The San Francisco Contemporary Music Players (SFCMP) is a performing arts organization and unionized chamber orchestra that commissions, performs, and records innovative new music from across cultures and stylistic traditions. SFCMP incorporated in 1974 to give voice to the burgeoning genre of contemporary chamber music in the Bay Area. They are solely devoted to contemporary repertoire, particularly the work of living composers and large ensemble works. The current Artistic Director is Eric Dudley.
The Contemporary Music Players are a 2018 awardee of the esteemed Fromm Foundation Ensemble Prize and a ten-time winner of the national ASCAP/Chamber Music America Award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music. The San Francisco Contemporary Music Players have performed more than 1,300 contemporary works, including many U.S. and world premieres, and has commissioned new pieces from such composers as John Adams, John Cage, Fred Frith, Liza Lim, James Newton, and Julia Wolfe.
View repertoire list at https://sfcmp.org/sfcmp-repertory-list/
Artistic collaborations
In 1983, Frank Zappa led the ensemble in performing music by Edgard Varèse. The concert, which was emceed by Jefferson Airplane vocalist Grace Slick and held in the San Francisco Opera House, attracted an audience of more than 2,000 people. In 1997, electric guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Joey Baron appeared as soloists with the ensemble, performing Steven Mackey’s concerto, Deal. Later the same year, vocalist Dawn Upshaw appeared with the ensemble in a performance of George Crumb’s Ancient Voices of Children.
Musicians / executive directors / artistic directors and conductors / board presidents and founders
Musicians
Current ensemble members
Tod Brody, flute
Kyle Bruckmann, oboe
Sarah Rathke, oboe
Jeff Anderle, clarinet
Peter Josheff, clarinet
Adam Luftman, trumpet
Brendan Lai-Tong, trombone
Peter Wahrhaftig, tuba
William Winant, percussion
Christopher Froh, percussion
Loren Mach, percussion
Haruka Fujii, percussion
Meredith Clark, harp
Kate Campbell, piano
David Tanenbaum, guitar
Roy Malan, violin
Susan Freier, violin
Hrabba Atladottir, violin
Nanci Severance, viola
Meena Bhasin, viola
Stephen Harrison, cello
Hannah Addario-Berry, cello
Richard Worn, contrabass
Past ensemble members
List pending
Executive Directors
Marcella DeCray (1974-1988) Susan Munn (1988-1991) Adam Frey (1991-2009) Christopher Honett (2009-2010) Carrie Blanding (2010-2012) Rozella Kennedy (2012-2015) Lisa Oman (2015-2021) Richard Aldag (2021–present)
Artistic Directors and Principal Conductors
Jean-Louis LeRoux (1974–1988) Stephen L. (Lucky) Mosko (1988–1997) Donald Palma (1998–2000) David Milnes (2002–2009) Steven Schick (2011–2018) Eric Dudley (2018–present)
Board Presidents
Jean-Louis LeRoux (1974-1978) Jane Roos (1978-1986) Paul R. Griffin (1986-1996) T. William Melis (1996-2000) Roy C. (Bud) Johns (2000-2001) Anne Baldwin (2002-2005) Susan Hartzell (2005-2009) Richard D. Lee (2009-2013) Donald Blais (2010-2021) Kit Sharma (2021–present)
Founders
SFCMP evolved from concerts begun in 1971 by Charles Boone and was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1974 by Marcella DeCray and Jean-Louis LeRoux. The San Francisco Contemporary Music Players is a unionized ensemble based out of San Francisco, California.