SFCM Gala at Dolby Labs

April 29

Calling for “creative cocktail attire,” the San Francisco Conservatory of Music hosted its annual gala in a delightfully unconventional setting: Dolby Laboratories. In keeping with the academic year’s theme of “Sound and Image,” the evening delivered a highbrow musical experience, starting with a master class for students led by film composer Harry Gregson–Williams of Shrek and The Chronicles of Narnia fame. It was sponsored by Harry Winston and the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and boasted the classics (but with a twist): The Gregson-Williams’ film scores inspired the menu — think New England clam chowder and lobster rolls in honor of The Town, a film set in director Ben Affleck’s hometown of Boston. The mission: to raise funds for conservatory student scholarships. Familiar faces in the crowd: Ute Bowes; Dagmar Dolby; Timothy Foo; former SF Mayor Frank Jordan; Olympic figure skater Brian Boitano and David Stull, the institution’s visionary president.