American Composers Forum (ACF) and the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music (GLFCAM) today announced a new partnership for a pilot program that will create more opportunities for composers and performers to collaborate throughout the music creation process. An extension of the Academy’s existing Bahlest Eeble Readings, the weeklong residency in Minnesota will host composers Erin Busch, Ivette Rodriguez, Liza Sobel, and Sakari Vanderveer; performer-mentors Ráyo Furuta (flute), Amr Selim (French horn), and Christine Lamprea (cello); as well as composer Gabriela Lena Frank and staff. This partnership is made possible through the ACF | connect program.
“We are excited to embark on our first satellite partnership with the pioneering service organization — American Composers Forum — to host Cycle 16 of our Bahlest Eeble Readings,” shares the Academy’s founder, Gabriela Lena Frank. “As part of our climate commitment, our satellite partnerships will allow us to reach different parts of the country while lowering our carbon footprint. As ACF is a longtime champion of composers and the communities that composers connect to, we are grateful to ACF for providing a home for the Academy in the mid-America region this coming spring.”
Cycle 13 of GLFCAM’s Bahlest Eeble Readings–Photo courtesy of GLFCAM
The current cohort of artists began their cycle last September and will continue with the program over the course of more than a year before moving to the Academy’s extensive alumni programs. The upcoming residency will take place at the Belwin Conservancy in Afton, MN, and will be the first time the group meets in person. From April 29 to May 3, the artists will conduct readings and help develop the composers’ works-in-progress, while sharing meals, music, and stories. Recordings of the readings will enable the composers to keep developing their works before the final performances in November 2023.
“Creating art requires experimentation, revision, and collaboration,” says ACF Executive Director Vanessa Rose. “The Academy offers composers an important opportunity to not only work with performers as they develop their ideas, but also be part of a cohort of artists from a variety of musical backgrounds and approaches. Receiving mentorship and guidance from Gabriela is a special bonus. As an organization that advocates for long-term investment in today’s music creators, we are excited to help the Academy develop pathways for more composers to receive this kind of support.”
The partnership is supported by ACF | connect, a program that establishes relationships between ACF and various organizations to provide transformational support to today’s music creators. Each iteration catalyzes new ways for organizations and audiences to connect with a spectrum of contemporary artists and musical approaches. Previous collaborations include the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, Roomful of Teeth, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians® (AACM)’s Great Black Music Ensemble, and Music of the Unsung America.
American Composers Forum’s ACF | connect program is made possible with the outstanding generosity of the following individuals: Jane Anfinson, Thomas Arneson, Suzanne Asher, Carol Barnett, Pearl and Bob Bergad, Margee and Will Bracken, Karen Brooks, Richard Cisek and Kay Fredericks, Dee Ann and Kent Crossley, Julia W. Dayton, C. Lee Essrig, Rosemary & David Good Family Foundation, Katherine Goodale, Jeff and Hyun Mee Graves, Carol Heen, Steve Heitzeg and Gwen Pappas, Kathleen Henschel and John Dewes, Linda and Jack Hoeschler, Leaetta Hough and Bob Muschewske, Sam Hsu and Sally Cheng, Hella Mears Hueg Estate Gift, Thelma Hunter Estate Gift, John and Ruth Huss, George Frederick Jewett Foundation East, Art and Martha Kaemmer, Jon Lewis and Lisa Merklin, Mike and Kay McCarthy, Greg McNeely, Alfred and Ann Moore, Louis and Gloria Nuechterlein, John Nuechterlein and Dan Monson, John and Debbie Orenstein, I.A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation in memory of Thelma Hunter, David and Judy Ranheim, Denice Rippentrop, Vanessa Rose, Bill and Susan Sands, Gale Sharpe, Doug and Kathy Skor, Dan and Ellie Thomas, Stephen and Jayne Usery, Kathleen van Bergen, Janika Vandervelde, Jim Wafler, and Margaret and Angus Wurtele.
About the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music (GLFCAM)
Founded in 2017 by internationally acclaimed composer and pianist Gabriela Lena Frank, GLFCAM helps composers of any aesthetic and demographic, and from emerging through mid-career levels, to develop self-determined 21st century lives. GLFCAM’s mission centers on the creative habit, community, and eco-citizenship, forming years-long relationships with composers. As a result, composers are provided a rich array of opportunities such as collaborating on new works with renowned performer-mentors; taking online classes and practicums; composing large scale symphonies under fair commission rates with readings of the work-in-progress; teaching in youth music programs in underserved rural areas; participating in a multi-year peer-supported study group on climate intelligence and the arts; and becoming skilled communicators – cultural witnesses – in both spoken and written word. GLFCAM alumni are leading composers in the international music fields as well as teachers and professors, non-profit administrators, therapists, hospice workers, and civic volunteers.
About American Composers Forum
ACF supports and advocates for individuals and groups creating music today by demonstrating the vitality and relevance of their art. We connect artists with collaborators, organizations, audiences, and resources. Through storytelling, publications, recordings, hosted gatherings, and industry leadership, we activate equitable opportunities for artists. We provide direct funding and mentorship to a broad and diverse field of music creators, highlighting those who have been historically excluded from participation.
Founded in 1973 by composers Libby Larsen and Stephen Paulus as the Minnesota Composers Forum, the organization continues to invest in its Minnesota home while connecting artists and advocates across the United States, its territories, and beyond. ACF frames our work with a focus on racial equity and includes within that scope, but not limit it to, diverse gender identities, musical approaches and perspectives, religions, ages, (dis)abilities, cultures, backgrounds, sexual orientations, and broad definitions of “American.” Visit www.composersforum.org for more information.
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