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ARTISTRY, CREATIVITY, OPPORTUNITY
Who we are. The American Composers Orchestra (ACO) is a national discovery and development pipeline for new orchestral music, focused on bringing the full spectrum of American music to orchestral stages, providing a gateway to the orchestral composition and performance process, and amplifying the expressive power of orchestral music to enable a vibrant future for all Americans. We've made incredible strides over the past 4+ decades, and we are just getting started.
What we do. For composers of all experience levels, we offer an end-to-end composition accelerator to get you from idea to performance in partnership with orchestras nationwide. For orchestral commissioners, we offer a comprehensive suite of resources and relationships to realize your artistic vision. For students and educators, we offer an array of programs and resources designed to nurture creativity through music composition and improvisation. For our country, we bring new works into the world that represent the American experience through the imagination of today’s composers.
Meet ACO
Founded in 1977 by a collective of fearless musicians based in NYC, the American Composers Orchestra expands the definition of American orchestral music to ensure a vibrant and inclusive future. Over more than 40 years committed 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.
Composer Advancement
For over 40 years, ACO has discovered and developed the careers of composers whose work expands the definition of American orchestral music. Our national EarShot composer advancement initiatives are the nation’s first ongoing, systemic program for building relationships between composers and orchestras through Readings, CoLABoratory fellowships, consortium commissions, and professional development.
Performances and Events
Join us for electrifying performances featuring world premiere works by artists whose creativity knows no bounds. The American Composers Orchestra performs at Carnegie Hall, the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, the Apollo Theater, and beyond.
Educational Programs
For 30 years, ACO has positioned music composition as a gateway to creative thinking, problem solving, and self-expression. Our long-term Sonic Spark residencies nurture the imagination through creative rituals and play, cultivating personal, social, and academic growth. Sonic Spark serves students at all levels of experience, including those who have never played an instrument before, are learning to write music for the first time, or are on track to develop high level careers in the field.
Featured Artists
Cheng Jin Koh
Cheng Jin Koh is a New York City–based composer and yangqin performer whose music has resonated on international stages from the Smithsonian to the Singapore Symphony. Merging lyrical intensity with bold cross-cultural imagination, her work channels spiritual depth and narrative clarity to dissolve boundaries between tradition and the avant-garde. Koh's masterpiece, "Midnight Visions" was recently featured in our 2025 EarShot Readings at Manhattan School of Music.
Brittany J. Green (she/her) is a North Carolina-based composer and interdisciplinary artist whose work bridges sound, technology, and movement. Rooted in Black feminist theory and sonic experimentation, her immersive practice has earned recognition from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New Music USA, and performances by leading ensembles like JACK Quartet and International Contemporary Ensemble. Her work will presented at Carnegie Hall on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
Moni (Jasmine) Guo is a pianist and award-winning composer of concert and film music, originally from Taiyuan, China and now based in Cincinnati, where she serves as Assistant Professor of Commercial Music Production at CCM. Known for weaving Eastern and Western traditions into emotionally resonant soundscapes, her work has been performed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, featured at festivals from Cannes to Sundance, and recognized by ASCAP, Forbes China, and the Student Academy Awards. Learn more about her works here.
