With support from the California Arts Council, Musical Traditions will offer our free residency program, very affordable rehearsal studio and production space for both short and long term rentals, below-market cost rental of professional sound, lighting, and projection equipment and fiscal sponsorships to the Greater Bay Area performing arts community.
Our program and services grow out of two equal and linked endeavors. We continue our 40-year legacy of producing contemporary music concerts and multi-disciplinary collaborations and we serve the Bay Area’s contemporary performing arts communities with programs that support the creation of new works.
Our creative activities
Building on four decades of consistent artistic production we continue to produce:
– Acclaimed collaboratively-created new music theater/opera productions;
– Commissions & concerts of new music and collaborative performances by diverse composers;
– Innovative new musical instruments for the concert stage, collaborations and interactive installations;
– Touring productions and installations that travel across the US and abroad.
To support the current and incubate the next generations of creative performing artists, we provide these programs/services:
– Affordable rehearsal studio and performance space for both short and long-term rental and fully equipped with professional sound, lighting, projection and recording equipment
– Rental of professional sound, lighting, and projection equipment at below-market rates;
– The Dresher Ensemble Artist Residency [DEAR] program that annually provides 6-8 residencies and performance opportunities to early/mid-career Northern California artists working in theater/performance, dance/movement, music/sound art/instrument invention. Residencies provide 4 weeks of free 24/7 access to our studio & shop and use of our professional sound, lighting, video recording & projection equipment. Staff offers mentorship and technical support consultations on any aspect of a resident’s project. Each awardee receives a stipend and the option to present a performance on our “In Studio Performances” series. The program has prioritized serving BIPOC and gender non-conforming artists.
– Fiscal sponsorship for Bay Area artists committed to taking risks in creating new artworks.
– In Studio Performances: a multi-disciplinary performance series that presents contemporary and traditional performing arts;
– West Oakland Sound Series: weekly (40 per year) new music and experimental sound concert series curated by and co-produced with sfSound.

