Michael Gordon's music merges subtle rhythmic invention with incredible power embodying, in the words of The New Yorker's Alex Ross, "the fury of punk rock, the nervous brilliance of free jazz and the intransigence of classical modernism."

Over the past 25 years, Gordon has produced a strikingly diverse body of work, ranging from large-scale pieces for high-energy ensembles to major orchestral commissions to works conceived specifically for the recording studio. Transcending categorization, this music represents the collision of mysterious introspection and brutal directness. Read more...

The Calder Quartet, called “outstanding” and “superb” by the New York Times, defies boundaries through performing a broad range of repertoire at an exceptional level, always striving to channel the true intention of the work’s creator. Already the choice of many leading composers to perform their works – including Christopher Rouse, Terry Riley and Thomas Adès – the group’s distinctive approach is exemplified by a musical curiosity brought to everything they perform, whether it’s Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, or sold-out rock shows with bands like The National or The Airborne Toxic Event. Read more...

Wu Man is an internationally renowned pipa (Chinese lute) virtuoso, cited by the Los Angeles Times as 'the artist most responsible for bringing the pipa to the Western World.' Born in Hangzhou, China, Wu Man studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing where she became the first recipient of a master’s degree in pipa. She currently lives in Boston where she was chosen as a Bunting Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study at Harvard University. Wu Man was selected by Yo-Yo Ma as the winner of the City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize in music and communication. She is also the first artist from China to have performed at the White House with the noted cellist with whom she now performs as part of the Silk Road Project. 

Wu Man has collaborated with distinguished musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma, David Zinman, Yuri Bashmet, and Cho-liang Lin.  In the orchestral world she has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, and many others. Her touring has taken her to the major music halls of the world including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Read more...

Sara Watkins, best known for her work in the Grammy Award winning band, Nickel Creek, completed her first solo album while the band is on hiatus.  Her debut album was produced by John Paul Jones (Led Zepplin) and was released in April 2009 on Nonesuch Records.  Her follow up album, produced by Blake Mills, is due for a spring release.  Sara is a frequent guest American Public Media program, A Prairie Home Companion.  In the past few years, she has been on tour with John Prine, Donavan Frankenreiter, Robert Earl Kean, Dar Williams, Blind Boys of Alabama as well as Garrison Keillor's Summer Love Tour.  In between tours, Sara performs at Largo in Los Angeles, where she and her brother Sean perform as The Watkins Family Hour with frequent guests including Benmont Tench, Greg Leisz, and Fiona Apple. Read more...

Since its debut in Feburary 2009, SACRA / PROFANA has rapidly been gaining a reputation as an exciting new voice in American choral music. The 24-voice ensemble specializes in a unique blend of classic and contemporary styles, with a repertoire including everything from Schoenberg and The Smashing Pumpkins to Leonard Cohen and Ligeti. SACRA / PROFANA continues to defy genre classification, collaborating with Art of Élan, electroclash act HYENA, Orchestra Nova, and musicians from the San Diego Symphony at Club Anthology. Read more...

Timothy Andres (b. 1985, Palo Alto, CA) is a composer and pianist. He grew up in rural Connecticut and lives in Brooklyn, NY. His compositions meld a classical-music upbringing with diverse interests in the natural world, graphic arts, technology, cooking, and photography. He has been praised for his “acute ear” by the New York Times’s Anthony Tommasini and “stubborn nose” by the New Yorker’s Alex Ross. Read more...

Hailed by the New York Times as "...finely polished...a fresh source of energy," and by Time Out New York as "forward thinking,"  Mantra Percussion is committed to substantially expanding the future of percussion repertoire. By commissioning and performing new, significant works for large percussion ensemble by both prominent and emerging composers, Mantra Percussion is committed to breathing new life into the art and engaging in cross-discipline collaborations to produce evening-length events that look toward a grander artistic vision. Read more...

Described as “mold-breaking” and “vital” by The New York Times, Andy Akiho is an eclectic composer and performer whose interests run from steel pan to traditional classical music. Akiho came to composition through the steel pan (an instrument which originated in Trinidad) and has since gone on to study composition at Manhattan School of Music, Yale School of Music and Princeton University where he is currently a doctoral fellow. Read more...

If you could soundtrack the brooding ocean and the jazz of the surf, the Mattson 2 would most certainly be the composers. The foot stomps of a shoe-gazed salty air meets the tight groove and polished shake of the night with each of the duo's multi-layered tracks. And with the recent release of their third album on Galaxia, Feeling Hands, audiences around the globe are witnessing the growth of two musicians hitting full stride with deft layering, detailed composition and an altogether unmistakable sound. Read more...

MandoBasso is a duo featuring Gunnar Biggs on bass and Bill Bradbury on mandolin.  Biggs and Bradbury first came together as colleagues working on projects at both Palomar College and Cal State San Marcos.  Biggs comes from a strong background in jazz and classical performance, Bradbury from a composition and computer music background.  Their mutual love of Irish and traditional American music brought them together in this unusual pairing of mandolin and bass.

MandoBasso performances include mainly new compositions, along with arrangements of traditional music, classical music, jazz and ragtime.

BOMBSHELL BOOM BOOM is your very own anti-venue marching sound collective, stemming out of the little known grassroots marching band movement happening world wide. BOMBSHELL (!) is a DIY band encouraging anyone who wants to join, creating a critical mass of people playing rhythms and textures on home-made instruments.

San Diego Children's Choir (SDCC) is a community-wide choir, open to children 4-18 from all racial, ethnic, religious and economic backgrounds. Founded in 1990, the program provides the highest quality choral music education and performance experience, fostering an awareness of cultural diversity and inspiring a lifelong love of music. There are currently five unique rehearsal sites throughout San Diego for the core program as well as 4 other sites dedicated to the outreach program of the SDCC Neighborhood Choir.

The choir represents the city of San Diego as the "Ambassadors of Song" and celebrates June 24th as the official San Diego Children's Choir Day. SDCC is a place where artistic and personal growth is encouraged and nurtured. Through an active rehearsal and performance schedule, music is not only taught, but revered for being a confidence and responsibility building tool. Among the many opportunities to sing within San Diego and nationally, the Choir has also shared our vocal styling Internationally in Italy, Australia, England and more. The Choir is open for new membership by audition for children in grades 3-12 three times a year, August/September, December/January and May/June. No required audition for grades 1-2. Visit www.sdcchoir.org for more information or call 858 587 1087 to request an audition.