Houston Symphony Will Participate in EarShot Composers Residency

At the invitation of the American Composers Orchestra, the Houston Symphony is taking part in an EarShot Composers Residency in May 2020. EarShot is a project designed to support new and emerging orchestral composers from underrepresented demographics in today's classical music scene.

An initiative of the American Composers Orchestra in partnership with the American Composers Forum, the League of American Orchestras, and New Music USA, EarShot is the nation's first ongoing program for identifying and promoting the most promising composers on the national stage. The program accomplishes this via a national network of new music readings and composer-development programs.

Each EarShot residency is tailored to its host orchestra's aesthetic, demographic, community and educational interests. So the Houston Symphony, in keeping with its commitment to diversity, has put out a call for scores from Latinx composers. Scheduled May 5 through 7, 2020, the Houston Symphony's EarShot residency includes mentorship from accomplished orchestral composers, orchestra readings, and musician and conductor feedback sessions. The mentor composers for this EarShot Composers Residency include Derek Bermel and former Houston Symphony Composer-in-Residence Gabriela Lena Frank.

"The Houston Symphony is wholly committed to both ensuring that our orchestra and art form reflect the diversity of the Houston community," said Houston Symphony Executive Director, CEO, and holder of the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair John Mangum, "and encouraging new composers to keep growing the orchestral repertoire with new music. EarShot helps us to do both, and it's an honor to be selected to participate."

To date, more than sixty composers have been selected for prior residencies and new music readings with orchestras including, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Berkeley Symphony, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and the San Diego Symphony.