“Imagine Our Future,” a jazz composition crowdsourced from Bay Area students The Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) is commissioning two-time GRAMMY-nominated jazz pianist Taylor Eigsti to create a 45-minute work for piano and ensemble. At age six, Eigsti began taking jazz piano lessons at CSMA. By age twelve, he performed for President Clinton…

“Golden City Suite,” a jazz composition in 10 sections rooted in San Francisco communities SFJAZZ is commissioning multiple Grammy nominee and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón to create a jazz composition for a large ensemble. In partnership with organizations deeply rooted in the history and cultures that created San Francisco, Zenón will conduct interviews…

“Angel Island Oratorio,” a work inspired by immigrant poetry inscribed at the Angel Island barracks Del Sol String Quartet is commissioning Chinese-born American Huang Ruo to create a bilingual oratorio for string quartet and chamber choir, inspired by poetry inscribed on the walls of the Angel Island barracks between 1910 and 1940. These words of detained…

“Dreamer,” a composition on sanctuary cities and the U.S. immigrant experience Cal Performances at UC Berkeley is commissioning Peruvian composer Jimmy López to create an oratorio for orchestra, chorus and soprano to be performed by Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. López will work with Cuban-American playwright Nilo Cruz to create the piece exploring the U.S.…

“Quantopia,” an acoustic portrait of the Internet The Internet Archive is commissioning electronic musician and experimental composer Paul D. Miller (aka DJ Spooky) to create “Quantopia: The Evolution of the Internet,” a multimedia production for string quartet, vocalist, and an original electronic instrument. The composition will be about the origins of the Internet and what needs…

“Indra’s Net,” a soundscape connecting people with nature Mills College is commissioning award-winning musician Meredith Monk (Lillian Gish Prize, National Medal of Arts, MacArthur “Genius” Award, two Guggenheim Fellowships, multiple Obie Awards) to create an immersive performance piece in Oakland. The work is inspired by Indra’s Net, a metaphor used to illustrate the concepts of Śūnyatā…

“At War With Ourselves,” an evening-length work exploring race relations in America Kronos Performing Arts Association is commissioning Michael Abels, a composer best known for his orchestral works and film scores, to write an evening-length work for string quartet, chorus and spoken word. Poet Nikky Finney will create the libretto. Abels, whose work often combines classical…

“Violins of Hope Bay Area Project,” a work for soprano, solo violin and string quartet using historic instruments Music at Kohl Mansion is commissioning Guggenheim Fellow Jake Heggie to create a chamber work for the West Coast premiere appearance of the Violins of Hope in Burlingame. The Violins of Hope (VOH) are a set of more…

“Today it Rains,” an opera based on the life of artist Georgia O’Keeffe Opera Parallèle is commissioning Laura Kaminsky to compose the music for Today It Rains, a new chamber opera with a libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed (based on the original concept by Campbell) and film by Reed. The work is set on…

“MU巫: 9 Goddesses,” a mythological musical performance ritual Peralta Hacienda Historical Park is commissioning Dohee Lee to create “MU/巫: 9 Goddesses,” a 90-minute musical composition in which ancestral traditions are transmitted through singing and drumming, as well as a three-dimensional motion-tracking wearable sound-controller system. This will create an electronic soundscape and the composition will follow the form…