The League of Composers/ISCM, created in 1923, is the nation’s oldest organization devoted to contemporary music. The League draws on a remarkably rich history, including such groundbreaking premieres as Schönberg’s Die Glückliche Hand, Béla Bartók’s Village Scenes, Samuel Barber’s Piano Sonata and Anton Webern’s Symphony for Chamber Orchestra. The League also sponsored the American premiere of Ig
or Stravinsky’s ballet, Le Sacre du Printemps, many pieces by Aaron Copland, György Ligeti’s Horn Trio, Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Harlequin, and many works by current honorary Board Co-Chairs Elliott Carter and Milton Babbitt. From its inception, the League has held as its highest ideal the commissioning of new music by young, emerging composers. In the first 20 years, over 50 new works by American composers were commissioned by the League and premiered by either the League or other leading organizations throughout the country. Notably, works by Aaron Copland, Bela Bartok, and Anton von Webern were among the earliest commissions performed by the League. In 1954, the League of Composers merged with the US chapter of the International Society of Contemporary Music (ISCM) and has since been known as the League of Composers/ISCM. David McMullin, one of the League’s board members and former League President, is a member of the ISCM Executive Committee and has been coordinating the League’s activities with the world organization. In 2008, the League returned to its roots in an effort to recapture the excitement and prestige it enjoyed in its heyday, refining its mission, launching new initiatives, and creating a new orchestral ensemble. Although New York City offers an unparalleled array of chamber music concerts throughout the year, there remains a limited number of opportunities to experience new music through the richness of the orchestra. The orchestral works of established living composers are rarely performed, and the works of emerging composers are performed even less. To fill this void, we created the Orchestra of the League of Composers by expanding the Chamber Players of the League/ISCM. In conjunction with the development of the orchestra and the new initiatives, the new administration made it a priority to widen the musical aesthetic of concert programming to better reflect the scope of today’s range of styles in new music and attract a new generation of listeners, much as the organization did in its early years. The 2008-09 season reflected all of these changes and culminated in the debut of the orchestra on our season finale.
