The League of American Orchestras has announced a new initiative for female composers at the start of their careers. The program will provide a series of orchestral readings with professional orchestras, as well as two commissions.
The initiative is made possible by the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation's program for commissioning women in the arts.
League president Jesse Rosen said, "Bringing new artistic voices to the fore is a key mission for the League, and this program offers the rare opportunity for composers to have their works read and to receive a commission--two essential, but hard to come by, opportunities for professional growth."
Composers who are selected for the program will hear their works played by the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra in California, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic or the American Composer's Orchestra in New York.
Two of the participating composers will be selected to receive orchestral commissions of $15,000 each, which includes a premiere of the commissioned work.
During the readings, composers will participate in career development workshops and be mentored by established composers, including Bright Sheng, Christopher Rouse, Julia Wolfe, Gabriela Lena Frank and Steve Mackey.
The readings will be administered by American Composers Orchestra on behalf of EarShot, a network of orchestras across the country that provide readings and workshops for young composers.
For more information about the LAO initiative, visit americanorchestras.org.
