Experience large-ensemble contemporary classical works of the most influential and innovative composers of the 20th and 21st centuries.

OUR MISSION

San Francisco Contemporary Music Players (SFCMP) provides world-class contemporary classical music performances to San Francisco Bay Area audiences, featuring the works of iconic composers as well as emerging artists, shining a frequent spotlight on California artists. SFCMP expands and enhances the contemporary music repertoire by collaborating with composers on the interpretation, commissioning, and recording of new works. SFCMP also helps develop emerging audiences for this genre of music through the education and mentorship of emerging composers and players.

ABOUT US

Now in our 46th season, and led by Artistic Director Steven Schick since 2011, SFCMP occupies an important role in the regional and national cultural landscape. We promote the music of composers from across cultures and stylistic traditions who are creating a vast and vital 21st century musical language. We seek to share these experiences with as many people as possible, both in and outside of traditional concert settings. SFCMP is the most longstanding and continually performing new music ensemble outside the East Coast, and the largest new music ensemble in the Bay Area. We perform large-format, innovative, and artistically excellent contemporary classic music with an emphasis on California composers. Our performances and collaborative projects are supplemented by recording, commissioning, and educational activities.

SFCMP was founded by Jean-Louis LeRoux, Marcella DeCray and Charles Boone in March 1971 and incorporated as a nonprofit in August 1974. Across its history, SFCMP has been led by six Artistic Directors and six Executive Directors with continuous support and oversight by an active Board of Directors.

OUR WORK

The San Francisco Contemporary Music Players is a unionized ensemble of twenty-four highly skilled musicians. Now embarking on our 47th season, we have performed more than 1,200 new works by over 550 composers. Over 150 of these have been premieres, and we have commissioned some 80 new works from such composers as John Adams,George Crumb, and Julia Wolfe. SFCMP has been presented by leading cultural festivals and concert series including San Francisco Performances, Cal Performances, the Stern Grove Festival, the Festival of New American Music at CSU Sacramento, the Monday Evening Concerts in Los Angeles, the Ojai Festival, and France’s prestigious MANCA Festival.