Overnight/Boarding Camps

 

About 

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.

Admission to the Emerging Artists Academy & Residential Program is on a video audition basis. Please send a short solo piece (accompanied or unaccompanied) and a 3 octave scale to asimpson@sandomenico.org. 

Learn more at sdsummerstrings.com.

Schedule

Weeks 4 & 5: July 20th - August 1st*
*Note extra day

Ages

Ages 8 - 20

Cost

$1461 Youth String Academy (9am-3pm)

Register for Youth String Academy

$2204 Emerging Artists Academy (9am-6pm)

Register for Emerging Artists Academy

$4316 Residential Program (ages 10-20)

Register for the Residential Program

The San Domenico Conservatory
The Conservatory is located at San Domenico School, located 25 minutes from the Golden Gate bridge in the hills of Marin County. For local Bay Area residents, San Domenico is 25 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Anselmo. San Domenico’s location also affords international visitors close proximity to North Bay beaches, Golden Gate Bridge, scenic Sausalito and a ferry to San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf.

Instructors

Alexandra Simpson, Jae Yeon Park, and Randolph Fromme

Allie Simpson
Program Director

After earning degrees from New England Conservatory, Yale School of Music, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Alexandra Simpson has established a multi-faceted career in the San Francisco Bay Area as an educator, soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. She serves as the Principal Violist of the Fresno Philharmonic, Assistant Principal Violist of the California Symphony, and regularly plays with orchestras around the country, including San Francisco Opera, LAOpera, and San Antonio Opera and Ballet. Alexandra has collaborated as a soloist with Camellia Symphony Orchestra, the Marin Symphony, and SFCM New Music Ensemble. As a chamber musician, Alexandra has participated in the Prussia Cove International Musicians’ Seminar, Kneisel Hall, Tanglewood, and performs regularly through Wave Chamber Collective in San Francisco. She has recently been appointed Music Director of the prestigious Virtuoso Program at San Domenico School, and in her free time she enjoys performing with a number of pop acts, including Sabrina Carpenter, Beck, Kygo, Halsey, Michael Bublé, and Sigur Ròs.

Jae Yeon Park, a native and resident of Korea, began studying the violin at the age of three and made her stage debut at nine. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, she studied under the guidance of Professor Ayano Ninomiya and was a recipient of the Howard Hanson Scholarship. She later earned a master’s degree from Harvard University, where she focused on integrated learning and emotional education. As the Artistic Director of Little Star Music Academy, Jae Yeon has been instrumental in shaping the next generation of musicians. She has organized numerous music festivals and concerts, while also developing comprehensive curricula that integrate performance opportunities with long-term artistic growth. The academy has produced exceptional alumni, with students earning admission to top institutions such as the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School, as well as winning prestigious international competitions including the Young Tchaikovsky and Osaka International Competitions. Committed to both performance and pedagogy, Jae Yeon combines deep musical expertise with a forward-thinking educational approach, inspiring students to develop both technical mastery and artistic individuality.

Randolph Fromme 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.