COMPOSERS NOW INC.

What COMPOSERS NOW INC. does

Composers Now Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in New York City at The Yard Columbus Circle (33 West 60th Street), founded in 2010 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tania León to empower living composers and celebrate the diversity of their voices. The organization's core offering is the annual Composers Now Festival, launched in February 2014, which presents hundreds of performances across concert halls, jazz venues, opera stages, experimental spaces, conservatories, and museums throughout New York City's five boroughs. The festival is complemented by an interconnected suite of year-round programs: Dialogues (a performance-and-conversation series hosted by León), the Second Stage Commission (an annual commissioning and mentorship cohort for young female composers underwritten by the Toulmin Foundation), Cheswatyr Commissions (underwritten by the Cheswatyr Foundation), First Commission (supported by donors Michael Minard and Phyllis Ross), the Pocantico Center residency (in partnership with the Asian Cultural Council and Rockefeller Brothers Fund), IMPACT (a video reflection series), Composer Curator, Composers Interviewing Composers, and the Visionary Awards.

Revenue is generated primarily through tax-deductible donations accepted via Donor Box, PayPal, checks, and Stripe-powered online giving, supplemented by modest ticket sales ranging from $20 (students/seniors) to $150 (reception-plus-concert packages) processed through Eventbrite. The organization is governed by a board of directors and led by León as Founder and Artistic Director with Cathy Hung serving as Executive Director; Marcello Di Russo is also listed among staff. Marketing and distribution run through the official website (composersnow.org), a YouTube channel that streams performances, and active Instagram, Twitter/X, and Facebook presences, with email list management handled via Mailchimp. Composers Now does not operate proprietary technology beyond standard third-party integrations (Stripe, Mailchimp, Eventbrite, Google Analytics) and offers no mobile app, API, or SDK.

Name

COMPOSERS NOW INC.

Legal name

Composers Now, Inc.

Website

https://composersnow.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Composers Now is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2010 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tania León that empowers living composers through an annual New York City festival and commissioning, mentorship, residency, and performance programs funded by foundation grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts and Cultural Services

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Musical Groups and Artists (711130)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB)

Keywords

• Contemporary music festivals
• Composer commissions
• Arts residency programs
• Performer mentorship programs
• Nonprofit performing arts

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Composers Now operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization accepting donations via Donor Box, PayPal, and checks. The organization relies on contributed revenue from individual donors, foundations, and corporate sponsors.
2. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from concert and event ticket sales through Eventbrite and at-the-door payments. The box office also drives attendance to the annual festival.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Composers Now is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that runs the annual Composers Now Festival, a citywide showcase of living composers presenting hundreds of events across concert halls, jazz clubs, opera stages, experimental spaces, conservatories, and museums in New York City. The organization supports living composers through commissioning programs (Cheswatyr Commissions, First Commission, Second Stage), performance-and-conversation series (Dialogues), creative residencies (Pocantico Center, in partnership with Asian Cultural Council and Rockefeller Brothers Fund), reflection video content (IMPACT), and curatorial platforms (Composer Curator), with revenue sourced from donations, foundation grants, sponsorships, and ticket sales.

Product overview

Composers Now is a nonprofit organization that serves as a unified platform supporting living composers through multiple interconnected programs and initiatives. The core offering is the annual Composers Now Festival, complemented by commissioning programs (Cheswatyr Commissions, First Commission, Second Stage), performance-and-conversation series (Dialogues), residency opportunities (Pocantico Center), video reflection programs (IMPACT), curatorial platforms (Composer Curator), awards (Visionary Awards), and collaborative presenter networks. These programs work together to commission new works, showcase artistic processes, foster community dialogue, provide mentorship, and create visibility for contemporary composers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Composers Now Festival Annual flagship festival celebrating living composers with hundreds of performances across New York City venues, featuring world premieres, commissions, Visionary Awards, and collaborative events held in concert halls, jazz clubs, opera stages, experimental spaces, conservatories, and museums throughout February.
• IMPACT Video interview and discussion program offering composers the opportunity to reflect on their creativity, influences, pathways, and responsibility as living artists. Episodes are distributed through the Composers Now YouTube channel.
• Dialogues Signature performance-and-conversation series hosted by Founding Artistic Director Tania León, featuring live performances followed by town hall-style conversations between composers, performers, and audiences at partner venues such as Queens Botanical Garden.
• Composer Curator Curatorial platform enabling groundbreaking music creators working across genres and technologies to share their creative process, curate programs, and engage with fellow composers.
• Pocantico Center Residency Creative residency initiative where two composers collaborate at the Pocantico Center's natural setting to develop new works, operated in partnership with the Asian Cultural Council and Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
• Cheswatyr Commissions Commissioning program created and produced by Composers Now with underwriting from the Cheswatyr Foundation, awarding substantive commissions to living composers and commemorating Cece Wasserman's legacy of empowering living composers.
• First Commission Award Annual award providing a young composer with a Composers Now commission and world premiere, supported by donors Michael Minard and Phyllis Ross to encourage artistic potential and creative development.
• Second Stage Commission Program Annual commissioning, mentoring, and professional development initiative for a cohort of three young female composers, with underwriting from the Toulmin Foundation, culminating in a concert of world premieres in New York City. Nominees are drawn from the Luna Composition Lab Fellowship Program.
• Visionary Awards Award recognizing members of the arts community who have made a profound, positive, and lasting impact on culture through their creative practice and advocacy for others, presented during the annual Composers Now Festival.
• Presenter Partners Collaborative initiative with presenters across New York City's five boroughs to generate greater visibility for living composers throughout the year, extending the reach of Composers Now programming beyond the annual festival window.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15 years of continuous operation since 2010, celebrating 15th anniversary in 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Civitella Ranieri FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Composers Now collaborated with Civitella Ranieri Foundation from 2015 to 2019, offering awarded composers a six-week residency at the Foundation's 15th-century castle in rural Umbria, Italy. Fellows included Pauchi Sasaki (2018) and Missy Mazzoli (2019).
• Luna Composition LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLuna Composition Lab provides nominations for the Second Stage Commission program. Composers Now reviews works, meets with composers, and selects three alumni of the Luna Lab Fellowship Program each year.
• Asian Cultural CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Asian Cultural Council for the Pocantico Center residency program, which brings two creatives together at the Pocantico Center to explore creativity and produce new work.
• National SawdustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrooklyn-based venue that hosts the annual Composers Now Festival kick-off concert. The 2026 festival launched at National Sawdust on January 28, 2026.
• Queens Botanical GardenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for the Dialogues series, specifically the 2026 edition highlighting the diverse cultural voices of Queens.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts: Major NYC performing arts presenting and producing organization. Operates at much larger scale but with overlapping programming including contemporary music presentations and commissioning in NYC.
• BMI Foundation: Foundation supporting songwriters and composers through grants, awards, and educational programs. Similar philanthropic funding model and creator-support mission, with broader music industry reach.
• Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center: Established NYC presenting nonprofit with comparable programming of classical and contemporary chamber music, plus commissioning initiatives. Comparable institutional structure and donor-driven model, with deeper institutional resources.
• Carnegie Hall: Iconic NYC music presenting organization with educational programs, commissions, and residencies. Wider scope but overlapping in supporting living composers and presenting contemporary music in NYC.
• ASCAP Foundation: Foundation supporting music creators across genres through grants, awards, and education initiatives. Operates at larger scale but with comparable composer-support mission and nonprofit program model.

Direct peers

• Bang on a Can: NYC-based nonprofit that presents contemporary music through festivals (including its annual Marathon), performances, and commissioning programs. Direct overlap with Composers Now's living-composer presentation and new-work commissioning focus.
• American Composers Forum: National nonprofit dedicated to supporting composers through commissioning, mentoring, and community programs. Most direct mission peer to Composers Now, operating at broader geographic scale but with comparable programmatic structure and donor-driven funding model.
• MATA: New York-based nonprofit dedicated to commissioning and performing works by young composers. Direct mission overlap with Composers Now's commissioning and mentorship programs for emerging talent.
• New Music USA: Nonprofit dedicated to advancing new music in the U.S. through grants, advocacy, and resources for composers. Highly comparable to Composers Now in mission and nonprofit funding model, with broader national reach.

Emerging players

• OPERA America: National service organization for opera that supports new opera creation and living composers in the field. Adjacent composer-support mission through opera-specific commissioning and professional development programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ComposersNow
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdNSLuXVCJTk-b2qB6a7ZHg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ComposersNow
• Instagraminstagram.com/composersnow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/composers-now-inc.

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about COMPOSERS NOW INC.