Development Director Elenka Refsell looks back on a decade of music, community, and tuition support at CMC
When San Francisco Community Music Center launched its first Field Day Performathon ten years ago, nobody really knew what to expect. Development Director Elenka Refsell had seen similar fundraising models work for organizations like the AIDS Walk and the Shanti Project’s Swim for L.I.F.E. event, but translating that format to a music school felt like uncharted territory. “I was excited to try,” she says, “and it has become my favorite day of the year.”
That first event drew just over 140 performers and raised about $23,000. Last year, Field Day regularly brought together 350 performers and crossed the $100,000 mark. But Elenka is quick to point out that the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
For her, what makes Field Day irreplaceable is the way it puts the full breadth of CMC’s community on stage at once — beginners alongside professionals, rock bands alongside traditional Chinese instruments, a cappella groups, string quartets, jazz, opera, and everything in between. “It is CMC in a nutshell,” she says. “No matter what kind of music inspires you, no matter how old you are, and no matter what your ability — there is a place for you at Field Day and at CMC.”
Field Day works like a walkathon: CMC students, faculty, alumni, donors, staff, board members, and more sign up to perform and ask their networks to sponsor them with donations. Every dollar raised goes directly to CMC’s scholarships and tuition assistance programs.
One of the most active fundraising communities within the event has been the Neighborhood Choirs. Elenka describes how their members rally around each other’s campaigns, collecting small donations from wide networks of people. “It doesn’t matter how much a person can give,” she says. “Every little bit helps support these programs.” Seeing tuition-free students and merit scholars participate as performers and fundraisers is, for her, one of the most meaningful parts of the day.
Virtual Field Day in 2020 holds a special place in Elenka’s memory. Just a few months into the pandemic, more than 400 people found ways to participate from home. The event ran as a week of one-hour broadcasts at noon — a small but real anchor during an isolating time. It also had a personal effect: “It inspired both my child and me to start taking virtual lessons.”
Another turning point came when CMC opened its expanded campus, and Field Day gained access to multiple performance spaces. Before that, organizers had been creatively repurposing whatever rooms they could find, including the Executive Director’s office. Having a proper recital hall changed the scale and feel of the event entirely.
And then there’s the milestone from last year. “From a fundraising perspective, last year was especially exciting — the first year we raised $100,000,” Elenka says. “If you’d asked me ten years ago if we could raise that much at Field Day, I would have laughed you out of the building. But here we are, and I know we can do that — and more — going forward because of our incredible community!”
Join us this May
Field Day 2026 marks the Performathon’s 10th anniversary. The event takes place on Sunday, May 31, from 11am to 5pm at CMC’s Mission District Branch at 544 Capp Street. It’s free and open to the public.
Performers can sign up through April 27 here. To sponsor a performer or make a donation, visit the same page.