San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Ariana Kim's dedication to the violin doesn't know any borders. 🎻🌎

The GRAMMY-nominated SFCM alum defines the global curiosity the Conservatory strives to instill. On a recent sabbatical from Cornell University, Kim journeyed to India to study Carnatic violin with masters Mysore Manjunath and his son Sumanth.

The style required adapting to a vertical playing posture and unique tuning. "Everything is different from what you've been doing for decades," Kim says, "so the brain has to kind of rewire."

Her new album, "(un)common thread," blends Western classical masterpieces with American folk and Carnatic traditions, proving that musical growth is a lifelong pursuit. "As is the case with classical music," she notes, "it's a life journey."

🔗Read more about Ariana's global study: https://bit.ly/3PQccqa

"SFCM is a very small school. But I think we are better off for it. You can't make music or art by yourself, no matter how hard you might try. It's simply not possible. Everyone you will ever meet will change you in some way.

"Our art, our music, whatever it is we end up doing, will, at some molecular level, be touched by whom we’ve met over these past four years. There's a certain beauty in knowing everyone. If the school had been bigger, if we had been more separated, my life wouldn't be as rich."

— Clara Abrahams, Undergraduate Class Speaker

📸 Drew Altizer

Commencement may be over, but we’re still thinking about it!

Before the caps and gowns came out, SFCM Student Life celebrated the Class of 2026 with a party! Students ended their time at SFCM with the people who made these past few years unforgettable.

Proof that the best part of SFCM isn't just the music, it's the community we build together. ❤️💛

👇 Tag the friends who made your time at SFCM unforgettable!

From the classroom to the gaming studio! 🎮🎵

Every semester, our TAC Department's Sony Project tasks students with scoring a video game and receiving direct feedback from industry leaders at Sony Interactive Entertainment America.

For many graduates, this partnership is a direct bridge to a dream career. 2025 TAC alum Cullen Luper is a prime example, he was hired as an Associate Music Designer at Sony after networking through the project. Today, he helps shape the player experience by adapting and stretching composed scores into dozens of hours of immersive gameplay.

Cullen joins a growing pipeline of SFCM grads finding success at Sony and its subsidiaries, including Udit Srivathsan, Britney Dawn Do (Insomniac Games), and Seira Ishimura McCarthy (Kojima Productions).

We’re proud to see our alumni on the ground level of the gaming industry!

🔗 Read more about Cullen’s journey here: https://bit.ly/4nXuu5r

“Often, growth is not a clear and smooth process. It might mean starting over again and again... But it is precisely at these moments that we begin to understand the true meaning of learning. We learn to revise, to start over, to listen to feedback, and to admit, ‘I don’t know yet.’ And these seemingly imperfect moments are the traces left by growth.”

— Chong Li, Post-Graduate Class Speaker, delivering her first-ever speech on a stage in a non-native language 🎓

📸 Drew Altizer

At SFCM, students don’t just study new music—they premiere it.

Last month, the SFCM Pre-College choir debuted "Most This Amazing" by faculty member and alum Michael Kaulkin. The premiere coincided with the global release of Kaulkin’s first string quartet, "City Walks," now available on Navona Records.

A former student of the legendary Conrad Susa, Kaulkin infuses his work with a theatricality inspired by Stephen Sondheim. By bringing his professional projects into the classroom, he provides students with a real-world roadmap for a life in composition.

"It’s important for them to see an example of something 'out in the wild,'" Kaulkin says. "Just the fact that there is an example of how this whole process works—that’s the most of it."

🔗 Read the full story: https://bit.ly/4uEgCQ2

Congratulations to conductor Daniel Harding on his appointment as the next Music Director of the LA Phil, beginning in the 2027/28 season!

Harding is an Askonas Holt artist, part of the SFCM Alliance that also includes Opus 3 Artists and PENTATONE, providing students with unparalleled access to today's leading artists and on-ramps into the worlds of arts management and recording.

From Walt Disney Concert Hall to the Hollywood Bowl, and his work with the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), including a 2029 international tour, we are excited to see his artistry and leadership at the helm of one of the world's most revered orchestras.

Welcome to the West Coast!

📸 Polly Brown