Minnesota Commissioning Club: Synopsis

The Minnesota Commissioning Club, founded in 1990, originally comprised six couples who joined together to spark the creation of new serious music in a variety of genres. Inspired by the model of an investment club, the couples agreed to contribute a moderate sum annually for five years. Quarterly meetings include lively discussion of what music ought to be written, choice of composers and ensembles, identification of suitable venues, and promotion of projects, current and past.

The Club energetically champions the works it commissions to give them the broadest exposure possible. Above all, it offers its members a forum for developing musical knowledge and contacts, along with enjoyable experiences that range from study to travel to celebration.

• Club members 1991-98: Charlie Boone and Carol Heen; Jack and Linda Hoeschler; Sam and Thelma Hunter; Nick Nash and Karen Lundholm; David and Judy Ranheim; Fred and Gloria Sewell. 

• Club members 1999-2004: Linda and Jack Hoeschler; Hella Mears and Bill Hueg; Thelma and Sam Hunter; Judy and David Ranheim; Gloria and Fred Sewell

• Club members 2005-2008: Cathie and Jerry Fischer; Linda and Jack Hoeschler; Hella Mears and Bill Hueg; Thelma and Sam Hunter; Judy and David Ranheim; Gloria and Fred Sewell

• Club members 2009-2015: Cathie and Jerry Fischer; Linda and Jack Hoeschler; Hella Mears and Bill Hueg; Thelma Hunter; Judy and David Ranheim; Gloria and Fred Sewell

• Club members 2016-2017: Cathie Fischer; Linda and Jack Hoeschler; Hella Mears; Judy and David Ranheim; Gloria and Fred Sewell

• Club members 2017-2024: Cathie Fischer; Linda (and Jack+2022) Hoeschler; Judy and David Ranheim; Gloria (and Fred +2024) Sewell

Minnesota Commissioning Club: Commissions

1993

Paul Schoenfield  
Sextet, flute, clarinet, piano, violin, cello and percussion. VIDEO
(Commissioned for the Twentieth Century Consort and premiered in January 15, 1994 in Washington, DC; revised in 1996 and re-premiered in 2000 by 20th Century Consort; 24 min)

1995

Paul Schoenfield  
Sonatina, flute, clarinet and piano
(Commissioned for Thelma Hunter’s 50th Anniversary and premiered at Music in the Park series on April 30, 1995 in St. Paul, MN; subsequently premiered in Washington, DC by 20th Century Consort on December 2, 1995 and in New York by Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center on February 19, 1996; 15 min)

Steve Heitzeg                                     
On the Day You Were Born, narrator and orchestra
(Commissioned text setting by Debra Frasier based on her book of same name; 18 min; premiered October 22, 1995 by Jane Alexander, narrator, and Minnesota Orchestra, Minneapolis; NotesAlive 1996 video and audio recording with Debra Frasier, narrator, and William Eddins, conductor of  Minnesota Orchestra, 1997 winner of Carnegie Medal of Excellence for Best Children’s Video, as well as many other awards)

1996

Stephen Paulus                                  
Pilgrim Jesus!, mixed chorus and organ
(Music and libretto (Kevin Crossley Holland) commissioned for King’s College Choir; 5 min; premiered December 24, 1996 in Cambridge, England)

1997

Stephen Paulus                                  
Dramatic Suite, flute, violin, viola, cello and piano
(Commissioned for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; 24 min; premiered February 6, 1997 in St. Cloud, MN and March 9, 1997 at Alice Tully Hall, New York; 24 min; recordings: St. Paul Sinfonetta for d’Note Classics DND 1037, and Judith Ranheim, Chouhei Min, Korey Konkol, Mina Fisher and Thelma Hunter, Innova 539.)

1998

William Banfield                               
Wabasha Street Bridge March, marching band
(Commissioned for the University of Minnesota Marching Band, Jerry Luckhart conductor; premiered September 12, 1998 for the opening of the Wabasha Street Bridge, St. Paul, MN)

Augusta Read Thomas                       
Passions, chamber orchestra
(Commissioned for the James Sewell Ballet and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; 25 min; premiered by SPCO on October 2, 1998 in St. Paul, MN)

1999

Eric Whitacre                                     
Nine Simple Prayers, a cappella mixed choir
(Commissioned for 150th anniversary of the First Baptist Church in St. Paul, MN and premiered December 29, 1999; text by Anthony Silvestri; recorded)

2002

Judith Lang Zaimont                         
Wind Quintet No.2 ‘Homeland,’ flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon
(Commissioned for the Bergen Woodwind Quintet; 17 min; premiered November 21, 2002 in Minneapolis and February 13, 2003 in Bergen, Norway) 

2003

Stanislaw Skrowaczewski                   
Symphony [2003], symphony orchestra
(Commissioned in honor of the memory of Kenneth N. Dayton; premiered October 2, 2003 in Minneapolis by the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall)

Aaron Jay Kernis                               
Sarabanda in Memoriam, string orchestra
(Commissioned for St. Luke’s Orchestra and premiered on February 26, 2004 at Carnegie Hall in New York; recorded by Carlos Kalmar, conductor, and Grant Park Orchestra, for Cedille record label.) 

2005

Libby Larsen                                      
Slow Structures, flute, cello and piano
(Commissioned for the Meininger Trio and premiered at the Sans Souci Festival, Potsdam, Germany in June, 2005)

Jennifer Higdon                                 
Oboe Concerto
(Commissioned for Kathy Greenbank and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and premiered September 9, 2005 in St. Paul, Minnesota; reworked as Soprano Sax Concerto in 2007; oboe concerto recorded by University of Michigan Symphony Band.)

2006

Sven-David Sandström                      
Five Pictures from the Bible, baritone and mixed choir a cappella
(Commissioned for Håkan Hagegård and premiered by him and VocalEssence in St. Paul, MN on June 20, 2006 and again by Håkan Hagegård and Gustaf Sjökvist's Chamber Choir at Leksand Church as part of Musik vid Siljan, Dalarna, Sweden on July 7, 2006.)           

2010

Gabriela Lena Frank                          
Tres Mitos de Mi Tierra, a cappella male voices
(Commissioned for The King’s Singers, with both lyrics and music by Frank, and premiered February 17, 2010 at Herbst Theatre, San Francisco.)

2011

James Stephenson                              
Duels and Dances, concerto for oboe and concert band
(Commissioned for “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, Alex Klein soloist, and premiered March 4, 2011 at the American Bandmasters Association convention, L.Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center, Norfolk, Virginia.)

Nico Muhly                                        
Luminous Body, oratorio for male vocal ensemble and chamber orchestra
(Co-commissioned for Cantus and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and premiered September 10, 2011 at the Ordway Music Theatre, St. Paul, Joanna Carneiro, conductor.)

2012

James Stephenson                              
Fantasie for Violin and Orchestra
(Commissioned for Larry Rachleff, conductor, and the Rhode Island Philharmonic, premiered February 25, 2012 Alex Kerr, soloist.

James Stephenson                              
Tributes, violin concerto
(Premiered by Jennifer Frautschi, soloist, and Osmo Vänskä, conductor, and the Minnesota Orchestra, April 12, 2012.)

2014

David Evan Thomas                          
Bridge, orchestra
(Commissioned for the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony for its 2014 tour of Spain, premiered April 27, 2014 at Ted Mann Hall, Minneapolis, Mark Russell Smith, conductor.)

2015

Steve Heitzeg                                     
I Will Be a Hummingbird, (song for a green world), SATB Chorus (a cappella)
(Commissioned to honor Nobel Laureate Dr. Peter Agre, premiered February 7, 2015 by Vocalessence, Philip Brunelle, conductor, at the American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis.)

Bob Chilcott                                      
Thou, my love, art fair, AATBarBarB
(Commissioned to honor Jerry and Cathie Fischer, premiered February 14, 2015 by the King’s Singers at Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis.)

Mary Ellen Childs                             
SWEEP, orchestra
(Commissioned for the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony, premiered April 19, 2015 at St. Andrew’s Church, Mahtomedi, MN, Mark Russell Smith, conductor.) 

2016

Abbie Betinis                                     
Rhapsodos, for B-flat Clarinet and Piano
(Commissioned with the Seattle Commissioning Club for Michael Collins and Michael McHale, premiered at new Ordway Concert Hall on March 18 and 19, 2016, and at Orcas Island Music Festival on August 16 and 17, 2016.)

Jacob Banck                                       
Into the Wild, orchestra 
(Commissioned for Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony and premiered April 24, 2016 in Minnesota, and in Argentina in summer 2016.)

Harold Meltzer                                  
Bride of the Island, for tenor and piano
(Commissioned by Minnesota Commissioning Club, a setting of Ted Hughes poetry, for Paul Appleby, tenor, and premiered at Bargemusic, Brooklyn, NY on October 28, 2016.)

2023

Steve Heitzeg                                     
Our House is on Fire (Song for Climate Justice), words by Greta Thunberg, for SATB chorus & keyboard (or guitar and percussion), dedicated to a living planet, premiered November 23, 2024, at ACDA-MN convention. (Final commission of Minnesota Commissioning Club)

Photos: Minnesota Commissioning Club Through the Years

Minnesota Commissioning Club: Sample Request for Information Letter

Date:

Dear :

I am writing on behalf of the Minnesota Commissioning Club. We are six couples who join together to advance the creation of new musical works of high quality that add a distinctive voice to the musical

literature by commissioning mostly emerging composers. We also hope and intend, that our commissions have multiple performances and help boost the composers' careers. We try to help the

composers and performers achieve this. Our mission statement and history are attached .

Your name has come to our attention as a composer we should consider for funding a future commission. So, if that prospect might be of interest to you, we would like to request that you send us

some information so we can become better acquainted with you and better understand what motivates you at this stage in your artistic career. If your response proves to be of interest to us, we would follow

up and request a meeting in which we could discuss the conceptual plan for the piece, potential performers, venues, and possibilities for a life beyond the premiere. We have found this process of

having some participation in the earliest stages of envisioning a work, and it's eventual birthing and life, to be most fruitful --hopefully, for the composer, as well as ourselves. We are also highly dedicated to

multiple performances of the pieces we commission and are eager to help give "legs" to whatever the composer creates, as appropriate.

To be specific about our request for more information, we would like you to address the following questions, or topics, in a couple of pages--no treatise, please:

Please provide a brief biography and your current contact information and preferred media for communication (email, mail, phone, etc.)

~What stage are you at in your career as a composer, and what is the basis of your belief? (e.g., Emerging, "At the Cusp," Established, etc.)

~What do you want to do? What is your primary focus?

~What is your vision, dream, or plan, for the 'next step' in your career development? What does success look like to you?

~Please describe your compositional style, or identifying characteristics, and your approach, to your composing, Tell us why you think it is or what parts of it are distinctive.

~Please provide some examples of recorded music you have composed.

~Do you have relationships with potential performers of your music? Who are they? Is there a performing group, or soloist, whom you don't know personally, but have a high desire to engage in a

composition for his/her/their performance?

~Do you have any patrons, angels, partners or others who are available to help you and the success of your work?

~How do you handle the publishing and distribution of your work?

Thank you for considering this request. We look forward to your response. If you would like to dialogue about any of this during the preparation of your response, please feel free to call me, or email. My

contact information is:

phone-- ; email-- .

Sincerely,

Attachments:

Mission and History of the Minnesota Commissioning Club

Commissioned Pieces and Composers

Commissioning New Music: A Club Model
(Or How a Commissioning Club Can Make a Difference)

I. Overview

In 1990, St. Paul residents Jack and Linda Hoeschler organized a group of Twin Cities friends to create and promote serious music written primarily by emerging American composers. They used an investment club as their model. They limited the group to six couples, a number that made quarterly home meetings practical, discussions involved and productive, and various tasks in the commission process tolerable. Minutes of each meeting are recorded and distributed.

Members agreed to contribute $2000 per couple each year for six years, with each couple acting as first among equals for one new work, or more if the year’s contribution of $12,000 permitted. As of 2005 the annual commitment has been increased to $3000 per family in order to allow a broader range of projects. The Club is not incorporated, but uses a fiscal agent, the American Composers Forum, to handle the donations, payments and financial records.

From the beginning, the group has been interested in supporting works “that need to be written,” at least from the group’s perspective. Members also decided to focus on outstanding younger and mid-career composers, with a preference for regional composers; that range has broadened over the years, however. The Club evaluates potential performers and presenters in terms of three things: excellence of performance, commitment to promote the piece, and recording potential.

The Club actively participates in the creation and dissemination of a work. Members believe that the collaborative process produces a superior and more effective product. Once a commission has been agreed upon, the couple leading that project takes the major share of carry-through responsibility. Other Club members actively assist with ideas, telephone calls and email, useful contacts and moral support, as each work finds its way to its first performance. The Club dislikes the “one-night stands” of new music, and believes that subsequent performances are as important as the first. Considerable effort is expended on broadening the reach and audiences for a new music work.

Put differently, the Club is not merely a funder, doer of generic good works, and producer of warm feeling. It maintains a high level of involvement as initiator and sponsor of each project, from the rambling initial discussion of an idea, to the outline of a possibility, identification of a composer, negotiation of the contract, selection of premiere performers and venue, presence at the first performance and post-premiere celebratory events, and promotion of subsequent presentations of the work.

As of 2005 we have commissioned 13 works by 11 composers. Venues have ranged from bandshell to concert hall, from Minnesota to England, Norway and Germany. Some highlights include the 1996 commission of the first American composer (Stephen Paulus) to write a carol for the Kings College Christmas Eve concert broadcast around the world, and the musical setting by Steve Heitzeg of the best-selling children’s book by Debra Frasier, On the Day You Were Born, whose video recording garnered national awards. Our 2004 commission of Pulitzer-prize winner Aaron Jay Kernis, Sarabanda in Memoriam, was presented by the Club in Carnegie Hall as a gift to New York memorializing the 9/11 losses. (See attached list for full set of commissions.)

The Club members are both competitive and collaborative, a ginger balance. Through our lively meetings and trips to premieres our friendships have flourished. Our club membership turnover is modest, with many others expressing interest in joining us when openings occur. Former Club members attend meetings and concerts of works that have special interest. We are pleased to have inspired the formation of similar groups in Los Angeles, Ann Arbor and Washington, DC.

This modest document is an attempt to help others who may have the same interest, but lack experience, confidence, or a clear direction. That we can help you with. We are also willing to travel to help advise and/or ‘kick off’ your Club.  The money you will have to come up with on your own.

II. Why Commission New Music?

There are as many answers to this question as there are people who have commissioned new work. But it begins with an appreciation of music. Please note we said “appreciation” and not “knowledge of.” Some of our group are performers or deeply serious about music. Some of us cannot play an instrument and can barely carry a tune. But we all like music. Here are a few reasons we commission music.

• We know a composer and have an urge to support that person’s creative activities

• We know or support a music ensemble or performing arts organization and would like to give them a new work to perform

• We want to commemorate a birthday, anniversary, friend or family members with a new piece

• We are intrigued by the gamble of assisting in the creation of a piece that might find its way into the repertoire (a long shot, but…)

• We have gotten hooked on the wonderful emotion of hearing something we have helped create come to life

• Beyond bringing a new piece of music into the world, we like supporting the talented people who have enriched our lives

• We think we can help composers through our contacts, experiences and persistence to get a new work wider play

III. Club Mechanics

A.   Founding the Club

Jack and Linda Hoeschler had been commissioning music for a decade, and over time had been approached by many people who expressed interest in following suit. However, they never did, despite suggestions on the ‘how to’s.’ In 1988 Jack decided that an investment club format might make it easier for non-professionals to pool resources, learn more about the field, share ideas and experiences, and provide mutual support. In 1990 the Hoeschlers finally organized a group of their friends who had expressed interest in the process but had never done it regularly. The group decided not to incorporate as a tax-exempt body, but to use a fiscal agent (the American Composers Forum) for its contributions, payouts and financial records. The Forum charges us a modest fee for its valuable work.

B.   Membership

We found that it helps to have members whose qualifications go beyond having a sufficient net worth and season tickets to the Symphony. Our first invitees were those who satisfied the net worth condition, and had expressed interest in our commissions, but this was not successful; they saw this as an amorphous, high-risk, and uncomfortable venture. We then turned to friends who were more active in (and more opinionated about!) music and were immediately successful in our recruitment.

The initial group included three professional musicians, a musicologist, three people who had produced or promoted musical events, a radio personality, and the customary two lawyers. We also had a singing surgeon experienced in investing in professional golfers. Subsequent additions include an actress, a botanist, and a foundation executive.

The members involved in music making and production often have a wider range of knowledge, and are helpful in talking about composers, approaches, and instrumentation. However, they are no more successful in creating and managing commissions than the non-musicians. The rest of us do not let our lack of expertise stand in our way; some of our more interesting ideas have emerged from unhindered ignorance.

Based on our good working model, we think it is advisable, although not critical, to have a couple of individuals involved in playing or producing music. The common characteristics shared by our members, and more important to the group’s health, are that they are curious, motivated, articulate and are comfortable talking to artists. They are also willing to invent a project to manage, despite the possibility of embarrassing setbacks. In short, they are entrepreneurs, willing to take risks, make decisions based on limited information, and totally persistent. A done deal (one where the commission is already set up, and we are just the check writers) is of no interest to the group and not our mission.

At the same time, the group has to be able to share ideas, voice honest opinions, receive constructive criticism, and collaborate. Some less than stellar ideas occasionally surface, and they have either been rejected as such, or left to die from lack of enthusiasm. Members work hard at honest diplomacy. On the other hand, some middling ideas have evolved over time, through group discussions, to become some our best projects. Competition (for the best idea, composer, performer, venue and audience) and collaboration (to come to agreement and make it all happen) are Club hallmarks.

We all feel that we have become better, more creative initiators of our outside individual commissions because of our Club experience. The whole has made for more thoughtful, skilled parts. More important, we have gone from being friendly acquaintances at the start, to becoming fiercely loyal friends.

C. Club Commitment-Length and Costs

A five-year commitment to Club membership seemed prudent at the beginning, although the first group took about 7 years to complete its first round of commissions. In fact, it took us almost three years to get our first commission performed, due to developing a modus operandi for the Club, getting works identified, contracted, composed and performed.

Basically, Club members are committed to a yearly donation through the cycle. Each member takes the lead on at least one piece (or if a piece “costs” a two-year commitment, then two couples may be involved). In other words, six couples would entail six years of contributions and six works. However, now that we’ve each had several pieces we’ve championed, the Club members also look to good opportunities to be shared by several or all Club members. If one comes up with a ‘hot’ opportunity, we don’t reject it because it’s out of cycle.

Originally, the annual commitment was $2000 per year ($10-12,000 per year for the first cycle). But after 15 years we have raised it to $3000 per year, as commission fees have increased and with our desire to have more choices. We do not necessarily spend the entire year’s dues on one work (depending on the composer’s experience, length of work, performers) or we may spend two years’ fees on a work. Most of our commissions have been chamber works that cost less and have greater opportunities for multiple performances and recording than large symphonic works.

We always try to be fair to the composer and do not use our position to get a reduced rate. If we can’t afford a piece, we ask for a smaller and shorter work, or take money from the next year’s budget. We always ask (and usually get) the performing group to pay the copying costs. We think it important that they show commitment to the commission, and have found that if they have an investment, they too work harder to make it successful.

So that they can be deductible, our annual contributions are made to a 501(c)3 organization that acts as a Donor Advised Fund manager. In this case, we’ve chosen the St. Paul-based American Composers Forum (www.composersforum.org) to receive our gifts.

The Forum, in turn, keeps our financial and contract records, handles commission payments, mails out publicity packages for us, and gathers recordings of composers and performers. (They are very helpful soliciting materials from artists we are considering, without mentioning our involvement.) The modest annual fiscal agent fee of $250 is much less expensive than the costs of incorporation and annual reporting required of a separate non-profit corporation. Since the Forum’s mission to support composers is aligned with ours, it is a logical and helpful partner. The Forum offers its excellent services to many other individual and institutional commissioners, too. 

D. Meetings, Minutes and Records

We meet quarterly and try to schedule meetings a year in advance. We find it important to stick to the discipline of four meetings a year; otherwise interest and progress wane. We meet after dinner in each other’s homes, and generally share dessert and coffee.

Our gatherings are informal, despite an agenda. Occasionally, the disorderly members need to be whipped back into shape, but we somehow manage to get through the topics and produce decisions. Composers, performers and producers (local or from around the country) often join us to talk about trends, give advice, or report on an ongoing or past project. Their professional input, coupled with our listening to tapes of composers’ works, help stimulate and educate the group. As of 2004 we’ve also incorporated reports on the ‘life’ of one past commission per meeting, given by the work’s initiator.

A scheduler and convener of meetings is critical; any group needs a leader in order to exist and flourish. Jack Hoeschler, founder and recording secretary (our only office), deftly performs that function, and his spare but complete minutes have provided an important record of Club decisions and accomplishments. As of 2004 he is incorporating more information on the Club’s premieres, performances and reviews into the minutes, so that we can construct a more complete history of the Club. (In 2006 David Ranheim expertly took over this function.)

Linda Hoeschler keeps an updated list of our commissioned works. The Hoeschlers and the American Composers Forum (our fiscal agent) maintain a three-ring binder with the minutes, commission list, and press on the commissioned music and Club itself. We are happy to provide examples of our minutes.

IV. Commission Elements

A.   Source of Ideas

Sometimes a member will propose a commission because s/he thinks that a genre (such as music for children) needs to be enriched. Another member might have heard a composer’s work and thinks that person deserves our support. Other inspirations are civic occasions (opening of a new bridge; commemoration of an historic event) which could be enhanced with a new work, or outstanding performers or presenters. These ideas become the subject of Club discussions.

One important feature of our Club is that all the elements of a commission are variable: the composer, performer and presenter. That makes the complex matchmaking and coordination tougher, although we think, more rewarding. We recommend that new Clubs with members who haven’t commissioned, consider doing their first ventures with a presenter, such as a music festival or performing ensemble. That reduces some initial barriers and can be equally rewarding. As you get the feel for commissioning, you can tackle more of the variables.

When our Club started, it took a while to find its rhythm. The whole process was so new, and everyone was so Midwestern fair, that few decisions got made! Plus, we decided that we wouldn’t have the Club underwrite any ‘personal’ commissions, those celebrating members’ landmark occasions or written for family members. That further limited our possibilities (We later relaxed this rule, with some caveats.).

Finally, member Charlie Boone talked about an outstanding author, Debra Frasier, whom he had met on his radio show, and how we might set her book, On the Day You Were Born, to music. We were all enthusiastic, and luckily, we didn’t know what we were getting into. Negotiating rights for a bestselling book (even with the help of a very willing author), locating a symphony orchestra performer, and finding a talented composer to pair with a sensitive, yet strong willed author, taxed the Club’s abilities. We managed, over several years (5), to pull it all off, and with great results. But the Club was clearly slowed down by the overwhelming tasks.

To get a foothold, we finally decided to commission Paul Schoenfield, a composer whom we all liked. We talked to him about people who had asked him to write some music, and learned that the Twentieth Century Consort, one of the finest new music presenters in the world had sought his services. We quickly negotiated a commission, and happily attended its DC premiere in January 1994. With that, the Club began to find its way.

Over the years, we’ve all heard our own ideas. Therefore, outside speakers, composers, performers and presenters who meet with our Club, are important to stimulate our thinking. We also try to hear some tapes/CDs at each meeting to expand our knowledge of composers and performers.

Today, Club members are consistently alert for Club opportunities, and present their ideas at our meetings. Members question the proposed composer’s style, professionalism (i.e., Will s/he deliver the score on time?), and ease of collaboration. Members seek to choose only those performers who are excellent musicians, are committed to playing the piece often, and who might record it. Members challenge whether or not the presenter will invest enough publicity and promotion to support this historic premiere; will they tell their colleagues about it?

The best ideas win our support (and sometimes, a rejected idea still gets funded by a Club member on his/her own). Over the years we have developed standards and have a sense of what will and won’t work. Once we commit to an idea, we all try to make it excel. But the proposing couple is charged with coordinating the commission, its performance and our premiere attendance; they become the first among equals. As a result of this informal, but effective management, we have yet to see a work fail to be birthed. 

B.   Financial Constraints

We have found it easier, particularly in the initial years, to allot each piece the annual donation amount of $10,000 (now $18,000). Having some projects cost a lesser amount, and others more, raised issues of fairness. Today, because we have all been working together for so long, those issues are lessened. However, we do find that generally, form follows money, so most proposals have been for the full annual amount.

It behooves a Club to find just what your annual contribution can buy: $10-12,000 generally underwrites chamber and choral works, usually of about 10-15 minutes duration. (Shorter for more established composers.) As noted above, sometimes you may wish to combine multiple year donations to underwrite a single work, particularly an orchestral piece. Again, we always try to be fair to the composer, and not ask for reduced rates.

On the other hand, the copying costs can often add another third (more or less) to the commission costs, depending on whether or not the composer uses software to write his or her works. We usually ask the performing organization to pay the copying costs, mostly because we want them to show commitment to the work.  

C.   The Composer

Our group was fortunate to have the resources of the American Composers Forum (www.composersforum.org) whose staff could suggest composers, provide recordings by its members, or even conduct a blind call of materials submission for us. This is one of the important brokerage roles the Forum plays for many commissioners.

Local professional musicians and organizations can also help you find composers. When at concerts, note whose music you like (presuming they’re still alive!).

Composers are used to providing their materials to potential commissioners, and do not expect that a commission is thereby guaranteed. Don’t feel embarrassed about calling a composer and asking for recordings and scores, particularly in the genre about which you are thinking (some good instrumental composers are not good vocal writers). Many composers have websites, often linked through the Forum’s own web site.

D. The Performer and the Venue

It is critical to identify the key elements of performer and venue as you shape your commission, and before you do your contract. Too often works have been written with no performing group in mind, resulting in no performance or the hiring of an ad hoc group of musicians, and no subsequent performances.

A local music festival may be interested in your idea for a new work, or you might approach a group you have heard in concert. Professional service organizations, such as the American Composers Forum or Chamber Music America may be helpful matchmakers. Or, the composer you are approaching may have some performers in mind.

Always work with an existing ensemble and ensure their commitment to and excitement about the new work you have in mind. Pin them down about performances and work with the presenter to ensure maximum commitment and publicity. Be conscious of the fact that although you are paying for the commission, they have to put in a lot of extra rehearsal time to learn the new piece of music to ensure an excellent performance. That is why a struggling chamber ensemble may be unwilling to pay the copying costs.

This process may sound daunting and difficult, but it isn’t—as long as you set up the coalitions and conditions before a note has been written!

E. The Contract

Our agreements with composers tend to range from a letter to a full contract (the latter is becoming more common). The composer keeps the copyright to the work and is the full beneficiary of royalties. 

The contract specifies the performers and presenters, instruments, length, deadline for score delivery, date and place of the first performance. If the work premieres outside the US, we may reserve the right to control the American premiere. We may also limit recording rights to the premiering ensemble for the first year or two.

We usually pay the composer ½ to 1/3 the fee upon contract signing; ½ or 1/3 upon delivery of the manuscript, and 1/3 upon performance. We specify whether or not the fee includes copying costs, or if the performers are underwriting those costs. We also pay the composer’s travel costs to attend the first performance, unless we have negotiated with the presenter to do so.

From the composer we ask that each member receive a signed copy of the first page of music (suitable for framing), and one full copy of the score (for the lead couple). We also insist that the Club be credited on the first page of the music (not just the cover page, which often gets ripped off), and that the Club’s involvement be acknowledged in all programs during the first two years of the work’s performance. Sometimes we have asked that the credit cite the lead couple and the Club, for instance: “Commissioned by Mary and Kenneth Jones and the Minnesota Commissioning Club” instead of just “Commissioned by the Minnesota Commissioning Club.” Discuss this with your members before contract time. We also ask the composer to keep up apprised of the work’s life—performances and recordings.

Of equal import is an agreement (and again, a letter signed by both parties is fine) with the performers. Generally, they agree when and where they will premiere the work. They do not usually have to pay royalties for the premiere performance but do for subsequent concerts. Royalties for orchestral and operatic works are substantial, and often present another barrier to repeat performances of new works.

F. Promotion of the Work Before Performance

The premiering organization, the sponsoring couple, and even the composer, should be involved in ensuring the promotion of the new work. The lead Club couple should challenge the performers and presenters about their publicity plans, and review press releases and media kits, to ensure that they contain the correct information about the Club’s role. Ask to see the program before it goes to press (no matter what the contract specifies, these things get forgotten).

The lead couple and Club members should also help promote the piece, particularly if it is premiered locally where members might have media ties. Keep the performers informed of your efforts, however, so that no one is embarrassed.

G. The Premiere

No matter where in the world, everybody in our Club makes the effort to attend the premiere, a historic event for all: composer, performers, audience and Club members. If the sponsoring entity isn’t planning a party for the musicians and other important people, then we plan it and pay for it. This is a special occasion, and our party reminds everyone of that. Nothing makes people take note more than when out of towners come to hear something by the local band!

These efforts require much coordination through telephone and email to performers and presenters, and most rise to the occasion and magnify our efforts. The sponsoring Club couple also arranges for hotel space and the party, as required. Each couple pays their own expenses.

H. Post Premiere

Besides writing the thank you notes, reviews and articles need to be collected and circulated to the Club members by the lead couple. The composer and performers should be reminded to alert the lead couple of the Club to future performances. Although the premiering performers usually have the exclusive right to perform the work for the first year or two, the Club members should begin to promote the new work to other ensembles and presenters immediately. Most groups are always scheduled at least a year out, so you need to get the work on their radar quickly.

Composers are solitary businesspeople, with limited resources and time. Help them think about how they can promote the work (royalties and fame are their reward), and pitch in where you have connections. And remember to get the autographed first page for each Club member and a copy of the score for the lead couple. Also ensure that if the work is then published (by the composer or a private publisher, such as Boosey) that that Club’s credits appear on the first page of the music, as specified in the contract.

I.     Recording the Work

In a perfect world, after a smashing first performance, the piece is recorded and appears on a compact disk, and lives on in the libraries of music lovers. In reality, a recording is a bonus, over which we have little control.

If a CD recording is not likely, at least for awhile, try to encourage a local public radio station to broadcast the concert. You can then either record the work when it is broadcast (legal, as long as you don’t distribute or sell copies) or ask the station for a copy. The most difficult recordings to get are those by symphony orchestras, where union rules are specific and tough.

J. Club Transitions

Should members decide to cycle out after their full commitment, it is important to figure out how to replace them and to keep them involved. Their insights can often be useful to the Club in terms of improving dynamics or suggesting commissions.

K. Conclusion

We hope that this write-up intrigues you and guides you in setting up your own Commissioning Club. Think of the impact scores of clubs could have on this nation’s artists and artistic fabric.

Please send us your comments and suggestions. We are always happy to answer your questions or supply you with additional material.  

Schoenfield Memorial concert program