The Metropolitan Youth Symphony based in Portland, OR, the New Jersey Youth Symphony and the Portland Youth Philharmonic of Portland, OR invite youth orchestras across the U.S. to take part in the Youth Orchestra Commissioning Initiative designed to create remote performances of new works by women and composers of color. The project hopes to connect young musicians with new music by composers who will write short chamber pieces for groups of various instrumentation to rehearse and perform virtually from the young musicians’ homes.
Organizers say the “primary goal of this initiative is to address the systemic exclusion of composers of color and women from the standard classical repertoire, by showcasing new music produced under this initiative composed primarily by professionals identifying with those groups.“
Youth Orchestras or Composers interested in learning more about commissioning work or submitting work to be performed by learn more here.