American Composers Orchestra Hosts 2024 Gala And Creative Catalyst Awards

The American Composers Orchestra (ACO) presents an evening of honors and top-tier performances during its third annual Gala and Creative Catalyst Awards on October 15, 2024 at 6:00pm at Bryant Park Grill in New York City. ACO's gala, co-chaired by Dr. Indira Etwaroo, Melin Tan-Geller, MD, and Lana Turner, honors the contributions of visionary leaders who exemplify the organization's core values of artistry, creativity, community, and equity.

This year's gala embraces a theme of “Raise Up!” as ACO celebrates a trio of musical visionaries: Regina Carter, ‍MacArthur Fellow, Doris Duke Award recipient and multi-GRAMMY Award-nominated violinist; Hollis King, ‍Emeritus Creative Director and VP, Verve Group; and the BMI Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting creators of American music through awards, scholarships, grants and commissions.

Gala supporters will enjoy an evening of original music from leading artists while celebrating ACO's work to expand the definition of American orchestral music to ensure an inclusive and vibrant future. Guests will start by enjoying cocktail hour on the roof terrace, in view of the iconic New York Public Library. Moving to the Garden for awards, performances and dinner, guests will enjoy a scrumptious meal, sparkling company and one-of-a-kind performances before closing the night with dancing under the stars, all while supporting ACO's mission. 

Proceeds from the gala will support ACO's full suite of programs, including EarShot Readings, the invaluable mentorship program for emerging composers to hear their scores rehearsed and performed by top orchestras across the U.S., Canada and Mexico; EarShot CoLABoratory Fellowships, a platform for composers whose work is experimental and/or rooted in musical traditions underrepresented in the orchestral repertoire; and Sonic Spark Lab, programs geared to students from middle school to college-age, that offer musical training and composing instruction to more than 500 students in New York City and Detroit. In addition, ACO has professional audio and video recordings of all New York City-based engagements for its orchestra, including programs at Carnegie Hall and New York-based EarShot Readings.

In the spirit of supporting American composers through ACO's national EarShot composer advancement programs, orchestral performances and educational initiatives, the gala will “Raise Up!” to celebrate new music, new connections and new ideas catalyzed by communal presence.

Showcasing all that American orchestral music can truly be and do, performances include an original composition by Regina Carter, sound sculpting by Apache violinist Laura Ortman, Gospel-inspired music by bass virtuoso Kebra-Seyoun Charles, the infectious collective energy of Harlem Samba, the warm vocal stylings of Claudia Acuña and the smooth tunes of the Sam Bardfeld Band.

In the evening's honorees, ACO has selected luminaries representing the artistry, technology, and humanitarian impact contained in music. GRAMMY-nominated artist Regina Carter explores the voice of the violin in a wide range of genres. A 2023 recipient of the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship, as well as a past recipient of the MacArthur "Genius Grant" award and a Doris Duke Artist Award, she tours with her own group and has appeared frequently as a guest soloist. Carter is Professor of Music at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. She has also served three times as a jurist for the Pulitzer Prize for music. Her current project, Gone in a Phrase of Air, is a collection of original and reimagined music exploring the United States' numerous communities—predominantly African American—displaced and dispossessed in the name of urban renewal.

Hollis King is former Vice President and Creative Director at the Verve Music Group, the largest jazz record label in the world. He studied advertising and design at New York City Community College and later transferred to New York City's School of Visual Arts (SVA), where he studied with legendary artist Milton Glaser. King worked at several design studios before entering the music industry as a graphic designer at GRP Records, later becoming Creative Director. He then joined the Verve Music Group, a division of Universal Music Company, where he worked with some of the finest musicians on the scene. King has received numerous achievement awards and citations as well as five GRAMMY nominations. Currently, he runs his own creative company, sits on an executive board, and regularly lectures at FIT, SVA, Art Directors Club and Society of Illustrators.

BMI Foundation, founded in 1985, supports the creation, performance and study of American music through awards, scholarships, grants and commissions. The final selections for these programs are entrusted to panels made up of some of the world's most distinguished artists and musicians. BMI Foundation awards career grants based on annual competitions for songwriters and composers across all genres of music, as well as scholarships to high schoolers with a desire to study music creation or performance. The Foundation also provides grants annually to music and arts education nonprofits around the country. Organizations supported by the Foundation range from classical music ensembles specializing in contemporary works to programs providing music and arts education in schools, to institutions designed to preserve and encourage indigenous American music such as jazz and blues.

Program Information
Raise Up! 2024 American Composers Orchestra Gala & Creative Catalyst Awards
Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 6:00pm
Bryant Park Grill | New York, NY
Sponsorship Levels and Ticket Information