The California Symphony and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music recently celebrated the completion of a milestone project that began in February: A conducting fellowship with SFCM’s two conducting students and the Symphony’s Music Director Donato Cabrera that offered students time on the podium with the Symphony and a look behind the scenes at how the day-to-day of a full-time symphony Music Director works.

Donald Lee III.

“Studying the art of conducting usually doesn’t begin until the graduate level,” Cabrera says.  “However, relegating this field of study to such an intense and short period of time means that many aspects of conducting, particularly the myriad responsibilities of being a music director, aren't learned or addressed until one is on the job.”

“How does one interact with donors and patrons?” he continues. “What does an orchestra stage plot look like for a Mozart symphony or a Stravinsky ballet when they’re on the same concert? What is the music director’s role during a board meeting? How do you program a season of concerts? I created this fellowship program, in partnership with SFCM, in order to provide SFCM conducting students an opportunity to begin pondering these—and many more—questions in utero, so to speak, rather than during their first days as music director of an orchestra, whose staff and musicians expect them to already know these things.”

“I am extremely grateful for the generosity of Maestro Cabrera, the warmth of the entire California Symphony, and the thoughtfulness that went into planning the conducting fellowship,” conducting student Donald Lee III, who studies with SFCM Music Director Edwin Outwater, says. “Opportunities like this are essential to the development of a young conductor, and thus the continuation of this great art form.”

Donald Lee III with Donato Cabrera backstage at the California Symphony.

Chih-Yao Chang, Outwater’s other student, adds, “I’m truly grateful and honored to be part of this fellowship. What I’ve gained goes far beyond just musical insights—I’ve had the rare opportunity to closely observe and learn from the Music Director how to maintain smooth collaboration across all departments. This has been an incredibly valuable experience.”

Chih-Yao Chang.

SFCM’s Chair and Assistant Dean of Professional Development and Community Engagement, Kristen Klehr, adds, “We’re thrilled to be celebrating this inaugural fellowship with the California Symphony. “It’s rare that a conducting student is offered this close a look at how a working symphony operates, and even rarer that they’re offered podium time with the Symphony as part of that process. This fellowship offers an invaluable on-ramp for SFCM’s conducting students as they begin their professional lives.”

The Conducting Department at SFCM is highly exclusive and guarantees students the guidance and opportunities required to become a successful and well-rounded conductor. Private instruction, rehearsals, and performance, in conjunction with the Conservatory Orchestra and other Conservatory ensembles, constitute the core of the program.

Learn more about studying conducting at SFCM.