Musicambia at San Quentin

Musicambia at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center is an ongoing program of 5-day songwriting workshops, run in partnership with the William James Association’s Prison Arts Project and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Musicambia has held four workshops at San Quentin, to date. The January 2024 workshop was led by Teaching Artists Brad Balliett and Patricia Santos. The January 2023 workshop was led by Balliett and acclaimed singer-songwriter Judith Hill (Michael Jackson, Prince). The August 2022 workshop was led by Balliett, Hill, and Founder & Artistic Director Nathan Schram. This workshop was profiled by the San Francisco Chronicle and featured in the podcast, Ear Hustle. The first workshop was held in January 2020.

Approximately 30 participants create music for 4 hours for the 1st 3 days, with a full day and concert on the 4th day, and a reflection on the 5th day. Teaching Artists guide participants in the songwriting process. Participants write new, original songs, and perform them in collaboration with Teaching Artists in a small concert for an invited audience.

Last updated: 2-1-24