A full-length interview with Milton Salkind, and focused interviews with faculty, staff, and members of the San Francisco Bay Area music community, document the history of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music since its development in 1917, and the presidency of Salkind, 1966-1990. Discussion of early faculty; chamber music performances and community presence; board of directors; composition of the faculty and student body; the preparatory division; the future of the Conservatory. Appendices include "A Brief History of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 1992," a timeline since 1917, and various brochures and newspaper articles. Interviews with MILTON SALKIND (b. 1916), ELIZABETH ELKUS (1902-1994), AGNES ALBERT (b. 1908), AVA JEAN PISCHEL BRUMBAUM (b. 1922), ZAVEN MELIKIAN (b. 1929), MAY KURKA (b. 1921), and COLIN MURDOCH (b. 1946).