By Alex Heigl

Classes started for SFCM's 2022 fall semester Monday, and both campus buildings were humming—and singing, and bowing—with energy as students embarked on their first steps to a bright musical future. Here's how a few of the students were feeling at the outset.

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Connor Yeackley (second-year master's, percussion): "I spent the summer with my family in Florida, so it's great to be back and in the practice rooms. Other than prepping for auditions, I have a recital in the spring I'll be spending this semester working on. I've got some stuff I want to play, so I have to get working on it."

Adrienne Anaya (second-year master's, percussion): "I was at a music festival over the summer, and I'll also be prepping for my recital and auditions. We did a mock-audition with Jacob Nissly last winter term, so maybe we'll have something similar this year."

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Jasmine Sahd (PSD, voice): "I go back home to New Mexico for the summer; I work at the Santa Fe Opera House. But this is home for me now: I come back here and my roommates are here, all the music is here ... it's such a breath of relief. Initially I was a little scared, but now I come back and I'm like, 'I'm home.' I've been here for two years but I started during the pandemic, so I've been doing orientation like it was my first day, which is actually kinda fun. This semester, I'm just trying to get as much performance experience as I can, try to learn how to be a professional working artist ... and learn how to speak French. I really like new music, so I want to collaborate with some of composition students here." 

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David Cemin, sophomore, classical guitar: "I work as an engineer, full-time, aside from being a student. It's very hectic, I'm actually working right now. I finished my master's in engineering in 2012, so I haven't studied for about 10 years in this kind of school environment. But I always wanted to study music; that's my passion. With the pandemic, working from home, I realized that it's possible to  manage my time so that I can have classes in the morning and go into the office in the afternoon. It can be a little stressful, but I still sleep about five or six hours a night [laughs]."

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Jameson Caps (second-year master's, composition): "I was around over the summer, and while sometimes the emptiness and solitude here can be kind of nice, it's great watching the campus come alive. I'm ready to talk to people again. Mostly this semester, I'm working on my recital. We have a thesis piece, and I'm trying to write a one-act opera, which will not be finished [laughs]. But that's my goal. I wrote the libretto this summer, so that's finished. I like a lot of very experimental opera, but I also have a background in musical theater, so I'm hoping to be able to kind of bridge those influences."

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Matin Boulos (freshman, double bass): "This is my first time in the Bay. I was really anxious about not being able to make friends, but everyone's been so nice! I'm studying with Scott Pingel; his Metallica video is iconic! San Francisco is really beautiful! It blows my mind when I'm walking around, it feels so safe and clean. I'm really excited to work on symphonic repertoire and I play jazz bass as well, I'm supposed to help out with RJAM this week."

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Michael Potter (senior, RJAM piano): "I lived here over the summer, in Hayes Valley, so I've been in the city for a couple of years at this point. I took a semester off during COVID, so I don't really know any of the new kids since most of my friends graduated last year. But I'm excited to meet them: Last year I was the only pianist in the program, but this year there's a few. I have my first lesson this afternoon, but I did keep in touch with my teacher over the summer. And I was telling a friend earlier that it's funny being in my fifth year right now because I have gigs every night this week, so that's something that's been building since my first year here."

Learn more about studying percussion, voice, double bass, composition, guitar or roots, jazz and American music at SFCM.