The San Domenico International Summer Music Academy offers an inspiring summer experience for young string players ready to deepen their musical journey. Set on the scenic San Domenico campus in Marin County, the program brings together talented students ages 8-20 for intensive chamber music study and artistic collaboration.
Students participate in chamber ensembles, private instruction, string orchestra, masterclasses, and performances led by an internationally recognized faculty. The Academy offers two levels of study: the Youth String Academy for intermediate musicians and the Emerging Artists Academy for advanced students pursuing a high level of training. A residential option allows students from around the world to fully immerse themselves in the musical community.
Younger students can begin their musical journey through the Learn to Play Violin or Cello program, designed for ages 4-10. In this welcoming introductory camp, students receive instruments, materials, and guidance as they discover the joy of playing a string instrument. This half-day camp will run June 15th - 26th.
July 20-August 1
$1,425.00 - Youth String Academy
9am-3pm
$2,150.00 - Emerging Artists Academy 9am-6pm
*Audition required. Email 3-5 min video to asimpson@sandomenico.org
$4,210.00 - Residential Program for Emerging Artists (all inclusive)
Daily Schedule
Students receive private, chamber, and string orchestra instruction.
A typical day will offer students a broad range of activities to expand their musical knowledge and skills. They will also have several additional opportunities, including a concerto competition, masterclasses, faculty concerts, and performance off campus in San Francisco!
Intermediate Schedule
Arrive 9am at Hall of the Arts
9:15 Morning announcements, stretching and technique
9:45 Intermediate Orchestra
11 Chamber Coaching/Private Lessons
12:35 Lunch
1:35 Chamber coaching/private lessons
3 Pickup/Optional Practice
Advanced Schedule
Arrive 9am Hall of the Arts
9:15 Morning announcements, stretching and technique
9:45 Chamber Coaching/Private Lessons
12:35 Lunch
1:35 Chamber Coaching/Private Lessons
4 Advanced Orchestra
6 End of Day/Optional Practice for Day Students
6 Dinner for Boarding Program
7 pm Optional Practice, Concerts, or Evening Social Activities
10:30 pm Lights out in Dorms for 14 and under
Concert Programs
Families and community invited to all performances!
Faculty
Our faculty are passionate educators dedicated to nurturing aspiring musicians. With expertise across various genres, they offer a comprehensive learning experience. Through personalized instruction and chamber coaching, they empower students to develop creativity and technical skills, helping them excel in their performances.
Alexandra Simpson
Program Director
Viola and Chamber Music
Alexandra Simpson, San Domenico's Virtuoso Program Music Director, has built an eclectic career that runs the gamut from intimate chamber music concerts to stadium tours with superstar pop acts. She plays in a number of orchestras and serves as Acting Principal Violist Fresno Philharmonic and Assistant Principal at California Symphony. She currently holds the Interim Music Director position at San Domenico School’s Virtuoso Program. She studied with Kim Kashkashian at New England Conservatory, Ettore Causa at Yale School of Music, and Dmitri Murrath at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She also has performed with a number of pop acts, including Sabrina Carpenter, Kygo, Sigur Ros, Andrea Bocelli, and Michael Bublé.
Alexandra has appeared as a soloist with Sacramento's Camellia Symphony Orchestra, Marin Symphony, SFCM New Music Ensemble, and Classical Music Institute Chamber Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Alexandra travels frequently to festivals to perform, learn, and teach. Alexandra has participated in the Prussia Cove International Musicians’ Seminar, Kneisel Hall, Glenn Douglas Memorial Chamber Festival, Bard Music Colombia, Musikiwest Chamberfest in Pebble Beach, and Classical Music Institute in San Antonio, Texas.
As an orchestra musician, she subs with San Francisco Symphony, SFBallet and SFOPERA, and has served as a guest Principal Violist for the Orchestra San Antonio, OPERA San Antonio, and a number of Bay Area Orchestras.
Alexandra performs regularly around the Bay Area, and has given chamber music concerts at Berkeley Piano Club, Piedmont Center for the Arts, Strings in Emeryville, and with Benicia Chamber Players. She performed alongside Sabrina Carpenter for her NPR Tiny Desk, and accompanied international superstar DJ Kygo at the closing act of Outside Lands in 2019, and in 2022 at BottleRock in Napa. She has appeared in music videos and documentaries for ZHU, Chuck Prophet and Mercury Soul, and was interviewed by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's for his 2020 Build Conference keynote, as well as advertisements for Microsoft Teams.
Evan Price
Violin and Chamber Music
Evan is a ten-year veteran of the world-renowned, paradigm-shifting jazz ensemble, the
Evan Price is steadily gaining recognition as one of the world's most confident voices in extra-classical string playing. A native of Detroit, MI, his musical background includes some earnest dues-paying in a variety of genres. From square dance bands to string quartets, from jamming with blues bands to busking in Greektown, Evan's youthful pursuits all informed his violin-playing and left him with a deep love of chamber music in all forms. As a young competitive fiddler he won his share of awards, having been named the U.S. Scottish Fiddling Champion, the Kentucky State Fiddle Champion, Canadian Junior Fiddle Champion, and Canadian Novelty Fiddling Champion. He also performed with some of the masters of fiddle lore—Stephane Grappelli, Johnny Frigo, Claude "Fiddler" Williams, Johnny Gimble, Buddy Spicher, and Vassar Clements—as well as a diverse array of pop icons from Stevie Wonder and Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant to comedian, Steven Wright.
Evan's college career included stints at both The Cleveland Institute of Music and at Berklee College of Music, and has himself served as a member of the music faculty at Wellesley College, The California Jazz Conservatory, and The University of California, Berkeley.
During his tenure in Turtle Island, Evan gave over five hundred performances in concert venues from Latvia to Australia and had the opportunity to collaborate with many musical luminaries, such as Cuban clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera, The Ying Quartet, pianists Dr. Billy Taylor and Kenny Barron, and classical guitarists, Sergio and Odair Assad. He recorded five CD's with Turtle Island, two of which—"Four + 4" and “A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane”—received GRAMMY® awards in 2006 and 2008 in the Classical Crossover Album of the Year category.
Since 1998, Evan has been proud to call himself a member of The Hot Club of San Francisco, perhaps the most venerable gypsy jazz band in the US. During his tenure, the group has thrilled audiences from Iceland to Mexico and across the United States, and has released seven CD's which feature Evan on violin.
Randolph Fromme
Cello
Throughout his musical studies, inspiring mentors, colleagues, family and friends all helped to put Randolph Fromme on a course to choose the life of a professional musician.
From the small town of Ladysmith, Wisconsin to his current home of San Francisco, the journey started with local Suzuki concerts and culminated into international performances and master classes.
Randolph has performed with his wife, pianist Shu Li, and taught both in the U.S. and China. He is an avid chamber musician whose collaborations include performances with Frederica von Stade, Donald and Vivian Weilerstein and guitarist Paul Galbraith. Former string quartets include the Del Sol and Oberon. He has played and recorded with jazz and rock musicians including Kenny Werner, Dmitri Matheny and Jeff Marrs and the Kadane brothers of The New Year.
He enjoys sharing his love of music with students of all ages, and currently teaches cello and chamber music in the San Francisco Conservatory Pre-College as well as maintaining a private studio of over 40 students . He has also taught cello at UC Santa Cruz, given master classes at the Universities of Minnesota and Wisconsin and internationally in Taiwan, at the Bach Inspiration studio in Taipei and in China, at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in Chengdu, and in Guiyang, in conjunction with the Guiyang Symphony Orchestra School of Music.
Cello performance studies include UW Eau Claire, UM Minneapolis and the San Francisco Conservatory, with respective instructors Paul Kosower, Tanya Remenikova, Clive Greensmith and Jean Michel Fonteneau. He has also studied with Martin Lovett, Janos Starker, Joel Krosnick and Gunther Schuller among others in both solo and chamber music settings.
Fromme’s main focus has been on pedagogy, and his attention is currently focused on more
comprehensive approaches of online instruction through his website, randolphfromme.com, and producing music of various genres.
Randolph and Shu have three children, all of whom play cello and piano, and their best friend is their goldendoodle, Finley Fromme.
Michael Grossman has enjoyed a varied performance and teaching career. A New Jersey native, he has performed on the concert stages of New York, Boston, and Washington D.C., as well as the White House. He has held the position of Concertmaster of the Cape Cod Symphony, the Oregon Mozart Players, the Portland Chamber Orchestra, the Portland Columbia Symphony, as well as numerous summer festival orchestras. He has also served as interim Concertmaster of the Tucson Symphony and the Santa Rosa Symphony. A devoted chamber player, Mr. Grossman was a founding member of Metolius Quartet, the string quartet in residence at Oregon State University. For decades Mr. Grossman has taught individuals and ensembles at every level. He has been faculty and guest artist at countless institutes. Most recently, he was Director of Strings at Marin School of the Arts. His teachers have included Pierre d’Archambeau, Burton Kaplan, Erick Friedman, and Joseph Silverstein.Mr. Grossman now lives in Marin County, California, where he teaches privately and plays regularly with the San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet, the Santa Rosa Symphony, and other area ensembles.
Michael Grossman, Violin and Chamber Music
San Domenico Campus
Students attending the International Summer Music Academy have the option to live on campus and experience music study within a vibrant residential community. Nestled in the rolling hills of San Anselmo, San Domenico’s campus sits on hundreds of acres of protected land surrounded by redwood trees, scenic trails, and peaceful natural spaces. Between rehearsals and lessons, students can explore the outdoors, relax with friends, and enjoy the beauty of Northern California.
Residential students live in comfortable dormitories supervised by experienced Resident Faculty who provide guidance and support throughout the program. Dorms are separated by gender, and structured evening routines help younger students maintain healthy schedules while still enjoying the social side of camp life.
Meals are served in the campus dining hall, where boarding students receive three daily meals and snacks, and day students join for lunch. Students may also enjoy scheduled recreational activities, including time at the campus pool and opportunities to unwind with friends after a full day of music-making.
The residential experience allows students to immerse themselves fully in the academy while building friendships, independence, and lasting memories alongside fellow young musicians.
