A simple truth: American audiences are not rushing to concerts that feature new or recent American works. And as such, music organizations are not performing them.
According to a recent report by the League of American Orchestras, only 10-15% of works performed by major U.S. orchestras are by American composers. So it’s certainly notable that San Francisco Contemporary Music Players (SFCMP) is planning its entire next season — coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. — to consist of American works exclusively.
“During this time of division in our nation, we felt it was crucial to celebrate the depth and breadth of American music,” SFCMP’s executive director, Richard Aldag, told San Francisco Classical Voice.
Aldag said SFCMP crafted its 2025-2026 season with the intention to represent a variety of American voices, including immigrant stories. To this end, the organization’s 55th season will include well-known American works by John Adams and Steve Reich, as well as more recent compositions from Chen Yi and Viet Cuong, among others.
The San Francisco-based organization’s upcoming season, “American Reflections,” will present four mainstage concerts showcasing the works of 17 American composers, including two commissions and seven west coast premieres.
Program highlights will include John Adams’ Chamber Symphony and Son of Chamber Symphony, Steve Reich’s Jacob’s Ladder, the west coast premiere of Elliott Carter’s Mosaic for Harp & Ensemble, and Ruth Crawford Seeger’s 1926 Music for Small Orchestra (notably slated for April 2026, one century after its composition). SFCMP will also present the two commissioned works during the season: the west coast premiere of Samuel Carl Adams’ First Work and the world premiere of a work by New York-based composer Edward Smaldone.
The season will also feature works by Terry Riley (in celebration of his 90th birthday), Chen Yi, John Zorn, Vivian Fung, Viet Cuong, Justin Weiss, Elizabeth Ogonek, Seare Ahmad Farhat, Nico Muhly, Shulamit Ran, and Haruka Fujii. Among the guest artists for the season is soprano Winnie Nieh, a Harvard graduate with diplomas from Trinity College London in piano, violin and voice.
Alongside the upcoming season, SFCMP will offer supplementary events. Eric Dudley, SFCMP’s artistic director and conductor, is set to host “Under the Hood” pre-concert talks with composers, guest artists, and ensemble members on Nov. 24, Feb. 1, and Apr. 12. The organization’s annual “Sound & Wine” fundraising event will honor composer Chen Yi for her contributions to the field of new music on Nov. 16 at the Brava Theater. In partnership with the ArtZenter Institute, the Emerging Composer Grant Program is slated to present three concerts at Herbst Theater on Sept. 5, Jan. 6 and June 25, 2026.
In this post-COVID moment, as federal, state, and local government funding disappears, many performing arts organizations are struggling with finances. According to Aldag, funding from large organizations that used to regularly support SFCMP has dropped off, like from the National Endowment for the Arts. Consider that SFCMP’s ticket sales cover only 5% of its annual expenses, add the bold all-American season, and the question is inevitable: how can it happen?
Unlike many organizations, SFCMP provides answers. “We are lucky enough to have a $1.2 million investment account from which quarterly draws provide the organization with approximately a third of the annual budget,” Aldag said. “The remainder of the budget comes from grant makers and individual donors.”
Still, foundation and individual contributions continue, with a major donation of about $200,000, coming from the ARTZenter Institute, whose Emerging Composer Grant Program is referred to by Aldag as “'a for-hire partnership' — the program belongs to ARTZenter, [and] we are the hired ensemble.”
Among other donors are the Amphion Foundation, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Sam Mazza Foundation, Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation, and New Music USA.
Subscriptions to SFCMP’s 2025-2026 season are set to go on sale on Sept. 2. Individual tickets will be available for purchase starting Oct. 1. Four-concert subscriptions are $158 for adults, and $56 for students. General admission tickets are $45 for adults, and $18 for students.
