New Music USA Announces Two Composers Newly Selected for its Amplifying Voices Program

Lisa Bielawa: 2025-2026 Season

Mary Kouyoumdjian: 2026-2027 Season

L-R: Lisa Bielawa & Mary Kouyoumdjian, both by Desmond White.

NEW YORK, NY – New Music USA’s Amplifying Voices program, which launched in 2020 to foster collaboration and collective action between U.S. orchestras and composers through a network of co-commissions, announces its next participating composers – Lisa Bielawa for the 2025-2026 season and Mary Kouyoumdjian for the 2026-2027 season. Fifty orchestras and 13 composers across the country have been part of the program.

Amplifying Voices facilitates the co-commissioning and performance of new orchestral works by living composers, enabling orchestras nationwide to extend their work with the composers of our time. Established through commissioning consortia involving leading orchestras across the US and internationally, the program increases the support and promotion of living composers, empowers composers by involving them directly in orchestras' artistic planning processes and guaranteeing multiple performances of their works, and makes major strides toward transforming the classical canon for future generations. The program also purposefully fosters deep collaboration by funding multiple visits to the orchestra by the composer over the course of the season, and by encouraging orchestras to include community experiences such as local school visits and education programs as part of their partnerships.

Lisa Bielawa: Amplifying Voices 2025-2026

Lisa Bielawa’s new work supported by Amplifying Voices is her Violin Concerto No. 2: PULSE, composed for violinist Tessa Lark. The lead orchestra for the Amplifying Voices co-commissioning consortium is the Louisville Orchestra, which will give the world premiere performances of the concerto on October 24-25, 2025, led by Music Director Teddy Abrams. Additional consortium members are the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (to be scheduled, led by Artistic Director Gil Rose), Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (November 29-30, 2025, led by Music Director Cristian Măcelaru), and Santa Fe Pro Musica (to be scheduled). PULSE is co-commissioned by The Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress, and additional support was provided by James Rosenfeld, Justus Schlichting, Kari and Jon Ullman, and the Loghaven Artist Residency.

Mary Kouyoumdjian: Amplifying Voices 2026-2027

The lead orchestra for the Amplifying Voices co-commissioning consortium for Mary Kouyoumdjian’s new work is the Fresno Philharmonic led by Music Director Rei Hotoda, with co-commissioners the California Symphony led by Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra led by Music Director and Principal Conductor Matthew Kraemer, and Knoxville Symphony Orchestra led by Music Director Aram Demirjian. The Fresno Philharmonic will premiere the new work during the 2026-2027 season, with subsequent performances by the co-commissioners to follow in 2027-2028.

source: https://newmusicusa.org/newsroom/amplifying-voices-2025/