Learn what ACO can do for your students through both our in-school and out-of-school programs
To use composition as a platform to unlock students’ creativity, producing opportunities for achievement in the arts as well as academic and social advancement.
For 40 years, we have worked with over 25 schools and reach an estimated 2,000 students annually. Our mission is to develop creative minds and open a pathway to creative careers with an emphasis on all groups and voices that are essential to the American story.
The Compose Yourself program has opened my mind to new ways to interpret and listen to music.
Known for the breadth of his palette and original concepts, his music ranges from the gospel-inflected
to the microtonal, from works for young singers to improv orchestras, with and without electronics,
from the raucous to the sublime.
New York Times critics named the works of his Vanishing Languages Project among the “Best of 2013… as haunting as they were riveting”. The project received a feature story on the syndicated PRI program, The World, and Chicago Classical included the first of the works among its “Top Ten Performances of 2011”. More recent commissions include a work for Quintet of the Americas, focused on the collision of natural and urban environments in Rockaway, Queens, his Guerrilla Fanfare, a headlining event for Make Music festivals in New York and Chicago, and a work for Mivos String Quartet and Mantra Percussion using surround audio drawn from field recordings of the howler
monkeys of Ometepe Island in Nicaragua.
Kevin has been deeply involved in education throughout his career, including over 60 university guest artist residencies. His work with younger students began through his selection for the prestigious Meet The Composer/New Residencies Program, which placed him in partnership with Coalition for the Homeless and the NYC Police Athletic League, where he served for 8 years as the Director of Arts Learning prior to joining the team at ACO. During that time and since, Kevin has been an influential voice in world of arts education, designing and initiating programs, serving on expert panels, and consulting on behalf of educational groups large and small throughout the US.
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American Composers Orchestra (ACO) is dedicated to the creation, celebration, performance, and promotion of orchestral music by American composers. With commitment to diversity, disruption and discovery, ACO produces concerts, pre-college and college education programs, and emerging composer professional development to foster a community of creators, audience, performers, collaborators, and funders.
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