SFCM's Bowes Center Open to Public for First Time for Free Music, Food, & Family Fun

It's a new home for music in the city's arts scene! The San Francisco Conservatory of Music will welcome the public inside its new building, the Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center for Performing Arts (The Bowes Center), located at 200 Van Ness Avenue on Saturday, March 12, 2022 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

This first ever community open house will feature free concerts, tours, an "instrument petting zoo" for children to try musical instruments, a guitar masterclass with musician and SFCM faculty member Meng Su, a performance by the Telegraph Quartet, a sneak peek at Uccello restaurant before it officially opens March 18 and interactive audio and visual installations!

The Bowes Center dramatically amplifies the scale of opportunity SFCM provides for students and deepens our engagement with the community and arts district of San Francisco's Civic Center. 90% of live music concerts offered at SFCM, including at the Bowes Center, will be free and open to the public.

It was very important to us to create a space that encourages access and breaks down silos," said SFCM President David Stull. "For too long, the world of classical music has been seen as exclusive, and in its transparency the Bowes Center invites the public in and builds connection."

The Bowes Center is a 12-story 'vertical campus' that incorporates student housing, dining, classrooms, rehearsal rooms, performance spaces, a recording studio, and even the studios for Classical KDFC radio station all under one roof! The $200 million, 170,000 square-foot building enables students to create, learn, and share music in an integrated, collaborative environment, located within walking distance from SFCM's Ann Getty Center at 50 Oak Street and the San Francisco Symphony, Ballet and Opera.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed attended the inauguration of the building in November of 2021 and called it a great addition to the city. "The San Francisco Conservatory of Music has been a cornerstone of our arts and cultural scene for years and now with student housing at the Bowes Center, students will have the inspiration and support they need and might even become the next Yo-Yo Ma!" she said.

At the Bowes Center's open house, the first time the facility will be open to the public, the 11th floor Barbro Osher Recital Hall will feature international award winning ensemble the Telegraph Quartet performing with students in addition to offering breathtaking views of the city. Inside the lower levels of the Bowes Center, Studio G offers an immersive and interactive audio and visual experience with state-of-the-art equipment so impressive the Recording Academy recently held a listening event there for the Grammys.

The Bowes Center was made possible through generous donations, including a single gift of $46.4 million dollars by the William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation, the largest single donation ever made to a conservatory at the time.

Guests asked to reserve tickets for this free event.

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