1. MEDIA CONTACT
Sam Smith
415.503.6265 | ssmith@sfcm.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SAN FRANCISCO, November 6, 2014
Leslie Ann Jones, Austin Wintory, Jeff Beal and Laura Karpman
Headline an All-Star Cast of Visiting Industry Faculty and Guest Artists
in
Innovative New Program of Technology and Applied Composition
Scoring and Sound Design for Film, Games and New Media
at the
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Roster Also Includes Composers
Jessica Curry, Dear Esther
Dren McDonald, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
and Thought Leaders
Jaron Lanier, Who Owns the Future?
Karen Collins, The Game Institute
San Francisco, CA – The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) announces the appointment
of an all-star cast of Visiting Industry Faculty and Guest Artists to its new Technology and Applied
Composition (TAC) program, an undergraduate degree offering an unparalleled foundation for success
in the diverse and evolving music industry. A unique curriculum integrating compositional craft with
music technology will launch a new generation of composers adept in the fields of concert music, sound
design and film and game scoring. Now accepting applications for the inaugural class of 2015, the
Conservatory will produce versatile graduates who thrive as individual artists and as members of a
creative team.
Practitioners and thought leaders from the film and game music industry come together to furnish a deep
bench of talent for the Technology and Applied Composition program:
• Leslie Ann Jones, Director of Music Recording and Scoring at Skywalker Sound and multiple
Grammy Award-winning recording engineer;

2. • Austin Wintory, creator of over 40 feature film scores, including the Sundance Film Festival hit
Grace, and music for video games such as Playstation 3’s Journey, the first soundtrack ever to
receive a Grammy Award nomination for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media;
• Jeff Beal, three-time Emmy Award-winning composer of music for film, media and the concert
hall, and creator of the score and theme for the NetFlix drama House of Cards;
• Laura Karpman, four-time Emmy Award-winning composer of film, television, videogame,
concert and theater music, whose distinguished credits include scoring Black Nativity (Fox
Searchlight) and Odyssey 5 (Showtime);
• Jessica Curry, BAFTA-nominated composer, joint studio head of The Chinese Room game
development studio and creator of the multiple award-winning score to the pioneering interactive
game Dear Esther;
• Dren McDonald, noted game audio composer, sound designer and audio director, and creator of
scores to games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive;
• Jaron Lanier, celebrated technology writer and author of Who Owns the Future, winner of a
2014 Goldsmith Book Prize;
• Karen Collins, author of four books on game audio and Canada Research Chair in Interactive
Audio at the Games Institute at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
“We are honored and delighted to welcome this august group of artists and teachers to the Technology
and Applied Composition faculty at SFCM,” says President David H. Stull. “Their presence will provide
transformative learning opportunities for our students and facilitate the ongoing development of an
outstanding program. It is a pleasure to have them with us.”
Noted film composer Jeff Beal clearly grasps the timeliness of such a program for today’s young
composers. “Being a composer in the 21st century is an expansive and complex enterprise,” says Beal.
“Never have the technical demands and possible outlets for creative music been so rich and varied. I’m
thrilled to be a part of this program at the San Francisco Conservatory, where we will be able to look at
creativity, collaborative thinking, dramatic storytelling and workflows that bridge both the digital and
acoustic worlds of recording and producing music.”
Commenting on his appointment to the program, film and game composer Austin Wintory mixes
infectious enthusiasm with the wit and whimsy one might expect from a veteran game composer. “I have
had the joy of working with many different educational programs throughout the world, but I must admit
to being especially excited at the prospects of what SFCM is offering here,” Wintory says. “From
everything we've already discussed, to looking at the other guests who'll be contributing, it’s clear that
students in this program are going to get an extremely well-rounded look at virtually every relevant aspect
of today's industry. It's a classic case in which I feel simultaneously honored to contribute and deeply
envious of the students. Is it too late for me to enroll myself?”
Visiting Industry Faculty and Guest Artists will make regular appearances at SFCM, lecturing, teaching
and coaching in mini-residencies throughout the academic year. Their presence supplements core
instruction from resident academic faculty with the “in the field” perspective of industry professionals,
thus helping prepare students for life after graduation. The TAC program’s inaugural year will feature one
to four visits from each member for a combined total of more than 20 mini-residencies. Each visit will
comprise a composition seminar, student composition portfolio evaluation, and private lessons for every
student in the program.
Visiting Industry Faculty and Guest Artists also serve on the program’s Artistic Advisory Committee,
sharing expertise in the recording, music technology, film and game industries to help ensure that the
program’s curriculum and technology stay up to date with contemporary practice. Leslie Ann Jones, Jaron

3. Lanier, Dren McDonald, Karen Collins and Jessica Curry were previously announced as members of the
Artistic Advisory Committee in an updated press announcement on October 17.
Resident Academic Faculty. The foundation of the TAC program rests on the bedrock of its
distinguished roster of resident academic faculty, which includes:
• MaryClare Brzytwa, associate dean of new media and music technology, chair of the TAC
program, and a multi instrumental composer/performer specializing in electronic music and
improvisation;
• Luciano Chessa, musicologist and performer acclaimed in The New York Times for his
reconstruction and performances of Italian Futurist composer Luigi Russolo’s intonarumori
orchestra;
• David Conte, chair of composition and distinguished composer of more than 80 published works
for stage, concert hall, chorus and film;
• Scott Foglesong, chair of musicianship and theory, lecturer at the University of California,
Berkeley and the University of San Francisco’s Fromm Institute, and contributing writer and pre-
concert lecturer for the San Francisco Symphony;
• Alden Jenks, a pioneer in experimental electronic music composition who has collaborated with
Karlheinz Stockhausen, David Tudor and John Cage;
• Jason O'Connell, director of sound recording and a regular producer/editing engineer for the San
Francisco Symphony, with credits on the Naxos, BIS, Polytone and EMI labels;
• Nicholas Pavkovic, lecturer in musicianship and music theory, composer of concert works and
film scores, and impresario/performer.
To learn more about the TAC resident academic faculty, visit http://www.sfcm.edu/tac/faculty.
To hear faculty members discuss the TAC program, watch this video introduction.
Composition Faculty. In years three and four of the program, students may study privately with the
distinguished members of SFCM’s composition department, well known for its history of advocating new
music under the leadership of composers such as John Adams, Conrad Susa and Ernest Bloch, director
of the Conservatory from 1925-30. Current faculty includes:
• Elinor Armer, founder and former chair of SFCM’s composition department, co-founder of
Composers, Inc. and recipient of numerous awards, fellowships and commissions. Her works are
published by J.B. Elkus & Son, a division of Subito Music Corporation.
• Mason Bates, one of the most widely-performed symphonic composers of his generation, known
for writing innovative, classically-conceived orchestral works that incorporate techniques derived
from his career as a DJ and techno artist, such as electronic sounds and samples performed on
drumpad and laptop. Read the previous announcement of Bates’ recent appointment here.
• David Conte, chair (see above).
• David Garner, former department chair and recipient of the George Sarlo Excellence in
Teaching Award. His Vilna Poems released on the PentaTone label were selected as a finalist this
year in The American Prize for Composition. He is currently at work on a full-length opera
commissioned by Opera Parallèle for a 2016 premiere.
To learn more about the composition faculty, visit http://www.sfcm.edu/faculty/departments/composition.

4. Application Deadlines. SFCM is now accepting applications for fall 2015 admission. Applicants who
apply by the early action deadline of December 1 receive priority consideration for merit-based
scholarships and notification of admission and financial aid decisions by March 1. Those who apply by
the extended deadline of February 1 receive admission and financial aid decisions by April 1.
Professional Development Events. SFCM is hosting two special professional development events in
conjunction with the launch of the TAC program. Video game industry insiders, composers and
performers share ideas for creating music for new audiences at “Game On!,” an event exploring careers in
video game and film music on Tuesday, November 25 at 6:30 p.m. A collaboration between SFCM,
American Composers Forum and Game Audio Network Guild, Game On! features a “demo derby”
critique of participants’ recordings and a performance of string quartets by game and film composers
Austin Wintory, Lennie Moore, Dren McDonald and composition department chair David Conte. In
addition to Conte, McDonald and Moore, featured guests include Jonathan Mayer, senior music
manager at Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, and Mike Morasky, director and programmer
at Valve software and entertainment company. Composers may submit demos for consideration by
midnight, November 16, to rbrown@sfcm.edu.
From January 15-17, SFCM hosts the New Music Gathering, three days of performances, presentations
and discussions spotlighting artist-led ensembles. Event headliners include the Kronos Quartet with Wu
Man, pianist and SFCM faculty member Sarah Cahill, and alumni duo The Living Earth Show. Flutist
and new music entrepreneur Claire Chase provides the keynote address. For more information, visit
http://www.newmusicgathering.org/
All events take place at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, located at 50 Oak Street, San
Francisco, CA, 94102.
Biographies and photos of Visiting Industry Faculty and Guest Artists are attached here. To learn more
about Technology and Applied Composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, visit
www.sfcm.edu/tac and watch this video introduction.
– ### –
About the Technology and applied composition program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music:
The Technology and Applied Composition (TAC) program combines an exceptional conservatory curriculum
with cutting-edge production practices in concert music, sound design and film and video game scoring.
SFCM’s outstanding academic and industry faculty provide TAC majors with an unparalleled foundation for
success in the divers and evolving music industry. Program highlights include professional quality recording
labs and sound studios sponsored by Meyer Sound, sE Electronics and Rupert Neve Designs; collaborative
projects with leading Bay Area media companies including Electronic Arts and Skywalker Sound; certification
credentials in the most relevant software applications; and a central location in a city that leads the world in
technology, innovation and the arts.
An exceptional conservatory curriculum provides a solid framework for the program. Students master cutting-
edge production practices, music theory, ear training and orchestration as well as develop critical thinking
skills and sound business practices. They study virtual and acoustic instrument design, learn to improvise, and
assimilate the history of film and game aesthetics. Working in a set of state-of-the-art audio labs, young
composers learn to use the computer and recording studio as instruments to conceive and perform their own
acoustic and electronic music.
Certification exams in Logic ProX, Final Cut Pro and Pro Tools ensure that students achieve fluency in the
most relevant software applications. Courses using Max/MSP visual programming language reveal the inner

5. logic of sound design and recording programs, equipping students with the tools they need to master any
software application and workflow process, or to invent their own. Resident faculty offer close mentorship and
visiting professionals evaluate student portfolios for outside feedback on creative development. Guest faculty
and artists will be drawn from industry leaders, including Electronic Arts and Skywalker Sound, who help
prepare students for life after graduation. And at every stage of training, students will create music appropriate
to the specific artistic, technical and practical requirements of each project.
This combination of professional quality studios, resident faculty, visiting artists, artistic advisors and Bay
Area industry alliances will create a one-of-a-kind musical experience for undergraduates pursuing a career in
music and technology. Anticipating the launch of this program, a recent article published in the Wall Street
Journal cited the Conservatory’s initiative to prepare students for careers in an evolving industry.
Studios: To support the program, four state-of-the-art studios for recording, mixing and production featuring
speakers, equipment and acoustic installations sponsored by Meyer Sound, sE Electronics and Rupert Neve
Designs are almost complete. These include:
• a Digital Audio Keyboard Lab, a 14 station digital audio production lab with Apple computers,
software, and digital pianos;
• an acoustically tempered Live Room with grand piano available for recording projects and the
rehearsal of electro-acoustic music;
• a Mixing Classroom for recording and teaching that is networked to the school’s three performance
halls and equipped with a 32-channel Neve Console, a Meyer HD 5.1 Surround Sound monitoring
system and Moog synthesizers;
• a Premium Listening Suite with 5.1 surround sound and computers running orchestral sample
libraries designed for editing, mastering and a post-production work by visiting artists, students and
faculty.
To learn more about the studios, visit http://www.sfcm.edu/tac/studios. For more on the program, visit
www.sfcm.edu/tac, read our press release announcing the program, and watch this video introduction.
About The San Francisco Conservatory of Music:
Founded in 1917, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music is the oldest conservatory in the American West
and has earned an international reputation for producing musicians of the highest caliber. Notable alumni
include violinists Yehudi Menuhin and Isaac Stern, conductor and pianist Jeffrey Kahane, soprano Elza van
den Heever, Blue Bottle Coffee founder James Freeman and Ronald Losby, President, Steinway & Sons-
Americas, among others. The Conservatory offers its approximately 400 collegiate students fully accredited
bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in composition and instrumental and vocal performance. Its Pre-
College Division provides exceptionally high standards of musical excellence and personal attention to more
than 580 younger students. The Conservatory’s faculty and students give nearly 500 public performances each
year, most of which are offered to the public at no charge. Its community outreach programs serve over 1,600
school children and over 11,000 members of the wider community who are otherwise unable to hear live
performances. The Conservatory’s Civic Center facility is an architectural and acoustical masterwork, and the
Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall was lauded by The New York Times as the “most enticing classical-music
setting” in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, visit www.sfcm.edu.