SFBC’s choral arts training program provides after-school instruction to young people (ages 5-18) in San Francisco and at three regional rehearsal sites in the East Bay, Marin, and San Mateo. Students from the three regional sites regularly travel to San Francisco for large group rehearsals, concerts, and performances.

The choral arts training program has four components: 1) Instruction; 2) Performance; 3) Recording; and 4) Touring. Training is sequential, divided into six tiers based on age and skill: Chorus School (Levels 1-4); Concert Chorus (Level 5); and Graduate Chorale (Level 6), for older choristers (grades 9-12). SFBC also has a Handbell Program for interested students.

SFBC is committed to the preservation and revitalization of the boys’ chorus tradition, a gender-specific art form that is many centuries old, and to providing a safe and nurturing space for boys to explore and develop their artistic capabilities. At the same time, SFBC maintains an open-door policy, welcoming students across the gender spectrum to participate in and benefit from the Chorus experience.

Veteran conductor and Artistic Director Emeritus Ian Robertson, who served as SFBC’s Artistic Director for many years, resumed the position of Artistic Director on August 1, 2022, to spearhead the SFBC’s 75th Anniversary celebration in 2023. Under Maestro Robertson’s direction, SFBC celebrated its 75th Anniversary with a major 75th Anniversary Concert, held at the Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco in June 2023, as well as a 75th Anniversary Concert Tour to the United Kingdom and France, in July 2023.

Robertson continues to oversee the artistic staff and repertoire as the Chorus continues to rebound from the pandemic, rebuild enrollment, and reestablishing a strong public presence through a robust live performance schedule. In July 2025, he will lead SFBC’s summer concert tour to Italy.