New Adventures

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) will honor nine chamber music and jazz ensembles, festivals and presenters for their adventurous programming at the annual Chamber Music America (CMA) National Conference on January 17, 2009.

The ASCAP Adventurous Programming Awards were initiated 22 years ago to provide special recognition to ensembles, festivals and presenters that prominently feature new works. The ASCAP winners are members of Chamber Music America chosen by a panel selected by CMA. The award winners receive cash awards and/or plaques.

Frances Richard, ASCAP Vice President and Director of Concert Music, will present the awards on January 17 at 4:30 p.m. at the Westin New York at Times Square (207 W. 43rd Street, New York City). After the presentation, Frank J. Oteri, composer and editor of the webzine NewMusicBox.org, will moderate a session in which the award recipients will be invited to discuss their experiences about performing and presenting new music.

Commenting on the awards, Richard said: "On behalf of our composers and publishers, we are proud to recognize those members of Chamber Music America who have demonstrated their strong commitment to the music of our time during the past season. Their excellent performances ensure the continuity and vitality of our great music tradition."

ASCAP takes pleasure in welcoming the Music Centre The Netherlands (MCN) which has generously offered to invite and host the first prize winners of the CMA/ASCAP Adventurous Programming Awards as participants in their Dutch Chamber Music Meetings in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, October 9 - 12, 2009. At the DCMM-2009, international presenters gather for meetings, concerts and discussions about the current trends in the field of Chamber Music.

The 2009 recipients are listed below by category:

Presenters/Festivals - Ten or More Concerts
1st: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
(Washington, DC)
2nd: Da Camera of Houston (Houston, TX)

Presenters/Festivals - Nine or Fewer Concerts
1st: Other Minds (San Francisco, CA)
2nd: Grand Canyon Music Festival (Grand Canyon, AZ)

Chamber Music Ensembles - Mixed Repertory
1st: Calder Quartet (Los Angeles, CA)
2nd: Chameleon Arts Ensemble of Boston (Boston, MA)

Chamber Music Ensembles - New Music
1st: newEar (Kansas City, MO)
2nd: JACK Quartet (New York, NY)

Jazz Ensembles
1st: James Carney Group (Brooklyn, NY)