American Composers Forum New England records

Collection

Identifier: M205

Scope and Content Note

The collection documents the founding, administration, and programming activities of the New England Chapter of the American Composers Forum (ACFNE) from its creation in 1996 through its closure in 2010. Major topics covered include strategic planning, development, and ACFNE's Community Partners, Faith Partners, Composers in Ensemble, and Composers in the School residency programs. The collection includes Board of Directors reports and meeting minutes, subject files on individual composers, correspondence, program evaluations and reports, budgets and other financial documents, and newspaper clippings. Also included are copies of the ACF newsletter Sounding Board (1996-2008), original scores written for ACFNE projects, and audio and video recordings and photographs of performances. Series 3. Audio-Visual also includes four zip disks and seven floppy disks containing digital copies of ACFNE administrative records, including grant applications and program evaluations.

Dates

Creation: 1967-2008
Creation: Majority of material found within 1995-2008

Creator

American Composers Forum New England (Organization)

Language of Materials

Materials entirely in English.

Conditions Governing Access:

The collection is unrestricted.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use:

Historical Note

Founded in 1973 as the Minnesota Composers Forum, the American Composers Forum is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and assistance of American composers and their music. The American Composers Forum Boston Area Chapter (ACF-BAC) was founded in 1996, and changed its name to the American Composers Forum New England (ACFNE) in 2003 to reflect the broader scope of its work in the region. ACFNE was dedicated to supporting composers in the New England area and developing new markets for their music through grants and performance programs. Services provided to the organization's members included concert listings and the publication of a biannual New Music Calendar, educational workshops and seminars, and composer residency programs.

ACFNE's residency programs included Community Partners, Faith Partners, Composers in Ensemble, and Composers in the School. The Community Partners Program placed composers in diverse non-musical community settings to integrate community participants in the making, playing and enjoyment of new music. Program participants in the Boston area included City Year (1999), Casa Myrna Vasquez (2002), and Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (2001). The Faith Partners program placed composers with two local congregations, one Jewish and one predominantly African American Christian, to create new compositions of sacred music. Participants included Messiah Baptist Church in Brockton and Temple Sinai in Sharon (2003). Composers in Ensemble placed member composers in local musical ensembles, including the Boston Landmarks Orchestra (2003), and the Composers in the School program placed composers in local schools, including Boston Latin (1999). Additional programming included Reading Sessions, Salons, and the Sonic Circuits International Festival of Electronic Music and Art. The ACFNE chapter closed in 2010, and as of 2014 the American Composers Forum retains chapters in Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Chronology

1973
: Minnesota Composers Forum founded in St. Paul, MN
1996
: Name changed to American Composers Forum
1996
: American Composers Forum Boston Area Chapter (ACF-BAC) established; Beth Denisch Director
2003
: Boston chapter changes name to American Composers Forum New England (AFCNE)
2006
: David McMullin named Director
2010
: ACFNE chapter closes

Extent

9.70 cubic feet (12 containers)

Additional Description

Overview

Founded in 1973 as the Minnesota Composers Forum, the American Composers Forum (ACF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and assistance of American composers and their music. The American Composers Forum Boston Area Chapter (ACF-BAC) was founded in 1996, and changed its name in 2003 to the American Composers Forum New England (ACFNE). ACFNE was dedicated to supporting composers in the New England area and developing new markets for their music through grants and performance programs. The New England chapter closed in 2010, and as of 2014 the American Composers Forum retains chapters in Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Overview

System of Arrangement:

Series 1. Subject Files; Series 2. Scores; Series 3. Audio-Visual

Technical Access:

One 3½ inch floppy disk in box 10 does not open.

Physical Location

32/1, 39/4

Immediate Source of Acquisition:

Received from the American Composers Forum New England in 2010.

Bibliography

American Composers Forum, website, https://www.composersforum.org. Accessed December, 2014.
American Composers Forum New England, website (via Internet Archive), https://web.archive.org/web/20081020234933/http://www.acfnewengland.org/. Accessed December, 2014.
Information for 501c3 Application. 2003-2004, Box 1, Folder 3.