History

The Iowa Composers Forum (ICF) was founded in March of 1987 in Des Moines by seven composers who wished to create an environment for the performance and dissemination of music composed by Iowans. Over the intervening years, the ICF has presented more than 100 concerts and tour recitals of works by member composers. These concerts have featured the performances of over 800 works of new music, including works by student composers from the elementary, middle, high school and collegiate level. The ICF has commissioned many new works, both unilaterally and in partnership with other organizations such as the Iowa Music Teachers Association and the Iowa Choral Directors Association. The ICF sponsors its own annual student composition competition, open to students studying at the collegiate level and earlier.

Each year, we offer:
–        a single concert event in the fall. These are often offered in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area.
–        a multi-concert new music festival, stretching over three days, in the spring. These are almost always held on Iowa college campuses. Recent festival sites have included the University of Northern Iowa, Luther College, Iowa State University, and Clarke College.
–        a student composition competition, open to students studying at the elementary through collegiate level. Winners receive premiere performances and prize money.
–        a quarterly newsletter for our members, containing member news, concert reviews, calls for scores, and other professional opportunities.

The ICF Board currently includes the following members:
Chair: Jonah Elrod
Treasurer: Denny Redmond
Secretary: Jerry Owen
Craig Hultgren
Denise Knaack
Perry Mears II
Isaac Smith