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American Composers Alliance

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The American Composers Alliance (ACA) is an American nonprofit composer service organization dedicated to the publishing and promoting of American contemporary classical music. Founded in 1937 by Aaron Copland, Milton Adolphus, Marion Bauer and others, it is the oldest national organization of its kind, and represents over 200 member composers.

The organization is based in Manhattan, New York City, New York. From 1951 to 2012, ACA presented the Laurel Leaf Award to individuals and organizations in recognition of "distinguished achievement in fostering and encouraging American music."

The American Composers Alliance publishes musical scores under the imprint American Composers Edition (ACE). From 2001 through 2013, ACA held an annual festival of American music presenting 6-8 concerts with more than 30 composers from across the country. Past festivals received favorable reviews from The New York Times and New Music Connoisseur. In 2017, ACA celebrated its 80th anniversary.

Affiliation

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Composers seeking services from American Composers Alliance must be affiliated with Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) or ASCAP. Any US citizen or US permanent resident may apply for membership. There are no stylistic requirements. The composer must be writing contemporary classical music, at a professional level.[1]

The composer submits electronically a minimum of two recent scores, two recordings (live or studio), a complete list of works (with instrumentation, duration, and premiere performance info), along with a bio, resume, or curriculum vitae that contains performance information for the last three years. A committee from ACA's Board of Governors reviews this material and then makes a recommendation to the full Board, which determines acceptance for works into the ACA Catalog. The process can take from 2 to 3 months.

If the composer's work is accepted into the ACA Catalog, an agreement, a Grant of Rights for the selected works is signed. This Agreement gives ACA administration and publishing rights. The Agreement may be terminated by the composer or by the ACA Board of Governors with reasonable notice. Control of copyright remains with the composer.

Affiliated composers

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As of 2026, composers affiliated with the ACA included:[2]

See also

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References

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  • American Composers Alliance Official website
  • Broadcast Music Incorporated "Broadcast Music Incorporated". BMI. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
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