Brilliant, Funny, and Fueled by Passion—Remembering Dominick Argento (1927-2019)
Dominick Argento’s name was never on the programs at Big Reggie’s Danceland, but at the time it seemed that in the season of every other major performing arts organization, there he was! Not only did we hear his music, but he was always in the audience, listening, talking with people, part of the same world he was addressing with his music.
Jul 12, 2019
Cultural Appropriation in Classical Music?
Though it seems ironic, acultural neutrality is a narrative the West has culturally taught itself. Minute cultural awarenesses break through sometimes, but often the positive changes we are desperate for are obstructed—innocently or intentionally—by the numerous gatekeepers of Western classical music.
Nov 21, 2019
Lei Liang Wins 2020 Grawemeyer Award for Climate Change-Inspired Piece
Chinese-American composer Lei Liang has won the 2020 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for a Boston Modern Orchestra Project commissioned orchestral work titled A Thousand Mountains, a Million Streams, a piece that evokes the threat posed by climate change and the opportunity it offers for redemption.
Dec 02, 2019
Reflections on Segregation and Representation in Choral Music
In the wake of global demonstrations and protests against police brutality and racial discrimination, I’d like to use this opportunity to take a broad look at the choral landscape in terms of diversity, confronts questions that existing research present, and shares some resources and recommendations for potential ways to create space in choral music so that it might more accurately reflect the world we live in.
Jun 18, 2020
New Music Ushers In The Inauguration of the Next President and Vice President of the USA
Lots of new music will usher in a new American administration on January 20, 2021. Newly commissioned works by Kimberly Archer and Peter Boyer, classics by Aaron Copland, Julie Giroux, and Joan Tower, and a 46-song Spotify playlist spanning music from The Staple Sisters to Bruce Springsteen to Kendrick Lamar.
Jan 19, 2021
2021 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Awards Announced
The ASCAP Foundation has announced the 21 recipients and 17 honorable mentions of the 2021 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, which encourage talented young creators of concert music ranging in age from 13 to 30.
May 17, 2021
2022 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Awards Announced
The ASCAP Foundation has announced the 23 recipients of its 2022 Morton Gould Young Composer Awards as well as 15 additional composers who received honorable mentions.
Jun 28, 2022
Minding the Gap: Why Targeted Action is Still Needed
I want to mark this year’s International Women’s Day with reflections on what we’ve learnt from the gender equity programs I’ve led in the UK and the US over the past 12 years. I also want to use this opportunity to celebrate the incredible women and gender-expansive creators these initiatives have supported. Back in 2011… Read more »
Mar 08, 2023
2023 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards Announced
ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams has announced the recipients of the 2023 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, which are eligible to young creators of concert music ranging in age from 13 to 30. Established as The ASCAP Foundation Young Composer Awards in 1979 with funding from The ASCAP Foundation Jack and Amy Norworth… Read more »
May 31, 2023
Elena Ruehr: Turning Emotion Into Sound
Elena Ruehr’s prolific output is a by-product of her maintaining a consistent composing schedule (five hours every day from Noon to 5:00pm) as well as her never-ending inspiration from the visual arts and her constant reading (four books a week), plus her desire to communicate with listeners.
Oct 19, 2022
Ricky Ian Gordon: My Way of Enveloping a Story
For the past 20 years, Ricky Ian Gordon has been creating works for the stage—operas, musicals, or one-of a-kind music/theater hybrids—and getting them produced one after another, seemingly without a pause. But 14 months ago, everything came to a screeching halt as the world went into lockdown due to the pandemic.
May 05, 2021
Juliana Hall: Pulled Into The Poets’ World
Juliana Hall has given her almost completely undivided attention to composing art songs for over 30 years, and her love for poetry and the voice has only grown stronger.
