Crowden Music Center
Crowden School / Crowden Music Center, 1475 Rose Street, Berkeley, CA 94702
About
Crowden Music Center offers private lessons, group classes, chamber ensembles, and summer camps, along with concerts throughout the year. The program also hosts Community Music Day, a free musical carnival for all ages, and runs a public school outreach program. Its facilities include a state-of-the-art performance hall, the Jacqueline and Peter Hoefer Auditorium, which features Meyer Sound’s Constellation electro-acoustic architecture.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Academic year and summer options with classes and activities available on weekdays and weekends
Founded in 1983, Crowden began when Anne Crowden and Piero Mancini opened the Crowden School, and in 1998 it moved into the historic Jefferson School building in North Berkeley. In 2003, the organization was officially renamed “Crowden Music Center.” The program describes itself as the only K–8 coeducational day school built upon chamber music, with chamber music at its core and a rich array of music education offerings for the general public, including the John Adams Young Composers Program and over 60 public concerts each year, which children may attend free of charge.
Crowden states that it brings learning to life through daily chamber music, strong academics, and shared creative experiences, and that it believes music is an inherent part of being human and in the power of music to change lives. Doris Fukawa is named as Executive Director. The Berkeley Historical Society includes Crowden in its exhibit “Berkeley Firsts,” and the City of Berkeley has declared The Crowden School Day.
Crowden’s community involvement includes providing access to music education through its public school outreach program and exposing thousands of Bay Area children and adults to classical music through Community Music Day and participation in major community street festivals. Its performance and rehearsal facilities serve local music teachers and organizations, including East Bay Music Together and Pacific Edge Voices. A Crowden graduate, Anjanie Bonet, says, “Crowden opens your mind and lets you develop in a way that is only possible when you have music alongside the strong academics.”
Last updated June 18, 2026.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Academic year and summer options with classes and activities available on weekdays and weekends
Founded in 1983, Crowden began when Anne Crowden and Piero Mancini opened the Crowden School, and in 1998 it moved into the historic Jefferson School building in North Berkeley. In 2003, the organization was officially renamed “Crowden Music Center.” The program describes itself as the only K–8 coeducational day school built upon chamber music, with chamber music at its core and a rich array of music education offerings for the general public, including the John Adams Young Composers Program and over 60 public concerts each year, which children may attend free of charge.
Crowden states that it brings learning to life through daily chamber music, strong academics, and shared creative experiences, and that it believes music is an inherent part of being human and in the power of music to change lives. Doris Fukawa is named as Executive Director. The Berkeley Historical Society includes Crowden in its exhibit “Berkeley Firsts,” and the City of Berkeley has declared The Crowden School Day.
Crowden’s community involvement includes providing access to music education through its public school outreach program and exposing thousands of Bay Area children and adults to classical music through Community Music Day and participation in major community street festivals. Its performance and rehearsal facilities serve local music teachers and organizations, including East Bay Music Together and Pacific Edge Voices. A Crowden graduate, Anjanie Bonet, says, “Crowden opens your mind and lets you develop in a way that is only possible when you have music alongside the strong academics.”
Last updated June 18, 2026.
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