American Composers Orchestra and American Composers Forum Announce Composer Andreia Pinto Correia as the Inaugural Recipient of The Sorel Award
Three-Year Opportunity for Mid-Career Women Composers Includes the Workshopping and Premiere of a New Orchestral Work, Personalized Professional Development, Active Relationship Building Resources, and Booking Support
“[Pinto Correia’s work is] a major contribution to the dissemination of Portugal’s culture and language, perhaps a contribution larger than could ever be imagined.” – Jornal de Letras
www.americancomposers.org | www.composersforum.org
New York, NY (February 13, 2025) – The American Composers Orchestra and American Composers Forum today announced a new joint initiative: The Sorel Award, a three-year opportunity for mid-career women composers that includes the workshopping and premiere of a newly-commissioned orchestral work, personalized professional development, active relationship-building, and booking support. One award will be offered every three years, and the inaugural recipient is composer Andreia Pinto Correia.
This newly endowed award is made possible with a significant grant from The Elizabeth and Michel Sorel Charitable Organization, Inc., and offers catalytic support for mid-career women composers in the U.S. Addressing the needs articulated by composers served by ACO and ACF, The Sorel Award is supported by the Sorel Endowment for Women in Music, honoring pianist, educator, and philanthropist Claudette Sorel, and the memory of her parents, Elizabeth and Michel.
“Over the last few years, I’ve been asking, ‘What does a woman composer need to advance her career, to have more opportunities for recognition and creative success? And how can The Sorel Organization help?’” says Wende Persons, Managing Director of The Sorel Organization. “The answer, over and over, is that composers need advocates. Someone looking out for them. This award is truly unique. Two powerhouse new music organizations will be focusing together, combining the strengths of each organization as a mighty force—as advocates—for The Sorel Award recipient throughout her three-year term. There is nothing like this in the field.”
Inaugural recipient of The Sorel Award, Andreia Pinto Correia, composes music described as “compellingly meditative” (The Boston Globe) and an “aural fabric” (The New York Times). Her work is characterized by close attention to harmonic detail and timbral color. Following a family tradition of scholars and writers, her work often reflects the influence of literary sources from the Iberian Peninsula and beyond.
"The Sorel Award is an exciting and unique opportunity to deepen my relationship with the daring musicians of ACO,” Pinto Correia says. “I very much look forward to working with American Composers Forum and other esteemed artistic partners over the next three years.”
"It is a special occasion to have partnerships so organically come together with aligned values and complementary activities. We are excited to launch this new program together with Andreia, an accomplished and vital composer, with so many more creative ideas that we need to hear," says ACF's Executive Director, Vanessa Rose. "Working with our friends at ACO and with the legacy support of The Sorel Organization, we can provide unprecedented support for women at this point in their career, and encourage others in our field to do the same."
Award activities include one co-commissioned orchestral piece (10-15 minutes), which will be workshopped through ACO’s EarShot CoLABoratory program and premiered by ACO at Carnegie Hall, or a similar venue; professional audio and video recording following the ACO performance to be commercially released, access to CoLABoratory Residencies; and an invitation to contribute an essay and/or interview to be featured on ACF’s Anatomy of a Commission series on I CARE IF YOU LISTEN. Over three years, the awardee will work with both organizations and an artist manager partner to assess and elevate their profile, develop relationships, and optimize the award to cultivate a greater portfolio of opportunities. ACO will include the commissioned work in its EarShot Publishing catalog, administered in partnership with Boosey & Hawkes, providing additional promotional support towards subsequent performances. Composers will have ongoing full access to the two partners’ suite of expertise and services, including 1:1 strategy sessions, marketing help, contract questions, fundraising guidance, and project support.
Candidates for The Sorel Awards are identified by the partners through ACF and ACO’s existing open call processes, including EarShot Readings and CoLABoratory national open calls, ACF Create, McKnight Composer Fellowships and McKnight Visiting Composers, and Innova Recordings. Candidates will have had some demonstrated success with orchestras via participation in composer advancement programs, commissions, and performances, but will be at the career stage where the program is essential towards achieving career momentum and sustainability in their activities with orchestras.
By addressing some of the biggest obstacles for women composers today, The Sorel Awardees will not only receive important support to activate opportunities to work with orchestras, but also develop skills, relationships, and strategies to elevate and sustain their career beyond the award period.
"We are thrilled to inaugurate The Sorel Award in partnership with ACF and with the faith and support of The Sorel Endowment for Women in Music,” says ACO’s President and CEO, Melissa Ngan. “This partnership connects the core strengths of each organization, providing individualized and sustained support in career advancement and the development of definition-expanding works for orchestras. It is designed to address the critical mid-point in any composer’s career where fewer support structures exist to build and sustain momentum. Andreia’s expansive imagination, experiences in multiple roles as a creative artist, and fluency across musical languages and forms make her a very exciting choice as our first awardee, and we greatly look forward to working closely with her over these next three years.”
About Andreia Pinto Correia
The prestigious literary magazine Jornal de Letras describes Andreia Pinto Correia’s compositions as “a major contribution to the dissemination of Portugal’s culture and language, perhaps a contribution larger than could ever be imagined.” Her work — described by The New York Classical Review as "notated and formed with superb craft…dazzles the mind and punches its way into the heart,” “compellingly meditative” by The Boston Globe, an “aural fabric” by The New York Times, and “fascinating” by the San Francisco Classical Voice — is characterized by close attention to harmonic detail and timbral color. Following a family tradition of scholars and writers, her work often reflects the influence of literary sources from the Iberian Peninsula and beyond.
Recent highlights include Cortejo, a L.A. Philharmonic commission with generous support from the Esa-Pekka Salonen Commissions Fund and Os pássaros da noite (The Birds of Night), a New York Philharmonic commission, both led by Maestro Gustavo Dudamel. Her work Reverdecer, Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra, co-commissioned by the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (OSESP, Brazil) and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Lisbon, Portugal) for virtuoso Jay Campell, had European and South American premieres in 2023 and 2024. Her string quartet Aere senza stelle for Brooklyn Rider has been touring the world as part of their new project The Four Elements, a commission by the Vail Dance Festival, Damian Woetzel, artistic director.
Honors include an Arts and Letters Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, and the DSCH Shostakovich Award for her “contribution to the excellence of Portuguese classical music” from the Ministry of Culture of Portugal. She has received additional commissions from the European Union Presidency, Tanglewood Music Center/ Boston Symphony Orchestra, Washington Performing Arts (Kennedy Center), Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, League of American Orchestras and the Toulmin Foundation, Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition at the University of Chicago, Chamber Music America, National Symphony and National Dance Company of Portugal, and Culturgest/National Bank of Portugal, among others.
Pinto Correia was the curator of the Fertile Crescent Festival for Contemporary Music at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and composer in residence with contemporary music ensemble OrchestrUtópica (Lisbon). She received the Honorary Title of Fellow of the Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, where she was a guest of the ARC Laureate Program for the Deep Human Past and the Indigenous Linguistics Alliance (Fall 2018). She has collaborated with an array of artists and scholars including historian Prof. Ann McGrath (Australia), marine biologist Dr. Claudio Campagna (Argentina), filmmakers Daniel Blaufuks and Salomé Lamas (Portugal), writers Mia Couto (Mozambique), Ondjaki (Angola), Betty Shamieh (Palestine/USA), her father — medievalist and poet Prof. João David Pinto Correia — (Portugal), and choreographers Omayra Amaya (Spain/USA) and Victor Pontes (Portugal).
Additional highlights include the world premiere of Night Migrations, a piano trio commissioned by Chamber Music America for the Horszowski Trio, and a string quartet for the JACK Quartet (String Quartet No.1, Unvanquished Space), commissioned by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Her concerto for orchestra, Timaeus, commissioned by the Boston Symphony’s Tanglewood Music Center in memory of Elliott Carter, was premiered at the opening concert of the Festival’s 75th anniversary. She has also been the recipient of a League of American Orchestras/ New Music USA Music Alive Composer Residency, a Rockefeller Foundation Center Fellowship, a Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship, the Alpert Award in the Arts/Ucross Residency Prize, a Bogliasco Foundation Fellowship, and residencies from MacDowell and Sacatar Foundation.
Born in Portugal, Andreia Pinto Correia began her musical studies in her native Lisbon at the Academia de Amadores de Música, the Escola de Jazz Luíz Villas-Boas, and the University of Lisbon. She holds a double B.A. from the Berklee College of Music and Masters and Doctoral of Music degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music in Composition. Recently she was Visiting Associate Professor of Composition at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, and is currently faculty and co-curator of the Gamper Music New Music Series at the Bowdoin International Festival. She currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
Photo credit: Daniel Blaufuks
About American Composers Orchestra
In 1977, a collective of fearless New York City musicians came together to form the American Composers Orchestra (ACO), an ensemble dedicated to the creation, celebration, performance, and promotion of orchestral music by American composers. Over more than 40 years committed to artistry, creativity, community and equity, ACO has blossomed into a national institution that not only cultivates and develops the careers of living composers, but also provides composers a direct pipeline to partnerships with many of America’s major symphony orchestras.
In addition to its annual season, presented by Carnegie Hall since 1987, the ACO serves as a New York City hub where the most forward-thinking experimental American musicians come together to hone and realize new art by developing talent, established composers, and underrepresented voices, increasing the regional, national, and international awareness of the infinite variety of American orchestral music.
ACO produces national educational programs for all ages, and composer advancement programs to foster a community of creators, audience, performers, collaborators, and funders – all dedicated to American composition.
To date, ACO has performed music by 800 American composers, including over 350 world premieres and newly commissioned works. Recent and notable commissioned composers include John Luther Adams, Andy Akiho, Clarice Assad, Carlos Bandera, Courtney Bryan, Valerie Coleman, Dai Wei, Du Yun, inti figgis-vizueta, Marcus Gilmore, Vijay Iyer, Yvette Janine Jackson, Joan La Barbara, Steve Lehman, Tania León, Paula Matthusen, Trevor New, Mendi + Keith Obadike, Ellen Reid, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Carlos Simon, Henry Threadgill, and many more.
Now encompassing all of ACO’s composer advancement initiatives, EarShot is the first ongoing, systematic program for developing relationships between composers and orchestras on the national level. Through orchestral readings, CoLABoratory fellowships, consortium commissions, publishing, and professional development, EarShot ensures a vibrant musical future by investing in creativity today. Serving over 350 composers since its inception, ACO Readings in NYC began in 1991, and since 2008, national Readings have been offered in partnership with orchestras across the country in collaboration with American Composers Forum, the League of American Orchestras, and New Music USA. EarShot Readings composers have gone on to win every major composition award, including the Pulitzer, Grammy, Grawemeyer, American Academy of Arts and Letters, and Rome Prizes.
ACO has received numerous awards for its work, including those from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and from BMI Foundation, Inc., recognizing the orchestra’s outstanding contribution to American music. ASCAP has awarded ACO its annual prize for adventurous programming 35 times, singling out ACO as “the orchestra that has done the most for new American music in the United States.” ACO received the inaugural MetLife Award for Excellence in Audience Engagement, and a proclamation from the New York City Council. Learn more at www.americancomposers.org.
About American Composers Forum
ACF’s mission is to support and advocate for individuals and groups creating music today by demonstrating the vitality and relevance of their art. The organization does this by empowering composers with resources and funding, modeling creative partnerships, and advocating for artists through storytelling and connections. Working with an ecosystem of artists, programmers, presenters, teachers, funders, and audiences, we frame all of our work with a commitment to equity believing a fairer world benefits all of us.
ACF organized in 1973 as an artist collective led by co-founders Libby Larsen and Stephen Paulus. They incorporated in 1975 as the Minnesota Composers Forum and focused their early efforts on a series of concerts featuring the music of their members. In the early 1980s the organization expanded their services by launching the Jerome Composer Commissioning Program (ACF create) (1979), the McKnight Composer Fellowships (1982) and innova® recordings (1983) – all of which continue today. One of the earliest public advocacy initiatives was the Composers Voice program with Minnesota Public Radio (1993), a series of 13 one-hour broadcasts featuring prominent national composers such as John Adams, Meredith Monk and Philip Glass among others.
In 1996 the Board of Directors adopted the current name of American Composers Forum (ACF) in recognition of its growing national reach. Continental Harmony was launched in 1998 as a millennium celebration in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Among its more singular historical programs was the First Nations Composer Initiative from 2004-2010 to support the unique needs of Native American composers and performers.
Over the course of five decades, ACF has nurtured the work of thousands of composers. The innova recording label has released nearly 800 titles, and the Quest commissioning and publishing series for students and intergenerational ensembles has reached nearly one million students. In 2020, ACF acquired the multimedia hub I CARE IF YOU LISTEN, which has enabled the organization to support more artists and writers, expand the diversity of music criticism, and share more stories about and by music creators, performers, industry leaders, and curious listeners. Visit www.composersforum.org to learn more.
About The Sorel Organization
Pianist, educator and philanthropist Claudette Sorel was a tireless advocate for women in music. In 1996 she established the Elizabeth and Michel Sorel Charitable Organization, Inc. as a 501(c)(3) private foundation, named for her parents. After her death in 1999, Sorel Trustees carried on her mission to expand opportunities and stretch the boundaries for women musicians in the fields of conducting, composition, film scoring, performance, arts leadership, technology, education, and scholarship. She was particularly interested in women composers and conductors, seeing these as measurable areas of change in gender equity.
Notable activities of The Sorel Organization included Sorel Medallions in Recording, the Sorel Classics label, the Sorel Choral Competition for women composers, the Claudette Sorel Piano Competition, composer residencies in the UK and USA, and multiple scholarships and commissions. When the Sorel Organization closed its doors at the end of 2024, it left a legacy of nine Claudette Sorel endowment funds at the New York Philharmonic, American Composers Forum, American Composers Orchestra, American Pianists Association, National Arts Club, New Music USA, New York University (film music scholarships), Voices of Ascension, and the State University of New York at Fredonia where Claudette Sorel taught for many years.
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The Sorel Award is supported by the Sorel Endowment for Women in Music, honoring pianist, educator, and philanthropist Claudette Sorel, and the memory of her parents, Elizabeth and Michel. The Endowment is made possible through extraordinary gifts from The Elizabeth and Michel Sorel Charitable Organization, Inc.
American Composers Orchestra is grateful to the many organizations that make its programs possible including Arthur F. & Alice E. Adams Charitable Fund, Altman Foundation, Amphion Foundation, Benevity, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, BMI Foundation, BMI, Inc., Charity Navigator's Giving Basket, Cheswatyr Foundation, Edward T. Cone Foundation, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Ford Foundation’s Good Neighbor Committee, Give Lively, Francis B. Goelet Charitable Trust, Fromm Music Foundation, Steven R. Gerber Trust, G. Schirmer/Wise Music Foundation, The Hearst Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Jephson Educational Trusts, Jerome Foundation, MacMillan Family Foundation, Mellon Foundation, New Music USA’s Organization Fund, The New York Community Trust (Musical Arts Fund, Clara Lewisohn Rossin Trust, and Edward and Sally Van Lier Fund), Pacific Harmony Foundation, Paypal Giving Fund, Rexford Fund, Sphinx Venture Fund, TD Charitable Foundation, Turrell Fund, UKOGF Foundation, Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.
Corporate gifts to match employee contributions are made by Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, Triton Container International Incorporated of North America, and Neiman Marcus.
Public funds are provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
American Composers Forum gratefully acknowledges the generous individuals and the following government agencies, private foundations, and corporations for significant contributions in general operating and/or projects funds: Amphion Foundation, Athwin Foundation, BMI Foundation, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, Dr. Fred Noah Gordon Charitable Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation, Hardenbergh Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Art and Martha Kaemmer Fund of HRK Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Margaret Rivers Fund, McKnight Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, National Endowment for the Arts, Rubin Institute for Music Criticism, The Elizabeth and Michel Sorel Charitable Organization, Inc., Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, Walder Foundation.
