Hot Air Music Festival

Pavle Cajic’s “Extinction & Rebeliion” is a work for violin and piano that alludes to the recent protest movement raising awareness of the existential threat of climate change. It explores the psychological states the composer experienced ranging from despair to rebellious determination.

Peyton Dexter’s piece, ‘Bealtaine’ is “an intricately woven piece, and is by no means easy to perform.” Peyton writes, “working with these musicians and their talent to prepare this performance has been a uniquely wonderful experience!”

‘Decorating Time’ for string trio is about simply passing time during the era of Covid-19. We can’t wait to hear it performed this Sunday by Hannah, Armando, and Elmer!

Join us THIS SUNDAY at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music!

‘Urbanite Odyssey” in four movements for solo piano is one example of how Brayden Meng likes to composer by intuition! He says, “I’m ecstatic for this performance and am thankful for this opportunity!”

‘Simpler Times’ by Jacob Katz will be premiered by a string quartet this Sunday! Jacob writes, “I encourage you to imagine any one of your simple times as you listen to the music.”

Join us Sunday at 4pm in Cha Chi Ming Recital Hall for a panel discussion about commissioning, performing, and programming new music (moderated by Kristen Klehr and featuring SFCM composers and students, and industry professionals)!

We are just 5 days out! Reserve your free ticket for Sunday's Hot Air Fest now!🎊

Gearing up for a day-long festival filled with concerts at 2pm and 7pm, a coffee hour at 12pm, and a discussion panel at 4pm

Meet Samuel, who has a piece called ‘Of an Old Garden’ for solo piano being performed at Hot Air. He says, “I pride myself on writing music that’s easy to listen to and play. My compositional roots are in popular songwriting, and I draw inspiration from many genres!”

Benjamin Beckman’s newest song cycle, ‘towards the lonely tree’ will be performed at Hot Air by a dream team of Addy, Taylor, and Lena.
‘towards the lonely tree’ sets four poems from Edna St. Vincent Millay’s The Harp Weaver and Other Poems, mapping the arc of a relationship from genesis to its eventual death.

Meet the Hot Air Team! Our student-led festival is run by the small but mighty group of Lena, Josh, Natalie, Jaimie, Alex, Luyao, Calvin, and Yoyo. Come support our hard work by attending our concerts, panels, and reception on Sunday March 3rd!

Hot Air 2024 will feature vocalists, solo instruments, duos, trios, and string quartets, as well as audio electronics! Come here it for yourself!

Ian Rictor’s ‘Cloudburst’, for trumpet and electronics is all about expressing joy and freedom without bounds. Ian says, “I’m a saxophonist, and I often think about music through that lens. Most of the time, when I write a melody, I imagine playing it on the saxophone, and I‘ll pantomime the sax fingerings as I write it.”

Ian Rictor’s ‘Cloudburst’, for trumpet and electronics is all about expressing joy and freedom without bounds. Ian says, “I’m a saxophonist, and I often think about music through that lens. Most of the time, when I write a melody, I imagine playing it on the saxophone, and I’ll pantomime the sax fingerings as I write it.”

The countdown is on! 10 days till Hot Air!

Meli Everson will premiere her piece, ‘Hiraeth’ for solo clarinet at Hot Air and says, “my piece encapsulates vulnerability, and I hope it serves as an invitation to meditate and become present.” We can’t wait to hear it!

Meet whose solo piano piece will be performed at Hot Air by .99. Much of Jonny’s writing is influenced by the Romantic period, film scoring, and YouTube!

Announcing the 2024 Hot Air schedule! Will you be there?

Did you know Hot Air is free and open to the public? Bring friends and family to enjoy with you, and to see what new music is all about!

We are less than 2 weeks out from Hot Air and we’re looking to you to RSVP today. Tickets are free (link in bio). Come support your SFCM community and new-music initiatives!

Keep your eyes peeled as we announce our lineup and featured composers for Hot Air 2024! Free tickets can be reserved with the link in bio 👀

Next up in our composer featured we have River Sawchyn! River will have two pieces performed at Hot Air including Haydnspirations, a string quartet that draws motifs and gestures from Hayden’s Op. 20 no. 2 in C major, as well as Chasing Sculptures, a piece for solo violin which ends with an improvisatory section. Chasing Sculptures will be premiered by our very own Artistic Coordinator, Natalie Boberg at Hot Air!

We are thrilled to start 2024 Hot Air composer features! First up is José Daniel Vargas who has a piece titled “Daisy” for two cellos being performed this year!
One fun fact about José is that his first serious instrument was Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock 🎸

a stunning moment from last year! join us March 3rd for more!

We are thrilled to announce that Hot Air Festival will be back at SFCM on Sunday, March 3rd, 2024! 🎉

Thank you everyone for coming out and supporting our incredible artists and team! We want to keep supporting new music and we hope to see you again next year.