League of American Orchestras Spotlights Women Composers

Partnering with the American Composers Orchestra, a second 30-orchestra consortium has launched to highlight women composers nationwide 

With over 1,600 members across the music industry, the League of American Orchestras (LAO) was founded in 1942 to support America’s orchestras; the American Composers Orchestra (ACO) was formed in 1977, as a collective of New York City musicians to perform orchestral music by American composers. 

Following the success of the first 30-orchestra consortium in the 2022/23 season through LAO and ACO’s Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program, a second consortium will take place from 2024 to 2026.

Founded in 2014, the program has commissioned works from 28 women and non-binary composers. The initiative’s new edition will increase the number of new works and repeat performances by women composers programmed across the country.

For its 2023/24 round, six women composers received commissions; six lead orchestras will premiere their commissioned works in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons.

The recipients and lead orchestras are:

• Brittany J. Green | Jacksonville Symphony
• Moni (Jasmine) Guo | Dallas Symphony Orchestra
• Karena Ingram | Memphis Symphony Orchestra
• Chelsea Komschlies | Tucson Symphony Orchestra
• Marina López | Grand Rapids Symphony
• Meilina Tsui | Artis Naples — Naples Philharmonic

Over the coming months, 24 additional orchestras will be selected for repeat performances in 2024 through 2026, leading to a consortium of 30 U.S. orchestras (five orchestras paired with each composer).

The six composers will receive networking opportunities, mentoring, career development, and community engagement, plus will meet annually at the LAO’s National Conference — held in Houston from June 6 - 8, 2024.

Additionally, the commission recipients were selected from those who participated in the EarShot reading sessions — an ACO initiative formed alongside the American Composers Forum, LAO, and New Music USA. 

Orchestras interested in participating in the consortium can fill out an online response form by February 1, 2024. 

“We are thrilled … to advance the work of these six incredible artists,” said ACO’s president and CEO Melissa Ngan in the press release. “[This] year is particularly special because half of the lead partners are continuing a relationship with an artist they met through the (Earshot) program over the last two seasons. These sustained creative relationships are key, and we look forward to making many more connections through this unprecedented consortium.”

“The Trustees of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation are proud to continue its program for women and non-binary composers with the League of American Orchestras and American Composers Orchestra,” added trustee Alexander C. Sanger. “The gender gap in works performed by symphony orchestras here and abroad remains too wide but is not insurmountable, thanks to this program. Mrs. Toulmin believed in equal opportunity and fairness for women, and this program embodies those values. We wish the composers a brighter future.”

“Recent data has documented a marked increase in orchestral performances of works by women on American stages, and there’s no doubt that the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation’s vision and support have played a key role in this,” said LAO’s president and CEO Simon Woods. “Now a second consortium of 30 orchestras will spread the creative voices of women even further, resulting in more performances, deeper community engagement, and meaningful mentoring — all in support of greater equity within the orchestra field.”