The composition department both honors tradition and encourages innovation. Our four versatile faculty members closely mentor students while maintaining high-profile composing careers. We strongly emphasize interdepartmental collaboration, matching composers with performers, as well as offer frequent concerts and readings of student works.  You'll be able to take advantage of the extraordinarily rich musical life of San Francisco, home to some of the most groundbreaking musical activity of the past half-century.

Opportunities for composers include: the Pankonin Art Song Commission of $3,000; Highsmith Orchestra Competition which includes a performance by the SFCM Orchestra of the winning work, and an hour recording session for the runner up; Biennial Choral and Art Song Composition Competitions with $1,000 in prizes; annual concert of student string quartet movements with SFCM’s quartet in residence, the Namburg-winning Telegraph String Quartet; four hours of orchestra readings annually.