Company Profile
Company Overview
The American Composers Forum (ACF) is the largest membership organization for composers in the United States with over 2,000 members in all fifty states. Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, it offers a broad range of programs that support the artistic careers of composers and performers, develop new opportunities for their work and engage audiences in meaningful ways. Importantly, it has built a strong reputation for collaborative work that both nurtures creativity and builds community. Its driving force has always been the critical need for a thriving ecosystem of creativity through music.
The strength and vitality of ACF as an organization is rooted in its comprehensive approach of support for professional composers, education of young students and advocacy for the field at large through media. Direct support to composers is the core of ACF programming through granting, commissioning, and residency programs. Several key education programs engage middle-school students with the work of living composers, and a major national program was recently launched to award scholarship and mentorship opportunities for high school composers. Since 2002, ACF has co-produced the daily Composers Datebook radio show with American Public Media, a drive-time program carried on 150+ stations nationwide reaching almost 1 million listeners each week. The Forum is also the home of the award-winning innova® recording label. Distributed through NAXOS USA, it releases 20-30 titles each year showcasing a diverse range of genres, styles and approaches to creating work. It has grown from a fledging program in 1982 to a major national label with over 500 titles in its catalog, and is frequently featured on the Contemporary Classical homepage of iTunes.
Company History
Originally founded as the Minnesota Composers Forum in 1973, the Forum began as an informal association of composers who sought to support each other’s creative work, produce concerts and bring new music to local audiences. The community orientation of the Forum’s work was uniquely effective, and support from local and regional funders enabled the organization to gradually expand the scope and reach of its activities during the 1990s. With the launch of several national initiatives in 1996, it changed its name to the American Composers Forum. Since then, ACF has grown dramatically, and emerged as one of the nation’s premier composer services organization.