Founded in 2003, the ASTORIA MUSIC SOCIETY is a Queens-based organization dedicated to the musical enrichment of western Queens. It presents concerts, provides artistic performance opportunities for local musicians, encourages the creation and performance of American music, and represents Astoria, Queens, in other New York boroughs. The Astoria Music Society consists of:
ASTORIA SYMPHONY is the flagship ensemble of the Astoria Music Society. The orchestra consists of young professional musicians and highly advanced music students. The Astoria Symphony performs orchestra repertoire for small and medium orchestra from the classical period to today. Recent past performances include Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Stravinsky's Firebird, Saint-Sanes' Cello Concerto in A minor, Lukas Foss' Elegy for Anne Frank, and the world premiere of Leo Kraft's Overture to Spring. The Artistic Director of the Astoria Symphony is conductor/composer Silas Nathaniel Huff.
LOST DOG NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE is an elite chamber ensemble dedicated to the performance of new music. Since 1995, Lost Dog has performed recent masterpieces and new commissions. Lost Dog performs three programs per season, including one program dedicated to the performance of world premieres by living New York composers. The Artistic Director of the Lost Dog New Music Ensemble is composer Garth Edwin Sunderland.
ASTORIA JAZZ NIGHTS is series of performances of new American jazz. Directed by trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader Jacob Varmus, the recent performances have included trios, quartets, and quintets, and the instrumentation and mood of each concert is unique.
RANDOM ACCESS MUSIC is consortium of composers who, with the support of the Astoria Music Society, pool their energy and resources to produce concerts of their own music. Founded in 2005, RAM works closely with the Lost Dog New Music Ensembles and other ensembles and performers. The democratic consortium votes to approve membership, and recently elected composer Erin Rogers to the position of Artistic Director.