Today, over thirty alumni are members of the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet Orchestras, and Philharmonia Baroque. Conservatory alumni perform in major symphony orchestras nationwide including the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Our alumni also perform on the world's stages and currently hold positions worldwide with acclaimed musical organizations, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic and the Tokyo Philharmonic. They are also contributing to music world-wide with the premiere of new works and compositions and shaping music education through teaching and research.

Alumni Highlights

Alumnus Joel Rosenbaum is a professional composer who writes both television and film. He is the winner of several awards including an Emmy. Rosenbaum also won the 1985 Oscar for best movie soundtrack on the Color Purple.

Composer Aaron Jay Kernis won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his work String Quartet No. 2 (musica instrumentalis).

Cellist Hai-Ye Ni, a Preparatory Division graduate who received her Bachelor of Music degree in 1992, was the youngest person in history to win the Naumburg International Cello Competition.
She was awarded First Prize in the 1996 International Paulo Cello Competition from among thirty-one cellists representing thirteen countries. Ms. Ni is now Associate Principal Cello with New York Philharmonic.

During Jennifer Culp's seven-year tenure as cellist of the world renown Kronos Quartet, the group won Musical America's 2003 "Musicians of the Year" and a Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance of Berg's 'Lyric Suite' in 2004.

Pianist Jeffrey Kahane, winner of the Arthur Rubenstein Competition, the Chopin Competition and the Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award, is Music Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Santa Rosa Symphony.

Alumna Krista Benion Feeney is the Music Director of the New Century Chamber Orchestra.

Tenor John del Carlo tours the world opera houses and performs regularly with the New York Metropolitan and the San Francisco Operas.

Pianist Robin Sutherland is the principal pianist with the San Francisco Symphony.

Baritone Keith Olsen is a principal singer with Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy.

Mezzo-soprano Wendy Hillhouse, alumna and Conservatory faculty member, has sung with the Metropolitan Opera and sang the role of Marcellina for the opening of the new Glyndebourne Opera House in England.

The Peabody Trio, winner of the Naumburg International Chamber Music Competition, includes pianist Seth Knopp and violinist Violaine Melancon, who are alumni of the Conservatory's Graduate Chamber Music Program.

Catherine Naglestad, soprano, returned from Europe to star in her San Francisco Opera debut in the title role of Alcina.

Tenor Daniel Montenegro was chosen as one of the three American Tenors and appeared in concerts in a PBS special.

David Tanenbaum, Chair of the Conservatory's Guitar department, is one of today's most sought after guitarists, appearing in recitals throughout the world.

James Gandre is Dean of Chicago College of Performing Artists.

Violinists Isaac Stern and Yehudi Menuhin, two of our era's greatest virtuosos, both studied at the Conservatory.

For more Alumni information visit Alumni Network.