Performances & Events

Detroit, MI – On Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at 1:30pm and Saturday, March 9, 2019 at 11am, EarShot (the National Orchestral Composition Discovery Network) and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO), present the readings of new works by four emerging composers at Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center (3711 Woodward Avenue). The New Music Readings will be the culmination of a series of private readings, feedback sessions, and work with mentor composers Gabriela Lena Frank, Derek Bermel, DSO’s Classical Roots composer-in-residence Jonathan Bailey Holland, as well as conductor André Raphel. The selected composers and their works, chosen from a national call for scores that yielded 54 applicants, are Brian Nabors (Rise), Marian L. Harrison Stephens (Out of Kilter), Anthony Tidd (Sa & Alatangana), and Kerwin Young (American Caravan). In addition to the orchestral readings, the DSO EarShot residency includes a professional development component on building skills in education and community engagement. From March 1-4, participant composers will receive hands-on training, through collaboration with DSO Teaching Artists, guest composer Jessie Montgomery, and ACO Education Director Kevin James, to explore the basics of student engagement and will present composition basics to students in local public schools. All DSO EarShot activities occur during the DSO's annual Classical Roots presentation, which has celebrated the contributions of African-Americans to classical music for 41 years. More information is available here: www.dso.org/classicalroots. EarShot, an initiative of American Composers Orchestra (ACO) in partnership with American Composers Forum, League of American Orchestras, and New Music USA, is the nation’s first ongoing program for identifying and promoting the most promising orchestral composers on the national stage. ACO’s artistic and administrative staff collaborates with participating orchestras, assisting with planning, program design, and execution. EarShot residencies include mentorship from the most accomplished orchestral composers in the country, orchestra readings, and musician and conductor feedback sessions. The program is customized to each host orchestra’s aesthetic, demographic, community, and educational interests. Additional EarShot readings this season occurred with Grand Rapids Symphony (September 26-30, 2018) and are upcoming with Sarasota Orchestra (March 12-16, 2019) and American Composers Orchestra (Underwood New Music Readings, May 23-24, 2019).