New music presents us with the opportunity to hear new things, to hear old things in new ways, and to hear the old next to the new and back again. It keeps our ears fresh and our field vital, providing a worthy, necessary commentary to the public.

Check out the following links that will help to familiarize you with new music:

The League of American Orchestras leads, encourages, supports, and serves orchestras as they assure the vitality of the musical experience, strengthen the entire orchestral organization, and deepen their connections with their public and their communities. In particular, the League offers several programs designed specifically for conductors, musicians, and artistic administrators that support and recognize the music of our time. Click here for more information on these programs.

Meet The Composer’s mission is to increase opportunities for composers by fostering the creation, performance, dissemination, and appreciation of their music. The organization supports a wide range of commissioning, residency, education, and audience interaction programs. To learn more about how to commission new music, check out their online publication entitled “An Individual’s Guide to Commissioning Music.” Meet The Composer also maintains an online list of contemporary composers that includes links to the composers’ web sites.

The League and Meet The Composer have joined forces to co-sponsor two programs, Music Alive and Ford Made in America, that connect the audience to new music:

Music Alive creates opportunities for composers to be in residence with orchestras
and encourages the commissioning and performance of today’s music. Since its
inception in 1999, Music Alive has supported 71 residencies with 69 composers and
54 orchestras. Read about the 2007-08 Music Alive composer residencies.

Music Alive is made possible with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
and The Aaron Copland Fund for Music.

Ford Made in America is the largest orchestral commissioning consortium in the
country’s history, and in its first program cycle, has provided 65 American
orchestras (at least one from each state across the nation) the opportunity to pool
resources in a vital national network and achieve together what not one of them
could afford to do individually in their own community. Impressively, the first
composer in the cycle, Joan Tower, was the most frequently performed living
American composer in the 2005-06 season, and more than 75,000 audience
members heard this brand new work in 80 performances nationwide. Additionally,
in January, 2007 Pulitzer Prize winning composer Joseph Schwantner was selected to
compose a new work for the second cycle, which kicks off in fall 2008 with a world
premiere of Schwantner’s work by the Reno Chamber Orchestra.

Click here to access the Ford Made in America Toolkit to generate ideas for all of
your new music projects.

Ford Made in America is made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund, the
philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company.

American Composers Alliance is a membership organization that serves over 200 professional American composers of concert music, supporting and promoting the work of American composers through performances, commissions, and provision of a professional publishing service.

American Composers Forum also supports composers and develops new markets for their music. Through granting, commissioning, and performance programs, the Forum provides composers at all stages of their careers with valuable resources for professional and artistic development.

The Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute, presented by the Minnesota Orchestra, American Composers Forum, American Music Center, and University of Minnesota School of Music, offers a unique week-long seminar for nine American composers to introduce them to the world of a major American symphony orchestra. The Institute nurtures the participants' musical acumen and broadens their career management skills, assisting in their growth as artists and community leaders.

For a wonderful introduction to American music, check out the American Mavericks public radio series, which features the San Francisco Symphony. The site includes biographies of composers, music downloads, and interviews and features on contemporary music.