Experience
for music education.
Redefine the nature of music and education at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Explore San Francisco
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Curriculum
04.
SFCM by the Numbers
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Areas of Study
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The Center of Arts in San Francisco
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Ensembles
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Your New Home For Music
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You’re in Good Company
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Connect with Us
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Three Unique Alliances: Opus 3 Artists · Pentatone Music · Askonas Holt 09.
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A Diverse Musical Community
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I now look at the total picture, and I see SFCM pursuing an ambitious strategy that encompasses the entire music ecosystem. No other conservatory in the world has anything close to their presence in technology, recording, music distribution, career development, concert bookings, and even music journalism.
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Ted Gioia Am er ican Ja zz C rit ic
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Golden Gate Bridge S
Join a community of over 450 artists from 34 countries shaping the future.
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Presidio
16 Ferry Building Chinatown
Japantown
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Arts District
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Golden Gate Park 20
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Oracle Park
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Mission District
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Explore San Francisco Arts & Culture
Business & Tech
Nature
Arts District is shown in detail on page 7.
9. Dolby 10. Facebook 11. Google 12. LucasFilm 13. Sony 14. Twitter
18. Alamo Square 19. Baker Beach 20. Botanical Garden 21. Conservatory of Flowers 22. Crissy Field 23. Land’s End 24. Mt. Sutro Open Space Reserve 25. Salesforce Park
1. Amoeba Records 2. Castro Theatre 3. Contemporary Jewish Museum 4. Exploratorium 5. The Fillmore 6. LGBT Center 7. Museum of the African Diaspora 8. SFMOMA
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San Francisco Conservatory of Music
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UCSF Chase Medical Center Center
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Outer Sunset
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Ocean Beach
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Fisherman’s Wharf
Palace of Fine Arts
The Next Generation of Musical Leaders
Farmers Markets 15. Heart of the City 16. Ferry Plaza 17. Outer Sunset
Creatives shine in San Francisco. The city we call home has a long history of welcoming innovators and groundbreakers who bring their big ideas and expand them into gamechanging art, technology, and businesses. Our curriculum and collaborations at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music share that DNA. Since being founded in 1917 by two pioneering women, we’ve built upon a legacy of ingenuity by connecting with local music organizations and tech hubs. The San Francisco Symphony, Ballet, Opera, and SFJAZZ are steps away from campus and employ many of our faculty and alumni. Our Silicon Valley neighbors—Sony, Dolby, Google, and Apple— are also partners and collaborators.
At SFCM, we are lifelong leaders and learners. As a professional school, we are committed to providing an extraordinary education that prepares our graduates to pursue fully engaged lives as citizens of the world. Our core mission is to transform our students: artistically, intellectually, professionally, and individually. With our partnerships with artist-management companies Opus 3 and Askonas Holt and GRAMMY-winning record label, Pentatone, your music education will be incomparable. At SFCM, we educate the whole person, nurturing students who are world-class musicians on a technical level, with a powerful vision and the tools to manifest that vision in the world. To learn more about our audition process and scholarship opportunities, please visit our website www.sfcm.edu.
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SFCM By the Numbers
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I started playing violin at age seven in Cuba. When my family immigrated to the United States several years later, the cost of continuing my music education became a challenge, as my Spanish-speaking parents struggled to cover our family’s basic needs with minimum-wage jobs. So, for the past ten years, I practiced with the hope of earning a scholarship. When I received my acceptance letter to SFCM and a generous scholarship, it was one of the happiest moments in my life.
500++ performances each year at SFCM
260 days of sunny skies (70% of the year)
450 total students enrolled partners for student performance 60 community and teaching opportunities faculty performing with SF Symphony, 35 studio Opera, Ballet, and Jazz ensembles
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S o lan ch S o s a, ’22 Vio lin
24//7 practice rooms in the Bowes Center 3 divisions of study: classical, jazz, technology
faculty-student ratio
2
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Bachelor of Music concentrations: arts leadership, technology, and teaching
99%
professional development credits required for all majors
FINANCIAL AID
of students receive SFCM scholarships
60%
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Scholarships & Grants
• The only accredited music conser vator y
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Tuition & Fees
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Applying for Aid
• Dedicated facult y provide direc t access
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Loans
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Work Opportunities
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Veteran Educational Benefits
in Northern California
We have round-the-clock security officers in our buildings and only allow access by utilizing badges.
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San Francisco Conservatory of Music
We know college is a substantial investment. We’re here to help you navigate the financial aid process so you can achieve your dreams. Check out our website for more information on:
t o a l l o f S F ’s p r e m i e r a r t o r g a n i z a t i o n s
average percentage of tuition covered by SFCM scholarships
VISIT SFCM.EDU/COSTS-FINANCIAL-AID TO LEARN MORE.
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Franklin Street
The Center of Arts in San Francisco
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Our neighborhood is the heart of arts and culture in the city.
s Aven
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Ann Getty Center for Education (SFCM’s Ann Getty Center)
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r Street
McAlliste
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SFCM’s facility at 50 Oak Street opened in 2006 and has 60 teaching spaces, 29 practice rooms, a cafe, and 3 performance spaces designed to showcase more than 500 yearly performances. 02
Civic Center
Bay Area Rapid Transit
The Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center for Performing Arts (SFCM’s Bowes Center)
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SFCM’s new 12-story music education and performance hub combines student housing, practice rooms, performance spaces, recording studios, and Classical KDFC radio. 03
SF Symphony
War Memorial Opera House
The city’s GRAMMY Award-winning orchestra is led by Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen. Most principal players are on the SFCM faculty. 04
City Hall
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SF Opera
Davies Symphony Hall
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SFJAZZ Center
SFJAZZ Center SFCM is a long-time partner, with extensive overlap between faculty and Collective members and side-by-side performance opportunities.
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Sydney Goldstein Theater
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Asian Art Museum
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
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Orpheum Theater
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Bowes Center (SFCM)
ke t
One of the world’s leading dance companies is also a frequent SFCM collaborator. SFCM faculty members are part of the SF Ballet Orchestra and students from the SF Ballet School live alongside SFCM students in the Bowes Center. In 2022, the two organizations partnered to form the Denis de Coteau Fellowship to advance opportunities for musicians with diverse backgrounds.
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SF Ballet
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This internationally renowned company is known for commissioning numerous world premieres and training the next generation of opera stars. Numerous faculty and alumni are ingrained with this company through initiatives like the historic Merola Opera Program and Adler Fellowship Program.
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Oak Stree
Ann Getty Center (SFCM)
Hayes Valley 7
Your New Home For Music
Reimagining the Conservatory Model
Compose, practice, perform, and record
Cha Chi Ming Recital Hall
THE BOWES CENTER Meet the first “vertical campus.” This new 12-story, $200 million+, award-winning building in the core of the SF Arts scene transforms the city’s cultural landscape through street-level and rooftop performance spaces and a cutting-edge recording studio. Ninety percent of concerts here are free and open to the public! This one-of-a-kind building contains modern apartmentstyle residences, the Classical KDFC radio broadcasting studio, and a restaurant lounge that allows for live student performances. SFCM’s closed campus features around-theclock security officers in our buildings and allows access only to students, faculty, staff, and guests with badge access.
THE ANN GETTY CENTER The Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center for Performing Arts
Our facilities at 50 Oak Street house acoustically mastered spaces (including practice rooms, teaching and recording studios, and concert halls) tailored to specific sound requirements. The building is also home to more than 100 Steinway and Yamaha pianos, a collection of Baroque instruments, and the historic Harris Guitar Collection.
From our beautiful concert halls to the cutting-edge tech of Studio G, explore our campus yourself! Scan the QR code to get started.
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San Francisco Conservatory of Music
SFCM is redefining what it means to be a modern conservatory—starting by not limiting itself to being just a conservatory. In late 2020, SFCM began a series of acquisitions to reimagine how traditionally disparate elements of the music industry could connect. The Conservatory now leads an alliance consisting of artist management companies Askonas Holt and Opus 3 Artists and recording label Pentatone.
Together, the partners share an enthusiasm for supporting the success of students and artists while advancing the human experience through music–in part, by encouraging professional musicians to workshop ideas on campus while simultaneously giving students hands-on exposure to shaping new works. Recent collaborations include Opus 3 Artist Patricia Racette's staging of The Consul; students also performed side-byside with artists represented by Askonas Holt and Opus 3, including the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Canadian Brass, Tamara Mumford, and Aaron Diehl.
State-of-the-art studios and classrooms designed for the best audio and learning experience.
SEE FOR YOURSELF
Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall
A new model for advancing music and education— SFCM's global initiative with Askonas Holt, Opus 3 Artists, and Pentatone
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These growing partnerships with Askonas Holt, Opus 3, and Pentatone are dedicated to supporting the finest artists of our time and cultivating the emerging talent of tomorrow. This is just the beginning.
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D avid Stu ll S F CM Pr es ide nt
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Your Voice Matters
Curriculum
A Diverse Musical Community
MORE THAN JUST TECHNIQUE
SFCM is committed to raising all voices. We champion the experiences of people who identify across spectrums of gender, sexual orientation, and race and integrate these experiences into our curriculum and performances.
Our curriculum expands the typical conservatory education by preparing students for opportunities in the modern economy. Our faculty are not just world-class teachers, but working musicians and industry leaders, providing unrivaled mentorship, connections, and guidance.
From our Black Student Union and Pride Network to our eclectic student-led Moonlight Society, and our Hiking and Environmentalism club, our student groups provide safe spaces for musicians of all kinds. Our Emerging Black Composers Project is a 10-year commitment to commission Black artists while providing them with mentorship and the opportunity to premiere new works at major orchestras. In addition, in a partnership with the San Francisco Ballet, our Denis de Coteau fellowship advances opportunities for musicians whose personal and professional experiences contribute meaningfully to an expanded sense of diversity in the arts by providing tuition, housing, stipends, and performance experiences. It's named after Maestro de Coteau, longtime music director of the SF Ballet and faculty member at the Conservatory. Join a community where every voice is heard. Learn more at sfcm.edu/dei.
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We really try to cater our educational practices towards each individual student. I am here to help shape their careers.
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Courses like our Finance for Musicians class are designed to set you up for success as part of our Professional Development and Engagement Center which readies the artist as a whole for the working world of music. Our Technology and Applied Composition program has one of the strongest job placement rates for music conservatory graduates anywhere. SFCM promotes real-world experience, encouraging students to book gigs and perform at venues on and off-campus. Our deep connections to the SF Symphony, Ballet, Opera and SFJAZZ also give you the chance for side-by-side performances and our tight-knit studios and small class sizes provide plenty of one-on-one instruction.
EDUCATING THE MODERN MUSICIAN SFCM offers undergraduate students the option to pursue a concentration in business, teaching, or technology. These concentrations serve as an opportunity for students to focus on an area of interest and build a larger skill set. Once completed, concentrations will be indicated on transcripts and visible to future employers and graduate programs.
TH I N K O UTS I D E TH E B OX : W I NTE R TE R M Every January, Winter Term allows you the chance to play in a way you haven’t before. It’s a weeks-long opportunity for students to immerse themselves in subjects beyond the standard curriculum. It’s a chance to learn about an interest you’ve never quite had time to explore or to give your career a head start by developing a business or technical skill. Experiment in a different genre, learn to DJ, or create your own concert to name a few!
Jason H ai n swo rt h Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Executive Director, Roots, Jazz, and American Music, and Special Advisor to the President
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San Francisco Conservatory of Music
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I remember the first day that I received my faculty badge, and the excitement and the responsibility that I felt. I’m proud to be a member of SFCM.
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M en g S u F ac u l ty, G u i tar, m e m b e r o f Bei j i n g G u i tar D u o
Areas of Study song competition, and the large ensemble and chamber cycles. SFCM.EDU/COMPOSITION
CONDUCTING With only one or two students in the program at a time, our conducting program guarantees students the high-level guidance and performance opportunities—in conjunction with the Conservatory orchestra and other
ensembles—required to become successful and well-rounded conductors. SFCM.EDU/CONDUCTING
GUITAR SFCM’s guitar department has produced some of the top guitarists in the world, including winners of the Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition. Spearheaded by an all-star, international faculty with expertise ranging from early music to cutting-edge modern work, this program also offers access to the historic Harris Guitar Collection and
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San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Whether on keyboards, baroque violin, viola, cello, viola da gamba, or historical plucked strings, Historical Performance students learn from faculty with ties to leading early music organizations like the American Bach
numerous performance opportunities (especially in chamber music) within the Conservatory. The guitar program honors the historic tradition of classical guitar while cultivating innovation with guitar graduates succeeding on and off the performance stage.
Soloists and San Francisco Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale. SFCM.EDU/HISTORICAL-PERFORMANCE
PIANO/KEYBOARDS Students of our wide-ranging piano department—and intimate and dynamic harpsichord, organ, and collaborative piano programs—develop their style alongside celebrated faculty and visiting luminaries, including recent guest artists Yuja Wang, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Daniil Trifonov.
COMPOSITION Our composition department provides students with faculty mentorship and frequent performance and workshop opportunities, including readings of your work, a student-led new music festival, art
HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE
Made up of fewer than 50 students, this department prides itself on individualized attention for each pianist, as well as extraordinary instruments including New York and Hamburg Steinway Ds in every concert hall. SFCM.EDU/KEYBOARD
ROOTS, JAZZ, AND AMERICAN MUSIC Roots, Jazz, and American Music is a firstof-its-kind program that links a world-class music conservatory to an award-winning jazz concert venue in SFJAZZ. Building on the legacy of alumni like Julian Lage and George Duke, programs offer all-star faculty, visits and classes from world-class touring
STRINGS Home to the world’s best young string players, our strings program provides a variety of solo, ensemble, and orchestra performance opportunities, in addition to backstage access to the San Francisco Symphony, Ballet, and Opera. SFCM.EDU/STRINGS
artists, and real-world opportunities at some of the Bay Area’s leading jazz venues. You’ll understand the roots of your music, freeing you to take it somewhere new. SFCM.EDU/ROOTS-JAZZ-AND-AMERICAN-MUSIC
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I came to the Conservatory because they’re looking towards the future.
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E dwin Out w at e r S F CM ’s M u s ic Dire ct or F acu lty, Cond uct ing
SFCM.EDU/GUITAR
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STRING & PIANO CHAMBER MUSIC
VOICE
The nation’s first graduate String and Piano Chamber Music program provides a yearround focus on chamber music, featuring workshops, masterclasses, and concerts
Our celebrated faculty will hone your technique and expand your artistry through private voice lessons, studio classes, and professional development courses to help you grow into a business-savvy, well-rounded artist. Our deep ties to SF Opera include its Adler Fellowship and Merola programs, some of the best young artist initiatives in the country. Students also participate in multiple fully staged opera productions a year from
for the public with acclaimed industry professionals and faculty. SFCM.EDU/STRING-AND-PIANO-CHAMBER
TECHNOLOGY & APPLIED COMPOSITION The TAC program gives students a direct path into the worlds of audio engineering, film scoring, video game sound design, and other rewarding musical avenues. Featuring instruction from some of the most visible composers in the industry today, the TAC program readies you for a cutting-edge artistic life that bridges art and technology in the most dynamic ways imaginable.
The technology found in our TAC spaces is so impressive, the Recording Academy held a listening event in our studio for the GRAMMY Awards. Our graduates are scoring Super Bowl commercials, developing audio at huge tech companies, and producing hit songs with some of the biggest stars in music today. SFCM.EDU/TAC
Giulio Cesare to The Enchanted Pig. Far more than just your voice, the curriculum also centers on acting and diction skills–and even stage combat–to prepare you for a complete career on stage. SFCM.EDU/VOICE
WOODWINDS, BRASS, OR PERCUSSION Made up of principal brass chairs of the San Francisco Symphony, local ensemble leaders, as well as principal players of the San Francisco Opera and Ballet orchestras, the close-knit studio of our woodwinds, brass, and percussion department
guarantees individualized instruction, performance opportunities, and industry connections. SFCM.EDU/WOODWINDS SFCM.EDU/BRASS SFCM.EDU/PERCUSSION
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TH E SO N Y PROJ E C T Each semester visiting artists from Sony Interactive Entertainment work with SFCM TAC students to compose scores for a fictitious video game. The project exposes students to professionals and what life is like in the industry. Working directly with Sony staff, students respond to a prompt that guides them through a narrative arc, enabling them to bring a score to life in their own, unique ways.
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San Francisco Conservatory of Music
My goal as a voice teacher is not only to provide tools to build a strong vocal technique but also to instill a love of music and performance through mentorship that will inspire the best singers and artistic leaders of the future."
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Rh o s lyn J o n es S o pr an o, S an F r an cis co Oper a F acu lty, Vo ice
SFCM.EDU/ADMISSIONS
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Ensembles Perform with your peers at the highest level.
Get to know a handful of the ensembles available at SFCM. Baroque Ensemble Ensembles big and small perform timeless music from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Chorus Stand out as an individual (thanks to significant solo opportunities) while collaborating as part of a cohesive vocal ensemble.
Guitar Ensemble Explore new and traditional music in an ensemble that has a legacy of world premieres and commissions through a department with a worldclass faculty and visiting artists.
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San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Jazz Ensemble
Percussion Ensemble
Delve into every configuration of jazz group from small combos on up with close supervision from RJAM faculty in Jazz Seminar, Big Band, and Latin Jazz Ensemble.
Perform in two annual concerts that draw from foundational composers like Edgard Varèse and contemporary icons such as Steve Reich.
New Music Ensemble Perform a variety of works written in the 20th and 21st centuries in concert with leading contemporary composers and premiere works by fellow students.
Opera and Musical Theatre A program that produces four fully staged opera and musical theatre productions with full or chamber orchestra.
SFCM Orchestra Experience a complete overview of classical repertoire and perform multiple concerts a year that prominently feature student soloists.
String and Piano Chamber Music This highly selective and intentionally small ensemble is the nation’s first such program at the graduate level.
Woodwind and Brass Chamber Music With individual coaching by industry leaders, this ensemble explores wide-ranging music literature in multiple performances each year.
Recent ensemble concert highlights include Opera and Musical Theatre’s 2022 presentation of The Enchanted Pig. “Two roles were written for opera singers, and the other six roles for more musical theatre-type performances,” said Heather Mathews, the chair of the Opera and Musical Theatre program. “It required the cast to portray several different characters, so it was a great tool for expanding the performers’ range,” she added.
VIEW ALL PERFORMANCES AT SFCM.EDU/PERFORMANCES
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You’re in Good Company
“I learned how to play the oboe in undergrad and post-grad, but I learned how to be a musician at SFCM.”
Here’s what some of your future peers and mentors are saying about SFCM, music, and life.
An dr ew Po r t, ’22 Obo e, Civic Or ch es tr a o f Ch icag o
“The Bowes Center is a safe space that actually gives the students and faculty the preconditions for creativity.”
“We all have something to say with our instruments, and our place to find in this world. In the end, music is what matters.”
Yo-Yo Ma Op u s 3 A rt i st
E m m an u el Ceys s o n F a c u lt y, H a rp
“When I was doing my auditions... I was asking a lot, 'Do the departments at this school work with each other? Are they all talking to each other? Are they performing together?' And I came here and I didn't even need to ask the question because I literally saw it happening.” J a s m i n e S a h d, ’ 2 3 Vo i c e
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San Francisco Conservatory of Music
“Besides my mother, my next greatest mentor is my teacher, César Ulloa. He’s shaped so much of the artist and musician I am today, and I am so grateful to him for being such a rock in what can be such a tumultuous career path.” Wilfo r d Kelly, ’20 Vo ice, B as s - B ar ito n e S F Oper a Ch o r u s
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VISIT SFCM, YOUR NEW HOME
CONNECT WITH US
TRANSFORM — INTELLECTUALLY, ARTISTICALLY, PROFESSIONALLY, AND INDIVIDUALLY
ADMISSIONS
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music is committed to creating a challenging and nurturing environment where you can carve a path for a rewarding and exciting profession. Connect with us— on campus or online—as we work together to define what it means to be a 21st-century musician.
apply@sfcm.edu 50 Oak Street San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 503-6271 Questions about admissions, attending a performance, or giving to SFCM? Ask our chatbot at sfcm.edu/admissions
20 San Francisco Conservatory of Music
@sfconservmusic @sfconservmusic @SFConservMusic @SanFranciscoConservatoryOfMusic @sfconservmusic @SFConservMusic @san-francisco-conservatory-of-music
sfcm.edu Learn more or apply to SFCM today.
A new kind of conservatory for one-of-a-k ind musicians.