Comprised of top classical music presenting organizations throughout the United States, Music Accord is a consortium that commissions new works in the chamber music, instrumental recital and song genres. The Consortium's goal is to create a significant number of new works and to ensure presentation of these works in venues throughout this country and, if the occasion arises, internationally. Music Accord awards commissions principally to performers who are US citizens or reside in the US and assists these performers in selecting composers who are United States citizens or who reside in the United States.
Boston Symphony Orchestra/Tanglewood
Now in its 132nd season, the Boston Symphony Orchestra gave its inaugural concert on October 22, 1881, and has continued to uphold the vision of its founder, the businessman, philanthropist, Civil War veteran, and amateur musician Henry Lee Higginson, for well over a century. It plays an active role in commissioning new works from today's most important composers; its summer season at Tanglewood is regarded as one of the world's most important music festivals; it helps develop the audience of the future through BSO Youth Concerts and through a variety of outreach programs involving the entire Boston community; and, during the Tanglewood season, it sponsors the Tanglewood Music Center, one of the world's most important training grounds for young composers, conductors, instrumentalists, and vocalists. The orchestra's virtuosity is reflected in the concert and recording activities of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, one of the world's most distinguished chamber ensembles made up of a major symphony orchestra's principal players, and the activities of the Boston Pops Orchestra have established an international standard for the performance of lighter kinds of music. Overall, the mission of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is to foster and maintain an organization dedicated to the making of music consonant with the highest aspirations of musical art, creating performances and providing educational and training programs at the highest level of excellence. www.bso.org
Celebrity Series of Boston
Celebrity Series of Boston was founded in 1938 by pianist and impresario Aaron Richmond. The Celebrity Series has been bringing the very best performers–from orchestras and chamber ensembles, vocal and piano music, to dance companies, jazz, and more–to Boston’s major concert halls for more than 80 years. The Celebrity Series of Boston believes in the power of excellence and innovation in the performing arts to enrich life experiences, transform lives and build better communities. Through its education initiatives, the Celebrity Series seeks to build a community of Greater Boston where the performing arts are a valued, lifelong, shared experience—on stages, on streets, in neighborhoods–everywhere. www.celebrityseries.org.
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) is one of eleven constituents of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the largest performing arts complex in the world. Along with other constituents such as the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center Theater, and The Metropolitan Opera, the Chamber Music Society has its home at Lincoln Center, in Alice Tully Hall. Through its performance, education, and recording/broadcast activities, it draws more people to chamber music than any other organization of its kind.

CMS presents annual series of concerts and educational events for listeners ranging from connoisseurs to chamber music newcomers of all ages. Performing repertoire from over three centuries, and numerous premieres by living composers, CMS offers programs curated to provide listeners a comprehensive perspective on the art of chamber music. The performing artists of CMS, a multi-generational selection of expert chamber musicians, constitute an evolving repertory company capable of presenting chamber music of every instrumentation, style, and historical period . Its annual activities include a full season of concerts and events, national and international tours, nationally televised broadcasts on Live From Lincoln Center, a radio show broadcast nationwide, and regular appearances on American Public Media's Performance Today.

In 2004, CMS appointed cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han artistic directors. They succeed founding director Charles Wadsworth (1969-89), Fred Sherry (1989-93), and David Shifrin (1993-2004). www.chambermusicsociety.org
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is America's living memorial to President Kennedy. Under the leadership of Chairman David M. Rubenstein and President Deborah F. Rutter, the nine theaters and stages of the nation's busiest performing arts facility attract audiences and visitors totaling 3 million people annually; Center-related touring productions, television, and radio broadcasts welcome 40 million more.

Opening its doors on September 8, 1971, the Center presents the greatest performances of music, dance, and theater; supports artists in the creation of new work; and serves the nation as a leader in arts education. With its artistic affiliates, the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, the Center's achievements as a commissioner, producer, and nurturer of developing artists have resulted in more than 300 theatrical productions, and dozens of new ballets, operas, and musical works.

Each year, millions of people nationwide take part in innovative, inclusive, and effective education programs initiated by the Center, including school- and community-based residencies and consultancies; age-appropriate performances and events for young people; career development for young actors, dancers, singers, and instrumentalists; and professional learning opportunities for teachers, teaching artists, and school administrators. These programs have become models for communities across the country. The Center's Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child program works with selected local school districts and seeks to provide a comprehensive arts education to children K-8. The Center also has been at the forefront of making the performing arts accessible to persons with disabilities, highlighted by the work accomplished with its affiliate, VSA.

As part of the Kennedy Center's Performing Arts for Everyone outreach program, the Center stages more than 400 free performances of music, dance, and theater by artists from throughout the world each year on the Center's main stages, and every evening at 6 p.m. on the Millennium Stage. The Rubenstein Arts Access Program expands the Center's efforts to make the arts accessible to children, young adults, and to people who have little or limited ability to attend and enjoy the performing arts, enabling audiences to engage in more ways, at more times, and in more places than ever before. www.kennedy-center.org
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
Through its multiple and integrated roles as classroom, laboratory, and public square, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts serves as a touchstone for the exploration and expansion of human experience on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. With over 400 performance and engagement events annually, the Center embraces the art of the past as well as the art of our time, supports the belief that creativity is a core human characteristic, and believes that the arts hold uniquely transformative potential in todays world moment. The Center aligns its mission with that of the University of Illinois, dedicating its five performance spaces, its rehearsal facilities, and its production shops to the advancement of education, research, and public engagement through the pursuit of excellence and innovation in the performing arts. Krannert Center opened its doors in April 1969 and was quickly recognized by a New York Times critic as "one of the most ingeniously worked out arts complexes anywhere." www.krannertcenter.com
Middlebury Performing Arts Series
The Middlebury Performing Arts Series enhances Middlebury College’s curriculum and ignites cultural and creative exploration by presenting a diverse spectrum of world class performances and residencies to the greater Middlebury community. Since 1919, the series has been bringing celebrated artists in chamber music, dance, and theatre to campus—to perform, inspire, create, and conduct residencies. The series not only enriches Middlebury’s academic program, but our work to connect artists with audiences allows the community to enjoy exceptional levels of artistry—usually only available in major cities—in an intimate setting. www.middlebury.edu/arts/performing
Princeton University Concerts
Since 1894, the music of history's most revered composers has been performed by the world's most celebrated artists at Princeton University. In its 122-year history the series has presented many of the classical music world's most important musicians, including violinist Isaac Stern, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the Budapest String Quartet and pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy. Today, an extraordinary roster of musicians make their Princeton debuts each season and join this pantheon. Among them are some of the most highly regarded artists of our time...young musicians on the cusp of sensational careers...and riveting performers pioneering new forms of expression. Princeton University Concerts continues to make history by commissioning new work and blazing new trails while delivering an experience more intimate, more personal and more moving than anywhere else. What's more, these transporting performances take place in our own world-class venue, Richardson Auditorium. It's all part of Princeton University Concerts' devotion to HISTORY IN THE MUSIC MAKING. princetonuniversityconcerts.org
San Francisco Performances
San Francisco Performances was founded by Ruth Felt in 1979, and now in its 33rd season, presents more than 60 mainstage performances of chamber music, recitals, contemporary dance and jazz. Through the years, SF Performances has presented more than 100 premieres and San Francisco debuts, introducing such acclaimed artists in recital as composer/pianist Thomas Adès, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, as well as presenting single choreographer-led dance companies such as the Paul Taylor Dance Company and Ohud Naharin's Batsheva from Israel. Through partnerships with artists, schools and community organizations, SF Performances has established one of the most respected performing arts education programs in the country. In the 11/12 season mainstage commissioning projects include a vocal quintet from Jake Heggie for the Alexander String Quartet and Joyce DiDonato and the Brentano Quartets "Fragments," a program of short new works from several composers. In the 12/13 season there will be a four concert series with pianist Jonathan Biss and his guest artists which includes a Music Accord commission from Bernard Rands and a piano quintet from Timothy Andres. www.sfperformances.org
Schubert Club
Founded in 1882, Schubert Club is one of the nation’s most vibrant music organizations, enriching Minnesota with dynamic concerts, music education programs and museum exhibits. Schubert Club reaches approximately 2,000 youth annually through activities such as family concerts, teacher and student workshops, free music lessons in neighborhood locations, and scholarships that allow students to pursue their music studies more intensively. In addition, the Schubert Club Music Museum, located in downtown Saint Paul’s Landmark Center, holds a world-class collection of historical keyboard instruments, original letters and manuscripts of famous composers, and musical instruments from around the world. Schubert Club maintains a commitment to affordable ticket prices for all concert presentations, as well as cost-free education programs and museum entrance, thanks to endowment gifts and annual donations. schubert.org
University Musical Society
The University Musical Society (UMS) is an independent multi-disciplinary performing arts presenting organization with a long and deep affiliation with the University of Michigan. UMS is located in the center of the Ann Arbor campus and offers 60-90 performances each season, performed in up to nine University and community venues. Its mission is to inspire individuals and enrich communities by connecting audiences and artists in uncommon and engaging experiences. Since its founding in 1879, UMS has presented top-ranking international artists in dance, theater, and music in the many diverse forms of these genres. UMS also sponsors the 190-voice UMS Choral Union, presents an extensive education program for people of all ages, commissions and presents new work, and hosts many artists' residencies. In the 2013-14 season UMS has a $7.5 million budget and a full-time staff of 30. www.ums.org.