Workshops and Classes

Here at SFEMS, we’re excited about being able to provide opportunities to learn more about early music through intensive workshops nestled in the heart of downtown Berkeley.

SFEMS offers four weeks of summer workshops, taught by an internationally-renowned faculty, covering the full range of historical music. All levels are welcome! Each workshop has unique features, annual themes, wonderful faculty, many opportunities to play, to make friends, to learn more about historical music performance.

2025 Summer Workshops

Questions about the workshops? Email us at workshops@sfems.org

Baroque Workshop: June 16–22
Medieval/Renaissance Workshop: July 13–19
Recorder Workshop: July 20–26
Classical Workshop: July 27–August 2

REGISTER NOW!

Play-in & Summer Preview

Workshop

Baroque

Let’s chase away those late winter blues and get musicking together! 

Come join Baroque Workshop Director Lindsey Strand-Polyak for a day celebrating March’s most famous baroque birthday besties: Johann Sebastian Bach (March 31) and Georg Philip Telemann (March 24). We’ll be throwing them a joint birthday party in our afternoon play-in, complete with cake! This event is open to all instrumentalists playing at A=415: violin family, gambas, recorders, flutes, oboes, bassoons, harp, guitars, harpsichord, bass sackbuts, and beyond. If you can read the music, you can play the parts!

SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 10:30 AM–3:30 PM
St. Mary Magdalen Church,  Magdalen Hall, (formerly the Parish Hall)
2005 Berryman (at Shattuck)

On-site parking available

  • On our party playlist will be a bit of Brandenburgs, Tafelmusik (the OG early modern mixtape), and a few surprises as well. String Players— come in the morning for a session designed for bowed string players: violin and viol family members welcome. 


  • 2 sessions 10:30–12; lunch, 1 to 3:30 (with a break)

    1. String Clinic – Spring String Training to prepare for Summer Workshops. 

    2. TUTTI – Bday Party Playing, Winds and other Baroque players welcome!

    BYO: Music Stands and Brown Bag lunch

    SFEMS provides waters, coffee, sweets 


  • $65 Full Day

    $40 Half Day

Questions? Email workshops@sfems.org

Become a Workshop Angel!

Over four decades, SFEMS’ summer workshops have meant so much to so many. Consider supporting the future of early music by becoming a workshop angel donor!

Tuition covers a substantial portion—but not the entirety—of our rising costs. With the workshop experience already an expensive endeavor for many folks, we are acutely aware of the impact of increasing tuition and room & board fees. Our workshop angels are crucial in helping us meet this challenge.

As a workshop angel, you can ensure that we recruit and retain our top-flight instructors, all experts in historically informed performance. You can also “pay-it-forward” through sponsoring a scholarship for a young musician. Your gift will help our early music community flourish and expand!

Becoming an angel:

  • A $1,500 gift underwrites one scholarship;

  • A $3,000 gift underwrites one faculty member.;

  • A $6,000 gift underwrites one workshop director, or provides for general support for the workshop.

That said, a gift of any size is greatly appreciated!

Let us shout our appreciation from the rooftops, or you may choose to remain anonymous! Please contact our workshop administrator, Stacey Helley, at slhelley@sfems.org to discuss becoming an angel donor!