named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Composer Representation
Provides publishing administration and rights management for American concert music composers and their estates
Music Distribution
Offers printed and digital access to a catalog of over 15,000 works by American composers
Publishing Advocacy
Promotes performance opportunities and public engagement with American concert music through outreach and partnerships
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Musicological Research and Scholarly Editions 2 activities
- Expands access to contemporary and historical American musicIntroduces new works by American composers into its catalog and restores previously unavailable compositions, such as through the America at 250 Music Restoration Project, which has produced modern editions of 250 works for use by musicians, organizations, and libraries.
- Offers a searchable, instrument-specific catalog of musical compositionsProvides a searchable online catalog of musical compositions with filters by instrumentation, genre, availability, and price, offering thousands of works for specific instrument families including piano and keyboard, brass, woodwinds, strings, voice and keyboard, choral, and orchestral music—totaling over 11,500 compositions available for sale or distribution.
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Music Licensing Rights Management 1 activity
- Administers publishing rights for American concert musicActs as a publishing administrator for American concert music, representing composers and their estates by managing rights for performances, recordings, educational uses, and reprints. The organization sells and rents scores and licenses these rights as part of its core operational role.
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Archival Digitization and Preservation 1 activity
- Conducts restoration projects in collaboration with partnersConducts restoration activities focused on themed collections such as Missing Voices of AIDS, New York Women Composers, and The Native American Flute, working in collaboration with organizations, performers, and researchers to recover and publish underrepresented works.
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Performing Arts Archival Preservation 1 activity
- Maintains and preserves a large catalog of American concert musicMaintains and preserves a catalog of over 12,000 to 15,000 historical and contemporary American concert music works in print and digital formats, including scores collected since the 1940s and managed in collaboration with institutions like the University of Maryland’s Special Collections in Performing Arts.
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Commissioning New Musical Works 1 activity
- Supports world premiere performances of member composers' worksFacilitates and supports world premiere performances of new works by member composers, such as Max Grafe's "And cannot disentangle" and Steven Christopher Sacco's "Two Laments," contributing to the active performance life of contemporary American concert music.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Provides thematic access to American musicCurates and provides access to specialized collections of American music centered on national themes, including works related to U.S. history, poetry, literature, geography, Black struggle, Native American and Indigenous histories, American cities and landscapes, and folk traditions. These include over 990 works on American themes, 450 based on American literature, 72 inspired by American locations, 50 addressing Black history, and over 90 based on folk songs and spirituals.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$256K
Contributions & grants$69K27%
Program service revenue$111K43%
Investment income$4K2%
Other revenue$72K
expenses
Total expenses$264K
Program expenses54%
Admin / overhead38%
Fundraising8%
Salaries & benefits$135K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$79K
Cash$68K
Investments$8K
Liabilities$2K
Net assets$77K
Liquid reserves3.5 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -19.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
board members · 4
- ANDREW ARDIZZOIA — TREASURER
- BARBARA JAZWINSKI — PRESIDENT
- DOUG HARBIN — SECRETARY
- JUDITH SHATIN — VICE PRESIDE
relationships · 33
Who they work with
- Aaron Copland Fund for Music Funder — Provides funding support to ACA.
- Allen Shawn Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- Amphion Foundation Funder — Provides funding support to ACA.
- Broadcast Music Inc. Funder — Funds ACA and maintains a close affiliation with the organization.
- Bruce Reiprich Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- Columbia University's Rare Book & Manuscript Library Partner — Partners with ACA to publish and promote the works of composer Ulysses Kay from archival materials.
- Daniel Tacke Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- Elliott Miles McKinley Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- Francine Trester Partner — Illustrator of the banner for the America at 250 project
- Fred Cohen Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- Griffith Rose Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- James Pellerite Partner — Collaborates with American flutist James Pellerite to preserve and maintain availability of works for the Native American flute.
- James Scott Balentine Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- Jan Gilbert Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- Jason Belcher Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- John E. Ferritto Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- John Eaton Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- Jorge Liderman Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- Karl Weigl Foundation Partner — Collaborates with ACA to make Karl Weigl’s music available, improve cataloging, and resolve copyright issues.
- Kinhaven Music School Partner — Collaborates with ACA member Max Grafe, who is composer-in-residence, to premiere new works such as "And cannot disentangle."
- Lawrence Dillon Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- Leland C. Smith Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- Lou Rodgers Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Funder — Provides funding support to ACA.
- Marc Blitzstein Partner — One of the original founders of the American Composers Alliance.
- Mark Zuckerman Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- Nancy Van de Vate Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
- National Endowment for the Arts Funder — Provides funding support to ACA.
- New York Women Composers Partner — Collaborates on a collection highlighting the music of past and present members of NYWC and ACA.
- Noel Farrand Partner — Composer whose work is included in the ACA catalog.
+ 3 more
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Curated Catalog as Discovery Infrastructuremethodology: curated_catalog_distributionBy organizing and distributing contemporary classical music through a detailed, filterable catalog system segmented by instrumentation, genre, and availability, ACA increases performance opportunities and awareness of American concert music because structured discoverability reduces barriers for performers, educators, and ensembles seeking underrepresented or non-commercially viable works.
- Representation Model with Composer Autonomymethodology: composer_autonomyBy representing American composers while allowing them to retain full copyright and withdraw rights at any time, ACA strengthens composer engagement and trust, leading to broader participation and sustained contribution to the catalog because this model prioritizes artistic control and fair access over commercial exploitation.
- Themed Curation to Restore Underrepresented Voicesmethodology: themed_collection_restorationBy using themed collections—such as music by composers lost to the AIDS epidemic or works for Native American flute—to guide catalog restoration and promotion, ACA increases visibility for marginalized creators and narratives because focused curation activates cultural memory and corrects historical omissions in the concert music canon.