San Francisco Conservatory of Music Sets 2017-18 Centennial Season

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) has announced the details of its 2017-18 centennial season. At 100 years old, the Conservatory is the oldest institution of its kind on the West Coast of the United States - this season celebrates the achievements of SFCM's students, faculty, and alumni through its unique curricular model, as well as through master classes, talks, performances, and other events.

"Since our founding in 1917, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music has provided a unique and intensive education for students from around the world," says SFCM President David H. Stull. "Our graduates have shaped the fabric of music and art in this country and impacted the evolution of the profession on a global scale. This centennial season affords all of us the opportunity to reflect on our past, but our focus is the future. We seek the best students in the world, those who intend to shape destiny through their work as artists and individuals. It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome all of you to our centenary year."

For its centennial, SFCM showcases its ensembles throughout the season. The Centennial Celebration Weekend sees the Conservatory Orchestra, conducted by Eric Dudley, perform works by Mason Bates, Stravinsky, and Respighi. The Conservatory Orchestra gives a number of concerts throughout the season, performing works by Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff, Strauss, Bartók, Julia Wolfe, Anna Clyne, and others. SFCM Opera will present several productions this year: Tom Cipullo's Glory Denied, Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, John Musto's Bastianello, and William Bolcom's Lucrezia, featuring Jose Maria Condemi and Heather Mathews as directors and Curt Pajer as conductor. New Music at SFCM continues to have a strong presence. The New Music Ensemble performs works by John Adams, Louis Andriessen, Clarice Assad, Pauline Oliveros, Tyondai Braxton, and others, led by Nicole Paiement, Alan Pierson, and Christopher Rountree. SFCM's Historical Performance department, led by Corey Jamason, presents several concerts in different genres this year, including orchestral works by Corelli, C.P.E. Bach, and others, a concert version of Handel's opera, Rodelinda, vaudeville masterpieces and early Broadway songs, and more.

SFCM AT Carnegie Hall

The Conservatory will be on display at Carnegie Hall in New York City this February and March for several performances that highlight students, faculty, and alumni. On February 6, the Telegraph Quartet, SFCM's recently appointed quartet-in-residence comprised of alumni and faculty members, will perform their Naumburg Competition-winning program along with the world premiere of Robert Sirota's Third String Quartet in Weill Recital Hall. On February 16, SFCM students join the Philip Glass Ensemble and San Francisco Girls Chorus for a performance of Glass' Music with Changing Parts in Stern Auditorium. (The program will also be presented on February 20 at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, presented by San Francisco Performances.) On March 25, pianist and alumnus Jeffrey LaDeur gives his solo recital debut at Weill Recital Hall, taking part in celebrations honoring Claude Debussy on the 100th anniversary of his death.

RESIDENCIES, MASTER CLASSES, AND GUEST PERFORMANCES

The Conservatory hosts a number of internationally recognized artists this season. September sees a residency with the Spanish Brass Quintet that includes coachings and a public master class, culminating with a concert on September 19. Composer Jake Heggie leads a public master class on October 4 and, on October 18, jazz pianist Randy Weston teams up with Roots, Jazz, and American Music faculty members for a performance on SFJAZZ's Discover Jazz Series. A residency with collaborative pianist Martin Katz fills out the week of October 23 and guitarist and former faculty member Sérgio Assad returns to the Conservatory on October 26 for a special concert. Pianist Jerome Lowenthal gives a public master class on October 30. The Kronos Quartet's longtime violist, Hank Dutt, gives a public master class on November 2 and violinist Pamela Frank and pianist Nelita True give public master classes on November 15 and 17, respectively. The Conservatory welcomes composer Meredith Monk January 18-19for a special workshop and lecture. Cellist Steven Isserlis gives a public master class on February 6 and composer and guitarist Dusan Bogdanovi? is in town for a residency the same week, culminating with a concert on February 8. SFCM's 2017 honorary doctorate recipient, Patricia Racette, returns to the Conservatory on March 2 for a public master class, part of a week-long residency. On March 9, guitarist Eliot Fisk gives a public master class and alumnus Jeffrey Kahane performs a solo recital. On April 17, the Takács Quartet comes to SFCM to give a public master class.

SPECIAL CENTENNIAL EVENTS

Hometown events celebrating SFCM's centennial take place at the Conservatory and other venues throughout the 2017-18 season. Inaugurating the anniversary year, SFCM's Centennial Celebration Weekend includes a free open house event for the whole community, a Pre-College concert, and a performance by the Conservatory Orchestra, featuring works by faculty member Mason Bates, Stravinsky, and Respighi all on September 16. On September 17, collegiate soloists and ensembles give an afternoon chamber music concert and the Technology and Applied Composition (TAC) department showcases students and faculty in an evening performance.

Three Faculty Centennial Concerts highlighting the extraordinary musicianship and educational contributions of faculty members both past and present take place this season. The first, on October 16, features performances by Giacomo Fiore, Lawrence Ferrara, Marc Teicholz, Jeff Anderle, and others. The second, on January 28, features performances by Jack Van Geem, Jacob Nissly, Shinji Eshima, and others, as well as music composed by Elinor Armer and the late Conrad Susa. The third, on April 9, features performances by Jennifer Culp, Stephen Tramontozzi, David Tanenbaum, and the Telegraph Quartet, in addition to the music of David Conte and David Garner.

With the launch of SFCM's new Roots, Jazz, and American Music (RJAM) program comes several exciting side-by-side performances in collaboration with SFJAZZ. One of the program's standout events this year is a performance with RJAM students and the SFJAZZ Collective (now serving as SFCM faculty) on January 31.

A special event for voice and opera lovers this year, "Sunday with the Sopranos,"comes in the form of a rare concert/talk with internationally acclaimed divas Patricia Racette, Frederica von Stade, faculty member Deborah Voigt, and other guests--all with strong Conservatory ties--on one stage on February 25 at the Nourse Theater.

SFCM's Centennial Gala on March 19 brings back 2016 honorary doctorate recipient Garrick Ohlsson, Punch Brothers, Telegraph Quartet, and other artists for special performances celebrating the Conservatory's continued commitment to quality musical education and previewing future plans for the institution.

CONSERVATORY ORCHESTRA

The Conservatory Orchestra launches into the centennial year with its first concert on September 16, featuring music director Eric Dudley conducting faculty member Mason Bates' Icarian Rhapsody, Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments, and Respighi's Pines of Rome. Performances October 21-22 feature guest conductor Christian Reif, student conductor John Masko, and student pianist Puripat Paesaroch in a program that includes the world premiere of student Peter Engelbert's Vagaries (a Highsmith Award-winning work), Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, and Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances. Eric Dudley leads the Orchestra in a program of chamber works November 4-5 featuring Ernest Bloch's Four Episodes for Chamber Orchestra, John Adams' Common Tones in Simple Time, and Julia Wolfe's The Vermeer Room. On February 10, student Kaiyuan Wu performs Sibelius' Violin Concerto in D Minor with the Orchestra, again led by Dudley, on a program that also includes Weber's Overture to Der Freischütz (conducted by John Masko), Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra, and Anna Clyne's.

OPERA AND MUSICAL THEATRE

In the spirit of celebration surrounding the Conservatory's centennial, the opera department will present works by 20th- and 21st-century composers exclusively this season. SFCM gives performances of Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia December 8 and 10 this December, directed by Heather Mathews and conducted by Curt Pajer. On April 6 and 8, SFCM presents Tom Cipullo's Glory Denied, a work which tells the story of Jim Thompson, the longest-held prisoner of war in US history, as he tries to re-assimilate into American life after spending nine years behind enemy lines in Vietnam. Glory Denied will be directed by Jose Maria Condemi and conducted by Curt Pajer. John Musto's Bastianello and William Bolcom's Lucrezia are presented on a chamber opera double bill May 4 and 6. Both works will be directed by Heather Mathews and conducted by Curt Pajer.

In addition to this season's opera offerings, Michael Mohammed and Michael Horsley(directing the stage and music, respectively) present musical theatre shows onSeptember 29 (Work TBA) and April 21 ("Enchanted Evening: A Musical Theatre Revue"). Mohammed and music director Lauren Mayer team up November 18-19 to present Jerome Kern's Very Good Eddie.

NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE

This season, SFCM looks back at its strong ties to contemporary music and pushes forward with presenting some of the most inspired new music composed today. On September 29, the New Music Ensemble, led by Nicole Paiement, performs Clarice Assad's O Saci-Pererê featuring guitarist Marc Teicholz, along with alumnus Aleksandra Vrebalov's Transparent Walls, and Elinor Armer's Recollections and Revel. Guest conductor Christopher Rountree (director of the contemporary music ensemble wild Up) leads the Ensemble on December 1 in a program featuring Louis Andriessen's De Staat, Tina Tallon's Sear, Andrew Tholl's Corpus Callosum, and Pauline Oliveros' Tuning Meditation. On February 3, Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony No. 1 is matched with former New Music Ensemble Director John Adams' Chamber Symphony. Alan Pierson(artistic director of Alarm Will Sound) returns to SFCM on March 31, leading the Ensemble in a program titled "Electronic Meets Acoustic," featuring music by Aphex Twin, Tyondai Braxton, Conlon Nancarrow, and others.

HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE

This season's historical performance department offerings extend from musical theatre to opera to orchestra. In an event titled "Storytelling through Solo Song" on October 20, SFCM voice students perform solo songs from the 14th century to the English ballad and Appalachian traditions. On October 29, the historical performance department presents another songs program exploring vaudeville and early Broadway music and songs about San Francisco. On November 11-12, Historical Performance Department Chair Corey Jamason leads members of the Conservatory Orchestra and musical theatre ensemble Theatre Comique in a program of rarely performed masterpieces by Victor Herbert and Jerome Kern including The Enchantress, Mlle. Modiste, Naughty Marietta, The Laughing Husband, Leave It to Jane, and Very Good Eddie. Baroque orchestral works by Corelli, Biber, and C.P.E. Bach are presented on December 3 and Corey Jamason conducts a concert version of Handel's Rodelinda March 10-11. On April 15, SFCM Concerto Competition winners perform with the Baroque Orchestra and special Faculty Artist Series performances April 28-29 with historical performance faculty--Corey Jamason, Elizabeth Blumenstock, and Elisabeth Reed--feature an All-Bach program.

FACULTY ARTIST SERIES

SFCM's Faculty Artist Series continues to shine light on faculty members in performance each season. In September, recitals with clarinetist Jeff Anderle (featuring the woodwind ensemble Splinter Reeds), mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer, and violinist Ian Swensen traverse the faculty representation of several departments at the Conservatory. October sees concerts featuring Technology and Applied Composition (TAC) faculty member Matt Levine, pianist Yoshikazu Nagai, and Roots, Jazz, and American Music (RJAM) Executive Director Simon Rowe. November performances include recitals with viola faculty members Dimitri Murrath and Jonathan Vinocour and pianist Jon Nakamatsu (with guest clarinetist Jon Manasse). In January, recitals by music theory and TAC faculty member Scott Foglesong (a performance/lecture event) and TAC Executive Director MaryClare Brzytwa kick-off the Spring Semester. Soprano Indre Viskontas gives a performance/lecture and composer Ryan Brown presents a new work (a Hoefer Prize commission) in February. Newly appointed guitar faculty member Judicaël Perroy gives a recital in March and, in April, composer David Contepresents a program of world and local premieres featuring SFCM faculty, alumni, and staff and members of the historical performance faculty (Corey Jamason, Elizabeth Blumenstock, and Elisabeth Reed) present an All-Bach program.

ACADEMICS

The 2017-18 season also rings in a brand new department at the Conservatory, in addition to several prominent faculty appointments.

"This season sees the launch of our new Roots, Jazz, and American Music program, a partnership with our neighbors at SFJAZZ that brings the SFJAZZ Collective to SFCM to work with the program's inaugural class," says SFCM Provost and Dean Kate Sheeran. "We will also launch our innovative new Professional Development curriculum, which equips our students with skills they need to be musicians in the 21st century. Our academic year will incorporate our centennial celebration, with courses that examine the history of music in San Francisco, literature over the course of the past 100 years, and much more. In addition to all of that, we are delighted to welcome the Naumburg Competition-winning Telegraph Quartet as our quartet-in-residence, and new faculty members, including violist Dimitri Murrath, guitarist Judicaël Perroy, violinists Kay Stern, Cordula Merks, and Chen Zhou, and San Francisco Symphony principal oboist, Eugene Izotov, among others."

SFCM's centennial comes less than a year after its rebranding, a fully fledged effort that has presented students and the community at large with a new way to interact with the Conservatory. The new sfcm.edu features a complete website redesign, featuring dozens of video profiles and Q&As with faculty members, student profiles, and information for students, parents, concertgoers, and other members of the SFCM community.

Visit sfcm.edu/centennial for more information.

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CHRONOLOGICAL LISTING OF EVENT HIGHLIGHTS:

September 10, 2017, 2:00 PM, Recital Hall
Faculty Artist Series
Jeff Anderle, clarinet
Featuring Splinter Reeds

September 11, 2017, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
Faculty Artist Series
Susanne Mentzer, mezzo-soprano

September 16, 2017, 5:30 PM, Recital Hall
Pre-College Concert
Part of Centennial Celebration Weekend

September 16, 2017, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
Conservatory Orchestra
Eric Dudley, conductor
Mason BATES: Icarian Rhapsody
STRAVINSKY: Symphonies of Wind Instruments
RESPIGHI: Pines of Rome
Part of Centennial Celebration Weekend

September 17, 2017, 2:00 PM, Concert Hall
Soloists and Chamber Ensembles
Part of Centennial Celebration Weekend

September 17, 2017, 7:30 PM, Osher Salon
Technology and Applied Composition
Performances by students and faculty
Part of Centennial Celebration Weekend

September 18, 2017, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
Faculty Artist Series
Ian Swensen, violin

September 19, 2017, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
Artist Residency Concert
Spanish Brass Quintet

September 29, 2017, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
New Music Ensemble
Nicole Paiement, conductor
Marc Teicholz, guitar
Clarice ASSAD: O Saci-Pererê
Aleksandra VREBALOV: Transparent Walls
Elinor ARMER: Recollections and Revel

September 29, 2017, 8:00 PM, Recital Hall
Musical Theatre Showcase
Michael Mohammed, stage director
Michael Horsley, music director

September 30, 2017, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
Roots, Jazz, and American Music
Students perform alongside faculty and the SFJAZZ Collective in a program of originals and standards from the Great American Songbook

October 1, 2017, 4:00 PM, Osher Salon
Faculty Artist Series
Matt Levine, technology and applied composition

October 4, 2017, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
Master Class
Jake Heggie, composition and voice

October 16, 2017, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
Faculty Centennial Concert

October 18, 2017, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
Special Concert
Randy Weston, jazz piano
Collaboration with SFCM faculty and SFJAZZ Discover Jazz Series

October 20, 2017, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
Historical Performance: "Storytelling through Solo Song"
Baroque Ensemble
Voice students perform solo songs from the 14th century to the English ballad and Appalachian traditions

October 21, 2017, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
October 22, 2017, 2:00 PM, Concert Hall
Conservatory Orchestra
Christian Reif, guest conductor
John Masko, conductor
Puripat Paesaroch, piano
Peter ENGELBERT: Vagaries (World Premiere, Highsmith Award Winner)
SHOSTAKOVICH: Piano Concerto No. 2
RACHMANINOFF: Symphonic Dances

October 23-27, 2017
Artist Residency
Martin Katz, collaborative piano

October 26, 2017, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
Special Concert
Sérgio Assad, guitar

October 29, 2017, 2:00 PM, Concert Hall
Faculty Artist Series
Yoshikazu Nagai, piano

October 29, 2017, 4:00 PM, Recital Hall
November 5, 2017, 4:00 PM, Recital Hall
Historical Performance
Vaudeville masterpieces and early Broadway songs (1880-1930) and songs about San Francisco, from the Gold Rush to the building of the Golden Gate Bridge

October 30, 2017, 6:30 PM, Recital Hall
Master Class
Jerome Lowenthal, piano

October 30, 2017, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
Faculty Artist Series
Simon Rowe, jazz piano

November 1, 2017, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
Faculty Artist Series
Dimitri Murrath, viola

November 2, 2017, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
Master Class
Hank Dutt, viola

November 4, 2017, 7:30 PM
November 5, 2017, 2:00 PM
New Music for Chamber Orchestra
Eric Dudley, conductor
Julia Wolfe: The Vermeer Room
BLOCH: Four Episodes for Chamber Orchestra
John Adams: Common Tones in Simple Time

November 7, 2017, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
Community Concert
Kronos Quartet
Collaboration with San Francisco Unified School District

November 11, 2017, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
November 12, 2017, 2:00 PM, Concert Hall
Historical Performance
Theatre Comique
Conservatory Orchestra
Corey Jamason, conductor
Unknown masterpieces by Victor Herbert and Jerome Kern, including The Enchantress, Mlle. Modiste, Naughty Marietta, The Laughing Husband, Leave It to Jane, and Very Good Eddie

November 15, 2017, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
Master Class
Pamela Frank, violin

November 17, 2017, 7:30 PM, Osher Hall
Master Class
Nelita True, piano

November 18, 2017, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
November 19, 2017, 4:00 PM, Recital Hall
Musical Theatre
Michael Mohammed, stage director
Lauren Mayer, music director
KERN: Very Good Eddie

November 19, 2017, 2:00 PM, Recital Hall
Faculty Artist Series
Jonathan Vinocour, viola

November 30, 2017, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
Faculty Artist Series
Jon Nakamatsu, piano
Jon Manasse, clarinet

December 1, 2017, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
New Music Ensemble
Christopher Rountree, guest conductor
Louis ANDRIESSEN: De Staat
Tina TALLON: Sear
Andrew THOLL: Corpus Callosum
OLIVEROS: Tuning Meditation

December 3, 2017, 2:00 PM, Concert Hall
Historical Performance
Baroque Orchestra
CORELLI: Christmas Concerto
BIBER: La Battalia
C.P.E. BACH: Sinfonia No. 2 in B-flat Major

December 8, 2017, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
December 10, 2017, 2:00 PM, Concert Hall
Opera
Heather Mathews, director
Curt Pajer, conductor
BRITTEN: The Rape of Lucretia

December 9, 2017, 8:00 PM, Recital Hall
Quartet-in-Residence Concert
Telegraph Quartet

January 18-19, 2018
Artist Residency: Workshop and Lecture
Meredith Monk

January 21, 2018, 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Chamber Music Festival
Special concert at 7:30 PM celebrating SFCM's chamber music legacy.
Performances by current and former faculty, students, and special guests.

January 21, 2018, 2:00 PM, Concert Hall
Faculty Artist Series
Scott Foglesong, piano/lecturer

January 21, 2018, 6:30 PM, Osher Salon
Faculty Artist Series
MaryClare Brzytwa, technology and applied composition

January 28, 2018, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
Faculty Centennial Concert

January 31, 2018, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
Side-by-Side Concert
Roots, Jazz, and American Music and SFJAZZ Collective

February 3, 2018, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
New Music Ensemble
Nicole Paiement, conductor
SCHOENBERG: Chamber Symphony No. 1
John Adams: Chamber Symphony

February 4, 2018, 2:00 PM, Recital Hall
Faculty Artist Series
Indre Viskontas, soprano/lecturer

February 6, 2018, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
Master Class
Steven Isserlis, cello

February 8, 2018, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
Artist Residency Concert
Dusan Bogdanovi, composition and guitar

February 10, 2018, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
Conservatory Orchestra
Eric Dudley, conductor
John Masko, conductor
Kaiyuan Wu, violin
WEBER: Overture to Der Freischütz
SIBELIUS: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47
Anna CLYNE: < BARTÓK: Concerto for Orchestra

February 20, 2018, Davies Symphony Hall
Side-by-Side Concert
Philip Glass: Music with Changing Parts
SFCM students perform with the Philip Glass Ensemble and San Francisco Girls Chorus at Davies Symphony Hall
Presented by San Francisco Performances

February 25, 2018, All Day, Concert Hall + Recital Hall + Osher Salon
Special Event
Hot Air Festival

February 25, 2018, 2:00 PM, Recital Hall
Faculty Artist Series
Ryan Brown, composition
Featuring Mortal Lessons, an SFCM Hoefer Prize commission

February 25, 2018, 3:00 PM, Nourse Theater
Special Event: "Sunday with the Sopranos"
Featuring Patricia Racette, Frederica von Stade, Deborah Voigt, and Special Guests

March 2, 2018, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
Master Class
Patricia Racette, soprano

March 3, 2018, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
March 4, 2018, 2:00 PM, Concert Hall
Conservatory Orchestra
Eric Dudley, conductor
Yangchunzi Duan, conductor
MENDELSSOHN: The Hebrides
RAVEL: Le Tombeau de Couperin
MOZART: Symphony No. 41 in C Major, "Jupiter"

March 5, 2018, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
Faculty Artist Series
Judicaël Perroy, guitar

March 9, 2018, 7:30 PM, Osher Salon
Master Class
Eliot Fisk, guitar

March 9, 2018, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
Alumni Artist Insights
Jeffrey Kahane, piano

March 10, 2018, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
March 11, 2018, 2:00 PM, Concert Hall
Historical Performance: Opera
Corey Jamason, conductor
HANDEL: Rodelinda (Concert Version)

March 19, 2018
Centennial Gala
Performances by Garrick Ohlsson, Telegraph Quartet, and Punch Brothers

March 31, 2018, 7:30 PM
New Music Ensemble: "Electronic Meets Acoustic"
Alan Pierson, guest conductor
Music by Aphex Twin, Tyondai Braxton, Conlon Nancarrow, and others

April 2, 2018, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
Faculty Artist Series
David Conte, composition
World and local premieres featuring SFCM faculty, alumni, and staff

April 6, 2018, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
April 8, 2018, 2:00 PM, Concert Hall
Opera
Jose Maria Condemi, director
Curt Pajer, conductor
Tom CIPULLO: Glory Denied

April 9, 2018, 7:30 PM, Recital Hall
Faculty Centennial Concert

April 15, 2018, 2:00 PM, Concert Hall
Historical Performance: Baroque Orchestra
Featuring Concerto Competition winners

April 17, 2018, 4:30 PM, Recital Hall
Master Class
Takács Quartet

April 21, 2018, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
Musical Theatre
"Enchanted Evening: A Musical Theatre Revue"
Michael Mohammed, stage director
Michael Horsley, music director

April 22, 2018, 4:00 PM, Recital Hall
Faculty Artist Series: Historical Performance
Elizabeth Blumenstock, baroque violin
Elisabeth Reed, baroque cello
Corey Jamason, harpsichord
All-Bach Program

April 28, 2018, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
April 29, 2018, 2:00 PM, Concert Hall
Conservatory Orchestra
Edwin Outwater, guest conductor
STRAUSS: Don Juan
STRAUSS: Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks

May 4, 2018, 7:30 PM, Concert Hall
May 6, 2018, 2:00 PM, Concert Hall
Chamber Opera
Heather Mathews, director
Curt Pajer, conductor
John Musto: Bastianello
William Bolcom: Lucrezia

*All artists and programs subject to change. Visit sfcm.edu/performances for the most up-to-date event information.

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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 and classical guitar. 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 excellence 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. For more information, visit www.sfcm.edu.

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