CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT
Philadelphia

Katy Clark, Chapter Director
Ian Moss, Chapter Assistant

The Forum's success would not be possible without it's network of regional chapters. With each Chapter Spotlight, we aim to give you an up-close look at a year in the life of one of our amazing chapters. - Ed.

(Sounding Board, June 2003) Sadly, it's an enduring cliché: Artists must suffer and starve for their art until they are struck by sudden success or death, whichever comes first. With the help of local arts organizations and funders, the Philadelphia Chapter is working to change that, by supporting composers with substantial career opportunities and direct assistance.

The past year saw remarkable growth for the chapter, resulting in many new and exciting opportunities for composers in southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. For the first time, the chapter was able to offer direct commissions to composers. The chapter also dramatically expanded its Community Partners program, sponsoring seven new projects with partner organizations including the Painted Bride Art Center and Pennsylvania Ballet. Finally, career-development programs, including the popular Composer-to-Composer discussion series and the New Voices readings program, gave members additional opportunities to connect directly with the local new-music scene.

Filling Funding Gaps

Composer Jonathan Pieslak at a rehearsal of "Undertow," commissioned by the chapter for St. Peter's Church in Philadelphia.

Browse through the Opportunities section of this month's Sounding Board, and you will find a plethora of competitions and calls for scores. Many offer modest support to help jump-start the careers of young composers. At the other end of the spectrum, major orchestras and ensembles are often willing to pay substantial fees for the most in-demand and established artists of our time. Generally absent are opportunities for mid-career composers, who have paid their dues but haven't received their big breaks - composers who have proven their talent, but are still looking for recognition.

Chapter commissioning projects support these overlooked midcareer composers, offering the artists commissions of $1,000 to $6,000 to write for ensembles and presenters as diverse as the 1427 Salon, the Choir of St. Mark's Church, and The Philadelphia Orchestra's Chamber Music Series.

The commissions are awarded through open calls, and applicants are asked to submit a sampling of recent works for evaluation. These opportunities not only provide a measurable boost to each recipient's career, but also give performers and presenters a taste of the possibilities afforded by new works - a taste that will hopefully encourage them to continue commissioning works on their own.

Creative Partnerships

Participants in Sedgwick Cultural Center's Teen Jazz Workshop rehearse a new work by Community Partners composer Orrin Evans.

Through the Community Partners Program, area composers collaborate with cultural organizations on the creation of new, interdisciplinary projects. The residencies push composers' artistic boundaries and enrich the host organizations' programming. By involving hosts that aren't typical presenters of new music, Community Partners has helped composers reach new audiences and build stronger ties to the broader community.

Over the past year, thanks to a generous leadership grant from the William Penn Foundation, the chapter was able to significantly expand the program, launching seven new projects (see end). Among the most visible was Robert Maggio's partnership with the Pennsylvania Ballet, which yielded "Le Travail," an original ballet with choreography by Matthew Neenan. The work was inspired by the Philadelphia Museum of Art's "Degas and the Dance" exhibit.

The Pennsylvania Ballet's "Le Travail" featured original music composed by Robert Maggio as part of a Community Partners residency. Photo © Paul Kolnik

This was the first time in 25 years that the Pennsylvania Ballet commissioned a new score for one of its regular season productions. "La Travail" premiered in February, receiving eight performances at the Academy of Music. Favorable reviews not only appeared in local papers, but in others cities as well, including write-ups in The New York Times and Boston Globe.

Building a Better Composer

The chapter also offers programs supporting composers' professional and artistic development. For New Voices, the chapter teams up with the area's top new-music ensembles to provide composers with readings and recordings of new works. The program was launched in October, when Network for New Music read chamber works by five area composers. Choral composers got their opportunity in May, when 16 vocalists from The Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia read works by four composers. Sessions with two more ensembles, Relâche and Orchestra 2001, are currently planned.

Since November 1999, the chapter and The Philadelphia Orchestra have held informal roundtable sessions with orchestra's guest composers, as part of a the Composer-to-Composer program. Members attend an open rehearsal of the guest composer's work, before heading to the greenroom for a discussion of the music, the composer's career, and the many technical and artistic issues facing composers. Since the program's inception, sessions have been held with Aaron Jay Kernis, Oliver Knussen, Richard Danielpour, Roberto Sierra, Steve Reich, Michael Daugherty, Christopher Rouse, James MacMillan, Peter Lieberson, Marc-André Dalbavie, and Augusta Read Thomas.

A Time of Growth

The past year has been one of tremendous growth. In addition to several program expansions, the chapter received tax-exempt status, recruited a board of directors, launched an annual fund drive, and undertook a comprehensive strategic planning initiative. As the chapter has invested in members, those members have invested in the chapter as well, by providing feedback on programming, volunteering their time, and making financial contributions.

The following year promises to be just as exciting. The chapter will cosponsor a student-composer competition with the choral ensemble Singing City, and five new Community Partners projects have been announced for 2003-04 (see sidebar). Plans are also underway for the Philadelphia-area launch of Subito, a program offering career-opportunity grants with a quick turn-around time and an easy application process. Subito has already been a huge success for the Forum's California chapters.

It's been said that the arts are a business where you can make a killing but not a living. With its wonderful support, the Philadelphia Chapter is helping assure that composers can make a living too.

The Philadelphia Chapter is funded in part by grants from Samuel S. Fels Fund, the William Penn Foundation, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Presser Foundation, the Five County Arts Fund, the Hess Foundation, and The Helen F. Whitaker Fund. The chapter is also funded by individual contributions from (listed in alphabetical order) Ingrid Arauco, Richard T. & Martha B. Baker Foundation, Jennifer Barker, Peter Benoliel, Chuck Butler, Britton Chance, Harrington E. Crissey Jr., Paul Epstein, James and Dorothy Freeman, Carol Haas Gravagno, Jan Krzywicki, Jane McGuffin, Evan Solot, Samuel T. Swanson, Vera Wilson, David Wolman, and Mark Zuckerman.