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Finding Aid for the Guide to the American Composers Forum Los Angeles Chapter records, 2000-2005 (bulk), 1906-2007
1974
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Title: Guide to the American Composers Forum Los Angeles Chapter records
Date (inclusive): 2000-2005 (bulk), 1906-2007
Collection number: 1974
Creator:
American Composers Forum Los Angeles Chapter
Extent:
17 document boxes (12.25 linear ft.)
4 record cartons
Abstract: The American Composers Forum is a national organization that provides opportunities for composers to create and engage their
communities in artistic creation and performance. The organization supports composers at all stages in their careers through
grants, commissions, performance programs, and educational workshops. The Forum also works to foster an appreciation for new
music while developing the next generation of composers, musicians, and communities. Included in the collection are administrative
documents covering Heidi Lesemann’s tenure with ACF-LA, as well as distribution materials and e-mail correspondence between
members regarding various outreach projects and music events in the Los Angeles area. Furthermore, a series dedicated to Leonard
Stein—musicologist and former director of the Arnold Schoenberg Institute at the University of Southern California— provides
a wealth of research materials on pioneering contemporary music composers Arnold Schoenberg and Pierre Boulez.
Language: Finding aid is written in
English.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections
for paging information.
Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library
Special Collections for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the
creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright
owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated in 2011 by Heidi Lesemann, director of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Composers Forum
from 2000 to 2005.
Processed by Mike D’Errico in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Jillian Cuellar.
The processing of this collection was generously supported by
Arcadia
funds.
[Identification of item], Guide to the American Composers Forum Los Angeles Chapter records (Collection Number 1974). UCLA
Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
In 1973, a group of graduate students in composition at the University of Minnesota created the Minnesota Composers Forum
using a $400 grant from the University's Student Club Activities Fund. In 1996, the organization changed its name to the American
Composers Forum, and eventually established local chapters in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Atlanta,
Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Through granting, commissioning, and performance programs, the over 2,000 member
national Forum provides composers at all stages of their careers with valuable resources for professional and artistic development.
By linking non-profit arts organizations with composers and performers, the Forum fosters a demand for new music, enriches
communities, and helps develop the next generation of composers, musicians, and music patrons.
The Los Angeles chapter was created by Heidi Lesemann—an experienced worker in various non-profit arts organizations—who
served as director from 2000 to 2005, with composer Karl Montevirgen as assistant director. Their tenure with the ACF resulted
in a wealth of outreach and education programs including the Subito professional advancement grant program for composers,
as well as educational residencies at various K-12 schools. Furthermore, they established a strong community of composers,
performers and educators in the Los Angeles area through the Composers Salons workshop series and the New Music LA annotated
calendar of new music events in Southern California. While the chapter initially received financial support from organizations
such as the California Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, these funds grew increasingly difficult to come
by in later years, and the chapter now functions primarily on a volunteer-based level through online message boards and e-mail
listservs.
Collection primarily consists of promotional materials, administrative documents, financial reports, membership files, program
reports, and correspondence created during Heidi Lesemann’s tenure with the American Composers Forum Los Angeles chapter,
2000 to 2005. There are materials related to the Los Angeles chapter's formation, annual budget reports, planning for the
chapter website, and membership e-mail lists. Of particular research interest are the
New Music LA calendars–a comprehensive bi-monthly calendar of music events in the Southern California area, featuring a guest editorial
focusing on issues of local concern. Also included in the collection are personal composer applications for outreach initiatives
such as the Composers Suitcase educational residency and the Subito grant program, with proposed projects and sample curriculum.
Arranged in four series:
- Organization and Outreach, 2000-2005
- Events, 2000-2005
- Administrative, 1999-2007
- Leonard Stein papers, 1906-1988
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
American Composers Forum Los Angeles Chapter
The following sources provide additional information on the classical and “New Music” scenes in Los Angeles:
- Leonard Stein collection, 1930-2004 (270-M) at UCLA Library Special Collections
- Lawrence Morton papers, 1908-1987 (1522) at UCLA Library Special Collections
- Monday Evening Concerts of Los Angeles Programs, 1971- (1160) at UCLA Library Special Collections
- Ojai Music Festival Records, 1940- (277-M) at UCLA Library Special Collections
- Betty Freeman papers, 1965-2008 (MSS 227) at UCSD Library Special Collections
- Leonard Stein papers, 1942-1983 (MSS 219) at UCSD Library Special Collections
- Peter Yates papers, 1927-1976 (MSS 0014) at UCSD Library Special Collections