If you make original music and live in the Bay Area, here’s an opportunity worth knowing about. San Francisco Public Library’s Bay Beats platform — a digital collection dedicated to local music — is now accepting submissions through May 31, 2026. And CMC has a history with it: faculty members Larry Dunn and Rita Lackey […]

This May 31, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Field Day performathon. A full day of live music, community, and fundraising that has become one of the most beloved events on CMC’s calendar. To mark the occasion, we sat down with Program Director Sylvia Sherman to look back at how it all started — […]

On Saturday, March 14, Community Music Center brought together friends, supporters, and musicians for its most well-attended Spring Gala yet. Held at the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, the evening was a celebration of everything CMC stands for: the belief that music belongs to everyone, regardless of background or means. Guests arrived to the sound of the […]

In the smoky clubs and dance halls of 1930s Paris, innovative styles emerged from music in diaspora—flourishing in the lively atmosphere of post-war exuberance, where jazz music was on the rise. One of the most lasting styles today remains jazz manouche (often referred to as sinti jazz, gypsy jazz, or hot-club-style jazz because of its […]