New business strategies, new places to perform, new instruments, new relationships. All were dreamt up, discussed, tried out or formed during the three-day New Music Gathering held at SFCM in January. Many participants commented on the relaxed, congenial vibe of the event, one infused by a grass-roots fervor for creating new work.

In his coverage of the event, Wall Street Journal reporter Allan Kozinn said, “it was the panels and discussions that made the Gathering into something more than just another new-music festival.” But he lamented that choosing topics was tough, with discussions, performances and events such as composer/performer speed dating (at right) often occurring simultaneously in the Conservatory’s three concert halls.

There was plenty to discuss. In her keynote address, MacArthur “genius grant” winner, International Contemporary Ensemble co-founder and flutist Claire Chase noted that practitioners of new music must work without a handbook. “It’s about not letting existing structures – the market, the academy and any other arbitrary entity here – dictate what are we making, how we’re going to make and who we’re making it for.” As a result, Chase said, new music makers are forced to confront basic questions about the nature of today’s music, how it can be made, performed and sustained… and even what the heck to call it (some suggestions: “contemporary”, “post-classical”, “experimental” or just “weird” music).

Composer and featured performer Eve Beglarian said the New Music Gathering filled a neglected niche in the new music subculture. “Most conferences are either academically based or commercial based. Neither of those spaces is really conducive to having really in-depth, open-hearted conversations with your colleagues.”

Composer Nat Evans participated in several such conversations, including a panel discussion titled “Music of Place” based on his experience transforming field recordings from a five-month Pacific Coast Trail hike into a musical composition. A frequent online collaborator, Evans most appreciated the opportunity to meet fellow artists face-to-face. “I probably met 20 people who I’ve known on the internet or even worked with [digitally] since I got here. That’s been a really invaluable experience.”

Composer Daniel Felsenfeld, who co-founded the New Music Gathering with colleagues Lanie Fefferman, Mary Kouyoumdjian and Matt Marks, was struck by two emergent themes: the fearlessness required to create new music and the hard work necessary to give it life. Felsenfeld praised artists who court discomfort and uncertainty, whether as composers, performers, producers or all of the above. He noted the event’s first performance featured two singers, Hillary LaBonte and Meghan Inhen, performing works by contemporary composers such as John Cage and Morton Feldman – without accompaniment. “We didn’t do this remotely on purpose, but it seemed like the most beautiful choice.”