American Composers Orchestra (ACO) is dedicated to the creation, celebration, performance, and promotion of orchestral music by American composers. ACO identifies and develops talent, performs established composers, champions those who are lesser-known, and increases regional, national, and international awareness of the infinite variety of American orchestral music, reflecting gender, racial, ethnic, geographic, stylistic, and age diversity.

In 1977, a collective of fearless New York City musicians came together to form ACO. Committed for over 40 years to artistry, creativity, community, and equity, ACO has blossomed into a national institution that cultivates and develops the careers of living composers, providing a direct pipeline to meaningful partnerships with orchestras across the country. With a commitment to diversity, disruption, and discovery, ACO produces concerts, middle school through college composer education programs, and composer advancement programs to foster a community of creators, audiences, performers, collaborators, and funders. Led today by President & CEO Melissa Ngan and Artistic Director Curtis Steward, to achieve their mission, ACF is focused on three strategic areas: 1. Discovery and development of composers who expand the definition of American orchestral music; 2. Educational programs that position music composition and improvisation as a gateway to creativity; and 3. Performance experiences that build a community of creativity. In addition to its annual season, presented by Carnegie Hall since 1987, the ACO serves as a New York City hub where the most forward-thinking experimental American musicians come together, increasing awareness of the infinite variety of American orchestral music. To date, ACO has performed music by 800 American composers, including over 350 world premieres and newly commissioned works.

Jerome Foundation supports ACO’s EarShot Readings & CoLABoratory Residency programs. EarShot Readings cultivate relationships between early career composers and orchestras, providing mentoring, recordings, engagement in education and community programming, and professional development taking place over 8 months, followed by 2-4 day in-person readings process with a professional orchestra. CoLABoratory Residencies advance the work of early career composers whose work is experimental or rooted in traditions underrepresented in the orchestral repertoire. CoLABoratory addresses systemic barriers in orchestral commissioning, fostering equitable, inclusive, collaborative processes that generate adventurous work. Over one year, residencies include a commissioning fee, collaborative workshop sessions with orchestra musicians, readings and public performances, professional development, and opportunities for artistic, education, and community program design.