The Bay Area has always been at the forefront in creating new music. With the arrival of composer-conductor Esa- Pekka Salonen at the San Francisco Symphony, the local premieres of native-sons, Jake Heggie and John Adams, the San Francisco Conservatory's music and technology curriculum, and the on-going new music projects of the Kronos Quartet, Baroque Philharmonia and Chanticleer we have a rich repertoire to explore. This class will provide an environment to stretch our ears as we study the 'musical newness’ emanating from our home town.