The Laurel Leaf Certificate of Appreciation was given by ACA nearly every year beginning in 1951, in recognition of "distinguished achievement in fostering and encouraging American music." Among the recipients of The Laurel Leaf over the years are the Juilliard String Quartet; the American Music Center; Leonard Slatkin; the Minnesota Composers Forum (American Composers Forum); WNYC, New York's public radio; and the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group.
Laurel Leaf Award Recipients
2012 innova Recordings, Philip Blackburn, Director
2009 Phyllis Bryn-Julson, soprano
2008 Harold Rosenbaum, choral conductor
2007 Fred Sherry, cellist
2003 Greg Smith, The Gregg Smith Singers
1999 Lou Rodgers, Producing Artistic Director, Golden Fleece Ltd., The Composers Chamber Theatre
1998 David Alan Miller, Music Director, Albany Symphony Orchestra
1997 Speculum Musicae
1996 Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group; Ernest Fleischmann, Executive Vice President and Managing Director
1995 Minnesota Composers Forum
1994 Society for New Music; Syracuse- Neva Pilgrim, Program Director
1993 Leonard Slatkin
1992 Cleveland Chamber Symphony; Edwin London, Music Director
1991 The Boston Musica Viva; Richard Pittman, Music Director
1990 Center for New Music, University of Iowa / in memoriam,William Hibbard
1989 Betty Allen / Harlem School of the Arts / Mimi Stern-Wolfe
1988 American Music Center
1987 Francis Thorne, American Composers Orchestra; WNYC / New York Public Radio
1986 Raymond Des Roches, American Academy in Rome
1985 Nicolas Slonimsky, American Society of University Composers
1984 Opus One / Max Schubel, Mrs. Ernest S. Heller
1983 Lukas Foss
1982 The Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund for Music, Inc.
1981 Carter Harman / Composers Recordings Inc. (CRI)
1980 John Duffy / Meet the Composer, Joseph Machlis
1979 Ralph Shapey, Contemporary Chamber Players, University of Chicago
1978 James Dixon
1977 Arthur Weisberg, The Contemporary Chamber Ensemble
1976 Gunther Schuller
1975 Nelson Rockefeller
1974 Teresa Sterne
1973 The MacDowell Colony
1972 Leopold Stokowski
1971 Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University
1970 Otto Luening, Harris Danziger / Third Street Music Settlement School
1969 Group for Contemporary Music, Charles Wuorinen and Harvey Sollberger, directors
1968 Aaron Copland
1967 Radio Station WBAI, New York; Fromm Foundation, Composers Forum
1966 Henry A. Moe, Lawrence Morton
1965 Henry Cowell, Avery Claflin, Elizabeth Ames
1964 Walter Hinrichsen, Margaret L. Crofts, Max Pollikoff
1963 Carl Haverlin, Claire Reis
1962 Bethany Beardslee, Hugh Ross, Samuel Rosenbaum
1961 Mrs. Helen Thompson, William Strickland
1960 Howard Mitchell, Oliver Daniel
1959 Martha Graham, Jack Benny
1958 Thor Johnson
1957 Howard Hanson, Juilliard String Quartet
1956 Robert Whitney
1955 George Szell
1954 Green Bay (WI) Symphonietta
1953 Dr. Herman Neuman
1952 Maro and Anahid Ajemian
1951 Radio Station WGBH, Boston