The Center for New Music (CNM) is a community center for participants of new music in San Francisco. The Center serves the practitioners of creative, non-commercial music by providing the resources they need, including space to work, rehearse, and perform, and access to a like-minded community. Through these services, the Center seeks to support and build the community of new music to encourage its efficiency, growth, integration, and excellence.

The Center is the brainchild of composer-performers Adam Fong and Brent Miller. As artists and administrators in the Bay Area new music scene, they realized the needs of the new music scene were not being met. To address this lack of support, they designed a plan to provide a flexible space for new music: during the day, the Center will function as an administrative and research hub, a space to work, meet, learn, and rehearse; in the evenings, it will host workshops and affordably priced concerts of innovative music. But, before they could implement their plan, they needed guidance on how to do it. This is when they turned to Community Vision.

The Center received real estate and financial analysis services from Community Vision. After the analysis, CNM was able to create a facility strategic plan to identify how much space they needed for their programs. Once their plan was in place, Community Vision found the organization a space in the Central Market area, helped in the lease negotiations and secured the funding for tenant improvements. Additionally, our consultants reviewed CNM’s business plan and prepared them for the presentation of their business plan to funders.

In November of 2012, The Center for New Music moved into their new space at 55 Taylor Street. Now, their calendar is filled with a multitude of performances throughout the year, featuring both local and visiting artists. With the help of Community Vision, the Center is creating affordable space for creative musicians, incubating new talent, and contributing to a strong and growing community of artists in the Central Market area.