American Composers Orchestra Announce 27th Annual Underwood New Music Readings At NYU's Loewe Theater

American Composers Orchestra continues its commitment to the creation and development of new orchestral music with the 27th Annual Underwood New Music Readings on June 21-22, 2018 at NYU's Loewe Theater (35 West 4th Street).

ACO's Underwood New Music Readings give audiences a chance to look behind the scenes of bringing new, diverse orchestral music to life. The first day of Readings, an open rehearsal, is Thursday, June 21, 2018 at 10:30am; the second day of Readings is Friday, June 22, at 7:30pm, during which the new works will be polished and performed in their entirety. ACO Artistic Director Derek Bermel directs the Readings; ACO Music Director George Manahan conducts.

This year, six of the nation's most promising composers in the early stages of their professional careers are selected from over 250 submissions. Carlos Bandera, Lily Chen, Scott Lee, Ryan Lindveit, Tomas Peire Serrate, and Liliya Ugay represent a broad spectrum of musical backgrounds and sound worlds. One composer will receive a $15,000 commission for a new piece to be performed by ACO during an upcoming season. Additionally, one composer will receive the Audience Choice Award with an associated commission.

Each composer participating in the Underwood New Music Readings receives rehearsals, a reading, and a digital recording of his or her work. Feedback sessions with ACO principal players, mentor composers, and ACO's artistic and music directors provide crucial artistic, technical, and conceptual assistance. This year's mentor composers are Derek Bermel, ACO Artistic Director; Gabriela Ortiz; John Corigliano; and Robert Beaser, ACO Artistic Director Laureate.

In addition, the Readings offer a Career Development Workshop for composers, students, or anyone interested in exploring the business and realities of being a professional composer on Thursday, June 22 from 10am-3pm. These invaluable talks, led by leaders in the industry, present topics ranging from copyright and commission agreements to music preparation, from promotion to fundraising. This year's schedule, topics, and speakers include:

10:00am - 11:00am - Be Prepared: Introduction to professional score and parts production - Bill Holab (Bill Holab Music)

11:00am - 11:30am - Bang on a Can: A Case Study on Entrepreneurship

Moderator: Frank J. Oteri, Composer Advocate (New Music USA)

Panelists: Tim Thomas, Michael Gordon and David Lang (Bang on a Can)

Astrid Baumgardner, President (Astrid Baumgardner Coaching + Training)

1:15pm - 2:00pm - Everything You Wanted to Know About Copyright

James Kendrick, Esq., Partner (Alter and Kendrick)

2:00pm - 3:00pm - Getting Your Music Programmed

Moderator: Ed Yim, President (American Composers Orchestra)

Panelists: Kathy Schuman, Vice President, Artistic Programming and Executive Producer (Caramoor); Beth Helgeson, Director of Artistic Planning and Administration (Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center); and Isaac Thompson, Vice President, Artistic Planning (New York Philharmonic)

The cost for the Workshop is $10; reservations can be made at http://bit.ly/ACOUnderwood2018.

For over a generation, ACO's Underwood New Music Readings have provided all-important career development and public exposure to the country's most promising emerging composers, with over 150 composers participating. Readings alumni have won every major composition award, including the Pulitzer, Grammy, Grawemeyer, American Academy of Arts & Letters, and Rome Prizes. Orchestras around the globe have commissioned ACO Readings alumni.

The New Music Readings have launched many of today's top composers, such as ACO's own Artistic Director Derek Bermel, Lisa Bielawa, Anthony Cheung, Anna Clyne, Cindy Cox, Sebastian Currier, Jennifer Higdon, Pierre Jalbert, Aaron Jay Kernis, Hannah Lash, Carter Pann, P.Q. Phan, Tobias Picker, Narong Prangcharoen, Paola Prestini, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Huang Ruo, Eric Samuelson, Carlos Sanchez-Guiterrez, Kate Soper, Gregory Spears, Joan Tower, Ken Ueno, Dan Visconti, Wang Jie, Dalit Warshaw, Randall Woolf, Nina Young, and Roger Zare.