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Established film composers talk about the film industry and the essentials of being a film composer. ACO Artistic Director Derek Bermel moderates a panel of experts. The panel will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

How does traditional programming change when it’s focused online? Where is classical music headed in the digital age? American Composers Orchestra CEO and President Melissa Ngan moderates a panel of experts, followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Orchestral conductors Marin Alsop & George Manahan provide insight into the conductor-composer relationship, programming new works, and other topics relevant to composers, followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Chris Campbell, Director of Recordings at innova Recordings, leads a panel covering the basics of recording law and licensing. The panel is followed by a Q&A session with the audience. 

Orchestral conductors Mei-Ann Chen and David Alan Miller provide insight into the conductor-composer relationship, programming new works, and other topics relevant to composers. Moderated by Derek Bermel.

A panel of experts converse about the role of race in orchestral culture, individual responsibility, and how racism manifests in the classical music industry. They will use Nebal Maysaud’s article, “It’s Time to Let Classical Music Die’” as a jumping off point. Pratichi Shah, President and CEO, Flourish Talent Management Solutions, moderates. A Q&A with the audience follows. 

Internationally acclaimed musician Gao Hong to presented Creating Music for Chinese Instruments webinar on March 16, 2021. This conversation is about creating music for the pipa, erhu, guzheng, dizi, percussion and other Chinese traditional instruments. Gao Hong discussed the ranges and techniques for each of these instruments and provide insights on what to consider when creating music for beginning performers.

Professional Development Panel: Entrepreneurship & Ensembles for Composers March 10, 2021 3:00 pm Eastern
How can composers help guide their own careers? What part does creating an ensemble play in that? Frank J. Oteri moderates a panel of innovative ensemble creators to explore topics of entrepreneurship and career advancement as a composer. Q&A with audience follows.

Professional Development Panel: Project Production & Recording for Composers March 3, 2021 at 3PM Eastern
What skills should a composer have in order to produce their own work? Topics include audio and video recording, project management, and producing recordings. John Glover moderates a panel of creators and producers. Q&A with audience follows the panel discussion.

How can a composer navigate publishing? What are their options? Self-published composer Jonathan Bailey Holland leads a panel of experienced professionals to discuss avenues of publishing and management for orchestral composers. Q&A with audience follows.

How can composers find their true artistic message and convey that effectively online? Dameun Strange moderates a panel and Q&A exploring topics of authenticity and effectiveness online.

Learn how to raise funds for your next project by leveraging the support of generous individuals. American Composers Orchestra Acting President and Director of Development Lyndsay Werking leads a panel of artists and administrators fluent in grassroots fundraising.

Seasoned orchestral musicians as they speak about their experiences with living composers and new orchestral music. They’ll touch on topics of effective communication between composers and musicians in a variety of ways, including parts writing, email/remote communication, and in-person working sessions.

This one-hour, interactive session with legal experts covers pandemic-related contract topics for musicians and performing artists.

Matt “NurD” Allen shared 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 to set your concert apart from other streaming events.

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 on Ableton Live, an engaging, user-friendly, free software (currently free for 90 days).

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 gear needed: just a smartphone, and a computer with some free tools is all you’ll need to learn along the way.

This image links to webinar audio and video for the event titled Setting up an affordable home composition studio
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 configurations for a musician or music producer/engineer to operate a functional home studio on a budget; interfaces; microphones; mixers; sound treatment, and basic recording techniques.

This image links to webinar audio and video for the event titled Recording Sound with your Phone
Kyle King from Slam Academy led 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 to capture and manipulate sound to simulate instruments and expand your palette of timbres and colors.

Photo of Trudy Chan links to webinar audio and video
In November 2019 Trudy Chan from Black Tea Music discussed various aspects of artist management—what to consider and what to expect when seeking a manager, the difference between a manager and a personal assistant, and how to tell if hiring an artistic manager is right for you.