About The Collective

Our Mission

The Atlanta Contemporary Music Collective is a constellation of composers and performers passionate about the contemporary music we love. Through high-quality concerts of eclectic music in unique venues throughout the Metro Atlanta area, our goal is to promote Atlanta as a nationally-recognized center for excellence in New Music.

Our Vision

Atlanta has long been a center of transformative change in America for so many fields: civil rights, aviation, music and entertainment, industry - why not also contemporary classical music?

“New music should actually be music that is adequate for a new society.”

-Christian Wolff, composer

The Collective recognizes that there is an opportunity to promote the city’s incredibly talented composers and musicians on a national level, and we want our shows to change the way audiences perceive and interact with New Music on the local level. At its core, we believe that 1. New Music is about artistically expressing curiosity through sound and that 2. this curiosity is open to everyone. We organize our seasons around accessible Metro Atlanta venues and community centers to cater to these audiences that are already curious about music, like breweries, churches, makerspaces, and art studios.

When you come to an ATLCMC show, you will notice a level of production value that you don’t normally see at a classical music concert. We believe the shows should be stimulating experiences that bring in audiences and connect them to the music. About the music, the Collective is made up of a one-on-a-part chamber orchestra that is capable of augmenting and diminishing in size when needed. Aesthetically, we have no predisposed bent towards a particular genre of New Music. Artistic Director Bryan Wysocki programs concerts that are exciting, unique, and eclectic for each of our three types of show:

  1. Salons - any number of solo musicians & small ensembles | think chamber music

  2. Chamber Orchestra - a sinfonietta of ≈15 musicians: 1.1.1.1-1.1.1.0-2perc-piano-2.1.1.1 | think small orchestra

  3. Happenings - pieces for large or unspecified instrumentation, long form performances, open improvisations, etc. | think big event

We hope that these shows, and the variety of ways to enjoy them, provide our audiences with a number of different entry ways into the Collective, and the broader contemporary music scene (both nationally and in Atlanta). As such, the Collective acknowledges that we are not the only musicians in town passionate about this kind of music! Please check out the wonderful ensembles run by our friends, colleagues, and mentors: Bent Frequency, Ensemble Vim, Chamber Cartel. 

If any of our vision resonates with you, we hope that you will be able to join us at a show or consider reaching out to us to learn more about how you can support the collective.

 FAQs

  • Great question! Drop us a line.

    We have a particular need for the following instruments: bassoon, viola, and harp.

  • It's a bit of a break from tradition around here in Atlanta, isn't it? Most contemporary music shows are free, and while there are a number of reasons why this is the case, we believe that audiences feel more connected to the experience when they've quite literally bought in to the show. It's a subtle difference, but your mind remembers and experiences a free show and a paid show differently. Funds from the ticket sales go directly to supporting the collective, its musicians, and the venues we perform in.

  • There's a slight difference between the words "concert" and "show", but for us, we imagine shows to be more exciting than a concert. The connotation of a "concert" is usually of a stuffy concert hall, uncomfortably small seats, expensive tickets, and music written by dead people. On the other hand, a "show" has energy, it's an action. We will show you something you haven't seen before, it's extravagant, it's memorable.

  • Good question! Think of the Collective as a galaxy of musicians. In the center is an invisible black hole which provides the gravity to keep the galaxy spinning (this is our board of directors). The board is the legal entity that exists to do all of the corporate/business side of operations: solicit donations, pay performers, book venues, etc.

    Outside of this is a group of musicians that make up the Collective's roster. The core roster of musicians is made up of the players in the chamber orchestra. Our musicians are not members of the ATLCMC legal entity, but are instead paid volunteers that are compensated for their time.