This pithy Dickens quote never seems to go out of style: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”
2025 was a rough year in many ways, but a lot of good things happened. For Creative SEA, we provided some meaningful and fun community programming, and were rewarded with increased community outreach. New musicians attended our monthly jazz jam, new faces showed up at the Community Song Workshops and Interactive Concerts, and our seasonal concerts, Earth Day Cabaret and Texas Festivus Celebration had the largest attendance yet.
More important than attendance numbers was the positive feedback we received. Many people told me they appreciated the multigenerational character of our events. Some of the comments:
“You make young people comfortable to get on stage.”
“You can really see everyone having fun, and the audience is so supportive.”
“We need more shows like this in Austin, where everyone feels welcome.”
One moment was particularly poignant for me, at our September 27 Interactive Concert. The theme was songs in English and Spanish, and an elderly couple from Latin America told me the songs we played were the ones they listened to when they were young and dating. It brought back romantic memories for them, and they left the concert smiling.
We will continue to offer public music events in 2026, and we have some good community partners in the venues we work with. Barrel O’ Fun in Alamo Drafthouse Mueller has been hosting our monthly New Music Community Open Mic, and we plan to keep that going in the coming year. In South Austin, Captain Quack’s Soundspace has been a good fit for both our Festivus and Earth Day shows, so we’re planning to present shows there in April and December of 2026. Unity Church Of The Hills has been great to work with, particularly for our Community Song Workshop.
We are currently looking for a host venue for the monthly jazz jam. The challenge is having a venue that is accessible to all ages, and has good acoustics and stage area to accommodate all the musicians. The quest continues!
Creative SEA is slowly growing beyond the cultural events I personally produce and perform, which has been my goal from the outset. The music-centered events are great, but this coming year there is potential to offer other programs, such as creative writing workshops, visual arts gatherings, dance, and more. We’ve had a couple brainstorming potlucks, what I’m informally calling “The Wavemakers.” These are the folks who are regulars at our events, who help by contributing their time, money, and ideas because our work resonates with them. The creative energy of this circle is really inspiring and I think the Wavemakers will cause some positive ripples in 2026.
Finally, we are looking forward to partnering with other nonprofits over the new year. There is a strong community of nonprofits in Austin, and we are excited to be part of it. Austin is expensive, difficult, and stressful, and the corporate culture which dominates the economy presents many challenges and obstacles. But there are wonderful people in every business, every organization, and as we continue to build relationships across demographics, I am optimistic that we can make life just a little bit better for each other in 2026.