Carlsbad Music Festival
2004-2021

In 2022 I resigned from my position as Founder and Artistic Director of the Carlsbad Music Festival. I have nothing to do with the organization in its new incarnation and it has nothing to do with me.

I founded the Carlsbad Music Festival in 2003, fresh out of college, and it was a labor (a lot of labor) of love for almost 20 years. During that time, I did every job from creating the vision for the organization, to curation, to performing, to fundraising, to graphic design, to branding, to wannabe urban planning, to moving stage equipment, to cleaning bathrooms (I tried to do that less in recent years). The Festival grew to be both a beloved community event and a critically-acclaimed, artistically-innovative cultural destination.

I am proud that it was an event of musician-centric diversity and discovery, presenting a wide-ranging view of music-making to an adventurous audience. I am also proud that it made an impact on many people’s lives and I have included some press and musician quotes below. Please feel free to reach out to share any memories you have of the Fest.

Thank you so much to all the musicians, audience, staff, donors, volunteers, city employees, and everyone else who helped make it such a great event for so many years! I have so many fond memories of wonderful performances, great community vibes, and late-night hangs with the musicians after the audience had gone home.

I feel the love of the many dozens of people who have reached out on facebook, instagram and elsewhere, and I’m sending it back! Please feel free to reach out to share any memories you have from the Festival over the years.

Here’s one last cheers to “adventurous music by the beach”!

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Press Quotes

San Diego Union-Tribune:
“Phenomenal”
“It has earned a sterling reputation among performers and audiences alike.”
"A willingness to take risks, to see how far adventurous music by the beach can go in telling us new things about ourselves... CMF is doing it right."

Los Angeles Times:
“magnificently enlightening” programming
“Founded and nimbly run by young composer-violinist Matt McBane, the festival provides a fresh West Coast forum for new music, commissioned, performed and served up with seriousness as well as audience accessibility. “
Matt McBane is “a natural composer, a fresh voice and, from the evidence of his festival, a first-rate organizer with a broad range of musical interests”
“this is a new music pipsqueak that is making a significant statement. It reminds me of what the Ojai Festival was before it became famous.” (2011)

Alex Ross:
"starry array of new-music specialists"

San Diego Story:
“a spectacular festival” 
“festival has discovery in its DNA, and has worked miraculously at this compulsion”

San Diego CityBeat:
“The Carlsbad Music Festival has quickly made a name for itself as one of the best single gatherings of diverse, avant-garde musicians in Southern California.” 

Musical America:
Matt selected as national 2012 “Rising Star in the Performing Arts” for his founding, and artistic and executive direction of CMF.

From festival musicians in press interviews in the San Diego Union-Tribune and SoundDiego:

“What I love is the programming, the diversity of aesthetic approach that Matt (McBane) takes. It’s really special.”

“It’s an anchor point in San Diego’s music community. It’s a space for all sorts of music.”

"The communal spirit of the event is so vibrant and celebratory. It's wonderful to see such a diverse array of music fans come out and enjoy themselves.”

“There are very few festivals that feature a bunch of different musical styles simultaneously. Especially for the listener, it gives a really wide view of music-making — and it’s all within walking distance.” 

Social Media Announcements

Thanks to the many dozens of people who have posted words of support on my social media feeds. I feel the love and send it back!