CMA Announces $543,000 in Grants for New Jazz and Classical Compositions

Today, Chamber Music America, the national network for small ensemble music professionals, announced the recipients of its 2025 New Jazz Works and Classical Commissioning programs, which provide grant funding to U.S.–based presenters and ensembles to create new compositions. A total of $543,000 will be awarded to 19 ensembles and presenters, located in 13 cities across 10 states. These programs complete CMA’s 2025 grant cycle, which, through 68 awards, has provided a total of $1,261,350 to 338 musicians (and 20 presenting organizations) in more than 20 states.

“At Chamber Music America, we believe in the power of new music to reflect our time, challenge our perspectives, and inspire our communities,” says CEO Kevin Kwan Loucks. “The New Jazz Works and Classical Commissioning grant recipients are at the forefront of that mission, and we’re honored to help bring their work to life. The projects exemplify the creativity, depth, and cultural richness that chamber music continues to offer across genres, and the grantees reflect the extraordinary diversity of voices shaping the future of chamber music. Whether rooted in jazz, classical, or traditions that defy categorization, each project pushes the boundaries of what’s possible.”

Long a hallmark of Chamber Music America, the Classical Commissioning program has supported more than 285 grantees since 1983. Funding, which is awarded to U.S.-based presenters and ensembles whose programming includes Western European and/or non-Western classical and contemporary music, furthers the commissioning and performance of new works by American composers.

2025 marks CMA’s 25th year of awarding original jazz works grants—supporting the creation of more than 300 compositions reflecting a broad range of traditions. In 2025, CMA’s New Jazz Works program, which has been funded by the Doris Duke Foundation since 2000, will support the creation of 15 jazz compositions and impact nearly 100 instrumentalists. Of the 15 award recipients, three ensembles have selected female composers, and 67 percent of the ensemble bandleaders identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). These statistics reflect CMA’s funding trends more broadly: of the more than $4.5 million awarded to jazz artists since 2020, 67 percent of jazz grants have supported female or gender-minority bandleaders and 66 percent of jazz grants have supported bandleaders who identify as BIPOC.

Both New Jazz Works and the Classical Commissioning grantee cohorts were selected among more than 300 applications through separate, multi-day panels of classical/contemporary and jazz professionals. The list of 2025 awardees and composers, along with brief descriptions of the commissioned works, follows.

CLASSICAL COMMISSIONING
Funded by Chamber Music America, with additional program support provided by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the Amphion Foundation, the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, and the CMA Endowment Fund

Grantee: Miller Theatre at Columbia University (New York, NY) with Yarn/Wire (Ridgewood, NY)
Composer: Andrew McIntosh
Instrumentation: Two piano, two percussion, plus guest violin with playback
New work description: The commissioned work, of approximately 25-minutes duration, will be scored for violin (played by McIntosh), two pianos and two percussionists, with tape playback. The premiere will be featured on a Miller Theatre Composer Portrait, with concert repertoire that traces the arc of McIntosh’s relationship with Yarn/Wire, including Hyenas in the Temples of Pleasure (2012-13), we see the flying bird (2015-16), and Little Jimmy (2020), all of which were written for the ensemble, plus Arc (2020) for solo violin.

Miller Theatre, in partnership with Columbia University School of the Arts, is dedicated to producing and presenting unique events, with a focus on contemporary and early music, jazz, chamber opera, and multimedia performances. Widely celebrated for its innovative programming and its success building new audiences for the arts or over 30 years, Miller Theatre has helped launch the careers of myriad composers and ensembles, serving as an incubator for emerging artists and a champion of those not yet well known in the United States.

Yarn/Wire is a new music quartet with a significant track record of excellence in concerts, commissions, touring, outreach, educational activities, digital streaming initiatives, and more. They have collaborated with Yarn/Wire on Miller Theatre’s Composer Portraits and Pop-Up Concerts series every season since 2013.

Grantee: arx duo (Bellevue, WA)
Composer: Pascal Le Boeuf
Instrumentation: Percussion Duo
New work description: Twin Studies will explore human connection through the lens of twinhood—both in concept and performance. As an identical twin themself, composer Pascal LeBoeuf experienced the paradox of deep synchronicity and individual divergence firsthand. Percussion duo provides a natural framework for this exploration—through mirrored instrumental setups on opposite ends of the stage, allowing for antiphonal exchanges, intricate hocketing, and virtuosic unison lines that reflect the closeness of twin identity.

For the past 10 years, arx duo has focused on the creation and presentation of new works through direct collaboration with composers and artists. They have premiered more than 100 new works through collaborations, composer workshops, commissions, and more, and have recorded a total of three independent albums all of works written in the last 30 years, mostly within the first three years of a piece’s life.

Grantee: Splinter Reeds (Oakland, CA)
Composer: Ellen Fullman
Instrumentation: Oboe/English horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophones, bassoon

New work description: The work will be constructed using a recording of The Long String Instrument (LSI) as a backing track. This recording will inspire source material for the quintet parts. The LSI is a string instrument spanning wall to wall, played by bowing strings lengthwise while walking. Unlike all other string instruments, which employ the transverse mode of vibration, playing the LSI excites the longitudinal mode, or a compression wave that travels along the string length. The longitudinal mode more loudly excites harmonic upper partial tones. These harmonics are continually evolving as the performer’s fingers glide past. While several strings are played at once, one can hear the combinations of overtones forming new harmonies and chords above the fundamental tunings of the strings.

Splinter Reeds is committed exclusively to the performance of contemporary works. Splinter Reeds’ commissions include such composers as Amadeus Regucera, Eric Wubbels, Sky Macklay, Paula Matthusen, Sam Pluta, Michael Gordon, Marc Mellits, Ken Ueno, Theresa Wong, Lansing McLoskey, Cara Haxo, Jon Yu, Zachary James Watkins, Stefan Freund, Karola Obermüller, Belinda Reynolds, and Evan Williams. The ensemble works regularly to develop innovative new student compositions during academic residencies; this season and next, Splinter Reeds is the Steven Stucky Ensemble-in-Residence at Cornell University.

Grantee: Quey Percussion Duo (North East, MD)
Composer: Mary Ellen Childs
Instrumentation: Two Percussion
New work description: Tie line (title of the new work) may refer to a circuit between two telephone exchanges or electrical grid—an electrical circuit connecting balancing authorities. Quey Percussion Duo specializes in highly virtuosic percussion playing and intricate interaction between the two performers. Childs’ new work will highlight these strengths using intricate back-and-forth interaction/communication between the percussionists.

As new music advocates, Quey Percussion Duo has generated nearly 200 new works, many of which have become staples in the repertoire for percussionists worldwide. They have collaborated with an array of composers including Emmanuel Séjourné, Phyllis Chen, Molly Joyce, Alyssa Weinberg, Alejandro Viñao, Stuart Saunders Smith, David M. Gordon, Ben Wahlund, and Pulitzer Prize recipient John Luther Adams. In addition to touring worldwide and extensively throughout the U.S., QPD has engaged in more than 100 university residencies.

NEW JAZZ WORKS
Funded by the Doris Duke Foundation, whose mission is to improve the quality people’s lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research, and child well-being, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke’s properties.

Alex “Apolo” Ayala & The Bámbula Project (Brooklyn, NY)
Leader/Composer: Alexander Ayala
Instrumentation: Bass, Saxophone, Drums, Percussion, Alto Sax
Ensemble Size: 5

Sam Yulsman and Victor Vieira-Branco Duo (Philadelphia, PA)
Leader/Composer: Sam Yulsman
Instrumentation: Piano, Vibraphone
Ensemble Size: 2

Geof Bradfield’s Colossal Abundance (Chicago, IL)
Leader/Composer: Geoffrey Bradfield
Instrumentation: Tenor Saxophone/Bass Clarinet/Mbira, Drum Set/Mbira, Bass, Trumpet, Guitar, Bass/Gimbri
Ensemble Size: 7

Dan Pugach Nonet (West Haven, CT)
Leader/Composer: Dan Pugach
Instrumentation: Drums, Piano, Bass, Bass Trombone, Tenor Trombone, Trumpet, Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Voice
Ensemble Size: 10

The Jon Gordon Nonet (Brooklyn, NY)
Leader/Composer: Jon Gordon
Instrumentation: Alto and Soprano Saxophones, Trumpet, Bass Clarinet, Trombone, Tenor Saxophone, Guitar, Piano Bass, Drums
Ensemble Size: 9

Claudia Acuña Quartet (Brooklyn, NY)
Leader/Composer: Claudia Acuña
Instrumentation: Claudia Acuna, Voice/Hand Percussion (Bombo Leguero), Drums and Percussion, Bass (Acoustic and Electric)/Charango, Piano and Keyboards, Accordion
Ensemble Size: 5

Stephen Philip Harvey Octet (Salisbury, MD)
Leader/Composer: Stephen Philip Harvey
Instrumentation: Alto Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Guitar, Piano, Bass, Drums, Tenor Saxophone
Ensemble Size: 8

Noah Garabedian Quintet (Brooklyn, NY)
Leader/Composer: Noah Garabedian
Instrumentation: Bass, Saxophone, Piano, Drums, Trumpet, Production/Sound Design
Ensemble Size: 6

Ben Wendel Group (Brooklyn, NY)
Leader/Composer: Ben Wendel
Instrumentation: Saxophone/Bassoon/EFX, Piano/Fender Rhodes, Bass, Guitar/EFX, Drums
Ensemble Size: 6

Sean Mason Trio (Charlotte, NC)
Leader/Composer: Sean Mason
Instrumentation: Piano, Upright Bass, Drums
Ensemble Size: 3

Doug Beavers Titanes del Trombón 2 (Jersey City, NJ)
Leader/Composer: Doug Beavers
Instrumentation: Trombone/Guiro/Claves, Vocals/Flute, Vocals, Trombone, Bass Trombone, Piano, Bass, Congas/Vocals, Drum Set
Ensemble Size: 9

Camila Cortina & the Afro-Cuban Connections Ensemble (Weehawken, NJ)
Leader/Composer: Camila Cortina Bello
Instrumentation: Piano, Bass, Drums, Saxophone, Vocals, Percussion, Trumpet
Ensemble Size: 7

Jesse Palter’s Tunezies (Detroit, MI)
Leader/Composer: Jesse Palter
Instrumentation: Voice, Piano, Bass, Drums, Saxophone, Guitar
Ensemble Size: 6

Manuel Valera New Cuban Express (New York, NY)
Leader/Composer: Manuel Valera
Instrumentation: Piano, Bass, Drums, Saxophones/Woodwinds, Trumpet, Percussion
Ensemble Size: 6

Fernando García & The Lux Quintet (New York, NY)
Leader/Composer: Fernando García Rodas
Instrumentation: Drums, Percussion, Bass, Tenor and Soprano Saxophone, Electric Guitar
Ensemble Size: 5

Chamber Music America, the national network of ensemble music professionals, was founded in 1977 to develop, strengthen, and support the chamber music community. With a membership including musicians, ensembles, presenters, artists’ managers, educators, music businesses, and advocates of ensemble music, CMA welcomes members representing a wide range of musical styles and traditions. In addition to its funding programs, CMA provides its members with consulting services, access to instrument and other insurances, conferences, seminars, and its quarterly publication, Chamber Music magazine.