As a composer, it's vitally important that I'm aware of what's happening in the contemporary music world. I find it very difficult to keep myself informed of a field that often flies below the radar of popular culture.
Are there any resources for keeping up-to-date on new art music, especially those that are validated by the academic community?
Sequenza 21 is probably the best for keeping current with living composers - it's run by a whole bunch of contemporary composers, and it rarely discusses any composers or musicians who are not currently making music today.
On the right side bar is an entire list of contemporary classical music blogs. I believe Nico Muhly and Kyle Gann (PostClassic) have the most widely-read contemporary classical blogs, but they are a bit more specialized in focus.
i don't know of a single "reliable source for this sort of list" but here are some resources that could help.
nonesuch records hosts nonesuchradio, which showcases their 20th-century-classical releases.
alex ross, the music critic for the new yorker magazine and the author of the rest is noise frequently covers 20th-century-classical eventss for the magazine. (i recommend his book, too, if you haven't read it.
wikipedia has a list of 21st-century composers who have made a significant impact on the world of classical music since 2001, which may not clear anything up for you but certainly is an interesting browse.
Find some musical blogs. Here is one that is primarily about Boston-area live performances, but you can always find opinions on many composers: http://classical-scene.com/. This site is very strongly art for art's sake rather than about the business of music.
I don't know if Musical America is still around. The web site (www.musicalamerica.com) is not responding to me. If it is, this is the place to look for news on the business of classical music, i.e. whose music is getting performed where.
I have a couple of Facebook friends who are always posting links to contemporary composers, famous and obscure. Start your own Facebook page and post your own links to videos and recordings that you like, and before long you'll be noticed, and others who do the same will "friend" you.
The place to find classical-style composers whose music is heard and loved, though not necessarily innovating, and who are highly-regarded in the sense that they can always be counted on to deliver the goods, is in the video-game and movie industries -- not just here but also in Europe, Japan, China and India.
As was already mentioned I don't think there is a single reliable source for this information, but from my Google Reader here are my 2 cents:
Hope it helps at least as a starting point. Check out the content and see if you might be interested in some of what they have to say. Sometimes you find other blogs or sources when the ones you read link to them.
