Communication breakdown? Where?

Over two dozen SFCM students and alumni joined Windborne Music at San Francisco's Curran Theatre on October 10 for the touring group's "Music of Led Zeppelin" show, which packed the house and brought the crowd up for several standing ovations.

Windborne Music.

Arranged through HireSFCM, the show allowed students to step outside of the classical world for something a little louder.

"The Curran theater is a legendary performance venue in SF—famous shows like Wicked opened there," HireSFCM Community Engagement Manager Kevin Rogers said. "Combine that with the five standing ovations and genuinely ebullient crowd and it was a one-of-a-kind experience! This Broadway-style preparation for a show, where you essentially get one pass, some feedback from the director, and then do it live, is also one that I think showed students what the fast-paced and high-demand world of professional playing is like."

Ella Hammersly.

Chair of SFCM's Professional Development and Engagement Center (PDEC) Kristen Klehr added, "This was a perfect working music industry experience for our students. They got the music that day, rehearsed, and then hit the top-of-show downbeat at 7 p.m. It doesn't get more real-world than that!"

"With these pop and rock shows, the energy of the crowd is contagious, and then we as performers get into it more and in turn everyone enjoys it," viola player Ella Hammersly said. "Performing outside of the classical concert hall setting reminds you of the connection we’re trying to make with our music and audiences. I'm gonna carry that energy forward with me!"

Ella Askren (Credit: PoYu Lee)

Windborne founder Brent Havens has been writing music for television, theatrical movies, music libraries and industrial productions since 1980, and The Music of Led Zeppelin was the first live production the group mounted. Since then, Windborne has expanded its repertoire to include shows based around the music of Pink Floyd, The Doors, Queen, and The Rolling Stones with a variety of orchestral settings, and has toured internationally.

"The environment was so warm and friendly," violinist Jessica Folson said of the collaboration. "The audience showed up anticipating a good time, and the band understood their audience well and how to cater their performance environment to them. I’m always learning how to better read and interact with audiences, and this was a special concert to be a part of and learn from."

Performance opportunities like this for SFCM students and alumni through Hire SFCM come often and in exciting ways. Earlier this year SFCM students formed a "video game orchestra" performing at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, while other Hire SFCM performances have included high-profile artists like SFJAZZ Collective Music Director Chris Potter, the Kronos Quartet, and All-Elite Wrestling, the nation's second-largest professional wrestling organization. In 2023, performances through Hire SFCM, which engages current students as well as recent grads who stay in the Bay Area, paid out over $100,000 to SFCM students.
 

Viola player Ella Askren added, "This was such a fun change of pace and really rewarding to see so many people gathered in one place to recreate and celebrate the legacy of some older music, which kind of makes it similar to what we do as classical musicians in a way!"

Learn more about SFCM's Professional Development and Engagement Center and the HireSFCM program.