The ongoing partnership between SFCM and KDFC Classical California has a strong signal, and it's getting louder.

Though the collaboration between the radio station and SFCM's Technology and Applied Composition (TAC) Department began prior to the construction of SFCM's second campus building, The Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center for Performing Arts, the station moved into the second floor of the Bowes Center when it opened in 2020. (SFCM and KDFC have another common point: pianist and SFCM Pre-College graduate Lara Downes, who hosts KDFC's Evening Music nightly on weekdays from 8 p.m.)

SFCM students record their classmates' winning KDFC sound logos in Studio G.

From there, the creative opportunities for the two California musical icons have only grown. 

"The TAC department has been collaborating with KDFC since 2018," TAC faculty Matt Levine says. "Every year, our students have a friendly competition where the students reimagine the KDFC 'sonic logo'"—interstitial music used as transitions between segments.

"Every radio station defines itself in part through its imaging; the sound design that ties everything together," KDFC Production Manager Stephen Page says. "For a classical station, that identity is especially important. Each year, students from SFCM compete to create a sound logo package and music beds for our on-air imaging. It’s a win-win: we receive fresh, imaginative music, and students gain invaluable real-world experience working with a client’s creative needs." Plus, KDFC's reach extends as far north as Ukiah, as far south as Monterey, and as far east as Livermore, meaning at least 200 miles of California listeners hear the students' work.

KDFC Production Manager Stephen Page (middle) and TAC faculty Matt Levine (right, in blue shirt) take SFCM students on a tour of KDFC.

This year students are working within the strict parameters of violin, clarinet, and piano for instrumentation, and the winning student will receive a $1,000 prize. The winning work "will be produced in collaboration with the KDFC team and recorded in our world-class studio in the Bowes Center in February 2026," Levine adds.

KDFC and SFCM's collaborations haven't been limited to the recording studio, though. In 2024, the station hosted its annual Classical Kids Discovery Day in the Bowes Center, welcoming San Franciscans to performances, an opera vocal range testing exercise, and an instrument "petting zoo," among other educational experiences.

KDFC's "Instrument Petting Zoo" at its annual Classical Kids Discovery Day event in 2024.

"Classical California loves being in the Bowes Center and developing partnerships that expand our impact in our community," President of Classical California KDFC Bill Lueth said. "The San Francisco Conservatory of Music is a fantastic partner to us and it was natural to finally bring our annual Classical Kids Discovery Day to our home in SF."

Aaliyah Capili (in spotlight) performs as part of KDFC's Arcade Live! at SFCM.

The relationship also affords performance opportunities for SFCM students. In March, the Conservatory hosted KDFC's Arcade Live! event, a live-streamed performance in which music from iconic video games like World of Warcraft and The Legend of Zelda rubbed shoulders with classical works like Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" and Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. TAC students arranged, recorded, and edited the music, while musicians from other departments, like Voice student Aaliyah Capili, were tapped as performers.

KDFC's Arcade Live! performance at SFCM.

"It was surreal," SFCM TAC alum Caroline Feitosa ('25) said at the time. "My biggest takeaway was realizing that if I were hired to do something like this, I could do it. I have mostly been focusing on writing my own work while at SFCM, but orchestrating someone else’s music—especially by composers I deeply admire, like Lennie Moore and Koji Kondoi—showed me that this kind of creative work isn't out of reach."

Keep your eyes and ears on SFCM and KDFC as they continue to prove there's very little out of reach for these San Francisco icons.

Learn more about studying Technology and Applied Composition at SFCM here, and explore KDFC's programming here.