Underwood New Music Readings at DiMenna Center Most young composers can probably persuade a competent soloist or small ensemble to try out a short work, but chances to collaborate with a professional orchestra on a symphonic piece are scarce. Underwood New Music Readings: George Manahan congratulates Pin Hsin Lin after conducting her work at the DiMenna Center. The American Composers Orchestra provides a valuable opportunity to aspiring composers through its annual Underwood New Music Readings, in which six emerging artists are chosen from hundreds of applicants. They participate in workshops and hands-on rehearsals before a public performance of the scores. After an open rehearsal on Friday morning, this year's six pieces received a run-through on Saturday evening at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, with George Manahan conducting the American Composers Orchestra. The composers Derek Bermel, Melinda Wagner, Robert Beaser and Steven Stucky mentored their six younger counterparts, one of whom will be awarded a $15,000 commission to write a work for the ensemble. All six demonstrated a flair for orchestral writing. I particularly liked the selections by Peter Fahey, Michael-Thomas Foumai and Paul Kerekes. The composers spoke briefly about their music. Mr. Fahey, a native of Ireland who is studying at Columbia University, said his work, "Impressions," was "about color and texture and sound," or, as a colleague of his noted, "Debussy deconstructed." He created alluring soundscapes that evoked the spectral aesthetic, a school initially influenced by French composers like Debussy and Messiaen, in which timbre and resonance are central. There were arresting moments featuring a colorful use of high winds and brasses in the glittering final section. The Concerto for Orchestra by Mr. Foumai, a former student of Bright Sheng, is based on what the ancient Egyptians believed were the five elements of the human soul: name, soul, shadow, heart and spirit. The deftly scored, vibrant piece unfolded with cinematic sweep, offering virtuosic moments for different sections of the ensemble. Mr. Kerekes's "Timber," which he described as "a macabre and hallucinatory look into the forest," also left a strong impression. Mr. Kerekes, who studies with Martin Bresnick at Yale, was inspired by the tradition of woodsmen in German music. The eerie brass and wind textures created darkly surreal soundscapes. The other three works were less cohesive over all, although each had striking moments. Ryan Chase's whirlwind "Light Fantastic" deftly explored contrasts of mood, from bombastic to introverted. Pin Hsin Lin dedicated her Symphony No. 3 to her father, who died a few years ago. The dramatic middle section represented the turbulent times spent with him during medical treatments. The title of Benjamin Taylor's "Leaving White" refers to a technique in Chinese art in which uncolored space is left on a canvas. The vividly scored work features an elegiac violin solo and the "Jack motif," a tune created by Mr. Taylor's 3-year-old son on the piano.