Meet the Composer
Industry Links
Of particular interest…
The American Composers Forum and the American Music Center offer a wide range of resources and opportunities of particular interest to composers and the performers of their work.
Fundraising Resources
Check out these helpful resources to assist your fundraising efforts.
- NYFA Source: comprehensive listings of grants, residencies, and other opportunities for artists
- Foundation Center: Numerous informational guides, extensive listings of grants and other resources for both non-profits and individuals
Fiscal Sponsorship
Since most foundation funding is awarded to nonprofits rather than to individuals, affiliating yourself with an organization or obtaining a fiscal sponsor can increase your likelihood of receiving funding. Most such affiliations with fiscal sponsors are rather formal, based on a written contract that spells out who will do what, and some sponsors will extract a fee for this service. Here are some suggestions to get you started.
Commissioning Funds
Other sources of commissioning funds for new music.
- American Composers Forum
- American Music Center
- Argosy Foundation Contemporary Music Fund
- Barlow Endowment for Music Composition
- Chamber Music America
- Fromm Music Foundation
- Jerome Foundation
- Koussevitzky Music Foundations
- MAP Fund
- National Endowment for the Arts
- New York State Council on the Arts
Music Service Organizations
These organizations offer a number of valuable services for composers or for musicians looking to perform and commission new music.
- American Music Center
- American Composers Forum
- Chamber Music America
- Chorus America
- Opera America
- League of American Orchestras
Musical Resources and Information
Some informational resources about new music in general.
- NewMusicBox: Web magazine about contemporary American music
- Sequenza21: an ever-lively new music blog
- Electronic Music Foundation: an important resource for electronic music
Music Publishers
- Bill Holab Music
- Boosey & Hawkes
- European American
- G. Schirmer
- Schott Music
- Subito Music
- Music Publishers’ Association Directory
Other Resources
- Boosey & Hawkes' Using Music Under Copyright for Musical Dramas and Dance: a helpful guide on licensing copyrighted music.
- MusiCares: emergency assistance for musicians provided by the Grammy Foundation
- Fractured Atlas: health and liability insurance, modest professional development grants, other discounted services for members
- Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts: low-cost or pro bono legal services in select areas of the country
- Foundation for Contemporary Arts: small, quick turn-around grants to cover unexpected expenses in completing or presenting work
- American Composers Forum, Subito Grants: quick turnaround, career advancement grants for composers and new music performers/ensembles, available only in certain areas
- American Music Center, Live Music for Dance: funds for dance companies in New York and New Jersey to perform with live musicians and to commission composers to create new music for dance.
- National Performing Arts Convention: a continually updated compendium of useful information, links, articles, research, how-to guides, and other tools addressing advocacy, artists, education, diversity and technology for all the performing arts.
If you know of other important resources that should be listed here, please contact us »