The San Francisco Conservatory of Music invites applications from aspiring young artists to live, learn, and create music in the heart of San Francisco’s cultural district. 

This year's unique summer programs include Voice, Technology and Applied Composition, Guitar, Bass Clarinet, Harp and Composition, all designed to cultivate young artists and their talent. Summer@SFCM’s overnight, day, and online programs are all led by the Conservatory’s world-class faculty members. 

"This experience for aspiring musicians will allow them to evolve as artists," said David Tanenbaum, an internationally-renowned guitarist and professor in SFCM's Guitar program. "Young musicians will get one-on-one lessons with our celebrated faculty and participate in interactive workshops, all culminating in an exciting performance. For young guitarists, this experience will help take them to the next level in their playing and performance."

Attendees will participate in intensive study and personal instruction while residing in SFCM’s Bowes Center. This groundbreaking $200 million+, 12-story home for music was inaugurated in November 2021 and incorporates student housing, dining, classrooms, practice spaces, a recording studio, a broadcast studio, and three acoustically-exacting performance halls. The San Francisco Examiner called the Bowes Center an educational landmark and “a brilliant cultural addition to the city.”

Students in the program call it an "experience of a lifetime," with "incredible faculty and opportunities to perform in a classical style that many high schoolers have never had access to," said Caroline, 18, who attended the Vocal Academy. "If you love to sing, and have a commitment to music then you will have a wonderful time at this camp," she added.

Other students praise not only the musical benefits but the collaborative artist experience, "One of the best parts of this camp is that you can live in a dorm at the Bowes center with your peers for about a week, " said Kiran, 16, who previously participated in the Guitar Workshop. "This camp is perfect to bond with your friends and improve your guitar skills!" Kiran added.

Summer@SFCM’s residential programs are complemented by a returning, in-person day camp for harp musicians ages 10-19 and online offerings in composition. Musicians at Harp Camp receive daily teaching and opportunities to perform solo, in a master class, and as part of the harp ensemble. Students ages 13-18 can explore and expand their inner composer in Introduction to Composition or Computer Assisted Composing, both online classes.  

For collegiate students and recent college grads, next summer SFCM will also offer a Center for Innovative Leadership: Summer Institute for Arts Leadership 2024. A weeklong, seminar-style immersive experience for Arts Leaders of today and tomorrow, hosted at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and guided by thought leaders and taste makers across a wide range of disciplines within the music field.

Applications open now and must be submitted by April 1, 2024. Financial aid is available. Full details, including faculty listings and admissions requirements, can be found on the summer programs page.  

VOCAL SUMMER ACADEMY
(Residential Camp)

The SFCM Summer Vocal Academy provides an enriching environment where young musicians can focus intensely and creatively to further their musical and theatrical skills and continue to develop their vocal health, technique, and performance abilities. In addition to lessons with faculty, participants will experience group classes, coaching with pianists, master classes, small ensembles, movement classes, diction work, and perform in two professionally recorded concerts showcasing solo and ensemble numbers. Although primarily a classically based program, applicants with a range of musical interests are encouraged to apply. 

DATES
Sunday, July 21, 2024 - Saturday, July 27, 2024

ADMISSIONS
Designed for currently enrolled high school students ages 14+ of all levels of vocal training and with the potential to pursue serious musical studies. Interested students should complete the online application and submit an audition video.

TECHNOLOGY AND APPLIED COMPOSITION IMMERSIVE
(Residential Camp)

In this week-long immersive program, students will take a deep dive into music technology, media composition, and state-of-the-art production techniques. Through fun and interactive workshops, students will learn hands-on about the evolving field of media composition and what’s possible with the latest and greatest software tools. With guidance from world-class faculty members and visiting industry professionals, students will practice scoring for various media while learning best practices and professional workflows. Throughout the week, students will work towards a culminating recording session of their own hybrid score to add to their portfolio of works. In addition, students will learn studio recording and sound design techniques, and will have the opportunity to implement their own sounds in a video game.

DATES:
Monday, June 17, 2024 - Friday, June 21, 2024 
or
Monday, June 24 - Friday, June 28, 2024

ADMISSIONS
Designed for currently enrolled high school students, ages 15+ with experience in music composition and electronic media or sound design. Applicants are required to submit links to two or three examples of their work that demonstrates their creativity with electronic media. 

Guitar students at SFCM.

GUITAR WORKSHOP
(Residential Camp)

Participants will study with SFCM guitar faculty and guest artists in this week-long immersive guitar workshop. Students will work one-on-one with Meng Su, David Tanenbaum, and Marc Teicholz in private lessons, as well as participate in guest masterclasses, ensembles, and interactive workshops about guitar technique  and SFCM’s Harris Guitar Collection. All participants will work toward a culminating performance.

DATES
Monday, June 24, 2024 - Friday, June 28, 2024

ADMISSIONS
Designed for students ages 13- 18, admission is by video audition. 

BASS CLARINET
(Residential Camp)

A holistic approach to taking your bass clarinet playing to the next level. In this week-long intensive program, participants will work closely with renowned bass clarinetists Jeff Anderle, Stefanie Gardner, Jonathan Russell, and Jerome Simas to deepen and broaden their bass clarinet skills. Drawing on their collective experience as members of clarinet ensembles (Sqwonk, Edmund Welles, Improbable Beasts, Égide Duo), chamber music ensembles (Splinter Reeds, Paradise Winds, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble) and orchestras (San Francisco Symphony, Monterey Symphony), the faculty will present masterclasses and workshops on topics including practice techniques, audition preparation, extended techniques, career development, and creating new repertoire. Students will immerse themselves in the bass clarinet from a range of angles and perspectives, with one-on-one private lessons, masterclass performances, and performing in a 25+ member bass clarinet choir.

DATES
Monday, June 17, 2024 - Friday, June 21, 2024

ADMISSIONS
Designed for students ages 18 and up, applicants will be asked to submit a video audition. 

HARP CAMP
(Day Camp)

Enrich your harp learning over the summer with SFCM’s Harp Camp! Hone your musical skills and connect with other young harpists from the Bay Area. During this five-day program, each harpist gets to perform solo, in a masterclass, and with the harp ensemble. Harpists receive daily instruction in topics including harp ensemble, eurhythmics, harp history, and special workshops such as arranging your favorite harp piece, improvisation, managing performance nerves, and more. Come join us this summer, collaborate with your harpist peers, and get your harp playing in tip-top shape! 

New in 2024, for musicians looking to amplify their summer experience can add a morning practice intensive for a supplemental fee. Students will receive supervised practice time from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM and an optional private lesson.

DATES
Monday, July 15, 2024 - Friday, July 19, 2024

ADMISSIONS
Participants must be ages 12-19 and have previous harp experience, ideally at least 1 year of instruction. Participants will be asked to submit an introductory video. 

INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC COMPOSITION
(Online Class)

Explore your inner composer in this introductory course. Apply the principles of harmony to create beautiful chord progressions, compose amazing melodies and sticky rhythms to play them in your computer, at the piano, or in your preferred music instrument. This course, offered online only, also includes an introduction to computer notation software to write and share your own composed music.

DATES
June 17 - July 5  Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 10 - 11:30am or 1:00 - 2:30pm

ADMISSIONS
Participants must be ages 13 - 18 and have the ability to read music as well as an understanding of major and minor scales, intervals and chord construction (triads and sevenths); minimum of two years experience with a musical instrument. No previous composition experience needed. 

COMPUTER ASSISTED COMPOSING
(Online Class)

Get into coding to create sound and music! Learn to generate and present your musical ideas through your computer or using your preferred digital audio workstation. Participants will be introduced to Computer Assisted Composition using different object-oriented visual environments (OpenMusic, PWGL and AC Toolbox), and create algorithms to compose melodies, rhythms, harmonic progressions and interesting sounds.

DATES
June 18 - July 9, 2024  Tuesday, Thursday from 10am - 12:00pm or 1:00 - 3:00pm

ADMISSIONS
Participants must be ages 13 - 18 and have previous experience with music theory that includes a basic understanding of major and minor scales, intervals, chord construction (triads and sevenths), chord progressions, and musical forms. Either Mac or PC computer necessary. No previous coding experience required.

SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR ARTS LEADERSHIP 
Day Events

DATES
Monday, June 3, 2024 to Friday, June 7, 2024

A weeklong, seminar-style immersive experience for Arts Leaders of today and tomorrow, hosted at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and guided by thought leaders and taste makers across a wide range of disciplines within our field.

ADMISSIONS
Collegiate students and recent graduates.

Learn more about Summer Programs at SFCM.