A new music collective founded by Matthew Cmiel when he was in high school, Formerly Known as Classical specialized in playing music written during the life times of its performers, making the oldest piece of music in their repertoires at any given time no more than 18 years old. In the early days, Formerly Known as Classical received national acclaim, was mentioned by acclaimed music journalist Alex Ross of The Rest Is Noise, and was invited to perform at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.
In its current incarnation, vocalist and composer, Nick Main, and violinist and composer, Theo Haber, both students at Asawa SOTA and The John Adams Young Composers Workshop at Crowden Music Center, have taken up the mantle for New Music.