Oskar McCarthy and Ben Smith -- Photos courtesy of artists
Concert

Review: Oskar McCarthy and Ben Smith Present “Voices Under Pressure”

Ben Smith, Cameron Biles-Liddell, City of St. George’s, Eleanor Alberga, Michael Parsons, Oskar McCarthy, Scratch Orchestra, Yshani Perinpanayagam
How can the voice and piano recital be made contemporary? In his engaging introduction, baritone Oskar McCarthy said that he’s essentially a dramatic theatre singer who wants to present an art song re…
Caroline Potter
Lucy Liyou -- Courtesy of artist
Playlist

ListN Up Playlist: Lucy Liyou (Nov. 5, 2026)

Chxrry, David Wise, Judy Garland, Lucy Liyou, Sade, Sharon Udoh, Terrace Brothers + Asa, Yma Sumac
California-based composer Lucy Liyou synthesizes field recordings, text-to-speech readings, poetry, and elements from Korean folk opera into sonic narratives that explore the implications of Orientali…
Kayvon Gordon -- Photo by Avery J. Savage
Interview

5 Questions to Kayvon Gordon (drummer, composer)

Benny Green, Charley Bannister, Craig Taborn, David Leon, Dean Torrey, Elias Stemeseder, Gerald Cleaver, Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, Johnny Murray, Kalia Vandever, Kayvon Gordon, L’Rain, Marcus Belgrave, Robert Hurst, Rodney Whitaker
Kayvon Gordon’s love of the drums began early — at home, he was banging pots and pans; at preschool recess, he was arranging trash cans to form his own drumset. Now, the Detroit-born, Brooklyn-based d…
A. Kori Hill
L'Rain -- Photo by Mackai Sharp
Interview

5 Questions to L’Rain (multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, vocalist)

Creative Time, L’Rain, MoMa PS1, Performance Space New York, Taja Cheek (L’Rain)
Taja Cheek is a Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, and curator who makes music as L’Rain. Over four albums — L’Rain (2017), Fatigue (2021), I Killed Your Dog (2023), and…
Yaz Lancaster
Matt Irwin performs -- Photo by Lydia Smith
Concert

Review: <MASS> at The Museum of Russian Art

Ben Durrant, deVon Russell Gray, Emma Garau, Matt Irwin, Meghan Irwin, The Museum of Russian Art, Zak Sally
A sign on the door outside The Museum of Russian Art listed something between a manifesto and a user’s guide. At <MASS>, there’s no talking, no phones. “You are a participant, not an observer.”…
Dustin Nelson
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Ashley DuBose -- Photo by Jayme Halbritter
Ashley DuBose — Photo by Jayme Halbritter

American Composer Forum

American Composers Forum supports and advocates for living music creators through direct support to artists, artist-centered thought leadership, and storytelling. We aspire to cultivate anti-racist practices in all of our work, believing a fairer world for artists benefits all of us.

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Sivan Cohen Elias -- Photo by Patrick Pelham
Sivan Cohen Elias — Photo by Patrick Pelham

Innova® Recordings

As the label of American Composers Forum, innova Recordings serves as  a home for visionary and genre-defying creative music.

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