Robert Spano has been named one of four recipients of the 2016 Champion of New Music Award, presented annually by the American Composers Forum since 2005. ACF President and CEO John Nuechterlein will present Spano with the award—which recognizes individuals or ensembles who have made a significant contribution to the lives and work of contemporary composers—at Atlanta Symphony Hall on April 16. Spano is music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The other 2016 recipients are Gilbert Kalish, pianist and contemporary chamber ensemble founding member; Nicole Paiement, founder and artistic director of Opera Parallèle in San Francisco; and Alex Ross, music critic at The New Yorker. They will be presented with their awards during public ceremonies this year. Prior Champions of New Music include the American Composers Orchestra, conductors Marin Alsop and Osmo Vänskä, Eighth Blackbird, and the JACK Quartet, among others.
Posted April 11, 2016
