San Francisco Conservatory of Music Gala Honors Brent Assink

SF Conservatory of Music Gala, Red Carpet Bay Area — Little String Trio, San Francisco Conservatory of Music students performed at SFCM Gala 2017

Nick Fox with SF Conservatory of Music Gala Co-chair Maria Shim

Dr. Carolyn Chang with SF Conservatory of Music Gala Co-chair Deepa Pakianathan

SF Conservatory of Music Gala Co-chair Eileen Blum-Bourgade

Timothy W. Foo, SFCM Chairman of the Board of Trustees

Michael Kim, Brent Assink and David Stull

San Francisco Conservatory of Music Gala honored former San Francisco Symphony Executive Director Brent Assink on April 18, 2017. Assink’s 18-year tenure as the fourth executive director in San Francisco Symphony’s 105-year history ended on March 31. In tribute, SFCM President David Stull and Michael Kim, music director of the University of Minnesota (Assink’s alma mater) presented Assink with an honorary doctorate in music. Not to be outdone, Assink’s colleagues from San Francisco Symphony, Sakurako Fisher, John Goldman, and Nancy Bechtle, announced a $250K SFCM scholarship named for him and his wife, Jan Assink.

SFCM Trustees Deepa Pakianathan, Eileen Blum-Bourgade, and Maria Shim co-chaired the black-tie gala concert and dinner. Highlights of the evening included performances by pianist Jon Nakamatsu and soprano Deborah Voigt, a brass quintet comprised of SFCM faculty members and symphony musicians, and a student performance from Little Stars String Trio. Little Stars String Trio includes 10-year-old Dustin Breshears, Jr. and his sisters Starla Breshears, age 9, and Valery Breshears, age 7.

Scenes from San Francisco Conservatory of Music Gala Honoring Brent Assink:

Dustin Breshears, Jr., Starla Breshears, and Valery Breshears of Little Stars String Trio, an SFCM Pre-College ensemble performed at San Francisco Conservatory of Music Gala