Courtesy of a generous gift from Louisa Sarofim, AURA commissions one new work a year from a professional composers, with an emphasis on former graduates who have established significant composing careers. All of the works since 2007 have been composed for the core ensemble, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion.

• 2010 Brian Suits – New Work
• 2009 Cyrill Schurch – New Work
• 2008 Ken Booker – Fantasies
• 2007 Eric McIntyre - Lament
• 2006 No Commission
• 2005 No Commission
• 2004 Timothy Rolls – Unity
• 2003 Michael Slayton – Through Stone Door
• 2002 Sun Ha Kim – A Butterfly’s Dance
• 2001 Hua Yang – Piano Quartet
• 2000 Leonard Mark Lewis – Joc Parti
• 1999 Karen Griebling – Nine Songs from This Dancing Ground of Sky
• 1998 Braxton Blake – Six Poems of Dorothy Parker