WHAT WE DO

Golden Hornet supports composers at every level of their development and career.

From our Young Composer Collective and Cinema Recomposed programs for grade school to pre-professional artists, to our professional series such at The Golden Hornet Science Club, pairing composers and scientists, to MXTX, a succession of cross-border collaborations, to String Quaret Smackdown, a March Madness style, bracketed competition featuring emerging composers from across the globe.

OUR STORY

In the 1990s, Golden Hornet co-founders Graham Reynolds and Peter Stopschinski were both composers struggling to find spaces, presenters, and funding to support their original chamber works. During their search, they found that many other young and emerging composers were facing the same challenges. At the time, both Reynolds and Stopschinski were also bandleaders in the burgeoning rock and punk scene of Austin, TX -- of Golden Arm Trio and Brown Whörnet respectively -- and they decided to team up to solve this challenge. By applying the collective creation and self-production methods of the rock genre to the world of classical music, they were able to form a thriving community of living composers. Since then, Golden Hornet has commissioned and presented countless new works, from the cross-border exchange MXTX to the science-music collaborative series, including Sound of Science and Insectum.  

In addition to our series of professional commissions, we have four core recurring programs: String Quartet Smackdown, ATX Composers Showcase at SXSW, Young Composers Collective, and our latest endeavor, Cinema Recomposed. First, our String Quartet Smackdown results in sixteen new, original string quartet compositions from composers of all backgrounds. Second, our SXSW Official ATX Composers Showcase supports and celebrates six new music ensembles focused on contemporary works by local composers and connects them with a national and international network of music industry representatives. Third, our Young Composer Concert provides opportunities for local composers ages 8 to 18 to develop artistically and professionally through a six-month program. During this program, they compose an original piece of music, and collectively produce a public concert featuring a professional ensemble. We are very excited to announce our fourth core program, Cinema Recomposed. Cinema Recomposed is Golden Hornet’s latest composer program where seven composers (age 18 - 22) will create an original score for a selected Max Fleischer silent short film and be paired with a professional film composer for mentoring on the score. All seven pieces will premiere live at Fantastic Fest (ATX) in September with potential touring following the initial performance.

In 2008, Golden Hornet received an official 501(c)3 designation. All donations go towards our efforts to support composers at every stage in their career.