Marin Alsop to be Awarded AMC Letter of Distinction at NPAC

MARIN ALSOP TO BE AWARDED AMERICAN MUSIC CENTER'S
LETTER OF DISTINCTION AT NATIONAL PERFORMING ARTS
CONVENTION IN DENVER

NEW YORK ’Äì Marin Alsop will be awarded the American Music Center's Letter of Distinction at a reception during the National Performing Arts Convention in Denver (June 10-14). The award will be presented to Alsop by AMC's new Board Chairman, composer Steven Stucky. Alsop's activities during the National Performing Arts Convention’Äîwhich include moderating a plenary session exploring a variety of exciting international initiatives and conducting performances of John Adams's opera Nixon in China’Äîare demonstrative of her contributions to the field.

Since becoming the music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop has been making international headlines for being the first woman conductor to be appointed music director of a major U.S. orchestra. But Alsop has been near and dear to the hearts of anyone interested in the future of orchestral music in the United States for many years before that. She has championed a wide range of American composers both at home and abroad, as well as on recordings. Since founding her own Concordia Orchestra, she has broken down barriers between musical genres and has won over a wide audience. In her role as the music director of the Cabrillo Festival, she has also continued a tradition of excellence in their committment to new music, and through her Taki Concordia Fellowship program there, she has created new opportunities for young women conductors, helping to nurture musicians of the next generation. (To read a conversation with Marin Alsop about new music, visit NewMusicBox: www.newmusicbox.org/article.nmbx?id=5099.)

The American Music Center is dedicated to building a national community of artists, organizations, and audiences creating, performing, and enjoying new American music. Since its founding in 1939 by composers Marion Bauer, Aaron Copland, Howard Hanson, Harrison Kerr, Otto Luening, and Quincy Porter, AMC has been a leader in providing field-wide advocacy, support, and connection. AMC advocates for the community through NewMusicBox (www.newmusicbox.org), its award-winning web magazine, and CounterstreamRadio (www.counterstreamradio.org), a 24-hour online station broadcasting music by a broad range of United States composers. AMC supports the community by making grants to composers and ensembles each year, and by offering professional development programs for artists. AMC connects the community with an array of information services designed to facilitate performances, including the AMC Online Library, a vast, searchable database of 45,000 works by American composers; publications compiling opportunities in new music and other information useful to industry professionals (at Explore American Music at www.amc.net); and benefits and services for nearly 2,500 members in all fifty states and around the world. For more information on the American Music Center and its activities, please go to www.amc.net.