Summary
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) is a private music conservatory in San Francisco, California, United States. As of 2021, it had 480 students.[1]
 The SFCM's Bowes Center building in 2022 | |
Former name | Ada Clement Piano School |
|---|---|
| Type | Private music conservatory |
| Established | 1917 |
| Founders | Ada Clement, Lillian Hodgehead |
| Accreditation | WSCUC |
| Endowment | 43,498,000[citation needed] |
| President | David H. Stull |
| Dean | Jonas Wright |
| Students | 480 (2021)[1] |
| Address | 37°46′32″N 122°25′13″W / 37.77556°N 122.42028°W |
| Colors | Raspberry and gold [2] |
| Website | www |
 | |
History edit
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music was founded in 1917 by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodghead as the Ada Clement Piano School.[citation needed] In 1923, the name was changed to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In 1956 the Conservatory moved from Sacramento Street to 1201 Ortega Street, the home of a former infant shelter.[citation needed] It resided there for fifty years, before moving to its next location at 50 Oak Street in 2006.[citation needed]
In 2020, the SFCM added the new Bowes Center at 200 Van Ness Avenue (across from Davies Symphony Hall), a 12-story building that includes dorms (eight floors) with acoustic insulation for 400 of its students, 27 rent-controlled apartments for residents of the older building that was replaced by the construction, and some public performing spaces, including a penthouse concert room with views towards the north and west.[3][1] The Bowes Center's $200 million cost was largely funded by donors, including $46.4 million from the William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation.[4][1] The San Francisco Chronicle's architecture critic John King characterized the building's design as "[pushing] against the strict rules of the historic district but [respecting] the air of gravitas. For starters, the building is skinned in translucent glass that conceals insulation and the structural frame — a touch that adds a milky visual depth ..."[1] As of 2021, the Bowes Center was envisaged to fully open to the public in February 2022.[1]
In 2020, SFCM announced a partnership with the talent management company Opus 3 Artists, and in May 2022 it acquired the Dutch classical music label, Pentatone, funded by a private donor.[5] The music website "Classical Voice" described this "combination of a music-education organization with two professional music businesses" as "unusual."[5]
Leaders edit
- Ada Clement and Lillian Hodghead, 1917–1925
- Ernest Bloch, 1925–1930
- Ada Clement and Lillian Hodghead, 1930–1951
- Albert Elkus, 1951–1957
- Robin Laufer, 1957–1966
- Milton Salkind, 1966–1990
- Stephen Brown, 1990–1991
- Milton Salkind (Acting President), 1991–1992
- Colin Murdoch, 1992–2013
- David Stull, 2013–present
Notable faculty edit
- Jeffrey Anderson (tuba)[6][7]
- Elinor Armer (composition)
- Alexander Barantschik (violinist and Concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony)
- Dusan Bogdanovic (composer and guitarist)
- Luciano Chessa (composer, music history and literature)
- David Conte (composer)
- Jacques Desjardins (composer)
- Mason Bates (composer)
- Patricia Craig (voice)
- Eugene Izotov (oboe)
- Nancy Zhou (violin)[8]
- Mark Lawrence (trombone)
- Susanne Mentzer (voice)
- Garrick Ohlsson (piano)
- David Tanenbaum (guitar)
- Deborah Voigt (voice)[9]
- Indre Viskontas (soprano)
Notable alumni edit
- George Duke (jazz fusion keyboardist, singer, and producer) [10]
- Barbara Eden (singer)
- Léopold Simoneau[11] (tenor)
- Peter Scott Lewis (composer)
- Miguel del Aguila (composer)
- Isaac Stern (violinist)
- Aaron Jay Kernis, Pulitzer Prize winning and Grammy Award-winning composer, member of the Yale School of Music faculty
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f King, John (November 21, 2021). "S.F.'s Civic Center has a new landmark — and it shows how the district should evolve". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ "SFCM Brand Guide" (PDF). San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
- ^ "The Bowes center".
- ^ "San Francisco Conservatory of Music Gets $46 Million Gift". The New York Times. April 25, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ a b Kotapish, Paul (May 17, 2022). "SF Conservatory of Music Acquires Pentatone". www.sfcv.org. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "Jeffrey Anderson". San Francisco Symphony. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
- ^ "Jeffrey Anderson". San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
- ^ "Nancy Zhou | SFCM". sfcm.edu. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ "Deborah Voigt Joins San Francisco Conservatory of Music Faculty". BroadwayWorld.com.
- ^ "George Duke biography". George Duke Online. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- ^ Christophe Huss (August 26, 2006). "Léopold Simoneau (1916–2006) – Mozart rappelle les siens". Le Devoir (in French).
Dans les années soixante-dix, il enseigna le chant au San Francisco Conservatory of Music et à l'école des beaux-arts de Banff, avant de s'installer à Victoria, où il fonda, en 1982, avec son épouse Pierrette Alarie, le Canada Opera Piccola destiné à la formation des jeunes chanteurs canadiens.
External links edit
- Official website