock

2007: Billy Fox, Evan Solot
Panelists: Susie Ibarra, Matthew Levy, Steven Stucky

2006: Sidiki Conde, Stuart Hyatt
Panelists: Milford Graves, Belinda Reynolds, Neil Rolnick

2005: Todd Hammes, Susan Haugh
Panelists: Eleanor Hovda, Robert Moran, Roger Kleier

2004: Michelle Nagai, Ushio Torikai
Panelists: Jason Hwang, Alex Shapiro, Kevin Stahlheim

2003: Oliver Lake, John Morton
Panelists: Fred Frith, Anthony deMare, Ileana Perez Velazquez

2002: Steven Rosenthal, Janek Schaefer
Panelists: Joel Chadabe, Melissa Hui, David Cleary

2001: Kenny Endo, Annie Gosfield & Roger Kleier
Panelists: Chinary Ung, Eve Beglarian, Philip Bimstein

2000: Fred Ho, Beth Custer
Panelists: Bill Brooks, Tamar Diesendruck, Adolphus Hailstork

1999: Brenda Hutchinson, Susan Rawcliffe
Panelists: Ellen Christi, Allen Strange, Regina Baiocchi

1998: Ron George, Richard Johnson
Panelists: John Duffy, Fred Ho, Judith Shatin

1997: Ermir Dergjini, Pamela Z
Panelists: Sebastian Currier, Anne Deane, Gustavo Matamoros

1996: Brent Michael Davids, David Revill
Panelists: Orlando Garcia, James Tenney, Augusta Reed Thomas

1995: William Banfield, Dan Senn
Panelists: Warren Burt, Fran Richard, Lois Vierk

Welcome to the McKnight Artist Fellowships community!  The McKnight Foundation and the administering partners for the McKnight Artist Fellowships are committed to creating and supporting an artistic community in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.  The community of the McKnight Artist Fellowships includes people who engage with the fellowships program whether as applicants, fellows, panelists, contractors, collaborators, fellowships administrators, and staff of the McKnight Foundation and partnering organizations.

As a community, we commit to creating and maintaining relationships that are free from harm, prejudice, and harassment.  Community members agree to communicate directly and transparently regarding issues of conduct that could negatively impact the well-being of participating members and organizations.

In the case of an accusation, legal action, or conviction, the McKnight Foundation and its fellowship program partners may gather and assess relevant information.  If deemed necessary, the McKnight Foundation and its fellowship program partners may take administrative action up to and including the recommendation of participation in reconciliation or restorative justice processes; disqualification of an application; the termination of a contract; and the recall and/or termination of a fellowship.

This community will be what we make it and our aim is to collectively create an experience in which all artists and members of the McKnight Artist Fellowships community thrive.

For more information about this statement, read this announcement.