American Composers Orchestra Inc

Earshot: opportunities for emerging composers american composers orchestra's composer advancement initiatives, earshot is the first ongoing, systematic program for developing relationships between composers and orchestras on the national level. Through orchestral readings, colaboratory residencies, consortium commissions, concerts, recordings, and professional development, earshot ensures a vibrant musical future by investing in creativity today. Aco produced eight virtual professional development webinars on topics including networking, self-publishing, commissioning agreements and consortia, orchestration, fundraising, public speaking, and more, serving 800 individuals. Aco's earshot readings served 22 featured artists via its own june readings in nyc, and four others in partnership with symphony orchestras in texas, illinois, indiana, and ohio. Colaboratory residencies provided commissions and workshops to 8 artists creating five works. Eight composers had works published in partnership with boosey & hawkes. In 2023-2024, earshot served 51 artists who self-identify as 76% bipoc and 51% female or nonbinary.

Music education program in the 2023-24 season, aco served 1,508 nycps middle and high school students (309 direct, 1,199 indirect) through 9 in-school and after-school classes. Sequential programs included sonic spark ensembles, middle and high school direct instrumental and voice instruction; compose yourself, high school composition classes; sonic spark lab, middle and high school composition and creativity classes. Programs included weekly school-based classes and project-based creative capacity building led by teaching artists, and direct music composition instruction with aco's education director. Of those students enrolled in sonic spark, 20% are students with disabilities, 19% are english language learners, 73% receive free or subsidized school meals, and 86% are bipoc/alaana.