MATA is a non-profit organization that has, for the past fourteen years, been dedicated to commissioning and presenting works by young composers from around the world. MATA’s directors are motivated by a desire to create community among young musicians, especially those whose work defies definition and doesn’t fit into existing institutions. By providing young composers with a professional performance of their work, access to first-rate performers and valuable connections to colleagues, MATA nurtures their entry into American musical life.
Founded in 1996 by Philip Glass, Eleonor Sandresky, and Lisa Bielawa, MATA presents pieces by young composers on a 4-day festival, held each spring in New York City. This festival always features several works that MATA has commissioned specifically for the festival, performed by professional musicians from around the world. Performers on past MATA festivals have included the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Gamelan Son of Lion, The Knights Chamber Orchestra, So Percussion, l'arsenale (Italy), Calder Quartet, Argento Ensemble, Nouvelle Ensemble Moderne, Either/Or, NOW Ensemble, Newspeak, VOX Vocal Ensemble, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and many more.
In 2007 MATA initiated Interval, a bi-monthly concert series dedicated to young composers presented in conjunction with Brooklyn venue Issue Project Room. Each concert on the Interval series is curated by participants in our Curatorial Associate Program, an internship designed to teach young artists the basics of concert production and arts administration. Past concerts on the Interval Series have included an evening of "Music for Toys" curated by young composer Angelica Negron, an evening of music influenced by Balinese and Karnatic traditions curated by cellist/composer Ha-Yang Kim, and an evening of new works for electric guitar, curated by James Moore and Taylor Levine, two members of the Dither Guitar Quartet.
To date, MATA has commissioned over 61 works, and has presented over 263 performances of pieces by young composers. Composers who have been commissioned or presented by MATA early in their careers include Pulitzer-prize winner Jennifer Higdon, Derek Bermel, Yotam Haber, Annie Gosfield, Julia Wolfe, Nico Muhly, and Randall Woolf.
In 2010 MATA received the prestigious Aaron Copland Award from the ASCAP Foundation, in recognition of its outstanding commitment to young composers.
MATA holds an annual open call for scores, from which a panel of established composers selects composers who will participate in that year’s festival. For most of these composers, the performance of their work on the MATA Festival or the Interval Series represents one of their first commissions or high-profile performances, and their first significant exposure to New York audiences.
www.matafestival.org