Mayor Daniel Lurie began his trip to China by signing a five-year agreement between the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Lurie left for China on Friday and will visit San Francisco’s sister cities, Shanghai and Seoul, during his first international trip as mayor.
The partnership will provide students and faculty of the two musical conservatories the opportunity to learn, teach and perform internationally. It also “builds on Mayor Lurie’s work to elevate San Francisco as a global music city,” Lurie’s office said in a news release, “including additional live music performances and new initiatives that showcase the city’s vibrant music scene.”
Lurie has invested heavily in music as part of his efforts to boost the city’s economy. His own inauguration featured a DJ set by local artist Zhu that drew crowds to Chinatown for the outdoor concert. Early in his term, he announced the inaugural SF Music Week, which returned in 2026 with expanded programming. Lurie has also launched new entertainment zones, funded free outdoor concerts and directed more than $24 million in local arts grants.
Last August, the city hosted three back-to-back weekends of blockbuster concerts – Dead & Company, Outside Lands and Zach Bryan – which brought more than 450,000 people to Golden Gate Park and generated $150 million in economic impact. This city then declared a “Winter of Music,” which featured several high-profile electronic music acts, including Skrillex. In December, Moscone Center hosted its first major electronic dance event headlined by Australian DJ Fisher.
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music will begin a five-year cross-cultural partnership with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. (Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle)
“Strong arts, culture, and music organizations are critical to our economic comeback,” Lurie said in the release.
This article originally published at Mayor Lurie seeks to elevate S.F. as ‘global music city’ with China partnership.