Ready, set, debut! 

Thirty-eight SFCM students played side-by-side with Joshua Bell and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) for the San Francisco Symphony’s (SFS) Great Performers Series at Davies Symphony Hall on February 26 for a performance of Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

“Everyone was absolutely in awe of this experience,” said flute student Lyric Rivera. "It's something that gives me goosebumps, just to even think or talk about.” 

“My favorite part was when we first got into Davies Symphony Hall,” violin student Diego De La Cruz Iwadare added. “It was just like wow, you're walking backstage and then you're on the stage and everything looks so different!”

The performance was critically acclaimed as “remarkable” and “striking” where “musicians played their hearts out.”

Students and Academy members practice in Davies Symphony Hall.

In addition, Fiona Cunninghame-Murray, a violin student of faculty members Chen Zhao and Simon James, joined Bell for a duet performance of Concerto for Two Violins in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach. Cunninghame-Murray was awarded this opportunity after winning a competition held at SFCM in October. 

“To perform on a subscription concert in Davies with the Academy and Joshua Bell and a sold-out concert as my debut was probably the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me,” Cunninghame-Murray said. Cunninghame-Murray was also loaned a multi-million dollar 1728 Stradivarius violin for the performance.

Student Lyric Rivera (center) performs with the Academy.

The concert capped a three-day artistic residency at SFCM for the Academy, showcasing exceptional next-generation musicians alongside Music Director Bell and the acclaimed international ensemble. The ASMF is represented by Opus 3 Artists, one of two arts-management companies in SFCM’s growing alliance of companies, alongside Askonas Holt and the distinguished label PENTATONE Records.

“The San Francisco Conservatory has such a wonderful reputation and they really delivered,” Joshua Bell said. “They are incredible musicians with lots of energy, which is what you really want for a piece like this.”

During the residency, Academy members worked directly with students both in rehearsal and workshops. “It’s absolutely wonderful working with students from SFCM. They are so receptive, so interested, and they are always asking great questions,” ASMF horn player Joanna Hensel said. 

Joshua Bell and student Fiona Cunninghame-Murray perform a duet.

Hensel has been a member of the Academy for 27 years. “I am incredibly jealous of the facilities here,” she added. “They are amazing.” In addition to playing horn, Hensel is a psychologist and worked with students on what she called “performance confidence,” a skill beyond managing performance anxiety. It addresses, Hensel says, “How can I get from where I am now—which is where maybe I feel a little bit anxious—to the place where I feel not only do I have the tools to do what I want to do, I also have something to say,” Hensel said.

“This age of students, who are basically young professionals at this point, is a perfect age because they are really excited about music and about making music,” Bell added. 

“It was fantastic. I just loved playing with these great artists,” De La Cruz Iwadare added. “It just makes you play better and pushes you to be better.”

Students perform side-by-side with Academy members.

“I loved the energy,” viola student Zoe Yost said. “ASMF is an orchestra which plays like a string quartet, alert and interactive.” 

For violin student Aleksi Zarestsky, it was an unforgettable first-time experience. “It was very insightful and very fun to just be surrounded by all of them,” Zarestsky said. “My biggest takeaway was learning how to make the music-making process more fun for everybody, while still doing it at a really high level.”

Joshua Bell leads the Academy and SFCM students.

“It was a very surreal experience for me,” said Carlos Valdez, a double bass player.  “I never imagined to be in this situation when I started playing double bass in Peru, so it was like a dream come true,” he added.

Cunninghame-Murray put it another way: “This was just, like, the best week of my life.”

Learn more at SFCM’s growing alliances.