NewMusicShelf

NewMusicShelf was founded in 2010 by composer/vocalist Dennis Tobenski as a response to the difficulties that self-published composers often have in bringing their scores to the attention of performers. Knowing that many composers don’t have websites of their own, or the skills or budget to build an online storefront for themselves, he created a distribution platform where composers can upload digital editions of their works, set their own prices, and earn commissions on every sale.

In 2017, he expanded the company into print publishing with the NewMusicShelf Anthologies of New Music, voice type-/instrument-specific collections of works by living composers, the vast majority of whom are self-published. Each volume is curated by performers who have a reputation for championing new music, with an eye toward selecting works with a range of styles and difficulties that are suitable for concert and recital performance.

With this innovative mode of publishing, NewMusicShelf advocates for self-published composers in a way previously unheard of in the realm of classical music: all self-published composers retain full ownership of their work while earning a generous royalty on every sale.

Curators for the Anthologies include soprano Laura Strickling, mezzo-soprano Megan Ihnen, tenor Dennis Tobenski, baritone Michael Kelly, flutist Tammy Evans Yonce, clarinetist Gregory Oakes, bassoonist Jamie Leigh Sampson, saxophonist Alan Theisen, hornist David Byrd-Morrow, trumpeter Andy Kozar, tubist Aaron Hynds, pianist Marianne Parker, violinist Nicole Parks, and violist Michael Hall.

As of 2019, NewMusicShelf also publishes its Signature Series, collections of works written for a particular performer or organization. Current and upcoming collaborators include Sparks & Wiry Cries, The Lynx Project, pianist Jenny Lin, soprano Laura Strickling, and baritone John Seesholtz.