By The American Composers Forum

The American Composers Forum (ACF) announces the launch of a new, national program designed to nurture the next generation of creative voices in music composition. The NextNotes^TM High School Composition Awards will encourage and recognize the creativity of high school composers and award outstanding talent with mentorship, scholarship funds and a performance of their work by professional musicians.

“The NextNotes^TM High School Composition Awards is unlike any music composition contest that’s ever been conceived before. With no limits on style or content, this competition should attract music creators of all backgrounds and abilities, and give an opportunity for young people to engage with making original music like no other program has done before,” said Dr. Daniel Ott, composer and music educator at Fordham University and the Julliard School, and NextNotes advisor.

Students in grades 9-12 are invited to apply with a single composition in any genre or style by the deadline of January 12, 2015. Applications are submitted electronically through an on-line process. Six composers will be chosen to receive a scholarship along with travel to Minneapolis-St. Paul for a two-day workshop with professional composer mentors and professional musicians in June 2015. The workshop will conclude with an awards ceremony and culminating concert of the winning works.

Interested high school composers are encouraged to visit the website www.NextNotes.org and connect via Twitter (@NextNotes), Facebook (ACF Ed), and on Tumblr, Instagram, and Vine (all acfnextnotes).

ACF has an established and successful history of national education programming. BandQuest® and ChoralQuest® support middle level band and choral education by offering music from world-class composers. Both programs engage students with high quality repertoire and have collectively reached 650,000+ students nationwide over the past decade.

Knight Foundation is the founding sponsor of the NextNotesTM High School Composition Awards. Additional funding provided by The Augustine Foundation and the Rosemary and David Good Family Foundation.

For more information, please visit www.NextNotes.org or email Suzanna Altman, Director of Education and Community Engagement, at [email protected]

About the American Composers Forum

The American Composers Forum enriches lives by nurturing the creative spirit of composers and communities. We provide new opportunities for composers and their music to flourish, and engage communities in the creation, performance and enjoyment of new music.

ACF’s primary vision is to facilitate an ecosystem of creativity through music. Our goal is to make composers, and the music they create, a vibrant and integral part of our culture. Programs reflect the diversity of our world, and we partner with a variety of ensembles and organizations including faith communities, rural and urban schools, health care facilities and arts presenters and performing groups. With its education programs, ACF strives to be the leading national resource to mentor and nurture student learning through the creation of new music by providing curricular and professional support for educators and composers in schools and communities.

For more information on the American Composers Forum, visit www.composersforum.org