Selected Work
These projects bring together our work in music preparation, publishing, editorial practice, and music notation technology.
Publishing in practice: This Is the Rope
Quinn Mason’s This Is the Rope, for narrator and orchestra, was commissioned for the National Symphony Orchestra, based on Jacqueline Woodson’s book.
As Mason’s publishing agent, NYCMS worked with the project’s artistic, education, and operations teams to coordinate the music preparation and delivery of performance materials. We also provided support during workshops, incorporating revisions as the piece developed so the musicians could work from current, consistent scores and parts.
The project illustrates the practical support we provide as publishing agent for the composers we represent. From licensing and agreements to preparing, printing and delivering music, we help manage the details that bring a work to performance while composers retain ownership of their music. The scope varies with each composer and project; the purpose is to give their work the care and support it needs, and leave them more time to compose.
Notation Express supported the music preparation behind This Is the Rope, putting one of our own tools to use in the project. Explore Quinn Mason’s music on Notation Central for scores and rental inquiries.
New editions of Aaron Copland’s music
Our work on Aaron Copland’s music is a continuing collaboration with The Aaron Copland Fund for Music and Boosey & Hawkes. Philip Rothman has served as the Fund’s editorial advisor since 2012 and is its chief editor for new editions.
The work goes beyond a new engraving. It involves resolving errors and inconsistencies, comparing versions, and preparing scores and parts that musicians can use with confidence. Collaborating with conductors, librarians, and performers in rehearsal helps us see where the materials need further attention.
The editions include four versions of Appalachian Spring, the ballet and suite of Billy the Kid, the ballet and Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo, the Third Symphony, Clarinet Concerto, Old American Songs, and Three Latin American Sketches.
Appalachian Spring. The work spans orchestral and 13-instrument versions, in both ballet and suite forms. Philip also engraved the critical edition of the original ballet in collaboration with its editors, Jennifer DeLapp-Birkett and Aaron Sherber, and prepared corresponding performance materials. The critical edition was published by A-R Editions in the Music of the United States of America series.
Rodeo. Our team prepared the complete ballet and Four Dance Episodes together, tracking differences between the versions and resolving inconsistencies in the existing materials. Joseph Trefler and Matthew Karaś contributed to that work. Rehearsals with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, conductor Ken-David Masur, and librarian Paul Beck provided valuable feedback on the new Four Dance Episodes materials.
Third Symphony. The edition includes both the original ending and the shorter alternative familiar from the 1966 edition. Work with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and JoAnn Falletta helped refine the performance materials before completion.
Read more on Scoring Notes
- The practicality of Copland’s performance editions — Jennifer DeLapp-Birkett’s account of the editorial approach.
- Road report: Copland’s Rodeo in Milwaukee
- Road report: Copland 3 in The Big Easy
Music preparation for the New York Philharmonic
NYCMS provided full music preparation services for the Philharmonic’s orchestral version of Frederic Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated!. The project brought together contributions supplied in Dorico, Finale, Sibelius, and handwritten manuscript.
As chief editor, we worked with the Philharmonic for more than a year to meet the requirements of the music director and performing musicians. Our task was to make the materials consistent while preserving each composer’s artistic intent.
We developed a project house style from our Scoring Express settings, produced the final files in Dorico and Sibelius, and printed every score and part used in the premiere performances. The project is part of our ongoing music preparation relationship with the orchestra.
Tools developed through practice
Many of our tools began with a practical problem in preparing music: setting up a consistent score, working more efficiently in notation software, or turning PDFs into usable performance materials.
Working with collaborators, we have developed music fonts, Scoring Express templates, Notation Express Stream Deck profiles, and PDF utilities. The collection includes commercial products and pay-what-you-wish resources.
Notation Central makes these tools available to other musicians. Scoring Notes is where we share their development stories, techniques, and the experience behind them.
Scoring Notes: publication and podcast
NYC Music Services publishes Scoring Notes, a website and podcast devoted to music notation software and technology. Its tutorials, reviews, reporting and conversations help musicians make informed choices about the tools they use and get more from them in daily work.
Philip Rothman oversees the publication and co-hosts the podcast with David MacDonald. Their discussions bring practical experience with scores and software together with perspectives from developers and musicians. David has also joined Philip in presenting at recent MOLA conferences, extending that exchange into sessions with performance librarians and colleagues.
MOLA and the music notation community
Philip Rothman has attended and presented at most MOLA conferences since 2014, sharing practical knowledge with performance librarians and colleagues across the field.
He is leading the reimagined Tech Fair for MOLA 2027, continuing that work of connecting the people who make notation tools with the people who use them.
