Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music

The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music is recognized nationally as one of the finest music festivals devoted primarily to twentieth- and twenty-first-century American music for orchestra. The organization presents an annual summer festival for contemporary music that draws more than 3,000 audience members to Santa Cruz, along with some of the world’s most renowned composers, musicians, and conductors. During the grant period, Cabrillo plans to expand its commissioning program, continue expanding engagement opportunities for audiences, and increase contributions from individual donors by targeting campaigns and hiring additional staff for fund development.

The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, in Santa Cruz, is dedicated to new and contemporary music from diverse musical traditions. The organization provides concerts, regularly premiering new works, and serves aspiring composers and musicians with music education and professional development workshops. Each year, the festival reaches 24,000 audience members and another 10,000 through media broadcasts. This grant to the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music supports the Performing Arts Program’s Continuity and Engagement strategy through the Innovative Works component.