With the help from SF State’s College of Liberal and Creative Arts, School of Music Director Cyrus Ginwala will be hosting a University-wide zoom event today in order to bring the academic year to a close and celebrate its students.

The free virtual celebration will begin with an introduction from President Lynn Mahoney and will include a performance of Antonin Dvorak’s “American” Quartet followed by a Q&A by SF State’s “longtime quartet-in-residence,” according to SF State’s College of Liberal and Creative Arts website website.

The event will launch online at 5 p.m. on the College of Liberal & Creative Arts’ Youtube channel and will be available for students and family members to view for a limited number of weeks following today.

“Ultimately, this helps increase the value of their degree by highlighting its quality. It will also remind all of the value of the arts and music as we head into challenging budget times,” said Mahoney. “And, it is also an example of how we are innovating and using technology to meet the needs of remote learning and teaching.”

After watching a number of concerts virtually through social media, Mahoney believed it would be a good opportunity to recognize SF State’s talent and to celebrate it in a positive and similar fashion—despite the obstacles graduates have faced with the pandemic such as not being able to finish the academic year on campus.

The Morrison Chamber Music Center and The School of Music co-produced event has posted recorded content before. However,this will be the first wherein the performers are separate from the performance.

“The Alexander String Quartet has a long and venerable reputation in the SF’s arts world,” said Mahoney. “I had an opportunity to see them perform earlier this winter and thought they would give a wonderful performance.”

Although there will be a virtual performance for students to experience, The School of Music along with others will be working closely with the LCA Communications Team in order to produce web content to honor this year’s graduating class and hold a live ceremony in the future.

“For the graduating class of 2020, we want to mark this important life event, even if we cannot do so in person,” said Ginwala. “For the campus in general, it is a morale booster and a way to mark the completion of the academic year, with all its challenges.”