ACO Selects Five Composers for Philly New Music Readings

American Composers Orchestra and the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts have selected five composers to participate in the second ACO/Penn Presents New Music Readings & Lab, a performance and professional development opportunity for composers in the early stages of their professional careers. Sean Friar, Federico Garcia, Christian Kriegeskotte, Andrew McPherson, and James Ogburn have been selected on the basis of a competitive regional search that encompassed the Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey tri-state area.

A free public reading session will be held on April 16 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. The new works will then be premiered by ACO’s Orchestra Underground ensemble on April 17 at 7:30 p.m., with commentary from the composers. All events take place in the Ibrahim Theatre at the International House on the University of Pennsylvania campus, 3701 Chestnut Street (at 37th).

The Readings & Lab are under the direction of ACO Artistic Director Robert Beaser, and guest conductor Cliff Colnot. Music Alive Composer-in-Residence Derek Bermel, ACO musicians, and Philadelphia-area mentor composers Jay Reise and Anna Weesner also serve as mentors. —Condensed from the press release