Many orchestras, eager to show their dedication to contemporary music, have prided themselves on programming works by living composers in recent years. But as the glamor of the premiere fades, many of those works virtually disappear from the standard repertoire and are rarely performed anymore.
Now a group of nonprofit leaders are working to make new music a more permanent part of the artistic landscape. The League of American Orchestras announced on Thursday an initiative that will engage 30 ensembles over the next few years to perform new pieces by six composers, all of them women.
“There is too much great music that is lost and never heard again after its premiere,” said Simon Woods, the competition’s president and chief executive, in an interview. “We thought, ‘We have to fix that.'”
While many orchestras are eager for the prestige of commissioning new works, Woods said they aren’t as focused on playing pieces that have premiered elsewhere.
“Orchestras should be patrons of new work,” he said. “But still, the second gig and the third gig are very important. Because only when you hear a work a few times, it starts to snowball and has a chance to gain a foothold in the repertoire. Building that momentum is very important.”
The League, in partnership with the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation and the American Composers Orchestra, has been working to increase diversity in orchestra programming since 2014, including commissioning female and non-binary composers.
The initiative announced on Thursday builds on those efforts and pairs each of the six composers with five ensembles. The program, which will cost a minimum of $360,000, is funded by the Toulmin Foundation.
The six composers are British-born Anna Clyne, who works in the United States; Sarah Gibson, who is also a pianist; Hong Kong-born Angel Lam; Gity Razaz, an Iranian American; Arlene Sierra, an American based in London; and Wang Lu, a Chinese-born composer and pianist, living in Providence, RI. lives
Wang said in an interview that it is often difficult for contemporary composers to find orchestras interested in playing new works after they have premiered.
“As a composer, I can’t just knock on the door and say, ‘Hey, this is my music, why don’t you play it?'” she said.
Wang, who is working on a new piece to be premiered by the New York Philharmonic in January, said the competition’s initiative would give artists more opportunities to develop. “You can only get better by working with orchestras,” she said in an interview. “You can only improve by listening.”
The first group of orchestras to participate were the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and the Sarasota Orchestra. Those ensembles will premiere next season and perform the works of the composers.
In the coming months, the competition will choose the remaining 24 ensembles that will participate in the program.
