A Concert for Every Voice
San Francisco Opera mezzo-soprano and SFCM voice faculty Catherine Cook, Broadway's Phantom of the Opera Franc D'Ambrosio and award-winning Spanish vocalist Francisca Valenzuela lead more than 20 performers including SFCM voice students in a Gala Concert celebrating the incredible range of the human voice. The free event on October 4 concludes the XXIII Annual Pacific Voice Conference and World Voice Consortium Congress, an international meeting of experts in voice science, technology and care. Details.
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 Recording Like the MastersAspiring sound engineers discussed how to make a great classical recording - even on a budget - in a master class with industry experts Piper Payne and Leslie Ann Jones, Grammy Award-winning director at Skywalker Sound and visiting faculty member with SFCM's Technology and Applied Composition program. The event was sponsored by the San Francisco Chapter of The Recording Academy, the organization that administers the Grammy Awards. Read more. |
Prominent Premieres for
Student Composers
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Composer Ben Shirley '19 receives a special honor on October 1 when The Midnight Mission, a prominent Los Angeles organization serving the homeless, premieres his work Midnight to 12:01 at its star-studded Golden Heart Awards Gala. Shirley is part of the first class at SFCM to major in Technology and Applied Composition. Read more. Twenty-thousand worshipers attending a recent mass said by Pope Francis at New York's Madison Square Garden heard a 40-piece orchestra perform "Pescador de Hombres," a hymn arranged by SFCM graduate student Luke Mayernik '17. An award-winning organist and accomplished composer, Mayernik is choir director at Hillcrest Congregational Church in Pleasant Hill and a master's degree candidate in the studio of David Conte. Read more.
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 A Full Month of Faculty RecitalsFaculty violist Jodi Levitz and guests Robin Sutherland '75, principal keyboardist of the San Francisco Symphony, and clarinetist Carlos Ortega play music by Mozart, Schumann and Rebecca Clarke on October 5. The trio kicks off a month of faculty performances that include guitarist Marc Teicholz ( October 11), San Francisco Symphony principal tuba Jeffrey Anderson ( October 12), and the duo of violinist Wei He '98 and pianist Yoshikazu Nagai ( October 25). In addition, Corey Jamason and Elisabeth Reed perform all three of J.S. Bach's sonatas for harpsichord and viola da gamba on October 15 as part of the Historical Performance series. Admission is free, but reservations are required. |
 Adams Wins Connell PrizeSoprano Julie Adams '13 won the 2015 Elizabeth Connell Prize, a major new award for aspiring dramatic sopranos granted by the Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Foundation in Sydney, Australia. The award includes a cash prize of $20,000 and the opportunity to audition at London's Royal Opera House. Adams studies with voice department chair César Ulloa. Read more. |
A Course in Musicians' Health
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 A new course at SFCM teaches students how to avoid playing-related injuries throughout their careers. Designed by Jonathan Kretschmer, a doctoral candidate in the UCSF/SFSU Graduate Program in Physical Therapy and a former professional trumpet player, the course addresses body maintenance, stress management and practical steps to recognize and prevent injury. Read more.
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 Alumni Artist InsightsThe Conservatory re-boots its popular alumni recital series in October, presenting great performances as well as insightful discussions about pursing music as a vocation. The Alumni Artist Insights Series opens with pianist Christopher Basso '04 and guest violist, faculty member Jodi Levitz, on October 24. They present a free program of works by Beethoven and Schubert, as well as Shostakovich's Sonata for Viola and Piano, an homage to Beethoven written weeks before the composer's death. Details. |
 Broadway Classics at SFCMBroadway, like most great art forms, has scored some of its biggest successes by drawing inspiration from earlier works. Conservatory voice students perform scenes from nine classic and contemporary shows including West Side Story, Candide, Rent, Spring Awakening and Sunday in the Park with George in a special Musical Theatre Workshop showcase on October 17. Admission is free. Details. |
 Two New CD's from SavinoGuitar faculty Richard Savino (back, second from left) pays tribute to a fascinating historical figure and showcases performers of SFCM's Historical Performance program on his new recording What Artemisia Heard; Music from the Time of Caravaggio and Gentileschi. The CD traces the life of 17th-century painter Artemisia Gentileschi, one of the first independent female artists in Western history, with music by composers from the cities in which she lived. Performers include Adam Cockerham '13, Paul Psarras '11 and faculty member Corey Jamason. Savino simultaneously released Essential Giuliani, his second volume of works by the 19th-century guitar virtuoso, with guest violinist Stephanie Chase and soprano Jennifer Ellis Kampani. |
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View our performance calendar for complete information including concert changes and updates.  Café Crème offers a menu including beer and wine before most performances and during intermission. Order in advance at 415.503.6295 or cafecreme@sfcm.edu.
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Violist Jodi Levitz, string department chair, teaches students how to express what they need to say. She plays a faculty artist recital this month. See below.
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George Sakellariou joined the Conservatory's guitar faculty when he was only 20 years old but well on his way to becoming a world-renowned performer. Sakellariou recalls his days teaching, chairing SFCM's guitar department and touring worldwide in an Oral History Project interview conducted by guitar faculty Marc Teicholz and archivist Tessa Updike.
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Solis Plays Papageno at SF OperaTenor Efraín Solís '13, a second-year Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera, sings the role of Papageno in the company's multimedia production of Mozart's The Magic Flute in performances beginning October 20. Solís continues to study with voice department chair César Ulloa. Details.
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An Emmy in the Cards for Beal Congratulations to composer Jeff Beal, SFCM Technology and Applied Composition program visiting faculty member, for winning an Emmy for his original score to the Netflix series House of Cards.
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Alumni and student-founded chamber groups join a mashup club event featuring live electronica, DJing and classical music at San Francisco's Ruby Skye on October 2. Mercury Soul is an ongoing event co-created by acclaimed composer and SFCM faculty member Mason Bates (alias: DJ Masonic). Details.
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San Francisco Contemporary Music Players
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Renshaw at Oakland Symphony Pre-College alumnus Kenneth Renshaw, a violinist who has garnered numerous international awards in his young career, performs Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Oakland Symphony under conductor Michael Morgan on Friday, October 2. The program also includes the West Coast premiere of Devil's Radio by SFCM faculty composer Mason Bates. Details.
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Noe Valley Presents Premiere Saxophone Quartet Noe Valley Chamber Music opens its 23rd season with the Premiere Saxophone Quartet at St. Mark's Lutheran Church. The October 11 performance includes the world premiere of Incendiary Devices by David Carlson. Kai Christiansen holds a pre-concert talk at 3:15 p.m. Meet the artists at a post-concert reception. Details.
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