MDYMP goes on tour
November 15, 2022 By Sylvia Sherman, Program Director CMC’s Mission District Young Musicians Program was busy this fall with performances that commemorated Mission District culture and history, contributed to neighborhood school festivals, and celebrated Día de los Muertos. On October 15, CMC participated in Acción Latina’s community art walk Paseo Artístico: “The 80’s Matter in […]
More than music: Community Music Center builds skills for life
Recent Community Music Center graduate Chris Flores, 18, has had rich experiences in his time at CMC. Chris developed not only skills and maturity that come through dedicated musical study, but he built professional know-how as he built and repaired musical instruments in a CMC internship. Chris is taking his CMC experiences, both musical and vocational, to the University of the Pacific, where he recently started as a freshman.
Two new scholarships endowed in honor of longtime supporter Linda Blacketer
The Linda Blacketer Memorial Scholarships honor the life of longtime Community Music Center friend and supporter Linda Blacketer.
Encore! CMC Summer Rewind
Tune in to relive a selection of recent concerts and events featuring CMC faculty, students, and partners you may have missed! We’ll be sharing inspirational and educational concerts, workshops, and presentations to keep the music going all summer long.
A triumphant song for equality: An interview with Maestro Curtis
As part of our centennial celebrations, CMC is proud to present the world premiere of a commissioned new work by acclaimed composer-performer and longtime faculty member Maestro Curtis, PhD on April 23 at 1 pm as part of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. The premiere of Curtis’ “A Song of Triumph: The History of Black Music” will feature Maestro Curtis PhD, The Curtis Family C-Notes and special guests, including Dorothy Morrison, Bishop James Adams, Juan Escovedo, Pastor Harold Gordon, Ken Little, Larry Douglas, Ricardo Scales, Tony Bolivar, J.R. Hall, Tina Bryant, and Neil Stallings. The commission and premiere are an extension of CMC’s Black Music Studies Program.
Reimagining musical collaboration and community: An interview with Cava Menzies
On April 4, CMC is launching (Re)Imagine: 100 New Works from Cava Menzies & Community Music Center to commemorate 100 years of music for everyone. This project is in collaboration with artist, composer, and educator Cava Menzies and will result in 100 new works—50 created by Menzies in collaboration with international and local musicians and 50 created by YMP and MDYMP. These works will be shared digitally from April 4 to May 23 with an in-person event on May 14.
Chamber Music Program expands its offerings
CMC’s Chamber Music Ensemble Program has been growing by leaps and bounds. Since the Fall Quarter, the program has blossomed from three students to 22. The program still offers standard classical music groups, but has opened up the formation of groups based on the musical interests of the applicants. This has resulted in folk and blues chamber ensembles, along with the classical groups the program is known for.
Breaking ground on a new century
On Wednesday, February 16, CMC will hold a festive groundbreaking event for the Community Music Center Campus Expansion Project. This short ceremony will feature students and faculty from the Children’s Chorus, Mission District Young Musicians Program, Mission District Older Adult Choirs, and members of the SFUSD Mariachi Program performing “If I Had a Hammer” and “Las Mañanitas.” Participating faculty will include Martha Rodríguez-Salazar, Beth Wilmurt, Miguel Govea, Susan Peña, Sharon Wayne, and Tregar Otton. The event will take place in CMC’s courtyard at the Mission District Branch
CMC Sessions 2022: Traditions Moving Forward
Two highly successful projects from last year, “CMC Sessions,” from the cultural traditions department, and “Spotlight Seminars” from the piano department, are joining together in an exciting collaboration funded by a CMC Faculty Partnership Grant.
CMC Sessions: Traditions Moving Forward will begin in January 2022, and will showcase the talents of ten CMC faculty members from diverse classical and non-classical traditions. The online presenters will use video, audio, and lecture-demonstrations to illustrate the influences and musical education that shaped them, and to highlight how their unique interests impact their teaching and performing at CMC. Their personal stories illustrate the breadth of talent among CMC’s teachers and show some of the ways the school is creatively adapting historical traditions to inspire and guide the musicians of tomorrow. These presentations by our fantastic faculty are going to be fascinating. Be sure to tune in!
CMC celebrate the season this December
As the year comes to a close, CMC’s Older Adult Choir Program is excited to celebrate the season with a return to in-person performances with festive concerts during the month of December. The concerts take place at CMC and around the city. These year-end performances feature songs in many styles and languages: from jazz standards […]