Current Residents and Commissions + Fellows, Past Residents and Commissions + Fellows
Roulette is proud to respond directly to artists’ needs for money, space, and support by awarding commissions, residencies, and fellowships to extraordinary artists of promise. Get to know some of our 2021–2022 awardees below, and be sure to see their performances this year.
Residencies + Commissions
Van Lier Fellows
NYSCA Commission
In partnership with the Jerome Foundation since 1983, Roulette has founded both a Commissioning Program for four artists annually (officially established in 1997), and an Artist Residency Program for five artists annually (established in 2010). These programs accelerate the careers of talented musical creators, giving them the financial and technical resources to create early signature work in our state-of-the-art theater.
Similarly, a longtime partnership with the Edward and Sally Van Lier Fund of the New York Community Trust has enabled Roulette to offer year-long fellowships to a number of outstanding young artists to create, rehearse, experiment, and investigate new directions in their craft. Past Roulette Van Lier Fellows include Matthew Welch, Matana Roberts, Tyshawn Sorey, Ha Yang Kim, Paula Matthusen, Darius Jones, Maria Chavez, Mary Halvorson, Brandon Lopez, Kelly Moran, Anastasia Clarke, and Anjna Swaminathan.
This year we are also happy to announce that we have an additional commission awarded to voice/interdisciplinary artist Shelley Hirsch through the New York State Council on the Arts.
Artists are chosen through a rigorous evaluation process. Jerome Commissioned artists are selected by a panel of Nominators, themselves accomplished composers and musicians whom Artistic Director Jim Staley invites to participate. Similarly, the Van Lier Fellows are chosen by a panel of peers who have a wide acquaintance with young composers. Whether that takes the form of playing their music, including them in their ensembles, or presenting their work, the panelists are both deeply familiar with the field and uniquely sympathetic to the difficulties that emerging artists face. Resident Artists are primarily selected from among past recipients of Jerome Commissions and Van Lier Fellowships.
Roulette will often apply for additional commissioning or project support for artists with whom we have a history of collaboration, as a way of investing in the continued and long-term success of their careers.