Project Grant Opportunity

In 2008, InterMusic SF introduced the Musical Grant Program (MGP), a project grant opportunity that uplifts Bay Area-based musicians dedicated to creating and sharing small ensemble music in our local communities.

Project Grant Opportunity

In 2008, InterMusic SF introduced the Musical Grant Program (MGP), a project grant opportunity that uplifts Bay Area-based musicians dedicated to creating and sharing small ensemble music in our local communities. 

InterMusic SF was founded with the understanding and awareness that musicians, composers, and concert presenters face financial barriers to creating, celebrating, and practicing the art of small ensemble music making.

InterMusic SF offers three main pillars of supportive programming and is uniquely positioned as a vital resource for active musicians in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. We deeply value feedback from community members, who have increasingly expressed a significant need for project funding to grow and sustain their careers. In 2008, InterMusic SF developed the Musical Grant Program, an annual grant opportunity that has awarded over $1.1MM in project funding to local artists.

InterMusic SF was founded with the understanding and awareness that musicians, composers, and concert presenters face financial barriers to creating, celebrating, and practicing the art of small ensemble music making. 

InterMusic SF offers three main pillars of supportive programming and is uniquely positioned as a vital resource for active musicians in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. We deeply value feedback from community members, who have increasingly expressed a significant need for project funding to grow and sustain their careers. In 2008, InterMusic SF developed the Musical Grant Program, an annual grant opportunity that has awarded over $1.1MM in project funding to local artists.

Project Grant Opportunity

In 2008, InterMusic SF introduced the Musical Grant Program (MGP), a project grant opportunity that uplifts Bay Area-based musicians dedicated to creating and sharing small ensemble music in our local communities.

InterMusic SF was founded with the understanding and awareness that musicians, composers, and concert presenters face financial barriers to creating, celebrating, and practicing the art of small ensemble music making. 


InterMusic SF offers three main pillars of supportive programming and is uniquely positioned as a vital resource for active musicians in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. We deeply value feedback from community members, who have increasingly expressed a significant need for project funding to grow and sustain their careers. In 2008, InterMusic SF developed the Musical Grant Program, an annual grant opportunity that has awarded over $1.1MM in project funding to local artists.

The mission of the Musical Grant Program (MGP) is to encourage and promote the creation of small ensemble music. The grant provides financial support for Bay Area-based music creators and collaborators committed to the presentation and production of musical activities, such as live performances, composition commissions, professional recordings, and other collaborations.

InterMusic SF continues to serve as an advocate for local creators by sustaining the Musical Grant Program. The grant is open to Bay Area-based individuals and arts and culture organizations, and welcomes emerging and established music makers to apply. With support from the MGP, musicians continue to offer masterful and groundbreaking contributions to the cultural fabric that defines the Bay Area as a vibrant, creative ecosystem.

The 2024 Musical Grant Program application cycle will open on February 20, 2024. Please check back for details and access to the application.

The mission of the Musical Grant Program (MGP) is to encourage and promote the creation of small ensemble music. The grant provides financial support for Bay Area-based music creators and collaborators committed to the presentation and production of musical activities, such as live performances, composition commissions, professional recordings, and other collaborations. 

InterMusic SF continues to serve as an advocate for local creators by sustaining the Musical Grant Program. The grant is open to Bay Area-based individuals and arts and culture organizations, and welcomes emerging and established music makers to apply. With support from the MGP, musicians continue to offer masterful and groundbreaking contributions to the cultural fabric that defines the Bay Area as a vibrant, creative ecosystem.

The 2024 Musical Grant Program application cycle will open on February 20, 2024. Please check back for details and access to the application.

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The InterMusic SF Musical Grant Program is made possible through the generous support of local funders, community partners, and generous individuals. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to ensure the sustainability of the Musical Grant Program.

The InterMusic SF Musical Grant Program is made possible through the generous support of local funders, community partners, and generous individuals. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to ensure the sustainability of the Musical Grant Program.

The InterMusic SF Musical Grant Program is made possible through the generous support of local funders, community partners, and generous individuals. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to ensure the sustainability of the Musical Grant Program.

Learn more about the Musical Grant Program’s remarkable 2023 awardees and their projects below.

AGAVE

Chamber Music / Historical Performance

AGAVE will produce and release their album, “AGAVE: In Her Hands,” featuring works by outstanding female composers across four centuries. The album will be released August 2023 through Acis Productions.

Ars Minerva

Early Music / Opera

Ars Minerva will perform “Olimpia Vendicata,” an opera composed by Domenico Freschi in 1682, in October 2023 at ODC Theater. Six instrumentalists and six singers will perform in this fully-staged opera with costumes and projections, for the first time since its creation in Venice during the 17th century.

Ben Bernstein

Contemporary / Opera

Ben Bernstein will compose and produce a one-act opera entitled “Never Mind,”featuring Shawnette Sulker, coloratura soprano, two baroque instrumentalists, and digital sound artist, Gregory Lenczycki. The Singer’s Gym will premiere the work at St. Clement’s Church in Oakland, March 2024, with outreach performances in Bay Area schools and community centers.

Berkeley Chamber Performances / Allen Shearer and Claudia Stevens

Contemporary / Opera

Berkeley Chamber Performances will present the world premiere of “Einstein at Princeton,” an opera by composer Allen Shearer and librettist Claudia Stevens on December 5, 2023 at the Berkeley City Club.

Brass Over Bridges

Classical / New Music

Brass Over Bridges will record works by women composers, Julie Barwick, Reena Esmail, and Dale Trumbore. The recording will be released as an EP in the fall of 2024.

Buena Onda Tango Ensemble

Argentine Tango

Buena Onda Tango Ensemble will produce a recording featuring contemporary tango pieces composed and arranged by Sumi Lee with a concert presenting the recorded works at the Red Poppy art house.

David James' GPS

Jazz

David James’s GPS will present the premiere performance of a newly completed song cycle, by David James, September 22 at the Brava Theater in San Francisco.

Earplay / Byron Au Yong

Contemporary

Earplay will commission Byron Au Yong to create a new work for chamber ensemble to be premiered on the closing concert of Earplay’s 2024 season, and during the noon concert series at San Francisco State University.

Ensemble for These Times / David Garner

Contemporary

Ensemble for These Times will commission David Garner to compose a piano trio for E4TT’s 2024 commissions concert, “Expression: Ism,” including a new arrangement of “Sieben Fruehe Lieder” (Seven Early Songs) by Alban Berg, plus recent works by contemporary composers Laura Schwendinger, Anthony R. Green, and Adolphus Hailstork.

Erika Oba Trio

Jazz

Erika Oba Trio will record an album featuring Erika Oba (piano), Chris Bastian (bass),and Jeremy Steinkoler (drums) with guest musician, Anjna Swaminathan (violin/voice) with a projected CD release concerts in the East Bay and San Francisco in June 2024.

Jazz in the Neighborhood / Michael Echaniz / The Electric Squeezebox Orchestra

Jazz

Jazz in the Neighborhood will commission Michael Echaniz to write a piece for The Electric Squeezebox Orchestra to be presented on October 29, 2023 at the Dresher Ensemble Studio in West Oakland. This free event additionally involves three outstanding young emerging musicians and will celebrate Jazz in the Neighborhood’s tenth anniversary.

John Coltrane Church / Global Spiritual Community

Jazz / Spiritual

The St. John Coltrane Church of San Francisco will present unique sonic jazz Vespers of John Coltrane’s Ascension at Grace Cathedral with the eastern spiritual music of his wife, the honorable Swami Turiyasangitananda (Alice Coltrane) featuring performances by members of the Coltrane Church who performed with Alice Coltrane.

Jordan Glenn's BEAK

Creative Music / Jazz

Jordan Glenn’s BEAK will premiere “The Party,” an evening length music and video work set to premiere at The Paul Dresher Ensemble’s West Oakland studio on February 9, 2024. The project will incorporate new instruments built by Sudhu Tewari, with projections by video artists Christopher Farstad and Mitch Stahlmann.

La Doña

Latinx Music

La Doña will commission arrangements and arrange for a 17 piece band of local women-of-color musicians. This will be recorded live at Different Fur Records and captured on video for release on Youtube and all public platforms.

Lieder Alive!

Classical

LIEDER ALIVE! will present a world premiere song cycle composed by Quinn Mason with mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich, and pianist Jeffrey LaDeur, based on poetry by conductor/poet Kalina Bovell.

Mariah Parker

Jazz

Mariah Parker will record and premiere a new album of original compositions, ‘Windows Through Time,’ that explores the intersection between contemporary jazz and the musical cultures of Brazil, Cuba, India and Spain.

Matt Renzi Quartet

Jazz

Matt Renzi will record and produce an album of original compositions with the Matt Renzi Quartet featuring elements of Jazz, Chamber Music, and free improvisation.

Melody of China / Phil Young

Chinese Traditional Music

Melody of China will perform a newly commissioned work featuring traditional Chinese instruments by Phil Young (Chinese name, Yang Zhi-Hua) in a concert on Sunday, June 23, 2024 at the BRAVA Cabaret in San Francisco along with selections from the traditional Chinese repertoire, and modern interpretations of popular Chinese melodies.

Mike Marshall & Caterina Lichtenberg

Contemporary

Mike Marshall and Caterina Lichtenberg will create a new work featuring mandolins and mandocello, bringing together a wide range of mandolin styles including German classical mandolin with traditional American bluegrass, jazz and world musics traditions. The new work will debut at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley in 2024 and will be recorded for their next CD Project.

Monica Scott / sfSound

New Music

Cellist and composer Monica Scott will compose “Migrations,” to be performed by sfSoundGroup on March 23, 2024 at LIGHTFAST2024, an installation/exhibition at the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art.

Nomad Session / Sahba Aminikia

Contemporary

Nomad Session will commission Sahba Aminikia to compose “Raghsan” – a collection of Iranian dance music written for wind octet and solo clarinet featuring soloist, Jeff Anderle. The work will be premiered March 2024 at the Del Valle Fine Arts in Livermore, May 2024 at Noe Music in San Francisco, and recorded at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to be included on Nomad Session and Jeff Anderle’s 2nd collaborative album scheduled for released in November 2024.

Outsound Presents / Ornettology

Jazz

Outsound Presents will host Ornettology, an all-star Bay Area ensemble led by Myles Boisen, on the final night of the 20th Outsound New Music Summit on July 31, 2023. This energetic creative septet pays homage to Ornette Coleman’s compositions through varied sonic textures and surprising re-interpretations, group improvisation, and free jazz exploration.

Richard Aldag / Jennifer Kloetzel & Allegra Chapman

Contemporary

Jennifer Kloetzel and Allegra Chapman will present the world premiere of Richard Aldag‘s Sonata for cello & piano at Old First Concerts on Friday, June 9, 2023 and record the work for an album of Aldag’s works.

The Bow and the Brush / Trio Solano / Cindy Cox

New Music

The Bow and the Brush will commission Cindy Cox to compose a new work for Trio Solano, inspired by a painting of the composer’s choice.The new work will be recorded at Hertz Hall, Berkeley, and included on the album, The Bow and the Brush Volume 2, to be released by MSR Classics in October 2024.

Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival / Sam Reider

Classical

Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival will host Sam Reider as composer-in-residence for the 2023-2024 season. Reider will compose and perform a newly commissioned work with TACMF musicians during a weekend of 3 concerts in Bay Area venues, in a program that will also feature a setting Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” for 13 instruments.

Florante Aguilar & Cascada de Flores — traditional Filipino and Mexican

Florante Aguilar and Cascada de Flores will collaborate on a performance and recording featuring original and traditional songs from the Philippines and Mexico highlighting the musical commonalities and connections between these two former colonial subjects of Spain.

 

Amateur Music Network — jazz

Amateur Music Network’s Making Music with Destiny Muhammad project will be a two-hour hybrid in-person/online program with the Destiny Muhammad Trio at Little Mission Studio in San Francisco, September 2022.

 

The Bernal Hill Players — contemporary chamber music

The Bernal Hill Players will present “Forces of Nature,” a program of contemporary music premiering a new composition by Jennifer Peringer alongside two commissioned works by Davide Verotta and Sarah Stiles. The program will be performed in spring 2023 at Old First Concerts, Piedmont Center for the Arts, and the Center for New Music.

 

Brett Carson — New Music

Brett Carson will premiere “The Secret Life of the Paramecium,” a new song cycle to be performed by the quartet Paramecia Occulta, consisting of Amy Foote (soprano), Michelle Lee (flutes), Joshua Marshall (saxophones), and Ramon Fermin (electric guitar).

 

Carnatic Crossings — contemporary, Indian classical

Carnatic Crossings, led by Sruti Sarathy (Indian classical violin, vocals) and Rohan Krishnamurthy (mridangam, multi-percussion) will compose and record new compositions which capture the sound of the South Asian diaspora in the Bay Area. The new repertoire will feature chants, spoken word, and oral recordings, in addition to Carnatic ragas and rhythms, to be released as a debut EP in Fall 2023.

 

Sandy Cressman and Homenagem Brasileira — jazz

Sandy Cressman and Homenagem Brasileira will record a new CD, “Cantos do Povo – The Music of Milton Nascimento,” exploring Nascimento’s body of work which celebrates working people and gives voice to resistance to political oppression. The recording features original arrangements and new compositions inspired by Nascimento’s music and by our current social and political climate.

 

The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol & Her Sextet — jazz

The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol will construct a new 90-minute suite of music entitled “Black Music Through The Ages” consisting of 12 pieces exploring jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, and hip-hop from the early 20th century to the present day. In celebration of Black History Month, the event will welcome youth, seniors, low-income and disadvantaged populations to Oakland’s historic Black venue, Geoffrey’s Inner Circle.

 

Ensemble ARI / Jungyoon Wie — classical, contemporary

Ensemble ARI will commission Jungyoon Wie to compose a new piano trio for a concert highlighting Asian composers in May, 2023 at St. Mary’s College, Moraga. The program features pieces by contemporary Asian composers and arrangements of Korean folk songs.

 

Ensemble Mik Nawooj / JooWan Kim — hip-hop, electronic, contemporary

Ensemble Mik Nawooj will present the US premiere of  Hip-Hop Orchestra Experience (HHOE) by composer JooWan Kim, Nov 10, 2022 at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum in Samsung Hall.

musicians Corey Jamason (organ), Elisabeth Reed (cello), and Owen Dalby (violin), as well as the early music ensemble Ruckus, and oboist Debra Nagy.

 

The Living Earth Show / Sharmi Basu — New Music

Sharmi Basu will compose “Boundaried,” a concert-length work for guitar, percussion, and electronics to be performed and recorded by The Living Earth Show with Basu performing on electronics and released as an album on Earthy Records in 2023.

 

Lisa Mezzacappa — jazz

Lisa Mezzacappa will compose and produce two final episodes of “The Electronic Lover,” a new audio opera with librettist Beth Lisick. The nine-episode opera has been released as a serial podcast since summer 2020. The final episodes will premiere in winter and spring 2023.

 

Mo’Fone — jazz

Mo’Fone will record and produce their fourth full-length album featuring compositions by all three members, Jeremy Steinkoler, Larry De La Cruz, Jim Peterson, culminating in an album release performance.

 

Nash Baroque — early music, dance

Nash Baroque will collaborate with Dance Through Time on performances of Italian baroque music, dance, and pantomime of the 18th-century Italian theater in May of 2023 at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Berkeley.

 

Nicholas Phan Recording Projects — classical, vocal

Tenor Nicholas Phan will perform, record & film fourteen tenor arias by Johann Sebastian Bach in venues around San Francisco. Videos will be released as part of a weekly podcast, featuring interviews with musicians, Bach scholars, and audience members. Collaborators for these films will include SF-based

 

Quinteto Latino / Carla Lucero — New Music

Quinteto Latino will commission composer/librettist Carla Lucero to write a work for wind quintet and voices with 21V, documenting the lives of long time SF Bay Area Chicana activists, labor leader Dolores

African American Composer Initiative will present two concerts in January 2022 of music by African American composers, historic and living. Musicians of the AACI join together to present a wide variety of musical genres: spirituals, art songs, vocal and instrumental chamber music in classical and jazz traditions.

Brian Andres Quartet will produce a Latin Jazz recording featuring original compositions and original arrangements culminating in an album release performance.

Ars Minerva will produce Messalina, an opera composed by Carlo Pallavicino in 1679 with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piccioli. The performances will take place November 19-21, 2021 at ODC Theater in San Francisco.

Bay Area Jazz Mobile will present four, free to the public, outdoor jazz concerts in Washington Square Park, San Francisco, on Sunday afternoons from 8/29/21 to 9/19/21. The series, “Bay Area Jazz Mobile B3 Sundays” will feature bands lead by Hammond B3 organ players: Brian Ho, Adam Shulman, Simon Rowe, and B3B4.

Pianist/composer Nathan Bickart will create “Gravity Sweet,” a suite of original compositions for the Nathan Bickart Trio, to be performed in the North and East Bay in Spring 2022. Multimedia materials will accompany the live performance and enhance thematic connections between the material.

George Brooks and Kala Ramnath will compose three new works for the “Elements Trio” informed by the North Indian tradition of “Haveli Sangeet,” an ancient form of devotional music created in praise of nature and Hindu deities, thought to be the precursor of today’s Indian classical music.

CHELLE! Music will produce “Daughters of the Delta” highlighting the work of African-American women artists during the phenomenon that became known as The Great Migration—how their music related to the emancipation of Black people as they journeyed from the South. “Daughters” will be based on research instigated by Michelle Jacquesworking with Cava Menzies (with arrangements by Jacques and Bryan Dyer), culminating in four full-length concerts in Oakland and San Francisco by CHELLE & Friends New Orleans Band accompanied by a 10-person community chorus.

The Chromelodia Project, will rehearse, premiere, and record Chris Brown’s new, concert-length song cycle “Occhio.” The trio, led by Brown alongside Theresa Wong, cello and voice, and Kyle Bruckmann, oboe and electronics, blends just intonation, improvisation, and interactive computer music.

Ian Dogole will produce Quinta Essentia, a recording project featuring original compositions rooted in the traditions of West Africa, Nubia, Afro-Peruvian music and jazz innovators, with fresh interpretations of compositions by legendary jazz masters. Musicians include Sheldon Brown, Richard Howell, Fred Randolph, Sascha Jacobson, David Pinto, Darren Johnston, Frank Martin, with Dogole performing on African, South American and Western percussion instruments.

Earplay will produce a video performance of Jean Ahn’s Lapis Reprobatus for flute, violin and cello, originally commissioned by Left Coast Chamber Ensemble in 2015.

Composer Atabak Elyasi will write a set of songs based on Persian classical and regional music with text from classical and contemporary Persian poetry for vocalist Mahsa Vahdat. The five songs are based on the themes of pain, joy, darkness, light and hope.

Ensemble for These Times will commission and premiere “The Unseen,” a song cycle by composer Brennan Stokes, setting seven poems by Sara Teasdale. The premiere performance on October 15, 2021 at Old First Concerts, will feature pieces by queer, BIPOC, and women composers as part of “Alchemy,” a concert program exploring new music that transforms old themes, forms, and styles.

Farallon Quintet will commission composer/clarinetist, Jose Gonzalez Granero and record the new work alongside existing works to produce an album of Granero’s music. The commissioned piece will receive its premiere at a CD release concert featuring works on the album.

Mark Fish will compose Indoors, a trio for flute, piano, and double bass to premiere March 2022 by The Ledge Trioat Music at the Mission’s concert series at Old Mission San Jose in Fremont, California.

Clarinetist Ben Goldberg and trumpeter Andrew Stephens will produce, ELECTROVEESEDSTENE, a project focused on a new approach to the work of jazz great, Charlie Parker.

Motoko Honda’s “Simple Excesses Quartet” will create new works and further develop existing repertoire composed by Honda through a documented four-concert series in the Bay Area.

Jazz in the Neighborhood will produce “Safe Place To Play Festival” a streamed jazz festival with six groups performing for an intimate live audience at the Dresher Ensemble Studio in West Oakland.

Ninth Planet will commission composer Assaf Shatil to write “Everyone Became A Trail” a five-movement song cycle for soprano and chamber ensemble, setting poems written by Assaf in response to life during the Covid-19 pandemic. The new work will be performed on October 1, 2021 at Old First Concerts in San Francisco.

Prism Percussion will commission and record Transit by Nicholas Pavkovic for two percussionists with Pavkovic on keyboard. The premiere performance will take place on YouTube, January 5, 2022.

Persephone Chamber Ensemble will present a concert program at five venues in the Bay Area, including a newly commissioned work by Hyo-shin Na, Song of Five Friends, for mezzo soprano, violin, viola, cello, and piano. The program will also feature piano quartets and art songs by Romantic women composers Elfrida Andree and Louise Adolpha Le Beau.

Quadre will premiere “Fair Land Use” by composer Jeff Scott with pianist Jaymes Kirksey and soloists from the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, additionally engaging with local environmental community partners and regional schools delving into improvisatory storytelling. Kristopher Grant and Harumo Sato will create multimedia presentations and set designs respectively for the premiere performance at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2022.

Rent Romus will record a new joint project co-written with composer, educator, and musician Heikki Koskinenentitled “Itkuja” (pronounced it-koo-yaw [lament]), an original music research project knitting the structures of jazz, mythopoetic structures, and free improvisation exploring the connection between oral traditions and healing practices of the lament from the north and eastern regions of Finno-Ugric cultures. The recording will be completed by Romus’ Life’s Blood Ensemble and augmented by traditional and invented instruments such as free-reeds, overtone flutes, voice, strings, and the Finnish kantele.

Rova Saxophone Quartet will complete a recording project developed through several exploratory recording sessions leading to a radically new re-imagining of the possibilities of saxophone-based sonic exploration.

Pianist/flutist Gaea Schell will compose and record five new works for the Gaea Schell Quartet, producing a new EP with guest musicians combining elements of mainstream, Latin jazz, and classical genres.

Guitarist, John Schott will compose a Concerto for Electric Guitar and Percussion Ensemble for the William Winant Percussion Ensemble. The piece, positions the electric guitar as a virtuoso protagonist of mercurial personalities, supported and challenged by five percussionists playing a veritable orchestra of drums, gongs, metal objects, xylophone, glockenspiel and a specially tuned electric bass played as a percussion instrument with sticks and a bow.

Sierra Ensemble will commission Richard Aldag to compose a new trio to be premiered at Old First Church in Spring 2022.

Telegraph Quartet will produce TeleLab, a performance series across the Bay Area aiming to create an exploratory experience for audiences focusing on the inner workings of a single chamber work, presenting the musical and emotional aspects of an entire work by one composer culminating in a full performance.

Trio Solano will record a video of Dan Flanagan’s composition, “Ehrlichia, Rhapsody in Discomfort #6.” The piece’s title refers to one of the many tick-borne diseases under the umbrella of Lyme Disease, which is the thematic focus of the piece. Artist, Nancy Schroeder will make a painting inspired by this piece, which will be featured in the video during the performance.

Vitamin Em members Paul Hanson, Evan Price and Emily Onderdonk will collaborate on a Triptych/Trio of new acoustic and electroacoustic works which highlight improvisation across several genres including classical, jazz, funk, acid jazz and fusion. The new work will be premiered in a filmed and recorded performance at St. Alban’s Church in Albany, CA in October 2021.

Chamber Music Silicon Valley

Chamber Music Silicon Valley‘s annual performance of J.S. Bach’s complete Brandenburg Concerti in San Jose, CA will be performed in conjunction with a new, interactive digital media art installation by Iranian, Sunnyvale-based artist Roya Ebtehaj with a professional music-video recording production for all 6 concerti.

Citywater

Citywater will present a concert including a world premiere by Griffin Candey, and a multi-media work written for Citywater by Derek Keller. The concert will conclude a residency at Cosumnes River College where Citywater will workshop student works, including a student work selected for the final performance.

Cornelius Boots & The Heavy Roots Shakuhachi Ensemble

Cornelius Boots & The Heavy Roots Shakuhachi Ensemble will compose, perform, and record “Wood Prophecy: An Elemental Chamber Symphony” for Bass Shakuhachi Ensemble to premiere April 2021 in San Francisco and Oakland with preview concert-presentations offered at community centers leading up to the performances.

Curium Trio

Curium will record and release their debut CD of chamber music repertoire by women composers including Clara Schumann, Germaine Tailleferre, and Amy Beach.

Destiny Muhammad

Jazz harpist, Destiny Muhammad will present “The Sound of Social Justice: Remembering the Black Jazz Records Label.” This concert of new compositions inspired by music of The Black Jazz Records Label’s Social Justice Legacy will include a public discussion with Black Jazz Records artist, Calvin Keyes.

Ellen Fullman / The Living Earth Show

Ellen Fullman will compose a new collaborative work for The Living Earth Show, “There You Are” featuring Fullman performing on the Long String Instrument, set in an enormous industrial sized space.

Gold Coast Chamber Players / Alexander String Quartet

Gold Coast Chamber Players will partner with the Alexander String Quartet to present two concerts and educational activities around the theme “Dvořak’s America” exploring the influence of Spirituals and Native American music on Dvořak’s “American” chamber music. The concerts will feature renowned Native American flutist Mary Youngblood and soprano Alexa Anderson.

Jean Fineberg / JAZZphoria Octet

Jean Fineberg will compose and arrange three new pieces for the JAZZphoria octet. The new compositions will be premiered in concert and recorded for JAZZphoria’s debut CD.

Joe Warner Trio

Joe Warner will construct a suite of music representing the breadth of African-American music from the early 1900s to the present day collaborating with choreographer Traci Bartlow in a presentation exploring the intersections of instrumental music and movement.

Kasey Knudsen Sextet

The Kasey Knudsen Sextet will record and produce their debut recording of original compositions and arrangements by saxophonist Kasey Knudsen taking inspiration from the writings of Oliver Sacks and Truman Capote, the art of Deborah Oropallo, and the films of Federico Fellini.

Lisa Mezzacappa
*2020 Cypress Awardee*

Composer Lisa Mezzacappa and librettist Beth Lisick, will produce “The Electronic Lover” a digital opera, set in chat rooms in the early 1980s, to be released as a serial podcast with a live concert finale featuring a versatile and diverse cast of Bay Area vocalists and instrumentalists.

Michael Echaniz Group

The Michael Echaniz Group will produce its debut album, “Seven Shades of Violet,” featuring the piano trio; Michael Echaniz, piano and keyboards, Jeff Denson, Bass, and Dillon Vado, drums, with vocalists Danielle Wertz and Jeff Denson and additional instruments including Latin percussion and string quartet.

Music is First!

Music is First! will create an album of 18-25 short songs that are used in early education sites throughout the Bay Area as a resource for teachers, parents, and students. The songs are matched with lesson plans and books to align with the California State Preschool Visual and Performing Arts standards,

Nippon Kobo Ensemble / Erika Oba

Nippon Kobo, a new Japanese cultural event series that features chamber music performance paired with beverage tastings and visual arts, will present its inaugural. Nippon Kobo Ensemble, a collective of Bay Area musicians, will commission and premiere a new work by Erika Oba, a Japanese-American composer based in Berkeley, along with

San Francisco International Piano Festival / New Piano Collective

New Piano Collective will present the 4th-annual San Francisco International Piano Festival directed by pianist Jeffrey LaDeur, partnering with Lieder Alive! and Artist-in-Residence Kindra Scharich to perform chamber music and vocal works of Schubert. 

Sl(e)ight Ensemble

Sl(e)ight Ensemble will present their upcoming series, “Of California Ecology,” a program of new works each based on a different facet of California’s natural world. The trio will present compositions by Julie Herndon, ensemble members, and the winner of the ensemble’s call for scores from student composers.

Socorro De Castro

Socorro De Castro will record original compositions and arrangements of Filipino Classics and Original Pilipino Music (OPM) integrating jazz and ethnic world music and instruments. The CD release will take place at Piedmont Piano Co. in Oakland, by October 2021.

Stenberg|Cahill Duo / Pamela Z

The Stenberg|Cahill Duo, with violinist Kate Stenberg and pianist Sarah Cahill, will commission composer/vocalist Pamela Z to compose “Presence,” a multimedia work to premiere in San Francisco in spring 2021.

Strobe

Oboe quartet Strobe will record three commissioned works by Alexis Alrich, Neal Desby, and Vincent Russo to be released by Sienna Records with performances in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Grass Valley.

The Alaya Project

The Alaya Project will compose, record, and perform a series of experimental musical works highlighting traditional and collaborative intersections of south Indian classical, jazz, and funk traditions.

The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol

The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol will construct a suite of music entitled “Songs of Freedom, Sounds of Change,” exploring themes of social justice, the pursuit of freedom, and quests for change.

The Lee Trio

The Lee Trio will produce a recording of “Fern Flowers” composed for the group by Uljas Pulkkis paired with Felix Mendelssohn’s iconic Trio No. 2 in C Minor.

Ars Minerva Early Music, Opera.
Ars Minerva will produce Ermelinda, an opera composed by Domenico Freschi in 1680 with libretto by Francesco Maria Piccioli, which has never been performed since its creation at Teatro delle Vergini near Venice. The “Modern World Premiere” will take place November 2019 at ODC Theater

The Berkeley Festival of Choro Brazilian, Festival.
Berkeley Festival of Choro will promote, produce and record its annual festival at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Berkeley in October 2019.

Brass Over Bridges / Julie Barwick Classical Music, New Music, Commission.

* 2019 Cypress Awardee *
Brass Over Bridges will commission composer Julie Barwick for a new work, inspired by Bay Area poetry and poets, drawing from the diverse literary communities of the Bay Area. The piece will be premiered on a Brass Over Bridges recital of music by female composers in San Francisco, in the spring of 2020.

The Chromelodia Project / Chris Brown Experimental, New Music, Commission, Recording.
Composer/performer Chris Brown will compose & record a new piece for his ensemble, The Chromelodia Project (with Theresa Wong and Kyle Bruckmann) exploring just intonation, improvisation, and interactive computer music. The new work will at the Center for New Music in San Francisco.

Ensemble ARI / Jean Ahn New Music, Classical Music, Commission.
Ensemble ARI will commission Jean Ahn to write a new piano quartet to premiere on their women composers concert, January, 2022 at St. Mary’s College, Moraga. The Commission initiates the ensemble’s “piano quartet library project,” enriching the repertoire of contemporary music for piano quartet.

Ensemble for These Times / Elinor Armer New Music, Classical, Commission.
Ensemble for These Times will commission and premiere “Matrix” by Bay Area composer Elinor Armer for soprano and piano, setting texts by two Bay Area poets, Ursula K. LeGuin and Rella Lossy. The new work will premiere as part of the concert-program “Mothers, Daughters, and Families,” a musical exploration of inter-generational issues affecting women.

The Frank Tusa Ensemble Jazz, Recording
Frank Tusa will write and record eight new compositions within diverse jazz combos, from duos with flute, to sextet including tabla.

Friction Quartet / Danny Clay New Music, Commission
Friction Quartet will commission Danny Clay and present a new educational concert developed to be engaging and inclusive of youth with cognitive, behavioral, and physical differences. The new work, to be premiered at the Pomeroy Recreation and Rehabilitation Center in San Francisco, will involve audience participation and will be designed to be accessible for all levels of ability.

L’arc Trio / Vivan Fung Classical Music, New Music, Commission.
L’arc Trio will commission Vivian Fung as part of the program, “Beethoven 250,” a concert celebrating the legacy of Beethoven’s piano trios for his 250th anniversary year in the spring of 2020. L’arc Trio will perform two Beethoven piano trios alongside the premiere of Fung’s commissioned work, “inspired by Beethoven’s indomitable spirit.”

Mads Tolling / The Mads Men Jazz, Commission

* 2019 Cypress Awardee *
Mads Tolling will compose a four-movement piece for his band, The Mads Men, inspired by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard’s masterpiece “Either/Or,” with rapping, singing and spoken word in English and Danish by special guests and Mads Tolling. The premiere performance will take place at The Freight & Salvage and in October 2020.

The MANA Quartet / Common Sense Composers’ Collective New Music, Recording
MANA Quartet will premiere and record 8 new compositions with the eight-member Common Sense Composers’ Collective.

MediusTerra Horn Duo / Aida Shirazi New Music, Classical Music, Commission.
MediusTerra Horn Duo will commission and premiere “Songs of Dionysus,” a new work by Davis-based Iranian composer Aida Shirazi juxtaposing unexplored nuances in Iranian classical music with modern French Horns and electronics. The premiere performance will take place in the spring of 2021.

Melody of China Chinese, Persian, Commission
Melody of China will present a concert with Nejad World Music Center as part of the 2020 San Francisco International Arts Festival in June 2020. Collaborating with Mohammed Nejad and guest musicians, the program will feature new arrangements of traditional Chinese and Persian melodies as well as an experimental new work for Chinese/Persian mixed ensemble.  

New Moon Duo / Nicolas Lell Benavides New Music, Commission
New Moon Duo – pianist Anne Rainwater and mezzo-soprano Melinda Becker – is commissioning composer Nicolas Lell Benavides to write a new song cycle exploring the unique cultural identity of New Mexicans. The songs will be sung in Caló a dialect of Spanish spoken first by Chicano communities in New Mexico and Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border, and later spreading to Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

Outsound Presents: Outsound New Music Summit New Music, Festival
Outsound Presents will host its 18th Annual Outsound New Music Summit, July, 2019 at the Community Music Center in San Francisco. The Summit will feature six nights of performances showcasing new musical works and improvisations by local artists and national guests, showcasing the world premiere of Tomography Fortunae, by Polly Moller Springhorn; the collaboration of Francis Wong and dancer Lenora Lee; and percussionist duo, William Winant and improviser Zachary James Watkins.

Quinteto Latino Classical Music, New Music, Latin American, Recording
Quinteto Latino will produce studio-recorded videos of Waldir Azevedo’s “Brasileirinho” and Astor Piazzolla’s “Libertango,” two short works central to their core concert repertoire, both arranged by composer Mark Fish

Rent Romus / Heikki Koskinen Jazz, World Music, Commission
Rent Romus will record a new project, co-written with Heikki Koskinen entitled “Manala” (netherworld), for Romus’ nonet, the Life’s Blood Ensemble. The project weaves elements of jazz, traditional folk, and free improvisation, inspired by the mythic prose of cultural liberation and identity in the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, and the folklore of northern arctic traditions.

Splinter Reeds / Amadeus Regucera New Music, Experimental Music, Commission
Splinter Reeds will commission composer Amadeus Regucera to compose “With|Against,” a new multimedia work highlighting the reed quintet’s virtuosity and engaging in interdisciplinary practices including video, light, and spatialized movement in an exploration of uncommon audience engagement and participation. The premiere will be presented by Indexical, an experimental music nonprofit in Santa Cruz, at Radius Gallery in early June 2020.

Teslim Contemporary Modal, Commission, Recording
Teslim will produce “7 Decades,” a recording of compositions by Kaila Flexer, inspired by Turkish, Greek and Sephardic folk music as well as blues, jazz & western classical chamber music. 

Hyo-shin Na / Wooden Fish Ensemble Classical Music, New Music, Japanese, Korean, Commission
Wooden Fish Ensemble will present a program of Hyo-shin Na‘s music for Japanese, Korean, and western instruments at Old First Concerts on October 27, 2019. Four new works will be commissioned and premiered, along with three of her older works. 

ZOFO / Pablo Ortiz New Music, Commission
ZOFO will commission Argentine American composer Pablo Ortiz for a piano duet concerto with two versions, one with string orchestra, and the second with string quintet, premiering in 2020. The pianists will sit on cajónes, changing quickly between playing the Latin-American box percussion instruments and the keyboard.

• African American Composer Initiative to commission composer Joshua McGhee and present their 10th anniversary concerts at at the Performing Arts Center of Eastside College Preparatory School, East Palo Alto in January 2019 presenting the rich heritage of music by African American men and women of  the past and present.

• Richard Aldag and Vinifera Trio, for production costs to complete a CD of chamber music by Richard Aldag on Albany Records in Fall 2018.

• Ted Allen to compose and perform “Death Is Reincarnated in Every Flower,” a new work for his ensemble, The Incendiary Cycle. The piece will include spoken word poems by six California-based poets, including two young writers recently recognized by the Oakland Youth Poet Laureate program. To be premiered in the fall of 2019.

* 2018 Cypress Awardee * Amaranth Quartet to commission “Break,” a new work by D. Riley Nicholson premiering at the Center for New Music and Arc Gallery in May of 2019. The program, Bend, Bent, Break, will include Philip Glass’s string quartet Bent and new work by an emerging Bay Area young composer (16-24) chosen through a call for scores and workshop process.

• The Dirty Snacks Ensemble to record and release the second full length record of original compositions by ensemble leader Mark Clifford.

• Bassist Sascha Jacobsen with Trio Garufa to compose Contra un Bajo de Magia accompanied by a short narrative film, directed by Neeti Fidurko, and Argentine Tango dancer, Andrea Fuchilieri. The premier performance will take place at the CELLSpace in the fall of 2019.

• Anna Maria Mendieta’s Tango Del Cielo to complete their debut album The Harp-Tango Project recorded at Skywalker Ranch and support CD release concerts in Summer 2018.

• Nash Baroque to present two performances of Baroque music and dance in collaboration with Jennifer Meller and the San Francisco Renaissance Dancers, exploring the influence of 18th-century French dance forms on the music of J.S. Bach.

• Nomad Session to commission two new wind octet pieces from composers Emily Shisko and Mario Godoy based on the 2018–2019 concert season theme “Eight.” Premiere performances will take place March 23, 2019 and May 18, 2019 at the Brightworks School in San Francisco.

• Redwood Tango Ensemble to commission four new future-driven tango compositions by bandleader & Bandoneonist Charles Gorczynski. The program takes audiences through the history of contemporary tango, from 1950’s Astor Piazzolla to the cutting edge of contemporary tango music from Argentina today.

• sfSound to commission Ken Ueno to write “Numinous,” a new hour-long concert piece for chamber ensemble with acoustic reflective shells and 20 small mobile speakers, to be premiered at the 2019 sfSound Festival.

• Edward Schocker to compose “Self_Less“, a multipart series of works premiering at the 2019 San Francisco International Arts Festival by The Crossing Ensemble.

• The Sonya Rapoport Legacy Trust to commission “Rapoport Remembered,” a musical composition to re-imagine the work of Berkeley artist Sonya Rapoport (1923-2015) through the medium of sound. “Rapoport Remembered” is to be composed and performed by Hae Voces (violinist Kristina Dutton and vocalist Majel Connery) and premieres June 1-2, 2018 at the Kala Institute, where Rapoport exhibited during her lifetime.

 

Jazz & Creative Music

• Ian Carey’s Wood/Metal/Plastic to support the recording and release of their self-titled debut album featuring original compositions that incorporate elements of chamber music, jazz, and free improvisation.

• Ian Dogole & Music Beyond Borders to present Karma – A Musical Tribute to Pharoah Sanders at the Berkeley Hillside Club in September 2018.

• George Brooks’ Elements Trio to perform a Bay Area CD release celebration of their new recording, The Alchemy of Happiness in Spring 2019.

• Ben Goldberg to compose a suite of music for his sextet Ben Goldberg School to be performed and recorded on their second studio album.

• Klaxon Mutant Allstars to produce their second album of original instrumental jazz compositions and arrangements exploring textures and sounds inspired by nostalgia of the 1980s

• Composer and bassist Lisa Mezzacappa and her acclaimed Bay Area original jazz sextet, Lisa Mezzacappa Six to compose and develop Cosmicomics 2018, a new body of electro-acoustic work, inspired by Italo Calvino’s stories about the origins of the universe. To be premiered in three concerts in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Rafael in November 2018.

• Ben Misterka to produce Music, the International Language, comprising a video series, concert performances, and workshops. The project features conversations and duo improvisations from musicians of different cultures, highlighting the vibrant international and world music artists of the Bay Area community and abroad.  

• Anne Sajdera to record and produce original compositions and arrangements for jazz quintet integrating modern jazz with funk & Brazilian/Latin rhythms and traditional Roma (gypsy) melodies.

• Linda Tillery & The Cultural Heritage Choir to present the Linda Tillery 70th Birthday Concert Project, a two-night celebration of the life and artistry of Linda Tillery on September 7th & 8th, 2018 at the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, Berkeley in collaboration with six guest ensembles.

CLASSICAL and CHAMBER MUSIC

BERKELEY CHAMBER PERFORMANCES to present the THALEA STRING QUARTET in a public evening concert on March 20, 2018 at the Berkeley City Club as part of BCP’s 2017–2018 Season.

LIEDER ALIVE! to commission and premiere four “neue Lieder” by KURT ERICKSON, Composer-in-Residence, and three additional composers, to be paired with Lieder from the standard repertoire.  To be performed by soprano HEIDI MOSS, mezzo-soprano KINDRA SCHARICH, bass KIRK EICHELBERGER January 2018.

NICHOLAS PHAN RECORDING PROJECTS to record and film Ralph Vaughan Williams’ vocal chamber works “The Unquiet Grave,” “Blake Songs,” and “Along the Field” performed by NICHOLAS PHAN, tenor; BENJAMIN BEILMAN, violin; JAMES AUSTIN SMITH, oboe; and ROBERT MOLLICONE, piano.

ROSSOROSE DUO to present their concert project “Nocturnes: Nightfall Illuminated” and to commission ALISA ROSE to compose “Nocturne for America” a piece to be included in the concert project.

JAZZ and CREATIVE MUSIC

ANTHONY BROWN to compose “Down by the Riverside: Requiem for a King” commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. To be premiered at the 2018 SF International Arts Festival by the ASIAN AMERICAN ORCHESTRA and VOICES OF A DREAM vocal ensemble with recitation by Dr. Cornel West.

NATHAN CLEVENGER for the recording and production of a new album by the Nathan Clevenger Group.

ERIK JEKABSON TRIO to complete the production of Erik Jekabson’s CD featuring PETER BARSHAY and VINCE LATEANO.

ANDREW JAMIESON to compose and record a set of original arrangements that integrate experimental and traditional African American spirituals, in partnership with the TROUBLE ENSEMBLE made up of San Francisco Bay Area musicians.  

JAZZ IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD to present “Emerging Voices – Edition 1” a concert with three local rising jazz professionals—IAN FAQUINI, guitar; ERIKA OBA, piano; and DILLON VADO, vibraphone—and their respective ensembles—at the San Francisco Community Music Center, October, 2017.

KUGELPLEX to commission and perform “The Hungarian Gospel Suite”, a collection of traditional American Gospel songs set to original music inspired by Transylvanian Romany dance music, composed by DAN CANTRELL and performed by the Kugelplex ensemble, featuring guest vocalist, LINDA TILLERY.

MONTCLAIR WOMEN’S BIG BAND to record and produce the ensemble’s second album, a collection of original big band tunes and arrangements primarily by women including ensemble members ELLEN SEELINGJEAN FINEBERG, and CHRISTY DANA and featuring many of the outstanding women jazz soloists in the Bay Area.

  1. RICHMOND JAZZ QUARTET to record their debut album of 10 pieces in several different styles of music written and arranged by ensemble leader EMILY ONDERDONK.

RATATET to record, mix and manufacture a 6 song EP of original compositions by leader ALAN HALL, exploring, in a modern jazz context, the unique tonal possibilities of Bassoon, English Horn, Cello, Vibraphone, Trombone, Voice, Piano, Organ, Double Bass, Electric Bass, Percussion and Drum Set.

COOKIE SEGELSTEIN with VERETSKI PASS for the composition and CD recording utilizing formerly lost melodies of pre-Holocaust traditional, Czech-Jewish music. COOKIE SEGELSTEINJOSHUA HOROWITZ, and STUART BROTMAN will create a program of music that combines traditional folk resources from Bohemia and Moravia with new compositions.

NEW MUSIC

BLACK CEDAR to commission URSULA KWONG-BROWN’s “In Transit” for flute, cello, guitar, and electronic tape, incorporating the voices of Bay Area residents and their experiences as transplants from other regions and cultures.  To be performed around the Bay Area in October 2017, February and June 2018.

COMPOSING TOGETHER to present “My Words, My Music,” a concert series partnering composer/musicians KATRINA WREEDEMOSES SEDLERSARAH ZAHARAKO, and BRENDAN LAI-TONG with Poet in Residence, ALAN BERN, to be performed in libraries throughout the bay area.

KRISTINA DUTTON with electronic musician SILVIA MATHEUS to compose and perform “Horizontal Cobalt,” a musical reimagining of famed Bay Area artist Sonya Rapoport’s visual work.

ENSEMBLE FOR THESE TIMES to commission and perform “Die eichne Tür” (working title) by composer DAVID GARNER for soprano, English horn, violin, cello, and piano. Preview and premiere performances in April 2018.

AMY FOOTE to produce “The Voice and The Machine” a concert program that examines the role technology has in our emotional well-being. Including the commission and premiere of DENNIS AMAN’s new work for invented instruments and five performers.

GALAX QUARTET to record works written or arranged for the ensemble including Robert Morris’s “Radif IV (Galax Quartet version)”, Joseph Schwantner’s song cycle “Dream Drapery: Thoreau Songs” and Marc Mellits’s “String Quartet no. 2: Revolution.” To be released with the label Music & Arts (Berkeley CA).

AARON GERVAIS to compose and present a new piece for live electronics and a variable ensemble of 1-5 instruments, to be premiered by the STENBERGCAHILL DUO in 2018.  

GUERRILLA COMPOSERS GUILD to present the SIROKO DUO for its season opener, commissioning two new chamber works from local composers NICK BENAVIDES and MICHAEL KROPF.

VAN-ANH VO to compose and perform “Songs of Protest” with her VA’V Ensemble of Vietnamese traditional instruments as the core sound, complemented by electronic music and Western instruments.  To be performed at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in spring 2019.

African American Composer Initiative to present two public performances of the Eighth Annual Concert of Music by African American composers, which will include a wide variety of styles, eras and genres, spanning classical and jazz idioms and performed by the core group of musicians of the AACI, as well as outstanding Bay Area classical and jazz musicians and guest artists.

Berkeley Choro Ensemble to record and release their first album, featuring a collection of works by living Brazilian composers, as well as works by clarinetist Harvey Wainapel and a commission from guitarist and composer, Ricardo Peixoto.

Sheldon Brown to master and produce an album of studio recordings of his recent composition, Blood of the Air, promoting the legacy of Philip Lamantia, an important figure in the San Francisco Renaissance poetry movement of the late 1940s through the late 1950s, and perhaps America’s foremost surrealist poet.

Ian Carey’s Wood/ Metal/ Plastic to compose and premiere a collection of pieces, Set for 7, incorporating contrapuntal textures and varied improvisational settings ranging from structured to free, which will be performed by Carey and six other musicians.

Carlos Henrique Pereira Trio to record and release an album of his original jazz and Brazilian style compositions, featuring the recently transplanted Sonoma County resident as leader on his dual main instruments of piano and nylon string acoustic guitar.

Ben Goldberg to record and release an album, Hocus Pocus, a collection of six etudes composed by Steve Lacy, built of his musical language and characterized by repeating segments, and adapted in 2014 by Mr. Goldberg and Michael Coleman for clarinet/piano duo.

Phillip Greenlief (saxophone), Fred Frith (guitar), and Rashaun Mitchell (dance) to perform and record improvisations, to be released on DVD and internationally distributed, marking the premiere collaboration of three singular artists, highlighting the visual form of dance with the physicality of improvising musicians to create an embodied sound score.

Jon Jang to compose an eight minute work for the Jon Jang Ensemble of three woodwinds, two brass, and rhythm section, entitled Yank Sing Work Song, to celebrate the recent major victory of the Yank Sing restaurant workers, who won a four million dollar settlement in November 2014, as a continuation of his body of works paying tribute to Chinese workers.

The Living Earth Show to commission, premiere, and tour a new work for electric guitar, percussion, and live electronics by composer Zachary James Watkins, involving invented instruments and tuning that investigate whole number interval relationships, based on desires to explore harmonic territory, periodicity, composite waveforms, resonance, texture, and the spatial diffusion of sound sources to achieve rich, saturated environments.

Lisa Mezzacappa to record and disseminate her evening length song cycle, Glorious Ravage, inspired by the writings of Victorian lady explorers, featuring an ensemble of acclaimed California instrumentalists performing live and commissioned films, and to be released in 2017 as both an audio CD and on-demand video available for online streaming.

Molina/ Ackamoor Duet to compose and perform The Spirit, Breath of Life, an evening of improvised, ritualistic, and cleansing ceremonies, as musical homage to the grassroots national uprising that has been precipitated by the deaths of African American men and young men of color at the hands of police, and as a means of collective healing and “breathing in one complete breath” for all Americans.  

Music at the Mission to commission and perform the world premiere of a new work, The Golden Door, by Composer-in-Residence Mark Fish, inspired by immigrant stories from Chinese, Filipino, and Afghan residents of the Tri-Cities of Fremont, Newark, and Union City, and will include musicians from these cultures playing traditional instruments, as well as video projections capturing the Tri-Cities immigrant experience.

Noe Valley Chamber Music to present a concert of the Thalea String Quartet, its Emerging Artist for 2016/17 season, as part of both the Osher Inside-Out and contemporary neo@noe concert series, including Musical Conversations, a pre-concert talk led by musicologist Kai Christiansen.

One Great City Duo to record and release its second full length album, featuring premiere recordings of commissioned works by Shahab Paranj, Eric Choate, Ben Dameron, and Renaud Cote-Giguere, transcribed and arranged repertoire, as well as contemporary music by Sergio Assad, Celso Machado, Dusan Bogdanovic, and Stephen Goss.

Outsound Presents to present the creative works of the three contemporary ensembles: Brett Carson’s Mysterious Descent; IMA featuring Nava Dunkelman and Amma Ateria; and Mark Clifford’s Dirty Snacks Ensemble during the 15th Annual Outsound New Music Summit Festival.

Jim Santi Owen, to present an evening length performance of original and improvised new music,  in collaboration with sarode artist and composer, Alam Khanof, based on their year-long research of rare ragas (melodic modes) and talas (rhythmic cycles) of North Indian Classical Music.

Rent Romus to perform and record live The Road to Aacheron, an evening-length original oratorio, in partnership with his Life’s Blood Ensemble and members of The Cornelius Cardew Choir, of otherworldly music composed by Romus and inspired by the Fantastic Pulp Fiction writers of the 1930’s, including HP Lovecraft, Catherine Lucille Moore, and Arthur Machen.

Redwood Tango Ensemble to debut and record six fully-scored compositions, including new compositions by leader, Charles Gorczynski, featuring a dance performance, as well as a set of traditional Argentine tango for social dancing, as a means to give dancers an insight to the Ensemble’s more nuanced and modern original material, as well as introduce chamber music fans to the idiomatic musical language of modern tango.

Pamela Rose to produce her new stage work, The Blues is a Woman, an ensemble theatrical concert featuring Bay Area women blues musicians who will sing and tell stories woven around the music, augmenting the powerful, truth telling, original songs written and popularized by early Blues Women, and which will feature rarely seen archival film footage and photo projections of these great women in concert.

Splinter Reeds to commission and premiere a sextet composition by composer and performer Theresa Wong, for reed quintet and Wong as vocalist and cellist, employing improvisation and collaborative process that is as central to the development of the work as is conventional notation, and with the creative voices of the individuals involved being at least as important as the instrumentation.

Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival to present End of Time, a new theatrical production centered around Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, which will feature staging, lighting design, and a video-like onstage projection that will tell the story of Messiaen and the creation of this historical and powerful work.

Trois Bois Wind Trio to record and release their first full length album of music written by French composers between the years 1945-1947, including one never before recorded work, as a means to capture the remarkable connections that existed between the composers of this era and how the political and cultural landscape affected their style.

The Wooden Fish Ensemble to premiere Koto, Piano II, two commissioned works by Hyo-shin Na, a piece for Koto (Japanese zither) and piano, and a piece for koto and bass koto, as an addition to Na’s series of 4 duos composed for and recorded by the Ensemble.

AREON FLUTES to record and release their third full-length album, featuring works commissioned to celebrate their 10th Anniversary Season from Bay Area composers SAHBA AMINIKIADAN BECKERRYAN BROWN, and DANNY CLAY.

RICHARD ALDAG to record Nocturne & Dance for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano (2014) with TRIO VINIFERA for a disc of his chamber music to be completed in Fall 2016. The piece will be premiered at the Jarvis Conservatory (Napa) in May 2015.

BRAZZISSIMO to commission member DEAN BOYSEN to create a new work for ten-piece brass ensemble to be premiered in 2016 at the Castro Valley Center for the Arts. 

BAUMER QUARTET to record several core works for string quartet, partnering with a high-quality recording engineer from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

KYLE BRUCKMANN to compose a new work for a Creative Music ensemble of single and double reeds, electric bass, percussion, and electronics, incorporating writings of Bay Area poet Matthew Shears, for a June 2016 premiere in Oakland.

IAN DOGOLE to present Afro-Weston, a musical tribute concert featuring new arrangements of pianist Randy Weston’s Afro-infused Jazz compositions.

EINSTEINIUM QUARTET to commission a new chamber work for saxophone quartet by Bay Area composer MARIO GODOY, to be premiered at the Center for New Music in 2016.

ENSEMBLE SAN FRANCISCO to present two Fall 2015 concerts (one in San Francisco and one in Portola Valley) featuring the Brahms Clarinet Quintet along with works of Barber and Auerbach.

JEAN FINEBERG to compose an original work for MONTCLAIR WOMEN’S BIG BAND, an 18-plece jazz chamber ensemble, encouraging the community to explore the music of Jazzwomen In the Bay Area and beyond.

THE GALAX QUARTET to arrange, rehearse and premiere a new version (for string quartet and keyboard) of American composer Carl Stone’s neglected work, Hai Ky.

 

IGNITION DUO to complete and release their debut album of music for two electric guitars, including works by local composers NICK BACCHETTORYAN BROWN, and DANNY CLAY.

SASCHA JACOBSEN to record his second album, Chamber con Alma, featuring his original compositions and arrangements with the MUSICAL ART QUINTET, focusing on a theme of the soulful, spiritual nature of music.

ERIK JEKABSON to record and produce a new CD of original compositions and arrangements for jazz quintet.

DAVID JAMES’S GPS to record a debut album of the leader’s original works, for an ensemble of electric guitar, clarinet, viola, trombone, acoustic bass and drums.

JEWISH MUSIC & POETRY PROJECT to record a CD of four works about the Holocaust for soprano, cello, and piano written for them by composer DAVID GARNER to poems by Jewish women survivors.

HEIKKI KOSKINEN to perform and record his arrangements of Nordic and Finnish songs with a new ensemble, NORTHERN WINDS AND VOICES.

LIEDER ALIVE! to commission three “neue Lieder” by KURT ERICKSON to be premiered by soprano Heidi Moss on September 13, 2015, at their fifth annual Liederabend Series at the Kanbar Performing Arts Center in San Francisco.

DESTINY MUHAMMAD to score three Jazz suites inspired by Devorah Majors’ play Black Classics: The African American Voice in 19th Century San Francisco, creating a sonic celebration of Ancestors Mary Ellen Pleasant, William Alexander Leidesdorg and George Washington Dennis.

REAL VOCAL STRING QUARTET to compose, present and record Audible Connections: RVSQ Sister Cities, a cycle of short works based on folk music and poems from eight San Francisco Sister Cities, including Abidjan, Amman, Assisi, Barcelona, Haifa, Osaka, Seoul, and Shanghai.

ROVA SAX QUARTET to record and distribute an eleven-instrument structured improvisation work (an Homage for William Butch Lawrence) as well as three longer works composed within the last five years by Rova Sax Quartet members.

JOHN SANTOS to compose and perform Porta Coeli (Portal to Heaven), named after the second oldest church on the island of Puerto Rico and dedicated to his great grandparents, employing traditional Puerto Rican rhythmic and stylistic elements.

EDWARD SCHOCKER to produce the project Crossing with Ensemble Ak, investigating Shinawi, the ancient style of Korean shamanist improvisation.

JOHN SCHOTT’S ACTUAL TRIO to complete and publicize its first CD of music for guitar, bass, and drums.

SHULMAN & STEPHAN to release the recordings of seven original songs by Adam Shulman and Katy Stephan, including both a jazz rhythm section and the REAL VOCAL STRING QUARTET.

SWITCHBOARD MUSIC FESTIVAL to present its 9th annual eight-hour marathon, featuring a diverse assortment of primarily local composers, performers, and bands whose music challenges traditional genre distinctions, on April 2, 2016, at the Brava Theater in San Francisco.

TELEGRAPH QUARTET to record and produce an online digital EP showcasing Leon Kirchner’s String Quartet No. 1 and Anton Webern’s Five Movements for String Quartet.

VAJRA VOICES to perform the medieval music of HIldegard von Bingen on July 31, 2015, featuring director and contralto Karen R. Clark and harpist Cheryl Ann Fulton, and make a commercial recording later in 2015.

MARK WINGES to compose The Moon Dreams of Jacqueline, a new work for the FRICTION QUARTET and four solo singers to be performed in the fall of 2016.

A/B Duo to present a concert, with high quality video documentation, of premieres and recently written works for flute and percussion at the Center for New Music with percussionist Christopher G. Jones.

African American Composer’s Initiative to present their 6th annual concert of music by African American composers at the Performing Arts Center of Eastside College Preparatory School. The music will include a wide variety of genres from classical to jazz.

Berkeley Choro Ensemble to commission ensemble member Harvey Wainapel, who will create a new work to be premiered as the grand finale of the Festival of Choro in the fall of 2014 at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley.

The Bernal Hill Players to present “Neighborhoods of San Francisco and Mexico City,” an eclectic program of music from both cities, including two world premieres by Beth Custer and Gabriela Ortiz.

The Black Cedar Trio to record a debut album of published works that have not been commercially recorded as well as a new work by local composer Garrett Shatzer.  The album will be promoted through a series of concerts throughout the greater Bay Area from 2014-16.

Ryan Brown to record “Our Friend Adam,” his breakthrough composition for alto saxophone, piano, electric guitar and bass, as a step in the production of his first full-length album.

George Brooks to create “Ghalib”, a jazz composition for sarode, saxophone and tabla informed by the classical traditions of India.  This piece will be premiered by the composer along with Alam Khan and Salar Nader at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley in early November 2014.

The Delphi Trio to record two live performances at the Maybeck Recital Hall in Berkeley during August and September of 2014.  Repertoire will consist of works by Haydn, Schumann, Faure and Arensky.

Earplay to present the finale concert of its 30th anniversary season in May 2015, including the commission and premiere of a new work by Carla Lucero alongside works by Dohee Lee, Nicolas Tzortzis, and Henry Cowell.

Farallon Quintet to record its debut album, “Unknown Clarinet Quintets,” including works by Bernard Herrmann and Mozart with a recently commissioned work by Bay Area composer Durwynne Hsieh.

Firesong Ensemble to commission and present a new vocal chamber work by Bay Area composer Jen Wang in concert alongside works by Yotam Haber, Richard Pearson Thomas, Shulamit Ran and Ned Rorem.

martha & monica to present “Out of the Box”, a three-evening festival for cello and piano, exploring the world of colors, timbres and textures from the past 50 years. Featured composers will include Feldman, Scelsi, Takemitsu, and Xenakis.

Lisa Mezzacappa to compose and develop “avant-NOIR,” a new electro-acoustic body of work inspired by noir genre fiction for her experimental jazz quartet Bait & Switch.  The work will be performed twice in the Bay Area in the fall of 2014.

Music at the Mission to present a 10th anniversary concert on the theme of “Fairy Tales – the Meeting of Music, Storytelling and Painting,” featuring works of Schumann, Ravel, Stravinsky and Prokofiev and living composers Bolcom and Deak, all connected by the theme of fairy tales. Painter Antoine Cavlier will create paintings inspired by the music that will be projected to accompany the performance.  

New Esterhazy Quartet to perform the complete late Beethoven Quartet cycle on period instruments at Berkeley’s historic Hillside Club on August 14-16, 2015.

Nonsemble 6 to premiere two monodramas – one-woman chamber operas, with ensemble accompaniment – by composers Adrian Knight and Jonathan Russell in the 2014-15 season.

Outsound Presents to present the original creative works of The Emergency String (X)tet, Bill Noertker’s Obstreperous Doves and the Rankin-Parker/Pearce duo during the 13th Annual Outsound New Music Summit in July 2014 in San Francisco.

Ricardo Peixoto to record his first full album as composer and bandleader, featuring recent compositions for mixed ensembles grounded in Brazilian jazz traditions.

Daniel Plonsey to compose “Strings, Union, Calculus,” for string trio with saxophone, mezzo-soprano and percussion.  This set of pieces is inspired by the composer’s experience as a high school math teacher.

Potaje Ensemble to present a free concert with composer and guitarist Florante Aguilar, featuring two new works exploring the historical musical connections between the Philippines, Latin America and Spain.

Rent Romus Life’s Blood Ensemble to record and perform “The Otherworld Cycle.” This collection of new jazz compositions and improvisations is inspired by the ancient poems of the Finish National epic known as the Kalevala.

Salon Classique to present the Tango Salon Project as the opening concert of their 2014-2015 season at the St. George Distillery.  The project features Argentinian Tango for up to seven instruments as well as Spanish and French chamber music.

San Francisco Salon Series to present three multi-media chamber music salon concerts between August 2014 and May 2015. The publicly advertised concerts, taking place in private homes, are intended to bring together curious audience members who are more typically engaged in different artistic and technological disciplines.

sfSound to commission ensemble director Matt Ingalls to create “Hilbert Transforms,” a new work for chamber ensemble incorporating traditional and graphic notation, improvisation, and electronics. sfSound will perform the new work  in March of 2015.

Sonic Forest to present four free, public concerts with a wide variety of compositions and improvisations for oboe and piano at three community centers run by Homeward Bound Marin, an organization that provides services to the homeless.

Sounds New to present a retrospective concert including a new work, celebrating the 85th birthday of director and composer Herbert Bielawa

Splinter Reeds to commission a new work for reed quintet by Bay Area composer Aaron Novik based on a Margaret Atwood quote.

Tangents Guitar Series to present a retrospective program dedicated to the guitar works of seminal American experimental composer James Tenney, culminating in performances in San Francisco and Santa Cruz.

The Living Earth Show to record DANCE/\MUSIC, consisting of five electro-classical compositions commissioned by the ensemble from Anna Meredith, Daniel Wohl, Chris Cerrone, Jonathan Pfeffer, and Jacob Cooper.

Bill Horvitz to create six new works for the Skerries Sextet, an expanded version of the versatile jazz trio he leads as composer and guitarist.

Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival to commission composer Danny Clay to write a work for narrator and chamber ensemble based on Rudyard Kiplings’s “Just So Stories”.  The work will be presented at the festival’s September 7, 2014 Grandparents’ Day Family Concert.

Voicehandler to produce a debut album of their collaboratively-composed experimental song cycle for voice, percussion and electronics.

Voices of Music to present four Bay Area concerts exploring 17th century English poetry, from Shakespeare to Dryden, through the music of 17th century composers from Dowland to Purcell.

Liam Wade to compose a new work for soprano, piano, and cello that Ann Moss, Steven Bailey and Emil Miland will premiere as part of a January 2015 recital in San Francisco.

Wild Rumpus a contemporary chamber ensemble, to present its fourth season opening concert in October 2014 featuring new commissions by Per Bloland, Ioannis Angelakis and Ruby Fulton.

 Pamela Z  to complete and release a CD featuring the world premiere recording of her 2013 chamber work “Carbon Song Cycle,” for voice and electronics, bassoon, viola, cello and percussion.

Active Music Series to present a three night Active Music Festival in Oakland’s Uptown Nightclub featuring the Oakland Active Orchestra. The Active Music Series supports non-traditional notation, conduction and other forms of large ensemble improvisation.

Addleds to present three concerts at the Lab in San Francisco. Addleds is an improvisation quartet consisting of oboe/English horn, contrabass, percussion and koto.

Asian American Jazz Orchestra leader Anthony Brown to compose “Our Eyes on the Prize: King’s Dream 50 Years On” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech”. The work will be performed by the Asian American Jazz Orchestra.

Dave Rocha Jazz Group to present five free jazz concerts at various locations throughout the Bay Area including parks, community centers, churches, arts organizations and public plazas.

Distant Interval to publish a new one-hour work for six instrumentalists and a vocalist based on the surrealist poetry of local poet Philip Lamantia.

Erik Jekabson to release his fourth CD “Rhythm is Our Thing: the Erik Jekabson Quartet with John Santos at the Hillside Club“.

Grupo Falso Baiano to record a new CD of the original instrumental Brazilian compositions of founding member Brian Moran as well as works from the little known style of “Roots Samba”.

Hannah Addario – Berry / Cello Bazaar to present Sqwonk (a bass clarinet duo), in a performance of works by Bay Area composers as part of “Between the Golden Gates“, a dinner concert series at Bazaar Cafe.

Ian Carey Quintet + 1 leader Ian Carey to compose an extended multi-movement “Suite for Quintet+1” to be performed and recorded at the Jazz School in Berkeley.

Left Coast Chamber Ensemble to commission a new piece by Laurie San Martin. The new work will incorporate text from Roy Spivey, a story by Miranda July. They will perform the piece at Oakland Art Murmur, PARK(ing) Day, and First Thursday Art Walk.

Live Oak Baroque Orchestra to record a CD to establish itself in the Bay Area early music scene.

Melody of China to launch a PR and marketing campaign for a concert celebrating their 20th anniversary in December 2013. The concert will feature traditional Chinese music on traditional instruments as well as a retrospective of select contemporary works from the last 20 years.

Miguel Martinez y Corazon Sur to record songs by Mexican composers who are well-known in Latin America but not in the United States. They will record these songs as Latin Jazz arrangements. Some of the composers include Agustin Lara, Mario Ruiz Armengol, Jose Alfredo Jimenez, and Maria Griver among others.

Mobius Trio to produce its second full- length studio album featuring all new works from composers throughout the Bay Area commissioned by the ensemble.

Musical Art Quintet leader Sascha Jacobsen to compose a new work for dectet (2 violin, viola, cello bass, flute, clarinet, French horn, tenor sax, baritone sax) for the Musical Art Quintet in collaboration with five well-known improvisational instrumentalists. The work will be performed at the second annual Classical Revolution Music Festival in the fall of 2013.

New Keys, to commission Luciano Chessa to compose a work that will showcase the collective efforts of the six pianists who make up New Keys. The commission is honor of the ensemble’s10th anniversary.

Noe Valley Chamber Music to present the Lee Trio performing works by Ravel, Beethoven and Smetana, as part of its 2013-2014 season’s Osher Inside-Out concert series with a pre-concert talk by musicologist Kai Christiansen.

Passamezzo Moderno to record and produce a CD of previously unknown 17th century instrumental music by Johann Michael Nicolai. The CD will include 8 trio sonatas from Nicolai’s Erster Teil Instrumentalishcer Sachen in addition to quartet sonatas by three of his contemporaries.

Ramon and Jessica composers Dina Maccabee and Jesse Olsen Bay to compose a new vocal chamber work based on the 1939 children’s book, The World is Round. The ensemble will perform the new work with other guest artists at the Songbird Festival in early 2014 at the Community Music Center in San Francisco.

Redwood Arts Council to present the Real Vocal String Quartet in their “Chamber Music Occidental” series.  The artists will present a program designed to build a bridge between traditional classic chamber music audiences and younger more diverse audiences.

Santa Cruz Baroque Festival to commission Robert Strizich to create a new work for the festival’s resident early instrument ensemble Lux Musica, to be performed in a public concert in the spring of 2014 at the festival.

The Farallon Recorder Quartet to develop and present a program for recorder quartet of music from Spain and Colonial era South America in collaboration with recorder player Claudia Liliana Gantivar.

Thingamajigs Performance Group to collaborate with Korean-American performance artist and writer Sasha Horn to create and perform a new, multidisciplinary performance work entitled “Solvitur Ambulando” (it is solved by walking).

VidyA saxophonist/composer Prasant Radhakrishnan to compose a new work that combines American jazz and South Indian classical traditions to be performed at various venues in Fall 2013.

Vijay Anderson’s Touch and Go Sextet to mix and master a live recording of Anderson’s compositions from their performance at the Novara Jazz Festival in Italy in 2012.

Wooden Fish Ensemble to commission Korean born composer Hyo-shin Na to write a series of four pieces for koto (Japanese zither) and kayageum (Korean zither) to be performed at Old First Concerts in February 2014.

2021 - MGP Awards

African American Composer Initiative will present two concerts in January 2022 of music by African American composers, historic and living. Musicians of the AACI join together to present a wide variety of musical genres: spirituals, art songs, vocal and instrumental chamber music in classical and jazz traditions.

Brian Andres Quartet will produce a Latin Jazz recording featuring original compositions and original arrangements culminating in an album release performance.

Ars Minerva will produce Messalina, an opera composed by Carlo Pallavicino in 1679 with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piccioli. The performances will take place November 19-21, 2021 at ODC Theater in San Francisco.

Bay Area Jazz Mobile will present four, free to the public, outdoor jazz concerts in Washington Square Park, San Francisco, on Sunday afternoons from 8/29/21 to 9/19/21. The series, “Bay Area Jazz Mobile B3 Sundays” will feature bands lead by Hammond B3 organ players: Brian Ho, Adam Shulman, Simon Rowe, and B3B4.

Pianist/composer Nathan Bickart will create “Gravity Sweet,” a suite of original compositions for the Nathan Bickart Trio, to be performed in the North and East Bay in Spring 2022. Multimedia materials will accompany the live performance and enhance thematic connections between the material.

George Brooks and Kala Ramnath will compose three new works for the “Elements Trio” informed by the North Indian tradition of "Haveli Sangeet," an ancient form of devotional music created in praise of nature and Hindu deities, thought to be the precursor of today’s Indian classical music.

CHELLE! Music will produce “Daughters of the Delta” highlighting the work of African-American women artists during the phenomenon that became known as The Great Migration—how their music related to the emancipation of Black people as they journeyed from the South. “Daughters” will be based on research instigated by Michelle Jacquesworking with Cava Menzies (with arrangements by Jacques and Bryan Dyer), culminating in four full-length concerts in Oakland and San Francisco by CHELLE & Friends New Orleans Band accompanied by a 10-person community chorus.

The Chromelodia Project, will rehearse, premiere, and record Chris Brown’s new, concert-length song cycle “Occhio.” The trio, led by Brown alongside Theresa Wong, cello and voice, and Kyle Bruckmann, oboe and electronics, blends just intonation, improvisation, and interactive computer music.

Ian Dogole will produce Quinta Essentia, a recording project featuring original compositions rooted in the traditions of West Africa, Nubia, Afro-Peruvian music and jazz innovators, with fresh interpretations of compositions by legendary jazz masters. Musicians include Sheldon Brown, Richard Howell, Fred Randolph, Sascha Jacobson, David Pinto, Darren Johnston, Frank Martin, with Dogole performing on African, South American and Western percussion instruments.

Earplay will produce a video performance of Jean Ahn’s Lapis Reprobatus for flute, violin and cello, originally commissioned by Left Coast Chamber Ensemble in 2015.

Composer Atabak Elyasi will write a set of songs based on Persian classical and regional music with text from classical and contemporary Persian poetry for vocalist Mahsa Vahdat. The five songs are based on the themes of pain, joy, darkness, light and hope.

Ensemble for These Times will commission and premiere “The Unseen,” a song cycle by composer Brennan Stokes, setting seven poems by Sara Teasdale. The premiere performance on October 15, 2021 at Old First Concerts, will feature pieces by queer, BIPOC, and women composers as part of “Alchemy,” a concert program exploring new music that transforms old themes, forms, and styles.

Farallon Quintet will commission composer/clarinetist, Jose Gonzalez Granero and record the new work alongside existing works to produce an album of Granero’s music. The commissioned piece will receive its premiere at a CD release concert featuring works on the album.

Mark Fish will compose Indoors, a trio for flute, piano, and double bass to premiere March 2022 by The Ledge Trioat Music at the Mission’s concert series at Old Mission San Jose in Fremont, California.

Clarinetist Ben Goldberg and trumpeter Andrew Stephens will produce, ELECTROVEESEDSTENE, a project focused on a new approach to the work of jazz great, Charlie Parker.

Motoko Honda’s “Simple Excesses Quartet” will create new works and further develop existing repertoire composed by Honda through a documented four-concert series in the Bay Area.

Jazz in the Neighborhood will produce “Safe Place To Play Festival” a streamed jazz festival with six groups performing for an intimate live audience at the Dresher Ensemble Studio in West Oakland.

Ninth Planet will commission composer Assaf Shatil to write “Everyone Became A Trail” a five-movement song cycle for soprano and chamber ensemble, setting poems written by Assaf in response to life during the Covid-19 pandemic. The new work will be performed on October 1, 2021 at Old First Concerts in San Francisco.

Prism Percussion will commission and record Transit by Nicholas Pavkovic for two percussionists with Pavkovic on keyboard. The premiere performance will take place on YouTube, January 5, 2022.

Persephone Chamber Ensemble will present a concert program at five venues in the Bay Area, including a newly commissioned work by Hyo-shin Na, Song of Five Friends, for mezzo soprano, violin, viola, cello, and piano. The program will also feature piano quartets and art songs by Romantic women composers Elfrida Andree and Louise Adolpha Le Beau.

Quadre will premiere “Fair Land Use” by composer Jeff Scott with pianist Jaymes Kirksey and soloists from the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, additionally engaging with local environmental community partners and regional schools delving into improvisatory storytelling. Kristopher Grant and Harumo Sato will create multimedia presentations and set designs respectively for the premiere performance at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2022.

Rent Romus will record a new joint project co-written with composer, educator, and musician Heikki Koskinenentitled “Itkuja” (pronounced it-koo-yaw [lament]), an original music research project knitting the structures of jazz, mythopoetic structures, and free improvisation exploring the connection between oral traditions and healing practices of the lament from the north and eastern regions of Finno-Ugric cultures. The recording will be completed by Romus’ Life’s Blood Ensemble and augmented by traditional and invented instruments such as free-reeds, overtone flutes, voice, strings, and the Finnish kantele.

Rova Saxophone Quartet will complete a recording project developed through several exploratory recording sessions leading to a radically new re-imagining of the possibilities of saxophone-based sonic exploration.

Pianist/flutist Gaea Schell will compose and record five new works for the Gaea Schell Quartet, producing a new EP with guest musicians combining elements of mainstream, Latin jazz, and classical genres.

Guitarist, John Schott will compose a Concerto for Electric Guitar and Percussion Ensemble for the William Winant Percussion Ensemble. The piece, positions the electric guitar as a virtuoso protagonist of mercurial personalities, supported and challenged by five percussionists playing a veritable orchestra of drums, gongs, metal objects, xylophone, glockenspiel and a specially tuned electric bass played as a percussion instrument with sticks and a bow.

Sierra Ensemble will commission Richard Aldag to compose a new trio to be premiered at Old First Church in Spring 2022.

Telegraph Quartet will produce TeleLab, a performance series across the Bay Area aiming to create an exploratory experience for audiences focusing on the inner workings of a single chamber work, presenting the musical and emotional aspects of an entire work by one composer culminating in a full performance.

Trio Solano will record a video of Dan Flanagan’s composition, “Ehrlichia, Rhapsody in Discomfort #6.” The piece’s title refers to one of the many tick-borne diseases under the umbrella of Lyme Disease, which is the thematic focus of the piece. Artist, Nancy Schroeder will make a painting inspired by this piece, which will be featured in the video during the performance.

Vitamin Em members Paul Hanson, Evan Price and Emily Onderdonk will collaborate on a Triptych/Trio of new acoustic and electroacoustic works which highlight improvisation across several genres including classical, jazz, funk, acid jazz and fusion. The new work will be premiered in a filmed and recorded performance at St. Alban’s Church in Albany, CA in October 2021.

2020 - MGP Awards

Chamber Music Silicon Valley

Chamber Music Silicon Valley‘s annual performance of J.S. Bach’s complete Brandenburg Concerti in San Jose, CA will be performed in conjunction with a new, interactive digital media art installation by Iranian, Sunnyvale-based artist Roya Ebtehaj with a professional music-video recording production for all 6 concerti.

 

Citywater

Citywater will present a concert including a world premiere by Griffin Candey, and a multi-media work written for Citywater by Derek Keller. The concert will conclude a residency at Cosumnes River College where Citywater will workshop student works, including a student work selected for the final performance.

 

Cornelius Boots & The Heavy Roots Shakuhachi Ensemble

Cornelius Boots & The Heavy Roots Shakuhachi Ensemble will compose, perform, and record “Wood Prophecy: An Elemental Chamber Symphony” for Bass Shakuhachi Ensemble to premiere April 2021 in San Francisco and Oakland with preview concert-presentations offered at community centers leading up to the performances.

 

Curium Trio

Curium will record and release their debut CD of chamber music repertoire by women composers including Clara Schumann, Germaine Tailleferre, and Amy Beach.

 

Destiny Muhammad

Jazz harpist, Destiny Muhammad will present “The Sound of Social Justice: Remembering the Black Jazz Records Label.” This concert of new compositions inspired by music of The Black Jazz Records Label’s Social Justice Legacy will include a public discussion with Black Jazz Records artist, Calvin Keyes.

 

Ellen Fullman / The Living Earth Show

Ellen Fullman will compose a new collaborative work for The Living Earth Show, “There You Are” featuring Fullman performing on the Long String Instrument, set in an enormous industrial sized space.

 

Gold Coast Chamber Players / Alexander String Quartet

Gold Coast Chamber Players will partner with the Alexander String Quartet to present two concerts and educational activities around the theme “Dvořak’s America” exploring the influence of Spirituals and Native American music on Dvořak’s “American” chamber music. The concerts will feature renowned Native American flutist Mary Youngblood and soprano Alexa Anderson.

 

Jean Fineberg / JAZZphoria Octet

Jean Fineberg will compose and arrange three new pieces for the JAZZphoria octet. The new compositions will be premiered in concert and recorded for JAZZphoria’s debut CD.

 

Joe Warner Trio

Joe Warner will construct a suite of music representing the breadth of African-American music from the early 1900s to the present day collaborating with choreographer Traci Bartlow in a presentation exploring the intersections of instrumental music and movement.

 

Kasey Knudsen Sextet

The Kasey Knudsen Sextet will record and produce their debut recording of original compositions and arrangements by saxophonist Kasey Knudsen taking inspiration from the writings of Oliver Sacks and Truman Capote, the art of Deborah Oropallo, and the films of Federico Fellini.

 

Lisa Mezzacappa

*2020 Cypress Awardee*

Composer Lisa Mezzacappa and librettist Beth Lisick, will produce “The Electronic Lover” a digital opera, set in chat rooms in the early 1980s, to be released as a serial podcast with a live concert finale featuring a versatile and diverse cast of Bay Area vocalists and instrumentalists.

 

Michael Echaniz Group

The Michael Echaniz Group will produce its debut album, “Seven Shades of Violet,” featuring the piano trio; Michael Echaniz, piano and keyboards, Jeff Denson, Bass, and Dillon Vado, drums, with vocalists Danielle Wertz and Jeff Denson and additional instruments including Latin percussion and string quartet.

 

Music is First!

Music is First! will create an album of 18-25 short songs that are used in early education sites throughout the Bay Area as a resource for teachers, parents, and students. The songs are matched with lesson plans and books to align with the California State Preschool Visual and Performing Arts standards,

 

Nippon Kobo Ensemble / Erika Oba

Nippon Kobo, a new Japanese cultural event series that features chamber music performance paired with beverage tastings and visual arts, will present its inaugural. Nippon Kobo Ensemble, a collective of Bay Area musicians, will commission and premiere a new work by Erika Oba, a Japanese-American composer based in Berkeley, along with

 

San Francisco International Piano Festival / New Piano Collective

New Piano Collective will present the 4th-annual San Francisco International Piano Festival directed by pianist Jeffrey LaDeur, partnering with Lieder Alive! and Artist-in-Residence Kindra Scharich to perform chamber music and vocal works of Schubert. 

 

Sl(e)ight Ensemble

Sl(e)ight Ensemble will present their upcoming series, “Of California Ecology,” a program of new works each based on a different facet of California’s natural world. The trio will present compositions by Julie Herndon, ensemble members, and the winner of the ensemble’s call for scores from student composers.

 

Socorro De Castro

Socorro De Castro will record original compositions and arrangements of Filipino Classics and Original Pilipino Music (OPM) integrating jazz and ethnic world music and instruments. The CD release will take place at Piedmont Piano Co. in Oakland, by October 2021.

 

Stenberg|Cahill Duo / Pamela Z

The Stenberg|Cahill Duo, with violinist Kate Stenberg and pianist Sarah Cahill, will commission composer/vocalist Pamela Z to compose “Presence,” a multimedia work to premiere in San Francisco in spring 2021.

 

Strobe

Oboe quartet Strobe will record three commissioned works by Alexis Alrich, Neal Desby, and Vincent Russo to be released by Sienna Records with performances in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Grass Valley.

 

The Alaya Project

The Alaya Project will compose, record, and perform a series of experimental musical works highlighting traditional and collaborative intersections of south Indian classical, jazz, and funk traditions.

 

The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol

The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol will construct a suite of music entitled “Songs of Freedom, Sounds of Change,” exploring themes of social justice, the pursuit of freedom, and quests for change.

 

The Lee Trio

The Lee Trio will produce a recording of “Fern Flowers” composed for the group by Uljas Pulkkis paired with Felix Mendelssohn’s iconic Trio No. 2 in C Minor.

2019 - MGP Awards

Ars Minerva Early Music, Opera.
Ars Minerva will produce Ermelinda, an opera composed by Domenico Freschi in 1680 with libretto by Francesco Maria Piccioli, which has never been performed since its creation at Teatro delle Vergini near Venice. The “Modern World Premiere” will take place November 2019 at ODC Theater

 

The Berkeley Festival of Choro Brazilian, Festival.
Berkeley Festival of Choro will promote, produce and record its annual festival at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Berkeley in October 2019.

 

Brass Over Bridges / Julie Barwick Classical Music, New Music, Commission.

* 2019 Cypress Awardee *
Brass Over Bridges will commission composer Julie Barwick for a new work, inspired by Bay Area poetry and poets, drawing from the diverse literary communities of the Bay Area. The piece will be premiered on a Brass Over Bridges recital of music by female composers in San Francisco, in the spring of 2020.

 

The Chromelodia Project / Chris Brown Experimental, New Music, Commission, Recording.
Composer/performer Chris Brown will compose & record a new piece for his ensemble, The Chromelodia Project (with Theresa Wong and Kyle Bruckmann) exploring just intonation, improvisation, and interactive computer music. The new work will at the Center for New Music in San Francisco.

 

Ensemble ARI / Jean Ahn New Music, Classical Music, Commission.
Ensemble ARI will commission Jean Ahn to write a new piano quartet to premiere on their women composers concert, January, 2022 at St. Mary’s College, Moraga. The Commission initiates the ensemble’s “piano quartet library project,” enriching the repertoire of contemporary music for piano quartet.

 

Ensemble for These Times / Elinor Armer New Music, Classical, Commission.
Ensemble for These Times will commission and premiere “Matrix” by Bay Area composer Elinor Armer for soprano and piano, setting texts by two Bay Area poets, Ursula K. LeGuin and Rella Lossy. The new work will premiere as part of the concert-program “Mothers, Daughters, and Families,” a musical exploration of inter-generational issues affecting women.

 

The Frank Tusa Ensemble Jazz, Recording
Frank Tusa will write and record eight new compositions within diverse jazz combos, from duos with flute, to sextet including tabla.

 

Friction Quartet / Danny Clay New Music, Commission
Friction Quartet will commission Danny Clay and present a new educational concert developed to be engaging and inclusive of youth with cognitive, behavioral, and physical differences. The new work, to be premiered at the Pomeroy Recreation and Rehabilitation Center in San Francisco, will involve audience participation and will be designed to be accessible for all levels of ability.

 

L’arc Trio / Vivan Fung Classical Music, New Music, Commission.
L’arc Trio will commission Vivian Fung as part of the program, “Beethoven 250,” a concert celebrating the legacy of Beethoven’s piano trios for his 250th anniversary year in the spring of 2020. L’arc Trio will perform two Beethoven piano trios alongside the premiere of Fung’s commissioned work, “inspired by Beethoven’s indomitable spirit.”

 

Mads Tolling / The Mads Men Jazz, Commission

* 2019 Cypress Awardee *
Mads Tolling will compose a four-movement piece for his band, The Mads Men, inspired by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard’s masterpiece “Either/Or,” with rapping, singing and spoken word in English and Danish by special guests and Mads Tolling. The premiere performance will take place at The Freight & Salvage and in October 2020.

 

The MANA Quartet / Common Sense Composers’ Collective New Music, Recording
MANA Quartet will premiere and record 8 new compositions with the eight-member Common Sense Composers’ Collective.

 

MediusTerra Horn Duo / Aida Shirazi New Music, Classical Music, Commission.
MediusTerra Horn Duo will commission and premiere “Songs of Dionysus,” a new work by Davis-based Iranian composer Aida Shirazi juxtaposing unexplored nuances in Iranian classical music with modern French Horns and electronics. The premiere performance will take place in the spring of 2021.

 

Melody of China Chinese, Persian, Commission
Melody of China will present a concert with Nejad World Music Center as part of the 2020 San Francisco International Arts Festival in June 2020. Collaborating with Mohammed Nejad and guest musicians, the program will feature new arrangements of traditional Chinese and Persian melodies as well as an experimental new work for Chinese/Persian mixed ensemble.  

 

New Moon Duo / Nicolas Lell Benavides New Music, Commission
New Moon Duo – pianist Anne Rainwater and mezzo-soprano Melinda Becker – is commissioning composer Nicolas Lell Benavides to write a new song cycle exploring the unique cultural identity of New Mexicans. The songs will be sung in Caló a dialect of Spanish spoken first by Chicano communities in New Mexico and Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border, and later spreading to Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

 

Outsound Presents: Outsound New Music Summit New Music, Festival
Outsound Presents will host its 18th Annual Outsound New Music Summit, July, 2019 at the Community Music Center in San Francisco. The Summit will feature six nights of performances showcasing new musical works and improvisations by local artists and national guests, showcasing the world premiere of Tomography Fortunae, by Polly Moller Springhorn; the collaboration of Francis Wong and dancer Lenora Lee; and percussionist duo, William Winant and improviser Zachary James Watkins.

 

Quinteto Latino Classical Music, New Music, Latin American, Recording
Quinteto Latino will produce studio-recorded videos of Waldir Azevedo’s “Brasileirinho” and Astor Piazzolla’s “Libertango,” two short works central to their core concert repertoire, both arranged by composer Mark Fish

 

Rent Romus / Heikki Koskinen Jazz, World Music, Commission
Rent Romus will record a new project, co-written with Heikki Koskinen entitled “Manala” (netherworld), for Romus’ nonet, the Life’s Blood Ensemble. The project weaves elements of jazz, traditional folk, and free improvisation, inspired by the mythic prose of cultural liberation and identity in the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, and the folklore of northern arctic traditions.

 

Splinter Reeds / Amadeus Regucera New Music, Experimental Music, Commission
Splinter Reeds will commission composer Amadeus Regucera to compose “With|Against,” a new multimedia work highlighting the reed quintet’s virtuosity and engaging in interdisciplinary practices including video, light, and spatialized movement in an exploration of uncommon audience engagement and participation. The premiere will be presented by Indexical, an experimental music nonprofit in Santa Cruz, at Radius Gallery in early June 2020.

 

Teslim Contemporary Modal, Commission, Recording
Teslim will produce “7 Decades,” a recording of compositions by Kaila Flexer, inspired by Turkish, Greek and Sephardic folk music as well as blues, jazz & western classical chamber music. 

 

Hyo-shin Na / Wooden Fish Ensemble Classical Music, New Music, Japanese, Korean, Commission
Wooden Fish Ensemble will present a program of Hyo-shin Na‘s music for Japanese, Korean, and western instruments at Old First Concerts on October 27, 2019. Four new works will be commissioned and premiered, along with three of her older works. 

 

ZOFO / Pablo Ortiz New Music, Commission
ZOFO will commission Argentine American composer Pablo Ortiz for a piano duet concerto with two versions, one with string orchestra, and the second with string quintet, premiering in 2020. The pianists will sit on cajónes, changing quickly between playing the Latin-American box percussion instruments and the keyboard.

2018 - MGP Awards

Classical & New Music

• African American Composer Initiative to commission composer Joshua McGhee and present their 10th anniversary concerts at at the Performing Arts Center of Eastside College Preparatory School, East Palo Alto in January 2019 presenting the rich heritage of music by African American men and women of  the past and present.

• Richard Aldag and Vinifera Trio, for production costs to complete a CD of chamber music by Richard Aldag on Albany Records in Fall 2018.

• Ted Allen to compose and perform “Death Is Reincarnated in Every Flower,” a new work for his ensemble, The Incendiary Cycle. The piece will include spoken word poems by six California-based poets, including two young writers recently recognized by the Oakland Youth Poet Laureate program. To be premiered in the fall of 2019.

* 2018 Cypress Awardee * Amaranth Quartet to commission “Break,” a new work by D. Riley Nicholson premiering at the Center for New Music and Arc Gallery in May of 2019. The program, Bend, Bent, Break, will include Philip Glass’s string quartet Bent and new work by an emerging Bay Area young composer (16-24) chosen through a call for scores and workshop process.

• The Dirty Snacks Ensemble to record and release the second full length record of original compositions by ensemble leader Mark Clifford.

• Bassist Sascha Jacobsen with Trio Garufa to compose Contra un Bajo de Magia accompanied by a short narrative film, directed by Neeti Fidurko, and Argentine Tango dancer, Andrea Fuchilieri. The premier performance will take place at the CELLSpace in the fall of 2019.

• Anna Maria Mendieta’s Tango Del Cielo to complete their debut album The Harp-Tango Project recorded at Skywalker Ranch and support CD release concerts in Summer 2018.

• Nash Baroque to present two performances of Baroque music and dance in collaboration with Jennifer Meller and the San Francisco Renaissance Dancers, exploring the influence of 18th-century French dance forms on the music of J.S. Bach.

• Nomad Session to commission two new wind octet pieces from composers Emily Shisko and Mario Godoy based on the 2018–2019 concert season theme “Eight.” Premiere performances will take place March 23, 2019 and May 18, 2019 at the Brightworks School in San Francisco.

• Redwood Tango Ensemble to commission four new future-driven tango compositions by bandleader & Bandoneonist Charles Gorczynski. The program takes audiences through the history of contemporary tango, from 1950’s Astor Piazzolla to the cutting edge of contemporary tango music from Argentina today.

• sfSound to commission Ken Ueno to write “Numinous,” a new hour-long concert piece for chamber ensemble with acoustic reflective shells and 20 small mobile speakers, to be premiered at the 2019 sfSound Festival.

• Edward Schocker to compose “Self_Less“, a multipart series of works premiering at the 2019 San Francisco International Arts Festival by The Crossing Ensemble.

• The Sonya Rapoport Legacy Trust to commission “Rapoport Remembered,” a musical composition to re-imagine the work of Berkeley artist Sonya Rapoport (1923-2015) through the medium of sound. “Rapoport Remembered” is to be composed and performed by Hae Voces (violinist Kristina Dutton and vocalist Majel Connery) and premieres June 1-2, 2018 at the Kala Institute, where Rapoport exhibited during her lifetime.

 

Jazz & Creative Music

• Ian Carey’s Wood/Metal/Plastic to support the recording and release of their self-titled debut album featuring original compositions that incorporate elements of chamber music, jazz, and free improvisation.

• Ian Dogole & Music Beyond Borders to present Karma – A Musical Tribute to Pharoah Sanders at the Berkeley Hillside Club in September 2018.

• George Brooks’ Elements Trio to perform a Bay Area CD release celebration of their new recording, The Alchemy of Happiness in Spring 2019.

• Ben Goldberg to compose a suite of music for his sextet Ben Goldberg School to be performed and recorded on their second studio album.

• Klaxon Mutant Allstars to produce their second album of original instrumental jazz compositions and arrangements exploring textures and sounds inspired by nostalgia of the 1980s

• Composer and bassist Lisa Mezzacappa and her acclaimed Bay Area original jazz sextet, Lisa Mezzacappa Six to compose and develop Cosmicomics 2018, a new body of electro-acoustic work, inspired by Italo Calvino’s stories about the origins of the universe. To be premiered in three concerts in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Rafael in November 2018.

• Ben Misterka to produce Music, the International Language, comprising a video series, concert performances, and workshops. The project features conversations and duo improvisations from musicians of different cultures, highlighting the vibrant international and world music artists of the Bay Area community and abroad.  

• Anne Sajdera to record and produce original compositions and arrangements for jazz quintet integrating modern jazz with funk & Brazilian/Latin rhythms and traditional Roma (gypsy) melodies.

• Linda Tillery & The Cultural Heritage Choir to present the Linda Tillery 70th Birthday Concert Project, a two-night celebration of the life and artistry of Linda Tillery on September 7th & 8th, 2018 at the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, Berkeley in collaboration with six guest ensembles.

2017 - MGP Awards

CLASSICAL and CHAMBER MUSIC

BERKELEY CHAMBER PERFORMANCES to present the THALEA STRING QUARTET in a public evening concert on March 20, 2018 at the Berkeley City Club as part of BCP’s 2017–2018 Season.

LIEDER ALIVE! to commission and premiere four “neue Lieder” by KURT ERICKSON, Composer-in-Residence, and three additional composers, to be paired with Lieder from the standard repertoire.  To be performed by soprano HEIDI MOSS, mezzo-soprano KINDRA SCHARICH, bass KIRK EICHELBERGER January 2018.

NICHOLAS PHAN RECORDING PROJECTS to record and film Ralph Vaughan Williams’ vocal chamber works “The Unquiet Grave,” “Blake Songs,” and “Along the Field” performed by NICHOLAS PHAN, tenor; BENJAMIN BEILMAN, violin; JAMES AUSTIN SMITH, oboe; and ROBERT MOLLICONE, piano.

ROSSOROSE DUO to present their concert project “Nocturnes: Nightfall Illuminated” and to commission ALISA ROSE to compose “Nocturne for America” a piece to be included in the concert project.

JAZZ and CREATIVE MUSIC

ANTHONY BROWN to compose “Down by the Riverside: Requiem for a King” commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. To be premiered at the 2018 SF International Arts Festival by the ASIAN AMERICAN ORCHESTRA and VOICES OF A DREAM vocal ensemble with recitation by Dr. Cornel West.

NATHAN CLEVENGER for the recording and production of a new album by the Nathan Clevenger Group.

ERIK JEKABSON TRIO to complete the production of Erik Jekabson’s CD featuring PETER BARSHAY and VINCE LATEANO.

ANDREW JAMIESON to compose and record a set of original arrangements that integrate experimental and traditional African American spirituals, in partnership with the TROUBLE ENSEMBLE made up of San Francisco Bay Area musicians.  

JAZZ IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD to present “Emerging Voices – Edition 1” a concert with three local rising jazz professionals—IAN FAQUINI, guitar; ERIKA OBA, piano; and DILLON VADO, vibraphone—and their respective ensembles—at the San Francisco Community Music Center, October, 2017.

KUGELPLEX to commission and perform “The Hungarian Gospel Suite”, a collection of traditional American Gospel songs set to original music inspired by Transylvanian Romany dance music, composed by DAN CANTRELL and performed by the Kugelplex ensemble, featuring guest vocalist, LINDA TILLERY.

MONTCLAIR WOMEN’S BIG BAND to record and produce the ensemble’s second album, a collection of original big band tunes and arrangements primarily by women including ensemble members ELLEN SEELINGJEAN FINEBERG, and CHRISTY DANA and featuring many of the outstanding women jazz soloists in the Bay Area.

  1. RICHMOND JAZZ QUARTET to record their debut album of 10 pieces in several different styles of music written and arranged by ensemble leader EMILY ONDERDONK.

RATATET to record, mix and manufacture a 6 song EP of original compositions by leader ALAN HALL, exploring, in a modern jazz context, the unique tonal possibilities of Bassoon, English Horn, Cello, Vibraphone, Trombone, Voice, Piano, Organ, Double Bass, Electric Bass, Percussion and Drum Set.

COOKIE SEGELSTEIN with VERETSKI PASS for the composition and CD recording utilizing formerly lost melodies of pre-Holocaust traditional, Czech-Jewish music. COOKIE SEGELSTEINJOSHUA HOROWITZ, and STUART BROTMAN will create a program of music that combines traditional folk resources from Bohemia and Moravia with new compositions.

NEW MUSIC

BLACK CEDAR to commission URSULA KWONG-BROWN’s “In Transit” for flute, cello, guitar, and electronic tape, incorporating the voices of Bay Area residents and their experiences as transplants from other regions and cultures.  To be performed around the Bay Area in October 2017, February and June 2018.

COMPOSING TOGETHER to present “My Words, My Music,” a concert series partnering composer/musicians KATRINA WREEDEMOSES SEDLERSARAH ZAHARAKO, and BRENDAN LAI-TONG with Poet in Residence, ALAN BERN, to be performed in libraries throughout the bay area.

KRISTINA DUTTON with electronic musician SILVIA MATHEUS to compose and perform “Horizontal Cobalt,” a musical reimagining of famed Bay Area artist Sonya Rapoport’s visual work.

ENSEMBLE FOR THESE TIMES to commission and perform “Die eichne Tür” (working title) by composer DAVID GARNER for soprano, English horn, violin, cello, and piano. Preview and premiere performances in April 2018.

AMY FOOTE to produce “The Voice and The Machine” a concert program that examines the role technology has in our emotional well-being. Including the commission and premiere of DENNIS AMAN’s new work for invented instruments and five performers.

GALAX QUARTET to record works written or arranged for the ensemble including Robert Morris’s “Radif IV (Galax Quartet version)”, Joseph Schwantner’s song cycle “Dream Drapery: Thoreau Songs” and Marc Mellits’s “String Quartet no. 2: Revolution.” To be released with the label Music & Arts (Berkeley CA).

AARON GERVAIS to compose and present a new piece for live electronics and a variable ensemble of 1-5 instruments, to be premiered by the STENBERGCAHILL DUO in 2018.  

GUERRILLA COMPOSERS GUILD to present the SIROKO DUO for its season opener, commissioning two new chamber works from local composers NICK BENAVIDES and MICHAEL KROPF.

VAN-ANH VO to compose and perform “Songs of Protest” with her VA’V Ensemble of Vietnamese traditional instruments as the core sound, complemented by electronic music and Western instruments.  To be performed at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in spring 2019.

 

2016 - MGP Awards

African American Composer Initiative to present two public performances of the Eighth Annual Concert of Music by African American composers, which will include a wide variety of styles, eras and genres, spanning classical and jazz idioms and performed by the core group of musicians of the AACI, as well as outstanding Bay Area classical and jazz musicians and guest artists.

 

Berkeley Choro Ensemble to record and release their first album, featuring a collection of works by living Brazilian composers, as well as works by clarinetist Harvey Wainapel and a commission from guitarist and composer, Ricardo Peixoto.

 

Sheldon Brown to master and produce an album of studio recordings of his recent composition, Blood of the Air, promoting the legacy of Philip Lamantia, an important figure in the San Francisco Renaissance poetry movement of the late 1940s through the late 1950s, and perhaps America’s foremost surrealist poet.

 

Ian Carey’s Wood/ Metal/ Plastic to compose and premiere a collection of pieces, Set for 7, incorporating contrapuntal textures and varied improvisational settings ranging from structured to free, which will be performed by Carey and six other musicians.

 

Carlos Henrique Pereira Trio to record and release an album of his original jazz and Brazilian style compositions, featuring the recently transplanted Sonoma County resident as leader on his dual main instruments of piano and nylon string acoustic guitar.

 

Ben Goldberg to record and release an album, Hocus Pocus, a collection of six etudes composed by Steve Lacy, built of his musical language and characterized by repeating segments, and adapted in 2014 by Mr. Goldberg and Michael Coleman for clarinet/piano duo.

 

Phillip Greenlief (saxophone), Fred Frith (guitar), and Rashaun Mitchell (dance) to perform and record improvisations, to be released on DVD and internationally distributed, marking the premiere collaboration of three singular artists, highlighting the visual form of dance with the physicality of improvising musicians to create an embodied sound score.

 

Jon Jang to compose an eight minute work for the Jon Jang Ensemble of three woodwinds, two brass, and rhythm section, entitled Yank Sing Work Song, to celebrate the recent major victory of the Yank Sing restaurant workers, who won a four million dollar settlement in November 2014, as a continuation of his body of works paying tribute to Chinese workers.

 

The Living Earth Show to commission, premiere, and tour a new work for electric guitar, percussion, and live electronics by composer Zachary James Watkins, involving invented instruments and tuning that investigate whole number interval relationships, based on desires to explore harmonic territory, periodicity, composite waveforms, resonance, texture, and the spatial diffusion of sound sources to achieve rich, saturated environments.

Lisa Mezzacappa to record and disseminate her evening length song cycle, Glorious Ravage, inspired by the writings of Victorian lady explorers, featuring an ensemble of acclaimed California instrumentalists performing live and commissioned films, and to be released in 2017 as both an audio CD and on-demand video available for online streaming.

 

Molina/ Ackamoor Duet to compose and perform The Spirit, Breath of Life, an evening of improvised, ritualistic, and cleansing ceremonies, as musical homage to the grassroots national uprising that has been precipitated by the deaths of African American men and young men of color at the hands of police, and as a means of collective healing and “breathing in one complete breath” for all Americans.  

Music at the Mission to commission and perform the world premiere of a new work, The Golden Door, by Composer-in-Residence Mark Fish, inspired by immigrant stories from Chinese, Filipino, and Afghan residents of the Tri-Cities of Fremont, Newark, and Union City, and will include musicians from these cultures playing traditional instruments, as well as video projections capturing the Tri-Cities immigrant experience.

 

Noe Valley Chamber Music to present a concert of the Thalea String Quartet, its Emerging Artist for 2016/17 season, as part of both the Osher Inside-Out and contemporary neo@noe concert series, including Musical Conversations, a pre-concert talk led by musicologist Kai Christiansen.

 

One Great City Duo to record and release its second full length album, featuring premiere recordings of commissioned works by Shahab Paranj, Eric Choate, Ben Dameron, and Renaud Cote-Giguere, transcribed and arranged repertoire, as well as contemporary music by Sergio Assad, Celso Machado, Dusan Bogdanovic, and Stephen Goss.

 

Outsound Presents to present the creative works of the three contemporary ensembles: Brett Carson’s Mysterious Descent; IMA featuring Nava Dunkelman and Amma Ateria; and Mark Clifford’s Dirty Snacks Ensemble during the 15th Annual Outsound New Music Summit Festival.

 

Jim Santi Owen, to present an evening length performance of original and improvised new music,  in collaboration with sarode artist and composer, Alam Khanof, based on their year-long research of rare ragas (melodic modes) and talas (rhythmic cycles) of North Indian Classical Music.

 

Rent Romus to perform and record live The Road to Aacheron, an evening-length original oratorio, in partnership with his Life’s Blood Ensemble and members of The Cornelius Cardew Choir, of otherworldly music composed by Romus and inspired by the Fantastic Pulp Fiction writers of the 1930’s, including HP Lovecraft, Catherine Lucille Moore, and Arthur Machen.

 

Redwood Tango Ensemble to debut and record six fully-scored compositions, including new compositions by leader, Charles Gorczynski, featuring a dance performance, as well as a set of traditional Argentine tango for social dancing, as a means to give dancers an insight to the Ensemble’s more nuanced and modern original material, as well as introduce chamber music fans to the idiomatic musical language of modern tango.

 

Pamela Rose to produce her new stage work, The Blues is a Woman, an ensemble theatrical concert featuring Bay Area women blues musicians who will sing and tell stories woven around the music, augmenting the powerful, truth telling, original songs written and popularized by early Blues Women, and which will feature rarely seen archival film footage and photo projections of these great women in concert.

Splinter Reeds to commission and premiere a sextet composition by composer and performer Theresa Wong, for reed quintet and Wong as vocalist and cellist, employing improvisation and collaborative process that is as central to the development of the work as is conventional notation, and with the creative voices of the individuals involved being at least as important as the instrumentation.

 

Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival to present End of Time, a new theatrical production centered around Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, which will feature staging, lighting design, and a video-like onstage projection that will tell the story of Messiaen and the creation of this historical and powerful work.

 

Trois Bois Wind Trio to record and release their first full length album of music written by French composers between the years 1945-1947, including one never before recorded work, as a means to capture the remarkable connections that existed between the composers of this era and how the political and cultural landscape affected their style.

 

The Wooden Fish Ensemble to premiere Koto, Piano II, two commissioned works by Hyo-shin Na, a piece for Koto (Japanese zither) and piano, and a piece for koto and bass koto, as an addition to Na’s series of 4 duos composed for and recorded by the Ensemble.

 

2015 - MGP Awards

AREON FLUTES to record and release their third full-length album, featuring works commissioned to celebrate their 10th Anniversary Season from Bay Area composers SAHBA AMINIKIADAN BECKERRYAN BROWN, and DANNY CLAY.

RICHARD ALDAG to record Nocturne & Dance for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano (2014) with TRIO VINIFERA for a disc of his chamber music to be completed in Fall 2016. The piece will be premiered at the Jarvis Conservatory (Napa) in May 2015.

BRAZZISSIMO to commission member DEAN BOYSEN to create a new work for ten-piece brass ensemble to be premiered in 2016 at the Castro Valley Center for the Arts. 

BAUMER QUARTET to record several core works for string quartet, partnering with a high-quality recording engineer from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

KYLE BRUCKMANN to compose a new work for a Creative Music ensemble of single and double reeds, electric bass, percussion, and electronics, incorporating writings of Bay Area poet Matthew Shears, for a June 2016 premiere in Oakland.

IAN DOGOLE to present Afro-Weston, a musical tribute concert featuring new arrangements of pianist Randy Weston’s Afro-infused Jazz compositions.

EINSTEINIUM QUARTET to commission a new chamber work for saxophone quartet by Bay Area composer MARIO GODOY, to be premiered at the Center for New Music in 2016.

ENSEMBLE SAN FRANCISCO to present two Fall 2015 concerts (one in San Francisco and one in Portola Valley) featuring the Brahms Clarinet Quintet along with works of Barber and Auerbach.

JEAN FINEBERG to compose an original work for MONTCLAIR WOMEN’S BIG BAND, an 18-plece jazz chamber ensemble, encouraging the community to explore the music of Jazzwomen In the Bay Area and beyond.

THE GALAX QUARTET to arrange, rehearse and premiere a new version (for string quartet and keyboard) of American composer Carl Stone’s neglected work, Hai Ky.

 

IGNITION DUO to complete and release their debut album of music for two electric guitars, including works by local composers NICK BACCHETTORYAN BROWN, and DANNY CLAY.

SASCHA JACOBSEN to record his second album, Chamber con Alma, featuring his original compositions and arrangements with the MUSICAL ART QUINTET, focusing on a theme of the soulful, spiritual nature of music.

ERIK JEKABSON to record and produce a new CD of original compositions and arrangements for jazz quintet.

DAVID JAMES’S GPS to record a debut album of the leader’s original works, for an ensemble of electric guitar, clarinet, viola, trombone, acoustic bass and drums.

JEWISH MUSIC & POETRY PROJECT to record a CD of four works about the Holocaust for soprano, cello, and piano written for them by composer DAVID GARNER to poems by Jewish women survivors.

HEIKKI KOSKINEN to perform and record his arrangements of Nordic and Finnish songs with a new ensemble, NORTHERN WINDS AND VOICES.

LIEDER ALIVE! to commission three “neue Lieder” by KURT ERICKSON to be premiered by soprano Heidi Moss on September 13, 2015, at their fifth annual Liederabend Series at the Kanbar Performing Arts Center in San Francisco.

DESTINY MUHAMMAD to score three Jazz suites inspired by Devorah Majors’ play Black Classics: The African American Voice in 19th Century San Francisco, creating a sonic celebration of Ancestors Mary Ellen Pleasant, William Alexander Leidesdorg and George Washington Dennis.

REAL VOCAL STRING QUARTET to compose, present and record Audible Connections: RVSQ Sister Cities, a cycle of short works based on folk music and poems from eight San Francisco Sister Cities, including Abidjan, Amman, Assisi, Barcelona, Haifa, Osaka, Seoul, and Shanghai.

ROVA SAX QUARTET to record and distribute an eleven-instrument structured improvisation work (an Homage for William Butch Lawrence) as well as three longer works composed within the last five years by Rova Sax Quartet members.

JOHN SANTOS to compose and perform Porta Coeli (Portal to Heaven), named after the second oldest church on the island of Puerto Rico and dedicated to his great grandparents, employing traditional Puerto Rican rhythmic and stylistic elements.

EDWARD SCHOCKER to produce the project Crossing with Ensemble Ak, investigating Shinawi, the ancient style of Korean shamanist improvisation.

JOHN SCHOTT’S ACTUAL TRIO to complete and publicize its first CD of music for guitar, bass, and drums.

SHULMAN & STEPHAN to release the recordings of seven original songs by Adam Shulman and Katy Stephan, including both a jazz rhythm section and the REAL VOCAL STRING QUARTET.

SWITCHBOARD MUSIC FESTIVAL to present its 9th annual eight-hour marathon, featuring a diverse assortment of primarily local composers, performers, and bands whose music challenges traditional genre distinctions, on April 2, 2016, at the Brava Theater in San Francisco.

TELEGRAPH QUARTET to record and produce an online digital EP showcasing Leon Kirchner’s String Quartet No. 1 and Anton Webern’s Five Movements for String Quartet.

VAJRA VOICES to perform the medieval music of HIldegard von Bingen on July 31, 2015, featuring director and contralto Karen R. Clark and harpist Cheryl Ann Fulton, and make a commercial recording later in 2015.

MARK WINGES to compose The Moon Dreams of Jacqueline, a new work for the FRICTION QUARTET and four solo singers to be performed in the fall of 2016.

2014 - MGP Awards

A/B Duo to present a concert, with high quality video documentation, of premieres and recently written works for flute and percussion at the Center for New Music with percussionist Christopher G. Jones.

African American Composer’s Initiative to present their 6th annual concert of music by African American composers at the Performing Arts Center of Eastside College Preparatory School. The music will include a wide variety of genres from classical to jazz.

Berkeley Choro Ensemble to commission ensemble member Harvey Wainapel, who will create a new work to be premiered as the grand finale of the Festival of Choro in the fall of 2014 at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley.

The Bernal Hill Players to present “Neighborhoods of San Francisco and Mexico City,” an eclectic program of music from both cities, including two world premieres by Beth Custer and Gabriela Ortiz.

The Black Cedar Trio to record a debut album of published works that have not been commercially recorded as well as a new work by local composer Garrett Shatzer.  The album will be promoted through a series of concerts throughout the greater Bay Area from 2014-16.

Ryan Brown to record “Our Friend Adam,” his breakthrough composition for alto saxophone, piano, electric guitar and bass, as a step in the production of his first full-length album.

George Brooks to create “Ghalib”, a jazz composition for sarode, saxophone and tabla informed by the classical traditions of India.  This piece will be premiered by the composer along with Alam Khan and Salar Nader at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley in early November 2014.

The Delphi Trio to record two live performances at the Maybeck Recital Hall in Berkeley during August and September of 2014.  Repertoire will consist of works by Haydn, Schumann, Faure and Arensky.

Earplay to present the finale concert of its 30th anniversary season in May 2015, including the commission and premiere of a new work by Carla Lucero alongside works by Dohee Lee, Nicolas Tzortzis, and Henry Cowell.

Farallon Quintet to record its debut album, “Unknown Clarinet Quintets,” including works by Bernard Herrmann and Mozart with a recently commissioned work by Bay Area composer Durwynne Hsieh.

Firesong Ensemble to commission and present a new vocal chamber work by Bay Area composer Jen Wang in concert alongside works by Yotam Haber, Richard Pearson Thomas, Shulamit Ran and Ned Rorem.

martha & monica to present “Out of the Box”, a three-evening festival for cello and piano, exploring the world of colors, timbres and textures from the past 50 years. Featured composers will include Feldman, Scelsi, Takemitsu, and Xenakis.

Lisa Mezzacappa to compose and develop “avant-NOIR,” a new electro-acoustic body of work inspired by noir genre fiction for her experimental jazz quartet Bait & Switch.  The work will be performed twice in the Bay Area in the fall of 2014.

Music at the Mission to present a 10th anniversary concert on the theme of “Fairy Tales – the Meeting of Music, Storytelling and Painting,” featuring works of Schumann, Ravel, Stravinsky and Prokofiev and living composers Bolcom and Deak, all connected by the theme of fairy tales. Painter Antoine Cavlier will create paintings inspired by the music that will be projected to accompany the performance.  

New Esterhazy Quartet to perform the complete late Beethoven Quartet cycle on period instruments at Berkeley’s historic Hillside Club on August 14-16, 2015.

Nonsemble 6 to premiere two monodramas – one-woman chamber operas, with ensemble accompaniment – by composers Adrian Knight and Jonathan Russell in the 2014-15 season.

Outsound Presents to present the original creative works of The Emergency String (X)tet, Bill Noertker’s Obstreperous Doves and the Rankin-Parker/Pearce duo during the 13th Annual Outsound New Music Summit in July 2014 in San Francisco.

Ricardo Peixoto to record his first full album as composer and bandleader, featuring recent compositions for mixed ensembles grounded in Brazilian jazz traditions.

Daniel Plonsey to compose “Strings, Union, Calculus,” for string trio with saxophone, mezzo-soprano and percussion.  This set of pieces is inspired by the composer’s experience as a high school math teacher.

Potaje Ensemble to present a free concert with composer and guitarist Florante Aguilar, featuring two new works exploring the historical musical connections between the Philippines, Latin America and Spain.

Rent Romus Life’s Blood Ensemble to record and perform “The Otherworld Cycle.” This collection of new jazz compositions and improvisations is inspired by the ancient poems of the Finish National epic known as the Kalevala.

Salon Classique to present the Tango Salon Project as the opening concert of their 2014-2015 season at the St. George Distillery.  The project features Argentinian Tango for up to seven instruments as well as Spanish and French chamber music.

San Francisco Salon Series to present three multi-media chamber music salon concerts between August 2014 and May 2015. The publicly advertised concerts, taking place in private homes, are intended to bring together curious audience members who are more typically engaged in different artistic and technological disciplines.

sfSound to commission ensemble director Matt Ingalls to create “Hilbert Transforms,” a new work for chamber ensemble incorporating traditional and graphic notation, improvisation, and electronics. sfSound will perform the new work  in March of 2015.

Sonic Forest to present four free, public concerts with a wide variety of compositions and improvisations for oboe and piano at three community centers run by Homeward Bound Marin, an organization that provides services to the homeless.

Sounds New to present a retrospective concert including a new work, celebrating the 85th birthday of director and composer Herbert Bielawa

Splinter Reeds to commission a new work for reed quintet by Bay Area composer Aaron Novik based on a Margaret Atwood quote.

Tangents Guitar Series to present a retrospective program dedicated to the guitar works of seminal American experimental composer James Tenney, culminating in performances in San Francisco and Santa Cruz.

The Living Earth Show to record DANCE/\MUSIC, consisting of five electro-classical compositions commissioned by the ensemble from Anna Meredith, Daniel Wohl, Chris Cerrone, Jonathan Pfeffer, and Jacob Cooper.

Bill Horvitz to create six new works for the Skerries Sextet, an expanded version of the versatile jazz trio he leads as composer and guitarist.

Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival to commission composer Danny Clay to write a work for narrator and chamber ensemble based on Rudyard Kiplings’s “Just So Stories”.  The work will be presented at the festival’s September 7, 2014 Grandparents’ Day Family Concert.

Voicehandler to produce a debut album of their collaboratively-composed experimental song cycle for voice, percussion and electronics.

Voices of Music to present four Bay Area concerts exploring 17th century English poetry, from Shakespeare to Dryden, through the music of 17th century composers from Dowland to Purcell.

Liam Wade to compose a new work for soprano, piano, and cello that Ann Moss, Steven Bailey and Emil Miland will premiere as part of a January 2015 recital in San Francisco.

Wild Rumpus a contemporary chamber ensemble, to present its fourth season opening concert in October 2014 featuring new commissions by Per Bloland, Ioannis Angelakis and Ruby Fulton.

 Pamela Z  to complete and release a CD featuring the world premiere recording of her 2013 chamber work “Carbon Song Cycle,” for voice and electronics, bassoon, viola, cello and percussion.

 

 

2013 - MGP Awards

Active Music Series to present a three night Active Music Festival in Oakland’s Uptown Nightclub featuring the Oakland Active Orchestra. The Active Music Series supports non-traditional notation, conduction and other forms of large ensemble improvisation.

 

Addleds to present three concerts at the Lab in San Francisco. Addleds is an improvisation quartet consisting of oboe/English horn, contrabass, percussion and koto.

Asian American Jazz Orchestra leader Anthony Brown to compose “Our Eyes on the Prize: King’s Dream 50 Years On” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech”. The work will be performed by the Asian American Jazz Orchestra.

 

Dave Rocha Jazz Group to present five free jazz concerts at various locations throughout the Bay Area including parks, community centers, churches, arts organizations and public plazas.

 

Distant Interval to publish a new one-hour work for six instrumentalists and a vocalist based on the surrealist poetry of local poet Philip Lamantia.

 

Erik Jekabson to release his fourth CD “Rhythm is Our Thing: the Erik Jekabson Quartet with John Santos at the Hillside Club“.

 

Grupo Falso Baiano to record a new CD of the original instrumental Brazilian compositions of founding member Brian Moran as well as works from the little known style of “Roots Samba”.

 

Hannah Addario – Berry / Cello Bazaar to present Sqwonk (a bass clarinet duo), in a performance of works by Bay Area composers as part of “Between the Golden Gates“, a dinner concert series at Bazaar Cafe.

 

Ian Carey Quintet + 1 leader Ian Carey to compose an extended multi-movement “Suite for Quintet+1” to be performed and recorded at the Jazz School in Berkeley.

 

Left Coast Chamber Ensemble to commission a new piece by Laurie San Martin. The new work will incorporate text from Roy Spivey, a story by Miranda July. They will perform the piece at Oakland Art Murmur, PARK(ing) Day, and First Thursday Art Walk.

 

Live Oak Baroque Orchestra to record a CD to establish itself in the Bay Area early music scene.

 

Melody of China to launch a PR and marketing campaign for a concert celebrating their 20th anniversary in December 2013. The concert will feature traditional Chinese music on traditional instruments as well as a retrospective of select contemporary works from the last 20 years.

 

Miguel Martinez y Corazon Sur to record songs by Mexican composers who are well-known in Latin America but not in the United States. They will record these songs as Latin Jazz arrangements. Some of the composers include Agustin Lara, Mario Ruiz Armengol, Jose Alfredo Jimenez, and Maria Griver among others.

 

Mobius Trio to produce its second full- length studio album featuring all new works from composers throughout the Bay Area commissioned by the ensemble.

 

Musical Art Quintet leader Sascha Jacobsen to compose a new work for dectet (2 violin, viola, cello bass, flute, clarinet, French horn, tenor sax, baritone sax) for the Musical Art Quintet in collaboration with five well-known improvisational instrumentalists. The work will be performed at the second annual Classical Revolution Music Festival in the fall of 2013.

 

New Keys, to commission Luciano Chessa to compose a work that will showcase the collective efforts of the six pianists who make up New Keys. The commission is honor of the ensemble’s10th anniversary.

 

Noe Valley Chamber Music to present the Lee Trio performing works by Ravel, Beethoven and Smetana, as part of its 2013-2014 season’s Osher Inside-Out concert series with a pre-concert talk by musicologist Kai Christiansen.

 

Passamezzo Moderno to record and produce a CD of previously unknown 17th century instrumental music by Johann Michael Nicolai. The CD will include 8 trio sonatas from Nicolai’s Erster Teil Instrumentalishcer Sachen in addition to quartet sonatas by three of his contemporaries.

 

Ramon and Jessica composers Dina Maccabee and Jesse Olsen Bay to compose a new vocal chamber work based on the 1939 children’s book, The World is Round. The ensemble will perform the new work with other guest artists at the Songbird Festival in early 2014 at the Community Music Center in San Francisco.

 

Redwood Arts Council to present the Real Vocal String Quartet in their “Chamber Music Occidental” series.  The artists will present a program designed to build a bridge between traditional classic chamber music audiences and younger more diverse audiences.

 

Santa Cruz Baroque Festival to commission Robert Strizich to create a new work for the festival’s resident early instrument ensemble Lux Musica, to be performed in a public concert in the spring of 2014 at the festival.

 

The Farallon Recorder Quartet to develop and present a program for recorder quartet of music from Spain and Colonial era South America in collaboration with recorder player Claudia Liliana Gantivar.

 

Thingamajigs Performance Group to collaborate with Korean-American performance artist and writer Sasha Horn to create and perform a new, multidisciplinary performance work entitled “Solvitur Ambulando” (it is solved by walking).

 

VidyA saxophonist/composer Prasant Radhakrishnan to compose a new work that combines American jazz and South Indian classical traditions to be performed at various venues in Fall 2013.

 

Vijay Anderson’s Touch and Go Sextet to mix and master a live recording of Anderson’s compositions from their performance at the Novara Jazz Festival in Italy in 2012.

Wooden Fish Ensemble to commission Korean born composer Hyo-shin Na to write a series of four pieces for koto (Japanese zither) and kayageum (Korean zither) to be performed at Old First Concerts in February 2014.

2012 - MGP Awards

Agave Baroque to record an album of works by Bohemian virtuoso violinist and composer Heinrich Biber, entitled “The Otherworldly Fiddler: the sacred and the profane meet at Heinrich Biber’s musical table.”  

 

Berkeley Chamber Performances to present the San Francisco based Lee Trio as part of its 2012-2013 season.  The program will include the world premier of Laurence Rosenthal’s Heptad”.

 

Bernal Hill Players to commission composer Guillermo Galindo to write a piece based on the theme Neighborhoods in Mexico City”. These works will be performed, along with other Latin American compositions, in five different Bay Area venues.

 

The Beth Custer Ensemble to perform their original live music to a silent film score from the Soviet Eccentric Cinema movement at the Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema Festival in August, 2012.  The event includes pre and post concert educational activities.

 

Cascada de Flores to engage a graphic designer to oversee the production of a new CD, promotional materials and a new website. The CD will be used as a marketing tool for touring.

 

Cello Bazaar to produce two integrated food/music presentations (“edible concerts”) at the Brava Theater, featuring Solstice, Amy X Neuburg, and Hannah Addario-Berry in a performance of “Fill as Desired” for women’s voices and live looping electronics, in collaboration with local culinary artists.

 

Clerestory to produce public concerts of “SeaSongs” that span the choral repertory of ocean and voyage-themed music in cross-promotional anticipation of the arrival of the America’s Cup yacht races and the San Francisco Opera’s staging of “Moby Dick”.  

 

Composers, Inc. to present the Cypress String Quartet for a performance of new American music by composers Elena Rueher, Kevin Puts and George Tsontakis as part of the Old First Concerts series during their 2012- 2013 season.

 

Dave Rocha Jazz Group to perform at five different Bay Area libraries where funds are not available to pay for performances, enabling audiences to hear high-quality jazz for free.  

 

Gojogo to fund composition (by the four members of the ensemble) and demo recording fees for the first stage of their concept album project.  The CD will help promote their music which combines Western classical and jazz sounds with the rhythmic traditions of India.

 

Kat Parra to record a CD, promote and present concerts featuring her composition –  Las Aventuras de Pasion” – a musical adventure combining voice, instruments and rhythms based on Sephardic songs.

 

Left Coast Chamber Ensemble to present, in fall 2012, performances of Kurt Rohde’s “Artifacts”, a work scored for five musicians that addresses the passage of time, the reconstruction of memories and also features spoken and sung parts as well as projection of original images.

 

Lisa Mezzacappa’s Bait & Switch, to produce and publicize a new recording of original music and arrangements by Mezzacappa. The works draw inspiration from avant-garde jazz, garage rock and folk music of the French Caribbean.

 

Mill Valley Chamber Music Society to present the Ives String Quartet with cellist Bonnie Hampton during part of their regular series in March of 2013.  The ensemble will perform Schubert’s Quintet in C Major.  

 

Music at the Mission to present Quinteto Quilombo in the concert “Tango Apasionado”, tracing the musical history of tango from its Buenos Aires roots to modern times.

 

Musica Pacifica to address its organizational and financial health by hiring consultants to update their internal procedures as well as help them assess their future with respect to fundraising needs for future projects.

 

Nonsemble Six to present Schoenberg’s Pierre Lunaire with a slideshow introduction and projected subtitles, costumes, makeup, stage direction and lighting effects to present a complete staged, cabaret-like experience for the audience.

 

Outsound Presents to present the 11th annual Outsound New Music Summit, a week-long festival that showcases world premieres and exclusive debuts of innovative new music.  They will present a world premiere by local guitarist John Shiurba and his 9:9 ensemble featuring Matt Ingalls and Lara Bruckmann.

 

Quinteto Latino to produce a weekend festival of Latin American classical music consisting of two performances, a panel discussion and a reception at Old First Concerts in San Francisco.  The Musical Art Quintet will join Quinteto Latino to premiere a nonet by Puerto Rican-born composer Roberto Sierra.

 

Real Vocal String Quartet to produce a CD of new compositions and arrangements, documenting the artistic development of the ensemble.

 

Sqwonk to record and release an album called “Sqwonk +”, consisting of recent compositions by Sqwonk and other Bay Area ensembles, including, Amy X Neuburg, ZOFO piano duo, Nonsemble 6, the Living Earth Show, Real Vocal String Quartet and Rootstock Percussion.

 

Thingamajigs to present the William Winant Percussion Group to perform music by Lou Harrison on his original instruments in a special concert for the 15th Annual Music for People & Thingamajigs Festival.

 

Veretski Pass to commission ensemble member Josh Horowtiz to create a programmatic tone poem representing Easter European Jewish superstitions, interacting with ensemble improvisation.  Material will be gathered from interviews with older adults who lived in pre World War II Eastern Europe.

 

Voices of Music to fund their “Great Artists” concert (part of their regular concert series) to be presented in October 2012, featuring cornetto player Bruce Dickey in combination with the ensembles’ regular players

 

ZOFO duet to commission Bay Area composer Kurt Rohde to write a 12 minute piece for one-piano-four-hand and a 1 minute amateur companion piece for the same formation.  ZOFO will premier the pieces in the spring of 2014.

2011 - MGP Awards

Tacet

2010 - MGP Awards

Archetti Baroque String Ensemble to make their first commercial CD recording on the Centaur label, featuring Italian violin concerti for 2 to 4 violins by Vivaldi, Torelli, and Locatelli.

Berkeley Chamber Performances to present ZOFO (internationally acclaimed piano duet, Keisuke Nakagoshi and Eva‐Maria Zimmermann) in their 2011‐2012 season.

The Bernal Hill Players to continue an on‐going project, “San Francisco: In and About the City”, pieces written by local composers on the theme of ‘Neighborhoods of San Francisco’, which are performed at traditional and non‐traditional venues, and to make a CD of these pieces to help promote the group.

Bridge Chamber Virtuosi to establish BCV as a prominent Bay Area ensemble, seeking to bring new contemporary music by prominent Asian American composers to local and international audiences, through the production and distribution of their first CD of works by Dohnanyi, Chen Yi, Lei Liang and Bright Sheng.

Cançonier to increase local audience and the ensemble’s visibility in the Bay Area, by adding additional performances and improving financial remuneration for the ensemble’s direction.

Darren Johnston Quintet (+ chorus) to compose a song cycle of eight pieces for the quintet, derived from letters written by immigrants to the U.S., describing their experiences.

Ensemble Mirable to in funding a recording of rarely heard works of the German and Italian Baroque, including works by Becker, Buxtehude, Uccellini, Bononcini, Erlebach, Rosenmuller and Vivaldi.

Erik Jekabson to create more recording and performing opportunities by recording and producing a CD of compositions based on artwork of the de Young Museum, and drawing attention to the museum and its connection to the Bay Area music scene.

Farallon Recorder Quartet to develop and present two performances of a program of Medieval and Renaissance music for recorder quartet, soprano, and lute.

Galax Quartet to premiere a new string quartet commissioned from the composer W. A. Mathieu for the unique instrumentation of the ensemble (two violins, viola da gamba and cello) to be premiered in May 2011.

San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music – Musical Grant Program Report 2010 – Awards 2010 – 1 / 3

San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music Report to the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation

Grupo Falso Baiano to assist in post‐production, pressing and release of their second CD of Brazilian choro music: “Simplicidade: Live at Yoshi’s”.

Heather Klein’s Inextinguishable Trio to promote and expose audiences to the Yiddish classical art song through The Yiddish Art Song Project.

Hemispheres to present a concert “Shorter Moments ‐ A Tribute to Wayne Shorter,” in honor of the saxophonist/composer, who contributed so much to the evolution of jazz.

Kat Parra and The Sephardic Music Experience to present “Las Aventuras de Pasíon”, a new concert length program addressing different stages of love, and other experiences associated with love, through Sephardic songs.

Left Coast Chamber Ensemble to commission Luciano Chessa to write a quintet inspired by the Peralta Hacienda, Oakland’s historical birthplace, and introduces Left Coast to a new audience in Fruitvale’s under‐served neighborhood.

martha & monica to commission composer, Matt Ingalls, to compose a substantial new work for cello and piano.

Matt Small’s Chamber Ensemble to support production of his third CD with his eponymous Chamber Ensemble, featuring the newest Ensemble member, drummer Micah McClain.

Music at the Mission to present a program exploring how 4 composers (Eric Korngold, Nino Rota, Dmitri Shostakovich, Bernard Hermann) found new ways of expression through the new genre of film: “Crossroads: Intersections of 20th Century Compositions and Film”.

Music Sources to support their 2011/2012 concerts season, presenting 14 concerts illuminating early music from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras.

New Music Works to present two performances of a concert devoted to the music of Korean American composer, Hyo‐shin Na in San Francisco and Santa Cruz in April 2012.

Nordeson Shelton Duo to produce a CD that will showcase music for percussion and saxophone and serve as a necessary promotional tool for the group.

Outsound Present to present the work of three ensembles at the 10th annual Outsound New Music Summit, and to help fund advertising to highlight the 10th anniversary of the summit.

San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music – Musical Grant Program Report 2010 – Awards 2010 – 2 / 3

San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music Report to the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation

San Jose Chamber Music Society to present to the Silicon Valley/South Valley a public concert by the Cypress String Quartet, featuring guest cellist (from Paris) Gary Hoffman in their 2011‐2012 season.

sfSound to make their first CD on the “Innova” label, entitled “sfSound: Composition and Improvisations”, focusing on the creative work of the members of the ensemble.

Sqwonk to invest in public relations and promotional materials in order to raise the profile of Sqwonk’s 2011‐2012 season.

Switchboard Music Festival to enable production of the annual 8‐hour marathon of music in San Francisco, featuring Bay Area musicians that straddle traditional genre distinctions.

Vinaccesi Ensemble to record a CD of cantatas by their namesake, seventeenth century Italian composer, Benedetto Vinacessi.

The Vnote Ensemble to compose, record, and present a four‐movement new composition, “Suite Jazznera”, a blend of “llanera” music from the plains of Venezuela and North American jazz, and to present this blend of cultures to a larger audience.