San Francisco Conservatory of Music

San Francisco Conservatory of Music The San Francisco Conservatory of Music educates exceptionally talented musicians from around the world For more information, visit sfcm.edu.
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Founded in 1917, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music is the oldest conservatory in the American West and has earned an international reputation for producing musicians of the highest caliber. Its faculty includes nearly 30 members of the San Francisco Symphony as well as Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning artists in the fields of orchestral and chamber performance, classical guitar, and jaz

z. The Conservatory offers its 400-plus collegiate students fully accredited bachelor's and master's degree programs in composition and instrumental and vocal performance. SFCM was the first institution of its kind to offer world-class graduate degree programs in chamber music and classical guitar. Its Pre-College Division provides exceptionally high standards of musical education and personal attention to more than 200 younger students. SFCM faculty and students give nearly 500 public performances each year, most of which are offered to the public at no charge. Its community outreach programs serve over 1,600 school children and over 6,000 members of the wider community. Notable alumni include violinists Yehudi Menuhin and Isaac Stern, conductor and pianist Jeffrey Kahane, soprano Elza van den Heever, Blue Bottle Coffee founder James Freeman and Ronald Losby, President, Steinway & Sons - Americas, among others. The Conservatory's Civic Center facility is an architectural and acoustical masterwork, and the Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall was lauded by The New York Times as the "most enticing classical-music setting" in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Los Angeles Philharmonic Principal Timpanist and composer Joe Pereira is joining SFCM’s Percussion Department for the Fa...
06/23/2026

Los Angeles Philharmonic Principal Timpanist and composer Joe Pereira is joining SFCM’s Percussion Department for the Fall 2026 semester!

Pereira brings an impressive set of credentials on both sides of the country, having previously played in the New York Philharmonic from 1997 to 2008. As a teacher, his must-have for potential students is a sense of curiosity. Because everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, Pereira doesn't use a predetermined program, though he emphasizes that a well-developed ear is a necessity for navigating the timpani's variable pitches.

He is excited to join SFCM Percussion fellows Haruka Fujii and Chair Jacob Nissly to build up the department together. "If you're curious about the music and you're honest with yourself and you work really hard, you'll be successful," Pereira says. "I almost guarantee that to my students now."

Read the full story: https://bit.ly/44whOt7

06/23/2026

Developing as a performer requires both challenge and support. Our Undergraduate Opera Workshop is designed to be a laboratory for growth, giving students the opportunity to perform and experiment with repertoire that builds a foundation for a lifelong career in music.

In this video undergradute signers C. Winzenread and Charles McGregor perform the Act 1 duet “Oh Cielo...All’idea di quel metallo...” from Rossini's "Il barbiere di Siviglia"

Joshua Elmore, Principal Bassoon of the SF Symphony, is joining SFCM's Woodwinds faculty for the Fall 2026 semester!As t...
06/22/2026

Joshua Elmore, Principal Bassoon of the SF Symphony, is joining SFCM's Woodwinds faculty for the Fall 2026 semester!

As the symphony's first Black principal musician since the 1970s, Elmore brings an incredible journey to SFCM. He approaches the instrument like a singer, pouring himself into the music, and is passionate about serving as a model for the next generation of diverse musicians.

His number one piece of advice for students? "Get out of your head and into the music. Persevere, because rejection is not a 'no,' it's just a redirection into something else."

Read his full interview: https://bit.ly/4uH2bKa

06/22/2026

No thoughts, just pure serenity. 🕊️

English horn player Katie Rusalov and harpist Julia Grünbaum deliver a breathtaking performance of "Omaggi a Bellini" by Antonio Pasculli. This level of cross-department collaboration defines the performance experience at SFCM.

06/18/2026

Consider this your sign to finally text your piano bestie and start a duo. 🎹🎹

🎵 Miriam Tayler and Andrew Reveno perform Brahms' "Hungarian Dance" #5 in F # minor.

At SFCM, "classical" is only the beginning. We love that our students push boundaries across genre, repertoire, composition, and collaboration.

The Nina Simone Piano Competition arrives at SFCM this week! Established in 2021 by SFCM piano faculty Awadagin Pratt, t...
06/17/2026

The Nina Simone Piano Competition arrives at SFCM this week!

Established in 2021 by SFCM piano faculty Awadagin Pratt, the competition honors Simone's prodigious musical gifts by showcasing unheralded talent and underrepresented composers.

With no age limit, the competition captures exceptional pianists who may have lacked opportunities for advancement. Entrants are required to play at least one composition by an African-American composer, bringing works by Florence Price, George Walker, Betty Jackson King, and Joel Thompson to the stage.

Don't miss this rare opportunity to hear so many underrepresented composers in one place and get a preview of the potential piano stars of tomorrow! Join us at SFCM for the opening rounds on June 18 and the semifinals on June 19.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4vRtDpz

06/15/2026

The guitar provides the defense; the clarinet takes the shot. ⚽️

Inspired by a historic 1-0 championship win, "Um a Zero," composed by Pixinguinha and Benedito Lacerdais, is a masterclass in teamwork.

Our curriculum is built on collaboration, and we empower our students ike Zoe King and Kaz Hudson, who perform as Duo Panoro, to team up and tackle the most challenging repertoire with the confidence of a World Cup pro.

Not bad for someone who's only been able to vote for seven months! SFCM Pre-College alumna Starla Breshears has won the ...
06/15/2026

Not bad for someone who's only been able to vote for seven months!

SFCM Pre-College alumna Starla Breshears has won the grand prize at the 41st annual Irving M. Klein International String Competition, taking home two additional prizes for best solo Bach performance and best sonata performance.

Breshears, 18, won the grand prize, which includes $5,000 cash as well as a raft of performance contracts. The Klein win builds on a landmark year for Breshears, who studied at SFCM from 2015-2025. In March, she joined the San Francisco Symphony's cello section, becoming the youngest musician in the venerable ensemble.

"Starla's artistry and dedication was evident from her early start at the Conservatory," Pre-College Executive Director Keelin Davis said, while Breshears' private teacher Jean-Michel Fonteneau called her "one of the most gifted young cellists I have encountered in my five decades of teaching."

Read more: https://bit.ly/4enQqC7

There is no better place for a musical startup than SFCM. Held as part of the Arts Leadership Institute, SFCM's Musical ...
06/12/2026

There is no better place for a musical startup than SFCM. Held as part of the Arts Leadership Institute, SFCM's Musical Startups Incubator Pitch event gave students a daylong opportunity to show off original business ideas to Bay Area investors and mentors, including "Guitar Hero" co-creator Charles Huang.

A trio of ambitious student projects stood out this year:

🎮 PracticePro: An app by Irene Giovannetti ('26) that "gamifies" musicians' practice sessions.

🧘 Resonant States: A sound bath series by Zoe Lee ('26) that combines yoga, mindfulness meditation, and music.

🎵 Return Interval: A production company by current students Ben Kitchen and Luca Robadey behind Dunes, an immersive multimedia experience utilizing spatial audio and reactive lighting projections.

"We're working really hard on figuring out a way to make it scalable so that anything from a string quartet to a symphony can play it or it can be 'put on' in say, The Sphere in Las Vegas," Kitchen says. "That's the ultimate goal."

Read more: https://bit.ly/4uxnspI

Address

50 Oak Street
San Francisco, CA
94102

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 11pm
Tuesday 7am - 11pm
Wednesday 7am - 11pm
Thursday 7am - 11pm
Friday 7am - 11pm
Saturday 7am - 11pm
Sunday 7am - 11pm

Telephone

+14158647326

Website

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