Composer Timothy Andres, whose debut album, Shy and Mighty, was recently released on Nonesuch, has been nominated for Project 440, an innovative new commissioning program from Orpheus Chamber Orchestra—the New York ensemble that has in its discography a series of Richard Goode Mozart recordings on Nonesuch—and New York radio station WQXR. Project 440, initiated in honor of the orchestra's upcoming 40th anniversary, is designed to provide exposure to emerging composers and will culminate in the commissioning of four new works, to be premiered as part of the orchestra's recently announced five-concert Carnegie Hall subscription series in the 2011-2012 season.

Throughout the process, the project is being featured on the WQXR website, offering fans and fellow musicians the world over the chance to participate in this process by engaging in open dialogue about contemporary music and the commissioning process in general. The current selection of nominees will be narrowed down to 30 candidates on August 4, then down to 12 on September 9, with the final round of four winners announced on October 12. You can see Andres's Project 440 profile and weigh in at wqxr.org.
 
Included among the members of the Project 440 Nominating Panel and Selection Committee are composer Michael Gordon; Alarm Will Sound artistic director Alan Pierson; WNYC and WQXR producers Limor Tomer, Terrance McKnight, and John Schaefer; and members of Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Comments from the public will be a guiding factor in determining the final four composers to receive commissions to write new works for Orpheus. Each piece will be featured individually on Orpheus' regular series at Carnegie Hall, on tour throughout the United States, as part of a live broadcast on WQXR, and as a streaming download on the WQXR website.

For more information and to become involved in the process, visit wqxr.org.