Daniel Asia is an incredibly prolific and talented composer. He has a remarkable number of recordings to his name, and his works are performed frequently and across the globe. His music is being featured at IRCAM in January, 2005.

In Volker Blumenthaler, behind that happy, handsome face lives the soul of a true mensch, a man devoted to the music and composers of our time.

Dan Coleman, a prodigious talent and a great friend in whose footsteps I have often and happily followed. Dan is a composer of endless resources.

Daniel Kessner, thirty years ago my mentor, today my friend. He and his wife Dolly honored me by playing a work of mine on my Portrait-Konzert during the 2003 Tage für Neue Musik in Darmstadt.

Robert Maggio, one of the nicest guys around. Rob and I got our Ph.D's together at U Penn. A prolific composer whose music gets performed more than anyone else I know of.

The German composer ... or is he really Dutch? ... Cord Meijering. A dear friend of over 20 years, Cord and I studied with Henze together. And we've got the scars to prove it.

I first heard the music of Scott Starrett while I was composer-in-residence of the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra. They performed a stunning string orchestra work of Scott's — but little did I know at the time that Scott had a burgeoning career as a composer of film music in the works.

The Baxter/Ghezzi Duo, who recorded my Four Tableaus for flute and guitar. You can purchase the CD from Amazon.com.

The Cypress String Quartet, who commissioned my String Quartet No. 1, and premiered it in San Francisco in March 2004 — after performing parts of it some two dozen times to over two thousand school children! They recorded the work in November 2004 at Skywalker Ranch, but a release date is still pending. Stay tuned!

Alexis Pia Gerlach, a brilliant soloist, who premiered my Serenade for cello and chamber orchestra with the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra in 1999. Alexis is also a gifted chamber musician, and plays with Concertante and Trio Solisti.

Violinist Joseph Lin first blew my socks off as concert master with Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra in my Suite from Pyramus and Thisbe, which has a considerable number of difficult violin solos. How does a twenty-three-year-old DO that? I look forward to hearing the new piece for violin and percussion I am writing for Joe and Svetoslav Stoyanov, to be premiered at the Arizona Chamber Music Festival in March, 2005.

The ever adroit and ubiquitous St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble. I was St. Luke's first composer-in-residence, and started their Second Helpings series.

Scott Yoo, music director and co-founder of the sadly now defunct  Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra. Scott single-handedly turned me into a real composer of string music.

The Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France. I'll be living there from January through May, 2005 — and hopefully getting some composing done.

The magnificent Copland House, the long-time home of Aaron Copland in upstate New York, that now serves (among other things) as a retreat for composers, who get to live in the house by themselves for several weeks at a time.

I stayed at the house from January through March of 2003, during which time I started work on my String Quartet No. 1.

The Liguria Study Center in beautiful Bogliasco, Italy, on the Golfo Paradiso. As a study center, artists are in the minority, and composers are always solo (as there's only one composer's studio). Makes you feel special.

While there in November through December 2003 I finished my Symphony for Strings, which was premiered on January 23rd, 2004 in Troy, New York, by the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra.

This is a photograph I took of the sunrise over Bogliasco from the balcony of my villa. Click the photo for a high-res version.

The MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire. A magical place. A retreat that brings together both the big guns and those still wet behind the ears, and no one cares if you mix your metaphors.

During my last stay at MacDowell in February through March 2002 I finished my Suite from Pyramus and Thisbe.

The American Composers Forum, an organization to which all composers should belong. They provide funding for a mind boggling array of projects, and will keep you informed monthly of competitions, grants and residencies.

The venerable American Music Center, another organization to which all composers should belong.

The Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, who have a wonderfully unique approach to commissioning new works: the audience funds it. They have commissioned a new work for violin and percussion to be premiered in March 2005.

Although this is primarily an organization for performing chamber groups, Chamber Music America also funds commissions for its member organizations. And their huge catalog of member ensembles is a valuable addition to any composer's library, for obvious reasons.

The Fromm Foundation, which funds commissions of $10,000, and provides up to a $3,000 subsidy for the performance of the new work. The Commission funded my forthcoming Trumpet Concerto for Jeffrey Curnow, associate principal trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

That other venerable institution, Meet the Composer.

Sara Fishko covers the arts and music in New York City on WNYC radio, the National Public Radio affiliate.