Switchboard Music was started in 2007 by Jeff Anderle, Ryan Brown, and Jonathan Russell. Its primary activity is an annual marathon concert, the Switchboard Music Festival, that presents musicians – mostly from the San Francisco Bay Area – who are challenging, blending, and breaking down traditional genre distinctions.

Many musicians whose work falls in the cracks between genres can have difficulty finding exposure because of the challenges inherent in describing and marketing themselves. At Switchboard Music we believe that much of the most exciting, innovative music is happening exactly within these hard-to-define cracks between genres, and we are dedicated to bringing this music before the public. By establishing an annual outlet for this creative and innovative musical activity, we provide these musicians the opportunity to connect with a wide and diverse audience, and provide the public an opportunity to hear music they might not otherwise have access to.

co-founders Jon Russell, Ryan Brown, and Jeff Anderle

With its local focus, Switchboard celebrates the uniquely talented and diverse pool of musicians that call the Bay Area home, and the unique mix of cultures that gives the Bay Area its distinctive qualities. Switchboard creates an institutional framework for music that too often gets left out – not because of any lack of quality, but because of its challenge to traditional institutional definitions – giving it the financial support and exposure it deserves, and giving the public an opportunity to appreciate and learn about it in new ways. To date, Switchboard has successfully produced three eight-hour marathon concerts on March 30th 2008, March 29th 2009, and March 28th 2010. Preparations are well under way for the fourth annual concert, on April 3rd, 2011.

Switchboard Music is fiscally sponsored by New Music Bay Area, a 501(c)3 presenting organization in the Bay Area.

Switchboard Music Board of Directors

Jeff Anderle, Vice President, Treasurer
Dan Becker
Rose Bellini
Alex Brose
Ryan Brown, President
Lisa Petrie
Jonathan Russell, Vice President, Secretary

Artistic Advisory Board

Mason Bates
Paul Dresher
David Harrington
Carla Kihlstedt
Pamela Z

New Music Bay Area was formed around 1990 by composers, musicians and new music lovers in the Bay Area and for the first decade of its life was know as the 20th Century FORUM.
The primary objectives of New Music Bay Area are:

•To provide performance opportunities and related services to composers, performers and presenters of new musical, mixed media and performance art works in the San Francisco Bay Area.

•To provide music education and related services for the purpose of promoting contemporary music in the community.

•To stimulate interest in and community support for the works of local composers.

•To encourage composers and performers to participate in the production of new works.

We accomplish these goals by a mixture of activities including the organization of concerts, calls for scores of new music, and the regular publication of a calendar of events and newsletters in both print and on the Web. We are well known for our printed calendar of events, the Music of Changes, as well as the concerts we sponsor such as the popular Chapel of the Chimes event held each year during the summer solstice and featuring contemporary composers in an otherworldly setting.