CALL FOR COMPOSERS

Call for Compositions – Grant of up to $3500 USD

Work must be for Concert Band, grade 3 on the NBA or NYSSMA systemComposer must be a resident of the United States.

Application Due Date:  June 1, 2008 

For complete information and application visit

http://www.miccamusic.org/pdf/Call_for_Compositions_2009.pdf

CALL FOR YOUNG COMPOSERS

The purpose of Philharmonic Orchestra of the America's Young Composers Competition is to encourage the creation and performance of new works for orchestra by composers from the American continent. The winning piece of the First Young Composers Competition was "Ixbalanqué" by 26 year-old Martin Capella from Mexico

Eligibility:
- All applicants must be from South America, Central America, North America or the Caribbean 

- All applicants must be 35 years of age or younger

- Each applicant must submit an original piece of music between 8-12 minutes 

Deadline: September 15, 2008
 
The winner will receive:

- $4,000 prize

-A round trip ticket and accomodation at the Hotel Beacon in New York City (all expenses paid) to attend the premiere of his/her piece by the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas in the fall of 2008. 

Full Guidelines here.

DANA WILSON'S NEW PIECE FOR BANDQUEST, ODYSSEUS AND THE SIRENS, PREMIERES MAY 8 IN ITHACA, NEW YORK

Read all about this new work.

COMPOSER/BLOGGER JOHN MACKEY WRITES ABOUT ACF/BANDQUEST

CONDUCTORS COLLEGIUM

June 16-27, 2008

University of North Texas

with Eugene Migliaro Corporon and Dennis Fisher, Jack Stamp of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and John Whitwell of Michigan State University. 

Contact Jennifer Reed for more information: 940-565-3737 or 940-565-3700 fax.

Upcoming Opportunity for Bands:

Wind bands are needed to participate in the 2008 National Festival of the States year-long concert series in Washington, D.C. , commemorating the 225th anniversary of the end of the American Revolution.

BandQuest on YouTube!

Wild Music Exhibit

http://www.wildmusic.org/en/front_page

Learn about wild music from this traveling science exhibit opening March 2007 at the Science Museum of Minnesota. From the website: "Whales compose, bullfrogs chorus, songbirds greet the dawn, and people everywhere sing and dance. What do we all have in common? Long before the advent of iTunes, the musical instinct ran deep. Wild Music explores evidence for the biological origins of music through highly interactive exhibits and exceptional sound experiences, and -- in the process -- expands our understandings of what makes music. With its multicultural content, careful attention to accessibility, and rich menu of public programs and performances, Wild Music offers broad appeal for diverse, intergenerational audiences."

New on BandQuest:

Tell us where you are on our new Frappr Map!

Read more...

60th Annual International Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic

As part of the 60th anniversary of this prestigious conference, American Composers Forum's National Program Manager Carey Nadeau has written a blog about ACF's planning and participation as an exhibitor.  Find this and more at www.midwestclinic.org

September 2006 Music Educators Journal

Read Carlos R. Abril's article titled "Music that Represents Culture: Selecting Music with Integrity."  In this article, Abril references BandQuest in the resources section.  One clarification:  Hal Leonard is the distributor of BandQuest, not of American Composers Forum.

Partnership with Ravinia Festival, Chicago Sinfonietta and Chicago Public Schools

In 2004-2005, BandQuest fostered a collaboration with the Ravinia Festival, Chicago Sinfonietta, and Chicago Public Schools in bringing the BandQuest series to Chicago. Professional musicians from the Chicago Sinfonietta work closely with band directors and students to prepare a selected composition through mentoring, master classes with select BandQuest composers, and the BandQuest CD-ROMs.  The partnership culminates in the performance of the BandQuest works at the Chicago Public Schools All-City Band Concert. 

Two BandQuest Pieces named "Editor's Choice"

Michael Daugherty's Alligator Alley and Adolphus Hailstork's New Wade 'n Water pieces were listed in the 2004-2005 J.W. Pepper Concert Band Music Catalog for 2004-2005.  Pepper also mentioned upcoming pieces Rhythm Stand by Jennifer Higdon and Mosaic by Stephen Paulus, as well as mentioning Thomas Duffy's A+: A "Precise" Prelude and an "Excellent" March, Michael Colgrass' Old Churches, and Libby Larsen's Hambone.  Pepper had this to say about the accompany CD-ROM forHambone: "The CD-ROM included with the band set is an incredible teaching tool that offers a teacher's guide, historical notes about music of an oral tradition, games, composer interviews, program notes, midi accompaniments which allow students to play along while controlling the tempo and much, much more.  This is a welcome new format for student discovery in performing concert band literature!"  Visit Pepper online.

Notes from composer Michael Colgrass

Read about the residency and commission of Michael Colgrass' Old Churches in a journal written by the composer.  Through his work with students at Winona Drive Middle School in Toronto, Colgrass formed a composition team with students in addition to writing his band piece .

Journal Home --Getting to know the students' abilities and limitations and encouraging them to compose their own pieces.

Journal Page 2- -The formation of the Composition Team.

Journal Conclusion --Colgrass' thoughts on the BandQuest project and writing for middle-level band.

Adam Davis-McGee poses in front of the BandQuest booth at the American Composers Forum offices.  As a sixth grader, Adam was photographed as the spokesperson for BandQuest, six years later Adam provided the voiceover for the Grandmother Song CDROM.

THREE BandQuest PIECES IN NEW PUBLICATION

Three BandQuest pieces: New Wade 'n Water by Adolphus Hailstork, Alligator Alley by Michael Daugherty, and Alegre by Tania Leon will be included in Volume 5 of "Teaching Music Through Performance in Band" published by GIA  Prior to the publication, these pieces will be included in the Conductors Collegium at the University of North Texas College of Music with Eugene Migliaro Corporon, Dennis Fisher, and Jack Stamp July 12-23, 2004.  For more information on participation, contact Jennifer Reed at 940-565-3737 or jreed@music.unt.edu. 

THE KEY TO CREATIVITY: THINK LIKE A KID

First published in Adultita in Italy, this article by composer Colgrass explains his classroom work and graphic notation teaching process with students.

MUSIC AVAILABLE FROM innova© recordings

THE CD LABEL OF THE

AMERICAN COMPOSERS FORUM

innova recordings, the CD label of the American Composers Forum, offers two recordings of band music by legendary and innovative composers, performers, and conductors.

ALLIGATORS INVADE CHICAGO!

BandQuest at the 2003 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic

Reprinted with permission from the Sounding Board, March/April 2004, Vol. 31 #4

OLD CHURCHES, NEW AUDIENCES

BANDQUEST PIECE BY COLGRASS RECOMMENDED BY PEPPER Reprinted with permission from the September/October 2003 issue of Sounding Board.

Longmeadow Commissioning Project

After Michael Colgrass composed Old Churches, he was invited to participate in a residency and composition workshop with the students in Longmeadow, Mass. 

Recent Developments in Band Repertoire

With Recommended Literature for All Grade Levels by Robert J. Ambrose

Reprinted with permission, Georgia Music News , Vol. 63, Number 3, Spring, 2003, pp.49-52