At its heart, Present Music is an ensemble of musicians. Six times a year, Artistic Director Kevin Stalheim develops a program to be performed in Milwaukee, and at times in Madison, by the Present Music ensemble, which ranges from a core group of seven musicians to an ensemble of twenty. The Ensemble expands and contracts to allow for a diversity of instrumental combinations and the requirements of each program. The artists that make up Present Music engage the audience in imaginative and provocative concert experiences that have been described as "crackling with wit and intelligence," "wildly varied," "fun," and "unpredictable."

Present Music is committed to the creation of new work and nurturing emerging composers, and has commissioned over 20 major new works in the past ten years. Composers who have worked in residence or have been commissioned by Present Music include John Adams, John Harbison, Michael Torke, Kamran Ince, Joan LaBarbara, Roberto Sierra, Bright Sheng, David Lang, Eleanor Hovda, Jerome Kitzke, Qu Xiaosong, Scott Lindroth, Lois V. Vierk, Daron Hagen, Mary Ellen Childs, Daniel Lentz, Jerome Kitzke, Juliet Palmer, Guy Klucevsek, and many others.

In addition to its performance season, Present Music manages an education program having composers work "in residence" with young people, assisting them in composing and creating meaningful musical works. Called the Creation Project, the program culminates in public performances of the student compositions by student and professional musicians.

Present Music can be heard on eight compact disc recordings that include the composers Kamran Ince, Michael Torke, Jerome Kitzke, Kimmo Hakola, Daniel Lentz and Joseph Koykkar on the Argo, innova, Albany, and Northeastern labels.