P. Q. Phan Photo by Charlie Mercer/Mercer Photography, courtesy of Shuman Associates Inc.

The American Composers Orchestra was founded in 1977 to perform and promote the music of American composers, and remains the only orchestra in the world exclusively devoted to this goal. The orchestra recently commissioned P. Q. Phan to write "When the Worlds Mixed" and "Times Merged," a 20-minute work to be performed on a concert program entitled "Pacifica," exploring Asian influences in American music. This concert is part of ACO's multi-year millennium celebration. Mr. Phan's residency will promote greater links between ACO and New York's Asian community and will feature Mr. Phan's participation in Music Factory, ACO's new public school education program.

P. Q. Phan was born in Vietnam and received his formal musical training in the U.S. at the University of Southern California and the University of Michigan. Mr. Phan is the recipient of numerous composition awards, including a Rome Prize, ASCAP Standard Awards, and Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowships. He has been commissioned by the Kronos Quartet, the American Composers Orchestra, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. Mr. Phan's music reflects his cross-cultural background in its melding of Southeast Asian musical idioms with Western compositional techniques. He is currently Associate Professor of Composition at Indiana University, Bloomington.