The San Francisco Conservatory of Music invites applications from aspiring young musicians to live, learn, and make music in the heart of San Francisco for one of its exciting, enlightening, and unparalleled summer residential academies. 

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. 

For many young musicians, in addition to deepening and enriching their skills, these programs also create community, “Harpists are by themselves, usually," Jennifer Ellis said, who leads the Harp Immersive, “It's rare for students of this age to play this much with other musicians. They're usually practicing on their own, they're rarely meeting other harpists.” Summer@SFCM upends that paradigm for all musicians, building new friendships, opening new collaborations, and establishing new communities. Ellis even managed the creative feat of getting 14 harpists on stage at once in 2024. 

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

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

Now in its second iteration, SFCM is also offering an Arts Leadership Summer Institute. This weeklong, seminar-style immersive experience is geared towards arts leaders of today and tomorrow, and guided by thought leaders and taste makers across a wide range of disciplines within our field.

Applications for each summer program are open. Deadlines depend on program and vary from April 1, 2025, to June 1, 2025. Please check Summer@SFCM program page for full details. Financial aid is available. Full details, including faculty listings and admissions requirements, can be found on the summer program page. 
 

Summer vocal academy.

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 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 13, 2025 - Saturday July 19, 2025

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.

A Technology and Applied Compostion student works in Studio H.

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 film and game composing  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 16, 2025 - Friday, June 20, 2025 OR Monday, June 23 - Friday, June 27, 2025

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 and/or music composition.
 

Summer@SFCM guitar student.

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 masterclasses, ensembles, and interactive workshops about guitar technique and SFCM’s Harris Guitar Collection. All participants will work toward a culminating performance.

DATES
Tuesday, July 8, 2025 - Saturday, July 12, 2025

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

Bass Clarinet Intensive

BASS CLARINET INTENSIVE
(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 23, 2025 - Friday, June 27, 2025

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

HARP IMMERSIVE (Day Camp with residential option available)

During this five-day program, each harpist has solo, master class, and harp ensemble performance opportunities. Harpists get to jumpstart their performance goals with lessons and morning practice intensives followed by afternoons filled with harp ensemble, eurhythmics, and special workshops such as improvisation, practice skills, managing performance nerves, and more. Come join us this summer, collaborate with your harpist peers, and get your harp playing in tip-top shape! Sign up soon! Lever and Pedal Harps are provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

DATES
Monday, July 28, 2025 - Friday, August 1, 2025

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 COMPOSITION
(Online Class)

DATES
June 16, 2025 - July 7, 2025 from 10 - 11:30 AM; Monday, Wednesday, Friday (no class July 4th)

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

ADMISSIONS
Participants must be ages 15 - 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.
 

ARTS LEADERSHIP SUMMER INSTITUTE 
(Day Events)

DATES
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, to Friday, May 30, 2025 

A weeklong, seminar-style immersive experience for arts leaders of today and tomorrow, hosted at SFCM and guided by thought leaders and taste makers across a wide range of disciplines within our field.

ADMISSIONS
Collegiate students and recent graduates 21+.

Learn more about Summer Programs at SFCM.