SAN FRANCISCO CONTEMPORARY MUSIC PLAYERS

From world class performances through to community engagement the contemporary players have been an outstanding cultural leader in music for 50 years.

SFCMP allows me to be close to the creative process in music. The breadth and depth of their programming and performances always leaves me wanting to learn more and expand my horizons in music. I'm not a performer nor can I read music, but SFCMP manages to make it very personal through the behind the scenes presentations, composer and conductor interviews, and virtuosic performances. Contemporary music was not something I thought I liked, but I have been turned around!
Timothy Bridge MD

I am not a musician, not even sure if I am musical, but the performances by SFCMP are always interesting & thought provoking, you leave talking about them! I have learned a lot about music from the master classes and maybe miss those interactive lessons the most. Waiting for more music and more classes while still listening to broadcasts now

I was first introduced to the amazing SF Contemporary Music Players many years ago. This organization remains a vital resource to the performing music scene here in the Bay Area and beyond.

As a location sound engineer and one who has attended and recorded numerous musical performances in the San Francisco Bay Area over the past nearly forty years, I have been a witness to how the SFCMP has always presented concerts which display great innovation and quality.

I continue to be impressed by the organization and its leadership. Congratulations on 50 years of great offerings!

To the future!

For years I enjoyed going to SFCMP concerts and other events, but since moving out of San Francisco, that has often not been possible in the last few years. Now I am reconnecting online and have enjoyed the How Music Is Made - Online series. I get to not only see and hear a great performance, but also learn about the work and composer through the new introductory remarks made by musicians, composers or the Artistic Director. I expect that soon I will be able to watch all of your concerts from the comfort of my home 500 miles away! Congratulations to SFCMP for 50 years of music making. I wish you every success with your #Next50

When I was lost young music student (and college radio DJ) 2+ decades ago in TX, the myth and ethos of Bay Area creative life was a shining beacon on a hill. It seemed to me that "contemporary music" on the West Coast breathed, and imagined, and wandered, and dared, in a more expansive, inclusive, curious, and contemplative manner than in any other, more hidebound and hierarchical "cultural center." For FIVE decades, SFCMP has been a lightning rod at the epicenter of that gentle storm. Little could I imagine that someday, all grown up and Professional, I'd be a proud ensemble member, fully and gratefully embedded within that community and that legacy.

This organization has been commissioning, performing, and recording new chamber music for almost fifty years. The musicians are dedicated, fearless, and virtuosic. The group champions contemporary music of great artistry in a range of compositional styles. Their events give audiences a chance to hear not only the music but also what the composers and musicians think and feel about it. We can't go back and ask Berlioz or Stravinsky what they were thinking when they wrote certain pieces or passages, but thanks to SFCMP, we can actually have that conversation with today's composers.

My family remains impressed with the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. Although we didn’t know new music existed one year ago, we’re now avid supporters of this contemporary art experience. Sound, sight, and friendship keeps us engaged. We enthusiastically suggest everyone who enjoys art and is curious give SFCMP a listen.

Having attended concerts since the early 80s and had the pleasure of serving on the board, I've had a long, intimate relationship with the brilliant musicians, the devoted board members, the innovative administrators, and the outstanding music directors. Relationships in this organization are close and productive, and the rewards in music that moves and stretches me are beyond price. Happy 50th Anniversary, SFCMP! - Susan H.

I been incredibly lucky to serve on the SFCMP board and to have been involved with the organization for more than 30 years. I esp. enjoy the intimacy of being involved with all the members of SFCMP. It's an extended family committed to 'new music', with an accessibility to the inside track on both the music making and the musicians and management. A unique and truly special group of dedicated persons.

I have followed the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players' (SFCMP) outstanding work since the organization's early years in the 1970s, and I am honored to be a current Board member. It is imperative to continue supporting the organization's work in the present and future, because all arts organizations are now facing very challenging times, and being a leading organization in the contemporary music field, it is especially essential to support SFCMP. They commission work by emerging composers, established composers, and foster the development of young artists through their excellent Music Education Program. I am also a composer, sound designer, and music/audio writer, and have worked extensively in the for-profit arts industry, as well as in the nonprofit sector, so I have an additional passion for supporting the sharing of music with SFCMP's audiences now, and in the next 50 years!

- Cathryn Hrudicka, Innovation Consultant, Executive Coach, Leadership Trainer, and Author, at CreativeSage.com