Reimagining Conservatory Training
SAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC
Jake Heggie Faculty, Composition
Opus 3 Artist
Your Guide to the Conservatory of the Future
Join a community of over 450 artists from 34 countries shaping the future.
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 game-changing 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, Meyer Sound, 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. Our partnerships with artist-management companies Opus 3 and Askonas Holt and the 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
500+ performances each year at SFCM
115+ on-campus work opportunities
100+ Steinway and Yamaha pianos for students
days of sunny skies (More than 70% of the year)
3:1 : student-faculty ratio
60% average percentage of tuition covered by SFCM scholarships 100% of students receive SFCM scholarships
40+ faculty performing with SF Symphony, Opera, Ballet, and Jazz ensembles
24/7 practice rooms in the Bowes Center
4 Bachelor of Music concentrations: arts leadership, historical performance, technology, and teaching
2 or more professional development credits required for all majors
With a Walk Score of 100 out of 100, the Bowes Center is considered a “walker's paradise.” Occupants and residents can run daily errands without any need for a vehicle.
Our badge-access-only buildings are staffed by 24-hour security officers.
Your Voice Matters
A Diverse Musical Community
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.
From our Black Student Union and Pride Network to our eclectic student-led Moonlight Society, and our Basketball and Running clubs, our student groups provide safe spaces for musicians of all kinds.
SFCM's Emerging Black Composers Project is an effort to commission Black artists while providing them with mentorship and the opportunity to perform new works at major orchestras like the San Francisco Symphony. Since its inception in 2020, it has led to the creation of 11 new musical works.
In addition, the Denis de Coteau Fellowship, originated in 2022, advances opportunities for musicians whose personal and professional experiences contribute to diversity in the arts. It's named in honor of Maestro de Coteau, longtime music director at the San Francisco Ballet and faculty member at the Conservatory. A joint program between SFCM and the SF Ballet, the fellowship is available to violinists, violists, cellists, and/or double bassists in SFCM's Professional Studies Certificate program.
Join a community where every voice is heard.
We really try to cater our educational practices towards each individual student. I am here to help shape their careers.
Jason Hainsworth
Associate Dean of Community Development
Executive Director, Roots, Jazz, and American Music, and Special Advisor to the President
Explore San Francisco
Take a look around at some of our favorite places to roam the city.
Chea Kang, Opera Studies · ’25
“My favorite place to unwind and go vintage shopping is the district. It's very colorful and fuels my creativity.”
Kristen Klehr · Assistant Dean for Professional Development and Engagement.
Patricia's Green sometimes in the early mornings on the weekends, getting a coffee, and sitting on the benches and watching the neighborhood wake up—also, to watch the dogs play! Sometimes there is a farmer's market there as well, which is fun to wander around too.”
Madison Roesler, Voice · ’21
“Although I'm a local, my favorite place in San Francisco is still the viewing area at Pier 39 to watch the hundreds of California sea lions. Between all the barking, lounging, fighting, napping, and swimming going on, it is one of the most entertaining scenes to watch on a sunny Sunday afternoon!”
Amelie-Anna Hinman
Assistant Director · Roots, Jazz, and American Music
“The ferry building has its little shops and great gourmet artisan places, but cheaper is a ferry to Sausalito or Oakland and a wonderful way to get a new perspective on San Francisco.”
“ Mount Sutro provides indescribable views of the city, and is home to several incredible hiking trails.”
Lee Anne Frahn Director of Admissions
My favorite place in San Francisco is Macondray Lane in Russian Hill—a peaceful, hidden alley with lush trees, whimsical greenery, and vibrant flowers. It feels like a secret garden in the middle of the city. If you continue uphill to Ina Coolbrith Park, you might spot the (in)famous wild parrots and catch one of the best views in the city.
Mateyko Jazwinski, RJAM · ’24
The Center of the Arts in San Francisco
01 Ann Getty Center for Education
SFCM’s facility at 50 Oak Street has 60 teaching spaces, 29 practice rooms, a cafe, and 3 performance spaces designed to showcase more than 500 yearly performances.
02 The Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center for Performing Arts
SFCM’s new 12-story music education and performance hub combines student housing, practice rooms, performance spaces, recording studios, and radio station Classical California KDFC. 03 SF Symphony
The GRAMMY-winning orchestra is across the street from SFCM's Bowes Center and most principal players are on SFCM faculty. SFCM students have access to opportunities to play side-by-side with professionals at Davies Hall and even substitute with the Orchestra. 04 SF Opera
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.
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. 06 SFJAZZ Center
SFCM is a long-time partner, with extensive overlap between faculty and the SFJAZZ Collective members. SFCM students frequently play side-by-side with SFJAZZ members on stage.
Your New Home For Music
Compose, practice, perform, and record
THE BOWES CENTER
Meet the first “vertical campus.”
This new 12-story, $200 million+, award-winning building in the core of the SF arts district transforms the city’s cultural landscape through street-level and rooftop performance spaces and a cutting-edge recording studio. Ninety-five percent of concerts here are free and open to the public!
This one-of-a-kind building contains modern apartment-style residences, the Classical California KDFC radio broadcasting studio, and the Uccello Lounge, a full-service restaurant that offers performance opportunities for students. SFCM’s closed campus features around-the-clock security officers in our buildings and allows access only to students, faculty, staff, and guests with badge access.
THE ANN GETTY CENTER
State-of-the-art studios and classrooms designed for the best audio and learning experience.
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. 50 Oak's Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall has recently undergone extensive renovations that utilize digital projections that add whole new worlds to onstage performances.
SEE FOR YOURSELF
From our beautiful concert halls to the cutting-edge tech of Studio G, explore our campus yourself! Scan the QR code to get started.
Reimagining the Conservatory Model
A new model for advancing music and education— SFCM's global initiative with Askonas Holt, Opus 3 Artists, and Pentatone
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.
musicians to workshop ideas on campus while simultaneously giving students hands-on exposure to shaping new works with these artists.
Together, the partners share an enthusiasm for supporting the success of students and artists by encouraging professional
Recent collaborations include Opus 3 Artist the Academy of St Martin in the Fields holding a residency that culminated in a side-by-side performance with students and Joshua Bell at Davies Symphony Hall. Additional collaborations include Canadian Brass, Tamara Mumford, and Aaron Diehl. Lara Downes and the SFCM Orchestra also recorded Edmar Colón’s Rhapsody in Blue Reimagined released in 2024 by Pentatone records. “
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.
David H. Stull President
Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall
Barbro Osher Recital Hall
Cha Chi Ming Recital Hall
Curriculum
MORE THAN JUST TECHNIQUE
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.
Courses like our Finance for Musicians class are designed to set you up for success as part of our Professional Development and Engagement Center (PDEC) 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. Alumni work in positions such as music producers, sound designers, and recording artists, and are employed by companies like Sony, Spitfire Audio, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft.
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.
Bachelor of Music Concentrations
Leadership
EDUCATING THE MODERN MUSICIAN
Concentrations are an opportunity to focus on an area of interest and build a larger skillset to take with you upon graduating. Once completed, your Concentration will be indicated on your transcript, so your efforts will be visible to future employers and graduate programs.
“ Understanding the ecosystem is what sets modern musicians apart.
” Kristen Klehr
Assistant Dean, Professional Development and Engagement Center Department Chair, Professional Development
SFCM offers a focused curriculum that prepares students for a life in music, however SFCM offers a holistic education. General studies in history, literature, languages, and other disciplines are essential to a fully transformative education. SFCM graduates are entrepreneurial, culturally informed, and well-rounded professionals.
SFCM has 24 classes built into its professional development curriculum. Classes like financial literacy and professional fundamentals are mandatory for undergraduates. More advanced classes include business for the media composer, entertainment law, and music contracts. This unique course work sets performers up for success in the business of music.
QUESTIONS ABOUT ACADEMICS?
At SFCM, morning classes are usually designated for musicianship and music theory, afternoon classes depend on instrument and area of study, while early evening classes can consist of large ensemble performances, studio classes, or professional development.
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX: WINTER TERM
Every January, Winter Term allows students the chance to play in a way they haven’t before. It’s a two-week long opportunity for students to immerse themselves in subjects beyond the standard curriculum. It’s a chance to learn about an interest they’ve never quite had time to explore or to give their 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!
I always remind my students that the music should come first. Decide what you want to say, then figure out how to say it. Technique and details should follow your musical ideal.
”
Jessica Valeri Faculty, Horn
Areas of Study
BRASS
Department Chair: Adam Luftman
Many of SFCM's brass faculty serve as principals in the San Francisco Symphony as well as players of the SF Opera and Ballet Orchestras. The department offers multiple performance opportunities through orchestra, chamber music, and brass choir, while honing the
COMPOSITION
Department Chair: David Conte
Our composition department provides students with faculty mentorship and frequent performance and workshop opportunities,
CONDUCTING
Department Chair: Edwin Outwater
GUITAR
Department Chair: David Tanenbaum
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 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.
sfcm.edu/guitar
HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE
individual's skills. Recent brass alumni have been hired by the National Symphony Orchestra and the U.S. Army Field band.
sfcm.edu/brass
including readings of your work, a student-led new music festival, art song competition, and the large ensemble and chamber cycles.
sfcm.edu/composition
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
Department Chair: Corey Jamason
Whether on keyboards, baroque violin, viola, cello, viola da gamba, harpsichord or voice, Historical Performance students learn from faculty with ties to leading early music
PERCUSSION
Department Chair: Jacob Nissly
The percussion program is composed of members of the San Francisco Symphony, two of them principal players, and a member of the GRAMMY-winning Silkroad Ensemble, founded by Yo-Yo Ma. Whether you want to hold down
organizations like the American Bach Soloists and San Francisco Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale.
sfcm.edu/historical-performance
the rhythms of a symphony or redefine what a percussion instrument is, the small studio sizes and multiple performance opportunities of this department ensure you're in good hands.
sfcm.edu/percussion
PIANO & COLLABORATIVE PIANO
Department Chair: Yoshikazu Nagai
Collaborative Piano
Department Chair: Tim Bach
Students of our wide-ranging piano and collaborative piano departments develop their style alongside celebrated faculty and visiting luminaries, including recent guest artists Yuja
Wang, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Daniil Trifonov. Made up of fewer than 60 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
Department Chair: Jason Hainsworth
Roots, Jazz, and American Music is a first- ofits-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, this this program offers an all-star faculty, visits and
STRINGS
Department Chair: Simon James
Home to the world’s best young string players, our strings program provides a variety of solo, ensemble, and orchestra
classes from world-class touring 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
VOICE
Department Chairs: Catherine Cook and Richard Cox Opera & Musical Theatre Chair: Heather Mathews
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 Giulio Cesare to Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. 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 has also recently expanded its Voice curriculum, which while continuing to embrace opera, will also include instruction in musical theater and multi-genre performance with microphone, all designed to multiply opportunities for young singers.
sfcm.edu/voice
performance opportunities, in addition to backstage access to the San Francisco Symphony, Ballet, and Opera.
sfcm.edu/strings
STRING & PIANO CHAMBER MUSIC
Department Chair: Dimitri Murrath
This program is open to graduate students both in pre-formed chamber groups and as individuals. The highly selective program provides students with time to focus on their chamber music skills, through playing with internationally acclaimed guest artists and SFCM faculty in the Chamber Music Tuesdays concert series, and highly focused rehearsals,
coaching and masterclasses for their chamber music ensembles.
The first program of its kind in the nation, it offers an immersive educational experience that combines intensive individual instrumental training with the study of chamber music at the highest artistic level.
sfcm.edu/string-and-piano-chamber
TECHNOLOGY & APPLIED COMPOSITION
The TAC program gives students a direct path into the worlds of audio engineering, film and video game scoring, live performance, emerging media, sound design, and other rewarding musical avenues. Students are mentored by active professionals working not only as composers but also as sound artists, recording engineers, and performers. Our state-ofthe-art recording and mixing studios feature
cutting-edge production tools and spatial audio systems, and our graduates are composing music for AAA video games and Netflix series, working for companies like Meta and Sony, or are active composer-performers redefining the intersection of technology and music.
sfcm.edu/tac
WOODWINDS
Department Chair: Jerome Simas
SFCM's Woodwinds department offers students one-on-one time with San Francisco Symphony principal musicans. Performance opportunities, from Woodwind Ensemble to chamber group collaborations, abound, and SFCM maintains its
“ The school is at the front of the line in preparing students to succeed as 21st-century musicians the facilities are beyond compare, and I very much look forward to continuing my teaching career here.
own reedmaking lab for students. Recent graduates have landed jobs with lauded orchestras like "The President's Own" Marine Corps Band, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco Symphony.
sfcm.edu/woodwinds
Awadagin Pratt Faculty, Piano
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
Students develop an instinct for phrasing by connecting notes with the human breath, performing in multiple languages, and encountering a diverse range of periods and style.
Guitar Ensemble
Explore new and traditional music in an ensemble that has a legacy of world premieres and commissions through a department with a world-class faculty and visiting artists.
Jazz 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.
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 five fully staged productions each season, along with curated opera scene showcases. Among these productions is an opera dedicated specifically to undergraduate voice students, and another dedicated to musical theatre.
Additional opportunities include a semi-staged historical performance/Baroque opera.
Percussion Ensemble
Perform in two annual concerts that draw from foundational composers like Edgard Varèse and contemporary icons such as Steve Reich.
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 department 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 2025 presentation of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, which dazzled audiences. “The talent on display was stunning, the production, the singing, the acting, the orchestra, the conducting, and pacing, every part,” said composer Jake Heggie. “It could easily be on Broadway.” This production also featured the evolving digital opera hall. These ongoing upgrades include dramatic technical upgrades and a full digital proscenium creating a multimedia immersive experience.
VIEW ALL PERFORMANCES AT SFCM.EDU/PERFORMANCES
You’re in Good Company
Here’s what some of your future peers and mentors are saying about SFCM, music, and life.
“Your school really is a jewel in the palace that is San Francisco.”
“Of course my teacher, Rhoslyn Jones taught me how to sing, but also how to advocate for myself, how to believe in myself, how to encourage, protect, and share the artistic flame inside me.”
“Be as creative with your career as you are with your music.”
“Take time to look around and be thankful for what music and SFCM has done for you, the places it has taken you, and the people you have met because of it. This isn't like a regular college, we're much more tight-knit, and teachers get to know you.”
“I came to the Conservatory because it's always looking to the future.”
“When I showed up I really fell in love with the city and it assured me that I made the right choice and the community here is really friendly and supportive. ”
Julian Sommer, MM ’25 Cello
Caroline Feitosa · BM ’25 Technology and Applied Composition
Miranda Playfair, Violinist Academy of St Martin in the Fields Opus 3 Artist
Hope Nelson AD ’24 Opera Studies
Edwin Outwater SFCM’s Music Director Faculty, Conducting
Mason Bates Faculty, Composition
VISIT SFCM, YOUR NEW HOME
TRANSFORM — INTELLECTUALLY, ARTISTICALLY, PROFESSIONALLY, AND INDIVIDUALLY
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.
CONNECT WITH US
ADMISSIONS 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
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UNCOVER WHAT'S INSIDE
“
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.
”
Ted Gioia
American Jazz Critic