COMMUNITY PARTNERS PROGRAM – Deadline: April 30, 2003

Open to Philadelphia-area composers.
The Philadelphia Chapter of the American Composers Forum is seeking proposals from composers, performers, presenters, and ensembles for projects that foster the creation and performance of new music in the context of community engagement.

What is the Community Partners Program?
The Philadelphia Chapter's Community Partners program places composers in residencies with community, cultural, and educational organizations to create and perform new works. Whether the community is a performing group, residents of a neighborhood, students in a public school, members of a community center, or members of a religious congregation, the program seeks to engage people with the creative process of composition. All projects involve the creation and performance of a new work and all projects will involve some form of community engagement.

There is no "typical" Community Partners project; each is tailored to the needs, interests and resources of the partner organizations, their respective constituencies, and the participating artists. However, several elements are common to most projects:

• Designing A Project: The chapter director works with the composer and partner organization to design a residency.
• Community Engagement: A two- to 12-month residency, during which the composer engages community participants in a workshop or performance format.
• Performances: The new work is presented in one or more public performances.

How to Submit a Proposal
All applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the chapter director to discuss their proposal. To submit a proposal, review the following guidelines to determine whether your project meets the Community Partners Program's criteria. Then, complete the project proposal form. (download below)

Applications can be made at any time but will be reviewed three times a year in January, May, and October. Proposals for consideration must be received by December 31, April 30, and September 31.

The chapter director and selection panel reviews all project applications. Projects recommended for funding are then reviewed by the American Composers Forum's national office, which has final approval.

Before sending submissions, composers must download and read the full guidelines and project proposal form. (See below.)

The Community Partners Program is funded by The William Penn Foundation.

If you need further information or have trouble downloading guidelines, contact Philadelphia Chapter Director Katy Clark at (215) 243-2098 or phillycomposers@earthlink.net.

Download PDF with full guidelines and application
(This requires Acrobat Reader)

COMPOSER-TO-COMPOSER
Composer-to-Composer is a program of the American Composers Forum - Philadelphia Chapter co-sponsored by The Philadelphia Orchestra. The program consists of a series of roundtable discussions hosted by the orchestra during which Chapter members meet with visiting composers whose pieces are being performed. Informal in nature, Composer-to-Composer is an opportunity for composers to introduce themselves to visiting colleagues and to speak together about their music. Participants have included:

MCKNIGHT VISITING COMPOSER


NEW VOICES
This three-year program of readings and recordings — a collaboration between the chapter, Orchestra 2001, Relâche, the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, and Network for New Music — links area composers with professional ensembles. The first New Voices project will be an October reading with Network for New Music.

The next New Voices session will be with Relâche in Fall 2003 followed by Orchestra 2001 in Spring 2004.

The New Voices Program is is funded by the Presser Foundation.