CMC Presents! features outstanding music and educational events such as “Concerts with Conversation” with internationally acclaimed artists (in partnership with SF Performances), concerts by our award-winning faculty, master classes, clinics, and special CMC productions such as our annual Performathon, “Field Day at CMC.”
As CMC continues to reflect on these times, the need for music is more important than ever. The simple joy of musical expression, connecting with a teacher, or being in a class with others lifts the spirits and breaks the isolation so many people are experiencing. CMC is raising the bar in accessibility by creating the Free Sampler Series for new, returning, and current students to stay connected to music.
Mix and match classes, workshops, and a lesson free of charge. On January 30, try out free classes in piano, ukulele, Music for Children, and cello at Plug & Play Music Day. The free sampler series includes free private lessons as part of Free Trial February. Take free one hour workshops with CMC faculty from the Cultural Traditions Department at CMC Sessions starting February 9 and continuing through May. All the programming in this series takes place online.
Free Trial February
January 25–February 28
New, returning, and current students are invited to take one free trial lesson in the month of February. To redeem the offer, fill out the form to speak with our registration team before February 19, 2021.
Plug & Play Music Day
Saturday, January 30 from 1:00–3:15pm
Free
The afternoon’s featured classes are perfect for beginners, families, and the adventurous. Try Beginning Piano with Christopher Basso, Music for Children with Daniel Fabricant, Uke’n Sing with Beth Wilmurt, and Beginning Cello with Erik Andersen. Visit our website to see more schedule details.
CMC Sessions
Explore a rich selection of music topics with CMC faculty!
February 9–May 25
Free
Take a deep dive into jazz, Chinese-American, Latin, old-time, gypsy jazz, and genre-crossing styles with CMC faculty from the Cultural Traditions Department. The sessions offer engaging discussions, inspiring demonstrations, and musical tips in a creative format.
Starting on February 9, Maestro and Nola Curtis are launching the series by leading a workshop on the impact of Black culture on ensemble singing. On February 23, Jon Jang shares his musical language and reflects on his trajectory as a Chinese-American jazz artist and composer. March features sessions by Charlie Gurke and Miguel Govea. In April, Omar Ledezma Jr. and Erik Pearson each give workshops. Scott Feichter and Allison Lovejoy both teach sessions in May.
CMC Sessions
Take a deep dive into jazz, Chinese-American, Latin, old-time, gypsy jazz, and genre-crossing styles with CMC faculty from the Cultural Traditions Department. The sessions offer engaging discussions, inspiring demonstrations, and musical tips in a creative format. Participants are invited to interact with the faculty through a Q & A. CMC Sessions are free and open to all levels of music students.
Meet these talented and inspiring faculty at the CMC Sessions:
March 9, 2021, 6:00pm (PST)
Free
What does it mean to play “in clave”? Join Charlie Gurke for a lecture-demonstration on what it means to play in clave as an improviser. Charlie will explore phrases from soloists on a range of instruments from voice to percussion to piano and more, and identify typical rhythmic motives used in soloing in clave based grooves, and discuss how to incorporate these into your playing and practicing.
This event will be conducted online via video conferencing. RSVP to receive the link to join, emailed prior to the start of the discussion.
People who are interested in this workshop can dive deeper by exploring private lessons and the jazz program.
Concert with Conversation series sponsored by San Francisco Performances. Each short concert is followed by a Q & A.
Grammy Award-winner Jason Vieaux, “among the elite of today’s classical guitarists” (Gramophone), is the guitarist that goes beyond the classical. His most recent solo album, Play, won the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. Jason Vieaux has performed as soloist with over 100 orchestras in the U.S. and abroad.
Our thanks to San Francisco Performances for bringing Jason Vieaux to our virtual stage in this free community concert!
This free event will be conducted online via video conferencing. RSVP to receive the link to join, emailed prior to the start of the discussion.
Join us, as we celebrate the power of music to lift us up.
Honoring Ellen Magnin Newman and Marcus Shelby, and the late Robin Sutherland with the 2021 Gertrude Field Community Impact Award.
Featuring Master of Ceremonies Renel Brooks-Moon and a special VIP pre-event.
We invite you to Community Music Center’s virtual spring gala, an evening of music and celebration to benefit CMC’s tuition assistance programs.
Pre-gala festivities begin at 5 pm with a special VIP reception featuring longtime friends of CMC, the Alexander String Quartet.
Renel Brooks-Moon will emcee the main event, beginning at 6 pm. The program will feature performances by CMC’s remarkable students and faculty, an exciting live auction, and a fund-a-need in support of CMC’s mission of providing access to music for all.
This year we are proud to present CMC’s annual Gertrude Field Community Impact Award to three San Francisco icons: Ellen Magnin Newman, Marcus Shelby, and the lateRobin Sutherland. Each of the awardees has shown a deep dedication to the wider Bay Area arts community and to our beloved CMC. Ms. Field founded Community Music Center in 1921 with the idea that music is a force for good in the world, and that no one should be excluded from participating in a full music education. With her vision, CMC has served tens of thousands of students and remains dedicated to her mission of providing music education to all.
All proceeds support CMC’s mission to make high-quality music education accessible to all people, regardless of financial means.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:
Marcia and John Goldman
Fred Levin, The Shenson Foundation
Duncan Haberly and Jenn Sharp
Camilla and George Smith
Barbara Kosnar and Tom Goldman
Ann K. Ludwig
Anonymous
Janet Cluff
Frances Pertocelli Wilson
Helen Hilton Raiser
Roland Feller Violin Maker
Rusty Sealy
For questions, contact Elenka Refsell at 415-647-6015 x178 or erefsell@sfcmc.org.
CMC Sessions
Take a deep dive into jazz, Chinese-American, Latin, old-time, gypsy jazz, and genre-crossing styles with CMC faculty from the Cultural Traditions Department. The sessions offer engaging discussions, inspiring demonstrations, and musical tips in a creative format. Participants are invited to interact with the faculty through a Q & A. CMC Sessions are free and open to all levels of music students.
Meet these talented and inspiring faculty at the CMC Sessions:
March 23, 2021, 6:00pm (PST)
Free
Join Miguel Govea in a discussion about the intersection between culture, community activism, music creation, and education. Miguel Govea is a multi-instrumentalist and a community-based musician with a career that spans 40 years. As a long time denizen of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene, he has led his own bands and enjoyed collaborations with countless other artists. His session will explore his musical trajectory as the child of Mexican immigrants in 1960’s Central California to his exposure to the SF Bay area music scene in the late 1970’s. He’ll discuss how the Community Service Organization and the United Farmworkers movements continue to influence his work as a musician, teacher, and artist. He’ll share demonstrations of performances, projects, and styles which have been instrumental to his artistic journey, such as Mexican folk traditions and regional styles and the musical masters from Central and South America and the Caribbean he learned from and played with. Participants in his session will come away with an understanding of his perspective on community-based music work.
This event will be conducted online via video conferencing. RSVP to receive the link to join, emailed prior to the start of the discussion.
People who are interested in this workshop can dive deeper by exploring private lessons and the Latin music program.
Plug & Play Music Day returns!
You are invited to plug into inspiration and musical community. You’ll get an inside look at online group classes and private lessons at Community Music Center by trying out an online music class demo with CMC’s talented faculty. Play with new musical skills and explore easy to learn music.
No experience is necessary to participate.
RSVP to this event and we’ll send you Zoom links to each online class. In the RSVP process indicate which classes you are interested in attending to receive those Zoom links. Zoom links will be sent out 48 hours, 2 hours, and 10 minutes before the event via the email used to register.
RSVP HERE.
Schedule:
Coming soon!
CMC Sessions
Take a deep dive into jazz, Chinese-American, Latin, old-time, gypsy jazz, and genre-crossing styles with CMC faculty from the Cultural Traditions Department. The sessions offer engaging discussions, inspiring demonstrations, and musical tips in a creative format. Participants are invited to interact with the faculty through a Q & A. CMC Sessions are free and open to all levels of music students.
Meet these talented and inspiring faculty at the CMC Sessions:
April 13, 2021, 6:00pm (PST)
Free
Join talented vocalist/percussionist Omar Ledezma Jr. in a conversation and listening session on the music of award-winning singer Rubén Blades, who has had an influence on Ledezma’s development as a performing artist. In this workshop you will learn more about the personal background of Panamanian born Rubén Blades and how his upbringing influenced his music and trajectory becoming a renowned singer, songwriter, Harvard University alum, Panamanian presidential candidate, and Tourism Minister. Ledezma will analyze selected songs to focus on rhythmic structure, lyricism, and the significant social messages associated with the work of Blades. Finally, Ledezma will perform excerpts of some of Blades’s most famous songs on voice and percussion. Participants will learn about how social history impacted the life and artistic work of Rubén Blades and also learn about key ingredients to creating and performing vocals in Afro-Caribbean music.
This event will be conducted online via video conferencing. RSVP to receive the link to join, emailed prior to the start of the discussion.
People who are interested in this workshop can dive deeper by exploring private lessons and the Latin music program.
CMC Sessions
Take a deep dive into jazz, Chinese-American, Latin, old-time, gypsy jazz, and genre-crossing styles with CMC faculty from the Cultural Traditions Department. The sessions offer engaging discussions, inspiring demonstrations, and musical tips in a creative format. Participants are invited to interact with the faculty through a Q & A. CMC Sessions are free and open to all levels of music students.
Meet these talented and inspiring faculty at the CMC Sessions:
April 27, 2021, 6:00pm (PST)
Free
Join Erik Pearson for a lecture-demonstration on the history of the banjo— from its African and Caribbean roots to the present. Erik Pearson will talk about the history of the banjo and demonstrate some different instruments and styles/methods of playing.
This event will be conducted online via video conferencing. RSVP to receive the link to join, emailed prior to the start of the discussion.
People who are interested in this workshop can dive deeper by exploring private lessons and instrumental ensembles.
CMC Sessions
Take a deep dive into jazz, Chinese-American, Latin, old-time, gypsy jazz, and genre-crossing styles with CMC faculty from the Cultural Traditions Department. The sessions offer engaging discussions, inspiring demonstrations, and musical tips in a creative format. Participants are invited to interact with the faculty through a Q & A. CMC Sessions are free and open to all levels of music students.
Meet these talented and inspiring faculty at the CMC Sessions:
May 11, 2021, 6:00pm (PST)
Free
Join Scott Feichter in this musical lecture examining the lineage of Gypsy Jazz. Musical examples will be heard as Scott traces the predecessors of this music and take a glimpse at the latest generation of players. Topics will include the origins of Jazz in the United States and its tributaries, the evolution of French Musettle music, and an examination of the Gitano culture in Europe. A further emphasis will be placed on specific devices that distinguish this style and a note about other genres influenced by Roma people.
This event will be conducted online via video conferencing. RSVP to receive the link to join, emailed prior to the start of the discussion.
People who are interested in this workshop can dive deeper by exploring private lessons and the jazz program.
CMC Sessions
Take a deep dive into jazz, Chinese-American, Latin, old-time, gypsy jazz, and genre-crossing styles with CMC faculty from the Cultural Traditions Department. The sessions offer engaging discussions, inspiring demonstrations, and musical tips in a creative format. Participants are invited to interact with the faculty through a Q & A. CMC Sessions are free and open to all levels of music students.
Meet these talented and inspiring faculty at the CMC Sessions:
May 25, 2021, 6:00pm (PST)
Free
Join Allison Lovejoy in a lecture demonstration about the exciting journey of genre-crossing in music. Allison will share how she has developed as a musician, learning multiple musical styles and how this relates to her teaching approach, which focuses on constant learning and flexibility. She will share examples as a pianist and composer of her performances in classical, rock, world music, musical theater, and cabaret. Music students and musicians interested in expanding their focus to include new genres will find this session inspiring. Composers will find support and methods for exploring and drawing from diverse styles.
This event will be conducted online via video conferencing. RSVP to receive the link to join, emailed prior to the start of the discussion.
People who are interested in this workshop can dive deeper by exploring private lessons and group classes and ensembles.
