Thursday, May 17, 2018


85th Anniversary Celebration


The Los Angeles Chapter of the National Association of Composers, U.S.A., to commemorate the organization’s 85th anniversary, will present a one-day conference at the Brand Library and Art Center in Glendale, California, Saturday, July 21, 2018. The organization was founded in 1933 by composer and conductor Henry Hadley, originally called the American Association of Composers and Conductors. The Los Angeles Chapter has presented concerts of new music in Los Angeles since 1949.

The conference will include presentations on various aspects of music composition and will conclude with a recital, Piano Splash III, of new music for piano plus one (instrumentalist or vocalist). The event will be free-of-charge and open to the public. A brown-bag lunch (cold drinks will be provided) will take place on the grounds of the adjacent park. There is free parking at the library. The Brand Library is located at 1601 W. Mountain Street.

Since July 2017, NACUSA-Los Angeles has produced five concerts: “Piano Splash II” at Hollywood Piano; “Contemporary Music for Contemporary Issues” at Tustin Presbyterian Church; Dr. Beverly Grigsby’s 90th Birthday Concert at CSUN; “Three’s Company” with Trio Accento at Mimoda Studio in West Los Angeles, and “Pull Out All the Stops,” a concert of new organ music at St. Athanasius Episcopal Church in Echo Park, featuring organists James French, Linda West Brown, and Deon Nielsen Price.

Please put the date on your calendar and plan to attend! RSVP at 818-606-5743

Call for Presenters/Performances

NACUSA Los Angeles is now accepting proposals for presentations, including lecture-demonstrations, panel discussions, or individual talks about any aspect of music composition. Please send a 250-word description of the presentation, a 250-word biography of the presenter(s), and estimated time needed to make the presentation. We are also seeking commercial sponsorship or donors for the event. Display space will be available at the event. We may add a reception after the concert if we can find a host. Presentations should be 15 to 30 minutes in length. Deadline is May 31, 2018.  Submit to: jeanniegaylepool@gmail.com.

Composers are invited to perform their own music or propose performers, for solo piano works, for piano four-hand works, or works for piano plus one instrumentalist, or piano and voice. We have a limited budget to pay honorariums to the musicians of $100 each. Please indicate the number of players, that they have agreed to this fee, and are available for that date and time. 

All Southern California composers who have joined or renewed their membership for 2018, by the submission deadline, Sunday, June 24, 2018at 10:00 PM are eligible to propose performances. All submissions for performances for the recital (Piano Splash III) must be provided online and include score, audio (Mp3 ok) if available, duration, bio 250 words, program note (up to 250 words) and names and short bios of the performers. Please submit questions and materials (online only) to jeanniegaylepool@gmail.com

NACUSA-LA Board: Jeannie Gayle Pool, Richard Derby, Tony Wardzinski, Carla Bartlett, Deon Nielsen Price, Katherine Saxon, Adrienne Albert and Michael Glenn Williams.