Cantus, The Crossing, The Esoterics Receive Commissioning Grants from Ann Stookey Fund for New Music

“These three projects were selected from a field of three dozen applications, including a great many very interesting proposals from choral organizations across America,” said Joe Waz, ASFNM chair.  “We are pleased to remember Ann’s love for choral music again this year by supporting new works that will engage artists and listeners in fresh and exciting ways.”

The three new music projects are:

1.  The Crossing, Philadelphia, PA, “The Jeff Quartets,” a series of 15 three to five minute choral pieces by 15 composers (including Benjamin C.S. Boyle, Ërik Ešenvalds, Gabriel Jackson, Kile Smith, and others) whose lives were touched by The Crossing and its co-founder Jeffrey Dinsmore, who passed away in 2014, to premiere in summer 2016 in the final concert of The Crossing’s 10th anniversary season.

2.  Cantus, Minneapolis, MN, a 4-6 minute choral work by David Lang on the topic of love, with original text crowdsourced with the help of Internet searches, to be included in Cantus’ 2015-16 touring program “The Four Loves.”

3.  The Esoterics, Seattle, WA, the completion of a 30-minutes cycle by composer Joseph Gregorio of 11 “Prayers” by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet John Gould Fletcher, to premiere in 2017 as part of “a season of works that redefines the idea of the ‘sacred.’”

More details on this year’s grantees can be found on our home page – www.annstookeyfund.org.

The Ann Stookey Fund for New Music provides funds through an annual grant application process held each fall to support the commissioning of new choral music, with an emphasis on works that break new musical ground. The Fund was established

in celebration of the life of Ann Stookey, an avid choral singer and strong supporter of new music, who passed away in 2012.  The Fund awards grants totaling approximately $25-35,000 each year. The Fund accepts applications for support of both concert and liturgical music from a wide range of choral organizations based in the U.S.

The Fund has also made some decisions affecting the next grant application period to commence in September 2015.  The Fund intends to make additional grants in February 2016 totaling approximately $15,000 to two additional choral organizations drawn from this year’s excellent pool of applications. In addition to those grants, the Fund will make up to $10,000 in grants devoted exclusively to new liturgical works next February.  Applications for those grants will be accepted starting around Labor Day 2015. A new FAQ will be posted later this year for those choral organizations interested in seeking support for new liturgical works.  The Fund will once again accept new applications for both concert and liturgical works during the following year’s grant period, which will begin around Labor Day 2016.

A number of works commissioned in the Fund’s first year have been or are being prepared for their world premieres.  Learn more at http://annstookeyfund.org/our-work/.  Follow the Fund on Facebook (Ann Stookey Fund for New Music) or Twitter (@AnnStookeyMusic).