Weekend Festival of Free Music Kicks Off New Season of
Performances and Events

Borromeo String Quartet Holds a Week-Long Residency

Opera Season Includes Don Giovanni Directed by Jose Maria Condemi and
West Coast Premiere of Mansfield Park by Jonathan Dove

Contemporary Music Season Features Terry Riley Premiere, John Adams in Conversation and an Expanded Collaboration with the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players

New Spring Concert Series Transformations Examines Famous Musical Adaptations

SFCM Hosts Third Annual Maurizio Biasini International
Guitar Competition and Festival

Violinists Midori and Pinchas Zukerman Headline Master Class Series of
Internationally Acclaimed Artists

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music this year presents a fresh selection of festivals, curated concert series and special events that invite audiences to experience music through the prism of a top collegiate music program. The season starts September 11 with Classical Kick-off Weekend, three days of concerts, recitals and presentations celebrating Mozart, Haydn and a few of their unjustly neglected contemporaries. In January, the Maurizio Biasini International Guitar Competition and Festival features master guitarists and their protégés in performances that include the Conservatory Guitar Ensemble and New Music Ensemble. The spring series Transformations examines the time-honored practice among composers of "borrowing" others' work for inspiration. Noted stage director Jose Maria Condemi leads a season of three full opera productions including a West Coast premiere. And top international artists like the Borromeo String Quartet, conductor Patrick Summers, violinist Midori and composer John Adams visit throughout the year for performances, master classes and informal discussions. Concert series in orchestra, chamber music, contemporary music and historical performance plus a lineup of faculty and alumni recitals given by favorite Bay Area performers complete the season. Performances are held at 50 Oak Street and most are free of charge. Find details at sfcm.edu/performances.

Read the press release here.