If you've ever wondered what goes on in a lesson with some of the best teachers around, here's your chance. SFCM's filmed lesson archive is now eight videos deep, covering lessons in our Technology and Applied Composition, Opera, Woodwinds, and Guitar, Strings, and Roots, Jazz, and American Music departments—with more on their way! Bookmark this article for a handy helpful reference guide to the archive, and picture yourself starring in one along the way. 

Meng Su

Meng Su grew up in  Qingdao, China, and studied privately with Professor Chen Zhi before entering the Central Conservatory in Beijing. By the time she finished high school she had entered and won four international guitar competitions. She furthered her studies with Manuel Barrueco, a Cuban guitarist who has recorded extensively for the iconic label EMI, and winning the Parkening International Guitar Competition in 2015 was what led her to establishing a career as a solo performer in addition to her role in the acclaimed Beijing Guitar Duo.

Rhoslyn Jones

As the co-founder of the Bay Area Vocal Program, Rhoslyn Jones is as beloved for her educational work as for her performances—which is no mean feat. She debuted as the Countess in Vancouver Opera’s production of Le Nozze di Figaro, and has gone on to perform with the San Francisco, Arizona, Santa Barbara, Pittsburgh Operas, as well as many of the country's symphony orchestras.

Daria Novoliantceva

Daria "Novo" Novoliantceva has been a pillar of the Technology and Applied Composition Program since joining in 2016. She also an in-demand orchestrator and composer whose credits include work with Meta, Electronic Arts, and Netflix.

Matt Brewer

Matt Brewer's driving swing has accompanied some of the biggest names working in jazz today. Most recently, he was the bassist for the Blue Note Quintet, a group convened to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the iconic label. Brewer can be heard on two releases from Blue Note—Channel Three by Greg Osby and Avatar by Gonzalo Rubalcaba—and has worked with Lee Konitz, Terence Blanchard, Jeff “Tain” Watts,  and many others.

Simon James

Chair of SFCM's Strings Department, Simon James has had as busy a career in Hollywood as he has on the stages of the Seattle Symphony, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Orchestra. He's played on dozens of film and video game soundtracks, and is equally well known for the quality of players that graduate from his studio, many of whom have gone on to win, among others, the International Menuhin Junior Competition, Stradivarius International Competition, Stulberg International String Competition, and Vancouver International Music Competition.

Matthew Worth

Matthew Worth's career highlights include the title role in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Boston Lyric Opera, a GRAMMY win for Best Choral Performance for Richard Danielpour’s The Passion of Yeshua, and the title role in the world premiere of JFK with Fort Worth Opera. Beyond his teaching at SFCM, Worth has annually joined SFCM students to work with the organization Musicambria at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, working with incarcerated people for four days to create a program of original music for a performance at the facility.

Eugene Izotov

Even without his connection to Ralph Gomberg, one of the most important oboe teachers of his time, Eugene Izotov's list of career achievements would be staggering. The first Russian-born musician to hold a principal wind position in any major American symphony orchestra, Izotov has been principal oboist of the San Francisco Symphony since 2014, when he was appointed by Michael Tilson Thomas. He previously served as the principal oboist of the Chicago Symphony, principal oboist of the Metropolitan Opera, and as guest principal oboist with the Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and New York Philharmonic.

Marc Teicholz

Awarded first prize at the 1989 International Guitar Foundation of America Competition, Marc Teicholz has amassed a career of international touring, recording, and teaching. Teicholz's Valseana—performed on 18 different guitars built between 1867 and 2004—was voted one of the Essential Acoustic Albums of 2011 by Acoustic Guitar Magazine. He is also well known for his interpretation of guitarist-composer Sérgio Assad's works, and premiered a guitar concerto, O Saci-Pererê, by Assad's daughter Clarice.

Mason Bates

Composition faculty Mason Bates explains his concept of "themify[ing] the theme," one of his most common instructions to his students. Composer of the GRAMMY-winning opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Bates aims to redefine the modern orchestra and integrate it into contemporary culture with a variety of multimedia settings and approaches. Working under the name DJ Masonic, Bates has also a developed a following for sets that integrate classical music and electronica to packed crowds in collaborations with clubs and orchestras around the country.

Jessica Valeri

Jessica Valeri has been a member of the San Francisco Symphony since 2008. Aside from her work with the SFS, she's been a part of a Grammy-nominated recording with the Bay Brass and played as part of the National Brass when the group reconvened in 2022 to perform at Davies Hall and record at Skywalker Sound. A yoga practitioner, Valeri also teaches yoga at SFCM. In her lesson, she delivers an all-time analogy to a student: Comparing specific articulations and phrasing to ironing sheets! 

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