The directors and staff of The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc. note with great sadness the passing of Frances Richard, for many years a Vice President and head of the Concert Music department of ASCAP. In that role, and as a long-time member of the board of New Music USA and numerous other organizations devoted to contemporary concert music and jazz throughout the United States, Fran was, first and foremost, a passionate advocate for American composers and their works. Virtually every American composer active in the past 40 years, whether a member of ASCAP or not, has benefitted from Fran’s tireless work to increase performances of contemporary works and to improve the conditions around the creation and dissemination of that music in a landscape of ever-changing taste and technology. We send our deepest condolences to her family and friends, and we pay tribute to a true champion of American composers. We join with colleagues and friends around the United States and abroad in thanking her for her enormous contributions to the field she loved so much.
February 14, 2024