Introducing A Reimagined Donor Experience At CMS: The Donor Portal

Now, all donations include access to our new portal designed to facilitate a new way to explore creative music - built for both creative musicians and creative music lovers

What Are You Supporting?

Your ongoing support is pivotal as we forge ahead. The momentum of community and program building has been exceptional, and we must not lose this opportunity to further support artists, students, and listeners alike. Below, you’ll discover a list of programs requiring your urgent support:

CMS Improvisers Orchestra

The Continuation of Karl Berger’s Legacy
The CMS Improvisers Orchestra in Concert and in Workshops

Open Box Workshops

Established and hosted by CMS Program Manager Gabby Fluke-Mogul. Free community workshops for musicians from diverse backgrounds. Goal: Two workshops per month throughout 2024 in Brooklyn, Manhattan, & Kingston, NY.

The OUTLOOK Collection

Access writings from past and present CMS luminaries.
Future expansion to include audio and video interviews.

Expanding The CMS Creative Portal

Everything mentioned above: From a platform sharing improvisation methods featuring maverick artists associated with CMS, live instruction and interactive audio/video for a worldwide community, automated listening station integrated into the portal experience, access legacy archives, a constant stream of inspiration, and more.

Live Event Programming

Presenting CMS Ensembles and Workshops at our newly established locations:
IBEAM in Brooklyn, Houghton Hall Arts Community in Manhattan, & Handbell Studio in Kingston NY

Featured Program

OPEN BOX

Established and hosted by CMS Program Manager gabby fluke-mogul, Open Box are free community workshops for musicians from diverse backgrounds.

Why it matters - in the words of a participant:

Hi gabby - Wanted to send a quick line about Open Box. I only joined in December, but it felt like my most nourishing group improv experience since I moved to NYC in 09. I got back into playing over the pandemic, and I’ve been craving a space to connect with improvisers. The community and format felt both accessible and incredibly inspiring. I can’t wait to join again in 2024. Thank you for convening this community!

Our goal with your support: Two workshops per month throughout 2024 in Brooklyn, Manhattan, & Kingston, NY.

Donate Today To Support CMS And Access The Portal

Portal Features Included For All Donors

CMS Streaming Radio

Currently featuring 84 tracks with over 16 hours of archival music. New stations will be added as we grow

OUTLOOK Introspectives

Find curious ideas and quick inspiration to explore, curated from our OUTLOOK newsletter series

Your Personal Daily Feed

A daily shot of creative music ideas and inspiration in two minutes or less

High-Quality Performance Replays

Performances from CMS Orchestra, the Operatic Orchestra, and more

Archival CMS Workshops From The 1970s And 1980s

Learn from creative musicians that defined generations of music, creativity, and improvisation

Artist-Curated Playlists From The Archives

Curated archival playlists made by our guiding artists.

Reserved For Monthly Or Yearly Donations:

CMS Workshops On-Demand

Currently over 50 90-minute workshops across a range of topics and lead by a diverse group of guiding artists

The Compete OUTLOOK Collection

Legendary musicians share their wisdom, stories, and opinions on music - how to listen, play, and live by it.

COMING SOON: Inspiration-Powered Topic-Specific Micro-learning

COMING SOON: Searchable On-Demand Access To The Full CMS Archives

COMING SOON: More Performances, Radio Streams, and Workshops

Why a recurring donation is the most impactful way to support our work

Recurring donations take it one step beyond the financial support. It gives us the ability to predict and rely on funding, so we can make bigger and bolder investments without relying on grants and constant fundraising. By giving a recurring donation, you are helping free our time to remain focused on the mission.

$19/month or $190/year

You can cancel or pause your donation at any time. Simply email support@creativemusic.org.

Other ways to give

In addition to donating here, you can send a check payable to Creative Music Foundation to:

Creative Music Foundation
PO Box 671
Woodstock, NY 12498

Interested in learn more about what's inside the portal?

CMS Workshops On-Demand

Celebrated Musicians Guide You Through Their Own Process Of Listening, Playing, And Living Through Creative Music

Available with a monthly or yearly donation

Yes, musicians will find this to be an unparalleled exploration of creative music - making it, improvising it, and finding your sound. It's a library of over 50 90-minute online workshops with guiding artists on the cutting edge of creative music.

But the vast majority of these workshops are not talking about anything technical. In the spirit of Karl's Music Mind, these workshops explore the philosophy of creative music in all you do.

CMS Streaming Radio

New Sounds For New Ears

It's more than the growing collection of over 84 tracks. It's more than just 16 hours of music on-demand. Much of this music comes directly out of the CMS Workshops, where the focus always started with how we listen. Listen for the love and enjoyment of the music. Or listen with the ears of the Music Mind.

You'll explore the music of guiding artists like Leroy Jenkins, Naná Vasconcelos, Fred Firth, Cecil Taylor, William Hooker, Marilyn Crispell, George Russell, Carla Bley, Wadada Leo Smith, Dumisani Maraire, Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Karl Berger, Ingrid Sertso, Art Ensemble Of Chicago, and more.

The Compete OUTLOOK Collection

Legendary Musicians Share Their Wisdom, Stories, And Opinions On Music - How To Listen, Play, And Live By It

Available with a monthly or yearly donation

Read a single article, read an entire issue, or search these enhanced PDFs for any theme, word, or musician. Read the stories, wisdom, and ideas of musical greats - in their own words.

OUTLOOK Introspectives

Find Quick Inspiration And Curious Ideas To Explore

Scan the page and find the words that jump out at you. Coming from the archives of our OUTLOOK: Creative Music Quarterly publication, these quotes from our guiding artists contain ideas, questions, poetry, and thoughts you can carry with you.

The Daily Feed

A Daily Shot Of Creative Music In 2 Minutes Or Less

Every time you log into the portal, you're greeted with a new video idea and Introspective to explore. Take it in and continue your day, or use it as a jumping off point to explore more.

High-Quality Performance Replays

Relive Recent Performances From Anywhere In The World

Performances include CMS Orchestra, the Operatic Orchestra, our Benefit Concerts and more, including those conducted by Karl Berger. See how his Music Mind philosophy translated to the creation and direction of improvised music.

Artist-Curated Playlists From The Archives

Experience How Creative Musicians Approach Listening

Listen to curated playlists of music from the CMS archives made by our guiding artists. They share insight into what, why, and how they chose and what you can listen for.

Archival CMS Workshops From The 1970s And 1980s

Learn From Creative Musicians That Defined Generations Of Music, Creativity, And Improvisation.

Listen to archival audio from workshops led by artists like Pauline Oliveros, Don Cherry, and Anthony Braxton

And Coming Soon

Experimental Topic-Specific Micro-learning Powered By Your Inspiration

Available with a monthly or yearly donation

A new approach to education modeled after the way creative musicians find and explore new sounds, techniques, and innovations: inspiration-driven explorations of a single topic from different angles.

Searchable On-Demand Access To The Full CMS Archives

Available with a monthly or yearly donation

For the first time ever, the entire CMS Archives - digitized with the support of a grant from Columbia University - will begin to roll out to the general public.

More Performances, Radio Streams, and Workshops

This portal will become the digital home of everything we've made and curated - and everything we make and curate into the future. As donors, you'll have first access to everything we make public.

Everything Inside The Portal

Included For All Donors

CMS Streaming Radio

Currently featuring 84 tracks with over 16 hours of archival music. New stations will be added as we grow

OUTLOOK Introspectives

Find curious ideas and quick inspiration to explore, curated from our OUTLOOK newsletter series

Your Personal Daily Feed

A daily shot of creative music ideas and inspiration in two minutes or less

High-Quality Performance Replays

Performances from CMS Orchestra, the Operatic Orchestra, and more

Archival CMS Workshops From The 1970s And 1980s

Learn from creative musicians that defined generations of music, creativity, and improvisation

Artist-Curated Playlists From The Archives

Curated archival playlists made by our guiding artists.

Reserved For Monthly Or Yearly Donations:

CMS Workshops On-Demand

Currently over 50 90-minute workshops across a range of topics and lead by a diverse group of guiding artists

The Compete OUTLOOK Collection

Legendary musicians share their wisdom, stories, and opinions on music - how to listen, play, and live by it.

COMING SOON: Inspiration-Powered Topic-Specific Micro-learning

COMING SOON: Searchable On-Demand Access To The Full CMS Archives

COMING SOON: More Performances, Radio Streams, and Workshops

Why a recurring donation is the most impactful way to support our work

Recurring donations take it one step beyond the financial support. It gives us the ability to predict and rely on funding, so we can make bigger and bolder investments without relying on grants and constant fundraising. By giving a recurring donation, you are helping free our time to remain focused on the mission.

$19/month or $190/year

You can cancel or pause your donation at any time. Simply email support@creativemusic.org.

Have questions, comments, or concerns?

© CREATIVE MUSIC STUDIO

THE CREATIVE MUSIC STUDIO ™ AND CMS™ ARE TRADEMARKS OF THE CREATIVE MUSIC FOUNDATION, INC., A 501(C)3 NONPROFIT CORPORATION FOUNDED IN 1971. 

Creative Music Foundation's programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.