Founded in 2001, Premiere Commission, Inc. is a non-profit foundation that promotes the commissions and premieres of new compositions by some of today's most talented and thoughtful artists. Led under the artistic leadership of its founder, pianist Bruce Levingston, the organization seeks to explore and develop the work of emerging as well as established composers and artists from different mediums.

In 2002, Premiere sponsored the world premiere of Harvard Fromm Foundation Award-winner Curtis Curtis-Smith's "Ghost" and "Passacaglia" Etudes at New York's Lincoln Center and, in 2003, the world premieres of sixteen new works for string quartet including compositions by Pulitzer Prize-winners John Corigliano, David Del Tredici, and Paul Moravec, as well as works by Justine Chen, Sebastian Currier, Zhou Long, and Chen Yi. The Washington Post named the concert "Best Classical Event of the Year". Premiere also co-commissioned with Concert Artists Guild the BMI Schuman Prize-winner Gordon Beeferman's Phenomena.

Performance at the 2006 Gala at Lincoln Center

In 2004, Premiere sponsored the Lincoln Center world premieres of Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winner William Bolcom's New York Lights and David Del Tredici's Gymnopedie No. 1, and, in 2005, Philip Glass's acclaimed A Musical Portrait of Chuck Close.

In 2006, the organization celebrated its fifth anniversary with a sold-out gala concert at Lincoln Center featuring Premiere Commission founder Bruce Levingston, composer/performers Lisa Bielawa and Philip Glass, film and stage actor Ethan Hawke, violinist Colin Jacobsen and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Cunningham.

In 2007, Premiere presented a new ballet with music by Pulitzer Prize-winner Milton Babbitt and choreography by Peter Quanz featuring New York City Ballet principals Megan Fairchild and Charles Askegard. In the fall of 2007, American Ballet Theatre presented a new ballet based on Glass's A Musical Portrait of Chuck Close featuring choreography by Jorma Elo and set designs by Chuck Close.

Performance at The American Ballet Theatre. Photo: Andrea Mohin/The New York Times/Redux

In 2008, Premiere Commission presented the premieres of new works by Pulitzer Prize-winner Charles Wuorinen, Germany's acclaimed Wolfgang Rihm and the 2007 Grawemeyer Award-winner Sebastian Currier.

In 2009, Premiere Commission presented the world premiere of "Fledgling" composed jointly by the 2008 and 2009 Rome prize-winners Keeril Makan and Lisa Bielawa and the world premiere of Bielawa's "Portrait-Elegy".

In 2010, Premiere Commission presented the world premiere of renowned French composer Philippe Manoury's "Spins" at the French Institute/Alliance Francaise in New York City.

In 2011, Premiere Commission sponsored the world and New York premieres at Library of Congress and Carnegie Hall of Sebastian Currier's "Digital Mist" (co-commissioned with Library of Congress), David Bruce's "The shadow of the blackbird", and Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky's "Passacaglia" (co-commissioned with Colin Jacobsen). The works were performed by Colin Jacobsen and Bruce Levingston.