It is now two weeks since the tragedy that befell our nation on September 11, 2001.

We here at the American Music Center, located a mere three miles north of the site of the World Trade Center, are lucky that we are all safe as are all our immediate friends and family. In the wake of these terrible events, we have been touched by the outpouring of concern from our colleagues throughout the nation and around the world.

We wanted to take the opportunity to provide a forum for people in the new music community to voice their thoughts about these events, so we have created this Special Edition of NewMusicBox to share anecdotes from eyewitnesses La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela, thoughts from composers personally touched by this tragedy such as Tod Machover and Stephen Vitiello, who had been an Artist-in-Residence at the World Trade Center, and offerings of support from others around the nation, including California-based composer Terry Riley. We have also included an essay by Ken Smith reflecting on how recent events will impact the creation of new repertoire and what American audiences will want and expect to hear in the coming months. Please add your thoughts as well in our Interactive Forum.