Americas Society Recognized with the 2014 CMA/ASCAP Adventurous Programming Award
Americas Society Recognized with the 2014 CMA/ASCAP Adventurous Programming Award
Americas Society's Music of the Americas Concert Series earned the award for its commitment to contemporary chamber music through adventurous, distinctive programming.
MetLife Foundation Music of the Americas Concert Series engages new audiences through innovative programming.
New York, December 9, 2013—Americas Society won the 2014 Chamber Music Association/American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (CMA/ASCAP) Award for Adventurous Programming. The award, granted annually to ensembles and presenters nationwide, recognizes recipients for their commitment to contemporary chamber music through adventurous, distinctive programming. The award will be presented in New York City at the CMA National Conference on January 19, 2014.
An independent panel of judges selects recipients of the CMA/ASCAP Awards on the basis of their innovative approaches to attracting audiences to performances of new music. With the generous support of MetLife Foundation, Americas Society’s Music of the Americas Concert Series consistently surprises and engages the New York public with its creative exploration of new music of Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada, in both the classical and jazz fields.
“We are extremely proud to receive this prestigious honor,” said Americas Society President and CEO Susan Segal. “It is our privilege to apply our expertise and connections across the region for the benefit of audiences that are hungry for diverse music genres. The music of the Americas is too often under-presented and under-recognized in the U.S.”
New music occupies a prominent place in Americas Society’s programming. The concerts, regularly performed to a full house, involve contemporary musicians and composers in creative ways and have earned the praise of reviewers from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications.
“It’s very gratifying that our effort to increase awareness and appreciation for the highest-quality, diverse music from the Americas won CMA/ASCAP’s recognition. It motivates us to continue promoting the best music and musicians from the region,” said Americas Society Music Director Sebastián Zubieta.
Americas Society’s 2012-13 MetLife Foundation Music of the Americas Concert Series included 13 concerts featuring contemporary music and jazz, in addition to 12 events dedicated to early, classical and popular music, and dance. The performances featured several world and New York premieres, as well as pieces commissioned by Americas Society.
Highlights of the season include: A series of three concerts by Colombian harpist Edmar Castañeda and his trio, performed to packed houses in November 2012; and on June 21, 2013, in collaboration with Make Music New York, a series of three outdoor concerts in Central Park to celebrate Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer's 80th birthday, which attracted considerable press attention and a sizeable audience.
