What’s Behind San Francisco Conservatory’s Buying Spree

“In October 2020, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) acquired the management company Opus 3 Artists,” writes Jeffrey Arlo Brown in Thursday’s (5/4) Van. “In May 2022, the conservatory bought the boutique Dutch record label Pentatone. And in December 2022, SFCM added the prestigious London agency Askonas Holt to its portfolio, consolidating Opus 3 under Askonas chief executive Donagh Collins…. In a recent Zoom call, David Stull, the president of SFCM, explained the vision behind the conservatory’s purchases. Stull, a tubist, hobby pilot, and veteran classical music administrator, … hopes mainly to give SFCM students better access to the prominent artists on these agencies’ rosters. In 2021, the conservatory completed construction of its $200 million Bowes Center … which includes performance spaces, student housing, and luxurious apartments for visiting artists. These concert venues and apartments, along with direct access to artist calendars, mean SFCM can easily slot sought-after performers in for masterclasses … The acquisitions give ‘our students an ongoing, exotic set of educational performance experiences that are very difficult to find,’ Stull said…. Stull is adamant that SFCM students won’t be funneled into professional artist management at the two companies that now belong to the conservatory.”