Chen Yi: San Francisco, CA
Composer Chen Yi's 1993-1996 residency had a lasting effect on the partner organizations involved: The Women's Philharmonic, Chanticleer, and Aptos Middle School, all based in San Francisco, California. She created three new works that were premiered by The Women's Philharmonic to critical acclaim, and greatly increased in the visibility of the orchestra through recordings, pre-concert talks, radio and print interviews, and extensive outreach in the Bay Area Chinese community.

Dr. Chen worked extensively with Chanticleer over several months to teach the western-trained men the art of Chinese-style singing. The chorus performed Dr. Chen's new works to diverse audiences in the United States and Asia, where they were warmly received. For Aptos Middle School students, Dr. Chen created a version of her composition Set of Chinese Folk Songs with orchestral interludes suitable for a middle school choir and orchestra. She spent countless hours with the students coaching rehearsals and giving music theory classes, in preparation for performances in the schools and at the Chinese Cultural Center in San Francisco, with students performing side-by-side with Chanticleer and a string quartet from the Philharmonic.

Additionally, Dr. Chen spent time in several other schools around the Bay Area, giving lectures, supervising rehearsals, and attending student performances. Both The Women's Philharmonic and Chanticleer retained ties with Chen Yi following the residency, and her music continues to be included in the programming of both groups.

Alice Gomez & Edward Garcia: San Antonio, TX
The San Antonio Symphony, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, and the Westside Parish Coalition of San Antonio hosted composers Alice Gomez and Edward Garcia for their three year joint residency. Ms. Gomez and Mr. Garcia created many new works for orchestra and smaller ensembles, in styles influenced by traditional forms of Mexican music both in Mexico and in South Texas (Conjunto, Tejano, Norteno, and Danza Folklorica). In addition to the numerous performances of these new works, the composers engaged in pre-concert activities, special symposia, lectures and demonstrations, and a major festival called Music for the Americas.

As Hispanic composers, Ms. Gomez and Mr. Garcia were uniquely equipped to instruct the classically-trained Symphony musicians in the various styles of Latin American music, and to hold musical education events in the Hispanic communities which the Westside Parish Coalition serves.

Anne LeBaron: Washington, DC
Composer Anne LeBaron held a residency with the Washington DC Youth Orchestra, Horizons Theater Company, and the National Learning Center at the Capital Children's Museum. Ms. LeBaron composed new works for all three organizations, including Croak: A Concerto for Orchestra, with narration written in collaboration with Leslie Jacobs of Horizons Theater. Croak, which focused on current environmental and societal issues, was performed by the Youth Orchestra and a vocal quartet.

Besides the performance and education-based aspects of her residency, Ms. LeBaron initiated a competition for composers in the Washington area to write music for the DC Youth Orchestra, and advised the three host organizations on new works suitable for the orchestra's programming.

Erik Lundborg: Eugene, OR
The Eugene Ballet Company, the Eugene Symphony Orchestra, and the Eugene Kiwanis Club in Oregon all hosted Erik Lundborg as Composer-In-Residence from 1993-1995. His new ballet The Skinwalkers, written during the residency, premiered successfully to audiences in Eugene and Boise, Idaho in April 1995. The Skinwalkers centers around the culture of the Anasazi, who are believed to be the ancestors of the Pueblo, Hopi, and Navajo people who presently reside in the Southwestern United States.

Other works performed during Mr. Lundborg's tenure with these organizations included a new fanfare for the Ballet and the Kiwanis Club, his piece Blowout, presented by the Eugene Symphony at the American Symphony Orchestra League's annual conference, and a dance piece, Quartet, choreographed to Mr. Lundborg's pre-existing string quartet performed by members of the Eugene Ballet.