New Music Circle

Why Your Support Matters

New Music Circle has been a catalyst for adventurous music in St. Louis for 66 years, powered entirely by grants and the generosity of individuals like you.

In an era of rising costs and shrinking arts funding, we remain fiercely committed to accessibility: we haven’t raised ticket prices since 2012, and nearly half of our audiences attend at sliding-scale rates. Every concert, every artist residency, every free workshop we provide for schoolchildren costs significantly more than ticket sales alone can cover.

Your gift helps us bring world-renowned musicians to St. Louis, host transformative workshops for local students, and keep cutting-edge music open to everyone — not just those who can afford it.

Together, we can keep St. Louis a home for bold, boundary-pushing sound. Thank you for believing in the power of music without barriers.

Founded in 1959, New Music Circle (NMC) is the oldest organization in the United States dedicated to presenting experimental music. With a mission rooted in diversity, innovation, and community engagement, NMC brings groundbreaking, underrepresented music to St. Louis—blending influences from jazz, electronic, and classical traditions.

NMC showcases both renowned and emerging artists whose work is stylistically, compositionally, technically, and culturally adventurous. Many of these performances would not otherwise be heard in St. Louis—or anywhere else in the Midwest. Each event is thoughtfully curated and held in venues selected to best serve the artist’s vision and enhance audience experience.

NMC is equally committed to outreach and education, offering performances, lectures, and Q&A sessions for students (from elementary through college) and the general public. These programs aim to cultivate a broader appreciation for contemporary music while fostering a thriving community of forward-thinking musicians and listeners.

With audiences often traveling from across the region, NMC has become a unique and vital fixture in St. Louis’s cultural landscape—championing experimental music and promoting access, engagement, and artistic dialogue across diverse communities.