Creative Music Works 2025-2026 Program

For over three decades, Creative Music Works has stood as Colorado's beacon for musical boundary-pushers and sonic adventurers. Born from a vision of uncompromising freedom of expression for musicians, we began with intimate house parties where Denver's finest jazz and avant-garde artists explored new territories. Today, we've evolved into a nationally recognized organization while maintaining our core mission: connecting audiences with the transformative power of experimental music, jazz innovation, and improvised art.

Here's what the Guggenheim Award-winning composer, saxophonist and flutist Anna Webber had to say: 

"Organizations like Creative Music Works fulfill a very important role in the arts world. The kind of music I make often falls through the cracks in terms of support and funding. Organizations that seek out adventurous music are a necessary part of this music's survival, and I am very grateful that Creative Music Works exists!" 

- Anna Webber, 2/6/25

The Musical Adventure Continues with our 2025-2026 Season

Our upcoming 2025-2026 season exemplifies our commitment to presenting world-class artists who push the boundaries of musical expression. This carefully curated lineup demonstrates our ongoing mission to connect audiences with transformative musical experiences while supporting artists at the forefront of creative innovation.

Fall 2025 highlights

Fred Frith & Janet Feder (Tues, 9/16/25, The Bug Theater, Denver) opens our season with a collaboration between two masters of experimental guitar composition. Frith, founder of the legendary Henry Cow, brings decades of experience in treating "composition as an open-ended process," while Boulder native Feder continues her pioneering work with prepared guitar techniques. 

Ches Smith's Clone Row (Wed, 10/15/25, The Pearl, Denver) presents the drummer-composer's adventurous quartet featuring renowned guitarists Mary Halvorson and Liberty Ellman alongside bassist Nick Dunston. This ensemble represents the cutting edge of contemporary jazz composition, where acoustic instruments merge with electronic elements, creating what Smith describes as "a dance of coherence and chaos" through the interplay of composition and improvisation.

Brìghde Chaimbeul (Tues, 11/18/25, The Bug Theater, Denver), presented in partnership with Ghost Canyon, brings the ancient art of Scottish smallpipes into uncharted contemporary territory. This master musician, a native Gaelic speaker and BBC award winner, represents the evolution of traditional Celtic music into ambient and avant-garde realms, collaborating with artists ranging from Caroline Polachek to Colin Stetson.

Spring 2026 Programming will be announced this fall, promising additional world-class presentations that continue our tradition of introducing Colorado audiences to the most vital voices in contemporary creative music.

Why Your Support Matters: The Critical Need

Creative Music Works fills a unique gap in Colorado's cultural ecosystem. While commercial venues chase mainstream audiences, we create space for the groundbreaking artists who push musical boundaries. 

This isn't easy work—experimental music faces funding challenges that make individual donor support absolutely crucial to our survival and growth. The numbers tell the story: we've brought dozens of world-class innovators to Colorado stages and reached thousands of students through our educational programs since 1989. 

Your investment in us supports something rare: an organization that takes artistic risks, challenges audiences, and ensures Colorado remains connected to the global conversation about where music is heading next. 

When you support Creative Music Works, you join a community of individuals who understand that music at its best challenges, inspires, and transforms. 

Help write the next chapter in our story of musical adventure and cultural impact by making a donation today.