Dear AMC members and friends,

You are cordially invited to attend the American Music Center’s Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony on Monday, May 3, 2010 at the Chelsea Art Museum, 556 West 22nd Street in New York City. The doors will open at 5:00 p.m. The formal program will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m., followed by a reception. This festive event provides the new music community with a wonderful opportunity to come together and honor in person some of its most significant leaders. The following awards will be presented at this year's meeting:

We hope you will be able to join us in recognizing the invaluable contributions that these individuals and organizations have made to our field.

RSVP by April 25th. You can click here or call 212-366-5260 x99.

In addition to the awards that will be presented at the Annual Meeting, Francis Thorne will receive the 2010 Founders Award and Esa-Pekka Salonen will receive a Letter of  Distinction. These awards will be presented on other occasions.

AMC Awards: History and Descriptions

The American Music Center has awarded the Letter of Distinction annually since 1964 to recognize those who have made a significant contribution to the field of contemporary American music. This year’s Letter of Distinction recipients join a celebrated group of individuals and organizations who have received this honor, including George Balanchine, Leonard Bernstein, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Morton Feldman, Dizzy Gillespie, Steve Reich, Michael Tilson Thomas, Virgil Thomson, Randy Weston, the Kronos Quartet, Bang on a Can, and the American Composers Orchestra.

The Trailblazer Award, instituted in 2003, honors those deserving of commendation and support from the American contemporary music community for their early and mid-career efforts toward championing new music. Previous winners have included Matt Haimovitz, eighth blackbird, and Derek Bermel.

Click here for the Historical List of American Music Center Award Recipients.