The San Francisco Conservatory of Music is now calling on the next generation of musicians to spend their summer living, learning, and creating in the heart of San Francisco through its immersive, high-level residential academies.

This year’s lineup of Summer@SFCM includes programs in Voice, Technology and Applied Composition, Guitar, Bass Clarinet, Harp, and Percussion that offer young artists the chance to sharpen their skills, ignite their creativity, and work side-by-side with SFCM’s world-class faculty. Summer@SFCM gives students an unforgettable opportunity to grow as musicians and push their potential to the next level.

New this year is SFCM’s Percussion Academy, where young percussionists can explore a wide range of instruments and techniques while working side-by-side with Percussion Chair and Principal Percussionist of the San Francisco Symphony Jacob Nissly, as well as faculty Haruka Fujii, and new SFCM faculty member Patti Niemi. 

Students perform alongside SFCM's lauded Guitar faculty.

Skills learned in summer programs “take students to the next level in playing and performance" David Tanenbaum, an internationally-renowned guitarist, chair of SFCM's Guitar department, and professor in Summer@SFCM's Guitar program, said. "Young musicians get one-on-one lessons with our celebrated faculty and participate in interactive workshops, all culminating in an exciting performance.”

For students, in addition to deepening and enriching their skills, these programs also create community and build friendships. “Harpists, because of the nature of the instrument, are usually practicing on their own,” Jennifer Ellis, who leads the Harp Immersive, said. “It's rare for harp students of this age to play this much with other musicians. During a recent summer academy, Ellis even managed the creative feat of getting 14 harpists on stage at once! 

Summer@SFCM provides a setting for new collaborations and builds new communities. “You have the opportunity to learn from world class teachers,” Sara, 15, who participated in the summer Vocal Academy, said, before adding, “You will also make long-lasting friends who share the same interests."

SFCM's Bowes Center.

Musicians will participate in intensive study and personal instruction while living in SFCM’s Bowes Center. This groundbreaking $200 million+, 12-story home for music was inaugurated in 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.”

Now in its third 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 tastemakers across a wide range of disciplines within the field. This year's institute will have special focus on community engagement.

Applications for each summer program are open, with an application deadline of April 1. Financial aid is available. Full details, including faculty listings and admissions requirements, can be found on the Summer@SFCM program page.

VOCAL SUMMER ACADEMY                                                                                                                   

Residential Camp

SFCM Summer Vocal Academy immerses young singers in focused, creative training to strengthen vocal health, technique, and performance skills. Students work with faculty and pianists through lessons, coaching, masterclasses, ensembles, movement, and diction, culminating in two professionally recorded concerts. Rooted in classical training, the program welcomes vocalists of all musical interests.

DATES
Sunday July 19, 2026 - Saturday July 25, 2026

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.

TECHNOLOGY AND APPLIED COMPOSITION IMMERSIVE                  

Residential Camp

In this week-long immersive program, students explore music technology, media composition, and state-of-the-art production techniques. Through hands-on workshops, they learn to score for film and games using the latest software, guided by world-class faculty and industry professionals. Participants gain experience in studio recording, sound design, and professional workflows, culminating in a recording of their own hybrid score and the opportunity to implement custom sounds in a video game.

DATES
Monday, June 15, 2026 - Friday, June 19, 2026 OR Monday, June 22 - Friday, June 26, 2026

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.

PERCUSSION ACADEMY     

Residential Camp       
 

DATES
Monday, June 22, 2026 - Saturday, June 27, 2026

Over six exciting days, young percussionists dive into a wide range of instruments and techniques, from orchestral and keyboard percussion to chamber ensembles and global styles. They sharpen their skills, collaborate with peers, and experience the thrill of performing in a vibrant, hands-on environment.

ADMISSIONS 
Percussion Academy for students ages 13–18. Admission is by video audition. 

HARP IMMERSIVE   

Residential Camp                                                 

Perfect for taking your harp playing to the next level, this five-day program provides each harpist  solo, masterclass, and harp ensemble performance opportunities. Musicians get to jumpstart performance goals with lessons and morning practice intensives followed by afternoons filled with harp ensemble, eurhythmics, and special workshops such as improvisation, practice skills, and managing performance nerves. Lever and Pedal Harps are provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

DATES
Monday, July 13, 2026 - Friday, July 17, 2026

ADMISSIONS
Participants must be ages 12-19 and have previous harp experience, ideally at least 1 year of private instruction. Applicants will be asked to submit a video audition. 

GUITAR WORKSHOP

Residential Camp       

Students in this week-long immersive program 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 an exciting performance. 

DATES
Monday, June 29, 2026 - Friday, July 3, 2026

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

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. Students will experience masterclasses and workshops on topics including practice techniques, audition preparation, extended techniques, career development, and creating new repertoire as well as performing in a 25+ member bass clarinet choir.

DATES
Monday, June 15, 2026 - Friday, June 19, 2026

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

INTRODUCTION TO COMPOSITION 

Online Class

DATES
June 15, 2026 - July 3, 2026 from 10 - 11:30 AM OR 1:30 - 3:00 PM; Monday, Wednesday, Friday; via Zoom

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 on your computer, at the piano, or on 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 26, 2026 - Friday, May 29, 2026

Arts Leadership Summer Institute is a week-long, immersive experience designed for emerging and established arts leaders ready to make an impact. Hosted at SFCM, the program brings together visionary thinkers, tastemakers, and innovators from across the arts to guide participants through interactive seminars, collaborative projects, and hands-on leadership exercises. Attendees gain practical strategies, insider insights, and invaluable networking opportunities to shape the future of arts leadership. This year's institute will have special focus on community engagement.

ADMISSIONS
Collegiate students and recent graduates 21+.

Learn more about Summer Programs at SFCM.