Press Room

CONDUCTOR ELIM CHAN REPLACES DANIEL HARDING IN SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY PERFORMANCES OF GUSTAV HOLST’S THE PLANETS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, OCTOBER 26–28

Chan also conducts Benjamin Britten’s Les Illuminations, featuring tenor Andrew Staples; Les Illuminations replaces Ralph Vaughan Williams’ On Wenlock Edge on this program

Harding has withdrawn from these performances to step in for Cleveland Orchestra Music Director Franz Welser-Möst on the Orchestra’s three-concert Israel debut in October

San Francisco Symphony enters entitlement process for potential renovations to Davies Symphony Hall

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY AND MUSIC DIRECTOR ESA-PEKKA SALONEN ANNOUNCE JENNY WONG AS NEXT SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY CHORUS DIRECTOR

Wong is the San Francisco Symphony Chorus’s fourth Director in the Chorus’s 50-year history

The San Francisco Symphony Chorus celebrates its 50th year during the 2023–24 season

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN AND SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ANNOUNCE FOUR NEW MUSICIANS JOINING THE ORCHESTRA DURING THE 2023-24 SEASON

New musicians include Second Violin Olivia Chen, Second Bassoon Justin Cummings, Associate Principal Flute Blair Francis Paponiu, and Assistant Librarian Matthew Searing

Chen, Cummings, Francis Paponiu, and Searing are joined by new SF Symphony musicians Principal Flute Yubeen Kim and Principal Harp Katherine Siochi, whose appointments were announced in August

THOMAS ADÈS WITHDRAWS FROM FEBRUARY 2024 SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY AND SOUNDBOX PERFORMANCES DUE TO SCHEDULING CONFLICT

Artists and programming for these concerts will be announced at a later date

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S 2023–24 GREAT PERFORMERS SERIES PRESENTS EIGHT PERFORMANCES FEATURING ACCLAIMED SOLOISTS AND ENSEMBLES

Violinist Lisa Batiashvili, cellist Gautier Capuçon, and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet kick off 2023–24 Great Performers Series with special chamber music performance, October 15

Great Performers Series also features pianists Yefim Bronfman, Evgeny Kissin, Daniil Trifonov, and Yuja Wang; violinist Ray Chen; Joshua Bell & the Academy of St Martin in the Fields; and San Francisco Symphony Brass

ELLIE GOULDING ANNOUNCES SPECIAL INTIMATE U.S. SHOWS THIS FALL WITH ORCHESTRA, THREE NIGHTS ONLY

Goulding appears with San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall
Monday, November 20

Additional performances:
November 16 – New York City – Kings Theatre
November 22 – Los Angeles – Walt Disney Concert Hall

Ellie Goulding’s latest critically acclaimed album Higher Than Heaven out now

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY CONCERT BROADCASTS ON CLASSICAL KDFC MOVE TO SUNDAYS AT 7PM AS PART OF NEW “NORCAL SUNDAY NIGHTS” PROGRAMMING, BEGINNING SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

San Francisco Symphony’s 2023–24 season broadcasts begin with Opening Night Gala concert, airing on October 8; KDFC will air archival recordings from the 2021-22 season September 10–October 1

This month marks KDFC’s 75th anniversary serving the Bay Area

MUSIC DIRECTOR ESA-PEKKA SALONEN LEADS THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY IN THREE PROGRAMS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL,  SEPTEMBER 29–OCTOBER 14, 2023

September 29–October 1 concerts include West Coast premiere of Wynton Marsalis’s Herald, Holler and Hallelujah!, Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Leonidas Kavakos, and Richard Strauss’s An Alpine Symphony

October 6 & 7 concerts feature world premiere of Jesper Nordin’s SF Symphony-commissioned Convergence with violinist and San Francisco Symphony Collaborative Partner Pekka Kuusisto and John Adams’ Naïve and Sentimental Music

October 12–14 concerts include world premiere of Anders Hillborg’s SF Symphony-commissioned Piano Concerto No. 2, featuring Emanuel Ax, Johannes Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2  

PIERRE-LAURENT AIMARD, SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY, AND ESA-PEKKA SALONEN PRESENT: BARTÓK PIANO CONCERTOS, RELEASED ON PENTATONE SEPTEMBER 2023

Bartók Piano Concertos will be available for physical release in September 2023 and digital release on September 15

Album released as 1 SACD and in digital formats for streaming and high-resolution downloads

Audio resolution for digital files: Spatial Audio 192/24, Spatial Audio 192/24 Stereo & 44.1/16 PCM Stereo 

Esa-Pekka Salonen and San Francisco Symphony announce the appointment of two new principal musicians: Principal Flute Yubeen Kim and Principal Harp Katherine Siochi

Yubeen Kim joins the San Francisco Symphony in January 2024, succeeding former SF Symphony Principal Flute Tim Day, who retired at the end of the 2020–21 season after 14 years with the Orchestra

Principal Harp Katherine Siochi joins the San Francisco Symphony in September 2023, succeeding Douglas Rioth, who retired in December 2021 after 40 years with the Orchestra 

MUSIC DIRECTOR ESA-PEKKA SALONEN AND THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY OPEN 2023–24 SEASON WITH TWO PERFORMANCES AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, SEPTEMBER 22 & SEPTEMBER 23, 2023

Opening Night Gala and All San Francisco concerts interweave music and technology in a program featuring Richard Strauss’s Don Juan; Gustav Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer, with baritone Simon Keenlyside; Maurice Ravel’s Boléro; and Anders Hillborg’s Rap Notes with rappers squaring off against artificial intelligence-generated verse, featuring Oakland-based musician Kev Choice, Freestyle Love Supreme’s Anthony Veneziale, and soprano Hila Plitmann

Opening Night Gala concert on September 22 is preceded by a red-carpet welcome with sparkling wine and light bites for all attendees

Two Opening Night Gala dinner packages offer an enhanced experience and are available for purchase via sfsymphony.org/gala; proceeds from the event benefit the SF Symphony’s artistic, education, and community programs

All San Francisco Concert on September 23 welcomes and pays tribute to impactful community groups and nonprofit organizations across the Bay Area 

95 Organizations Throughout the State of California Announce Programs Featuring Music Composed Within the Last Five Years as They Join in The California Festival:

Two Weeks of Innovative and Compelling Music from Around the World, 
November 3-19, 2023 

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN AND SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY RELEASE TWO NEW RECORDINGS ON APPLE MUSIC CLASSICAL TODAY

Newly released recordings of Elizabeth Ogonek’s Sleep & Unremembrance and Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring were recorded live in concert in March 2022 

SINGLE TICKETS FOR ALL SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY 2023–24 SEASON CONCERTS ON SALE SATURDAY, JULY 15, VIA THE BOX OFFICE STARTING AT 10AM AND ONLINE & BY PHONE AT 12PM

New program details announced for Opening Night Gala and All San Francisco concert

Two new special events added to 2023–24 season schedule: Patti LuPone in Concert (April 14) and Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY (May 31 & June 1)

Full 2023 Holidays with the Symphony lineup announced 

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY CELEBRATES AND HONORS FIVE LONGTIME SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY MUSICIANS RETIRING DURING THE ORCHESTRA’S 2022–23 SEASON

Retiring musicians include Assistant Librarian John Campbell, cellists Carolyn McIntosh and Anne Pinsker, Assistant Principal Horn Bruce Roberts, and violist Wayne Roden

The retiring musicians have a combined 199 years of service to the San Francisco Symphony

The Symphony also thanks Associate Principal Second Violin Helen Kim and second violinist Eliot Lev, who both moved on from the Symphony during the 2022–23 season

XAVIER MUZIK ANNOUNCED AS WINNER OF THIRD ANNUAL EMERGING BLACK COMPOSERS PROJECT PRIZE, NOW KNOWN AS MICHAEL MORGAN PRIZE

Muzik will receive a $15,000 commission and mentorship, and his piece will premiere with the San Francisco Symphony during the 2024–25 season

The award will now be called the Michael Morgan Prize in honor of the late conductor 

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY COLLABORATIVE PARTNER JULIA BULLOCK JOINS ESA-PEKKA SALONEN AND THE ORCHESTRA FOR FINAL PROGRAM OF THE 2022–23 SEASON, JUNE 29–JULY 1, AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL

Bullock joins Salonen and the Orchestra for songs by Margaret Bonds and George Gershwin; the program also includes Reena Esmail’s Black Iris and Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé featuring the San Francisco Symphony Chorus 

PIANIST IGOR LEVIT JOINS ESA-PEKKA SALONEN AND THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY FOR A MULTI-WEEK CONCERT RESIDENCY, JUNE 15–27

June 15-17 Salonen conducts an all-Ludwig van Beethoven program featuring Piano Concerto No. 5, with Levit as soloist, and Symphony No. 3, Eroica

June 22, 24 and 25 Levit performs Ferruccio Busoni’s Piano Concerto with Salonen, the Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus

During his residency, Levit performs a chamber music program with members of the San Francisco Symphony on June 18, and a solo Great Performers Series recital on June 27

Mulligan replaces Iain Paterson, who has regretfully withdrawn from this program due to visa difficulties

Philippe Jordan leads the San Francisco Symphony in the program, which also features the SF Symphony Chorus; the Ragazzi Boys Chorus; and soprano Jennifer Holloway and tenor Ian Bostridge in their Orchestral Series debuts 

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES SUMMER WITH THE SYMPHONY SEASON WITH CONCERTS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL AND OUTDOOR PERFORMANCES AT FROST AMPHITHEATER, SHORELINE AMPHITHEATRE, AND SIGMUND STERN GROVE, JULY 4–AUGUST 5, 2023

Conductors Edwin Outwater, Anna Rakitina, and Joshua Weilerstein lead classical programs at Davies Symphony Hall with performances by violinist Alexi Kenney, pianist Denis Kozhukhin, and cellist Sterling Elliott

Special guest performances by singer Aída Cuevas, Maxwell, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, and Steve Hackman’s Tchaikovsky X Drake

San Francisco Symphony presents Sing-a-long-a Sound of Music

Summer film concerts include Ratatouille, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and The Batman

Edwin Outwater conducts the San Francisco Symphony in the Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular at Shoreline Amphitheatre

San Francisco Symphony performs four concerts at Frost Amphitheater, presented by Stanford Live and the San Francisco Symphony, July 7, 14, 21 & 28

San Francisco Symphony performs a free concert at Sigmund Stern Grove featuring funk band Lettuce on a program conducted by Christopher Dragon and Edwin Outwater, July 23

Tickets on sale now via sfsymphony.org/summer 

BRUCE LIU JOINS CONDUCTOR RAFAEL PAYARE AND THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY TO PERFORM BEETHOVEN’S PIANO CONCERTO NO. 3, MAY 11–13 AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL

Liu replaces violinist Hilary Hahn, who is unwell and regretfully unable to perform on this week’s program 

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, DIRECTOR PETER SELLARS, AND THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY PRESENT NEW STAGED PRODUCTION OF KAIJA SAARIAHO’S ADRIANA MATER, JUNE 8, 10 & 11, 2023

Adriana Mater features mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron as Adriana, soprano Axelle Fanyo as Refka, tenor Nicholas Phan as Yonas, baritone Christopher Purves as Tsargo, and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus

These performances of Adriana Mater are the second production in Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony’s four-year collaboration with Peter Sellars 

GUEST CONDUCTORS GIANCARLO GUERRERO AND MANFRED HONECK LEAD THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY IN CONCERTS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL IN MAY AND JUNE 2023

May 25 and 27 San Francisco Symphony performs the West Coast premiere of Julia Wolfe’s Her Story, conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero and featuring the Lorelei Ensemble in its Orchestral Series debut

June 1–3 Manfred Honeck leads the Orchestra in the first SF Symphony performances of Gloria Isabel Ramos Triano’s amazon; Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, featuring pianist Beatrice Rana in her Orchestral Series debut; and Franz Schubert’s Symphony in C major, The Great

GUEST CONDUCTORS PHILIPPE JORDAN, RAFAEL PAYARE, AND THOMAS WILKINS LEAD THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY IN CONCERTS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL IN MAY 2023

May 4–6 Thomas Wilkins makes his Orchestral Series debut, conducting Leonard Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from On the Town; the first SF Symphony performances of Erwin Schulhoff’s Hot-Sonate and John Williams’ Escapades, both featuring saxophonist Branford Marsalis; and Duke Ellington’s Harlem

May 11–13 Rafael Payare makes his Orchestral Series debut, conducting the first SF Symphony performances of William Grant Still’s Darker America, Johannes Brahms’ Violin Concerto featuring Hilary Hahn, and Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben

May 18–20 Philippe Jordan leads the Orchestra in Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, featuring the SF Symphony Chorus; the Ragazzi Boys Chorus; and soprano Jennifer Holloway, tenor Ian Bostridge, and baritone Iain Paterson in their Orchestral Series debuts

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY AND ESA-PEKKA SALONEN ANNOUNCE 2023–24 SEASON

Esa-Pekka Salonen’s fourth season as Music Director includes 12 Orchestral programs, four world premiere performances, SoundBox, continued partnerships with Peter Sellars and Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and a celebration of the spirit of California including California Festival & tour of Southern California 

GUEST CONDUCTORS JANE GLOVER, CRISTIAN MĂCELARU, AND DALIA STASEVSKA LEAD THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY IN CONCERTS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL IN APRIL 2023

April 13–15 Jane Glover leads the SF Symphony in Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat featuring sopranos Cheryl Cain and Morgan Balfour, mezzo-soprano Leandra Ramm, tenor Michael Jankosky, bass Matthew Peterson, and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus; Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin in D minor performed by Concertmaster Alexander Barantschik and Principal Oboe Eugene Izotov; the first SF Symphony performances of Stacy Garrop’s Spectacle of Light; and George Frideric Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks

April 21–23 Cristian Măcelaru conducts selections from Wynton Marsalis’ Blues Symphony, the United States premiere of Outi Tarkiainen’s Milky Ways written for SF Symphony English horn player Russ de Luna, and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1

April 27–30 Dalia Stasevska makes her Orchestral Series debut, conducting the first SF Symphony performances of Anna Meredith’s Nautilus, Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto featuring Joshua Bell, and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN AND THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY EMBARK ON 2023 SPRING TOUR TO EUROPE, WITH EXTENDED RESIDENCIES IN PARIS AND HAMBURG, MARCH 9–17

Tour includes two programs curated by and featuring Collaborative Partners Claire Chase and Nico Muhly, as well as guest appearances by Yuja Wang and Johan Dalene

Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony perform at the Philharmonie de Paris in France (March 9–12); Philharmonie Luxembourg (March 13); and Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany (March 15–17)

Announcing the California Festival: A Celebration of New Music A Two-Week Statewide Festival Celebrating the Most Innovative and Compelling Music Composed Around the World in the Last Five Years

Music Directors of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, and San Francisco Symphony Join Forces to Conceive of Sweeping Program 

November 3–19, 2023

MUSIC DIRECTOR ESA-PEKKA SALONEN LEADS THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY IN FOUR PROGRAMS HIGHLIGHTING THE PIANO AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, FEBRUARY 17–MARCH 2, 2023

February 17–19 pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard performs Béla Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 2 on a program with Maurice Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin and selections from Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet

February 20 Lang Lang joins the Orchestra for one evening, performing Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto on a program with Jean Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5

February 23, 25 & 26 pianist Conor Hanick makes his San Francisco Symphony debut as soloist in the world premiere of Samuel Adams’ No Such Spring, on a program with Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6

March 1 & 2 features Gabriella Smith’s Tumblebird Contrails, Salonen’s Nyx, and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with soloist Yuja Wang

These four programs—along with Nico Muhly’s SoundBox program, Codes, featuring Yuja Wang and Esa-Pekka Salonen—precede Salonen and the Orchestra’s March 9–17 European residencies tour, featuring performances at the Philharmonie de Paris in France; the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany; and the Philharmonie Luxembourg 

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY PRESENTS LUNAR NEW YEAR: YEAR OF THE RABBIT, FEBRUARY 5, 2023 AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL

Earl Lee leads the Orchestra in a program highlighting works by Asian composers including An-Lun Huang, Huang Ruo, Tyzen Hsiao, and Zhou Tian

Renowned soprano Sumi Jo joins Lee and the Orchestra for works by Du-Nam Cho, Huang Tzu, Hong-ryeol Lee, and Geung-Su Lim 

HERBERT BLOMSTEDT CONDUCTS THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY, FEBRUARY 9–10 AND 12, AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL

The program includes Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 and the San Francisco Symphony premiere of Jan Václav Voříšek’s Symphony in D major  

EDWIN OUTWATER CONDUCTS THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY PREMIERE OF GABRIEL KAHANE’S EMERGENCY SHELTER INTAKE FORM, A SONG CYCLE EXPLORING INEQUALITY THROUGH THE LENS OF HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS, FEBRUARY 2 & 3 AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL

emergency shelter intake form features mezzo-soprano Alicia Hall Moran; vocalists Gabriel Kahane, Kristen Toedtman, and Holcombe Waller as the Chorus of Inconvenient Statistics; and a chorus made up of community members from Community Music Center and Skywatchers

The program opens with George Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F featuring soloist Conrad Tao in his SF Symphony Orchestral Series Debut 

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY COLLABORATIVE PARTNER CLAIRE CHASE PERFORMS MARCOS BALTER’S PAN FOR SOLO FLUTE, LIVE ELECTRONICS, AND MASS COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION, FEBRUARY 24 IN SYMPHONY’S SOUNDBOX SPACE 

The program opens with Balter’s Alone for flute and wine glasses 

Tickets are $40 and available for purchase now at sfsymphony.org/pan 

MUSIC DIRECTOR LAUREATE MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS CONDUCTS THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY IN TWO CONCERT PROGRAMS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, JANUARY 26–28 AND MARCH 30–APRIL 1, 2023

January 26–28 concerts include Claude Debussy’s Prélude à L’Après-midi d’un faune, Olivier Messiaen’s Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine, Claude Debussy’s Fantaisie for Piano and Orchestra, and Heitor Villa-Lobos' Chôros No. 10, featuring pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, ondes Martenot player Cynthia Millar, and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus

March 30–April 1 concerts feature Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 6 

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY COLLABORATIVE PARTNER AND COMPOSER NICHOLAS BRITELL WILL BE JOINED BY ACCLAIMED DIRECTOR BARRY JENKINS AS CO-CURATOR TO SOUNDBOX PERFORMANCES, APRIL 14–15

Performances will feature Britell and Jenkins discussing the films on which they’ve collaborated (including If Beale Street Could Talk and Moonlight) together with performances of Britell’s music by members of the San Francisco Symphony

Tickets are $200 and are on sale now at sfsymphony.org/soundbox  

GUEST CONDUCTORS ELIM CHAN AND ROBIN TICCIATI MAKE THEIR SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAL SERIES DEBUTS IN TWO PROGRAMS, JANUARY 12–22, 2023, AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL 

January 12–14 Elim Chan conducts the world premiere of a new work by Elizabeth Ogonek, Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with violinist James Ehnes, and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 

January 20–22 Robin Ticciati conducts the San Francisco Symphony premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Violin Concerto, featuring violinist Alina Ibragimova, and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 featuring soprano Ying Fang  

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S SHENSON SPOTLIGHT SERIES HIGHLIGHTS ASCENDANT ARTISTS THROUGH FOUR DEBUT RECITALS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, JANUARY–MAY 2023
 

January 18, cellist Sterling Elliott is joined by pianist Elliot Wuu for a program of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012 and Felix Mendelssohn’s Cello Sonata No. 2 in D major

January 31, violinist Johan Dalene and pianist Giorgi Gigashvili perform Edvard Grieg’s Violin Sonata No. 3, Arvo Pärt’s Fratres, and Maurice Ravel’s Violin Sonata in G major 

March 22, pianist Alexander Malofeev presents a solo recital performing Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor, Opus 27, no.2, Moonlight; Mieczysław Weinberg’s Piano Sonata No. 4; and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 2

May 10, violinist Bomsori is joined by pianist Julia Okruashvili for a program including Henryk Wieniawski’s Polonaise de concert, Opus 4; Claude Debussy’s Sonata in G minor; Karol Szymanowski’s Nocturne and Tarantella, Opus 28;  Selections from Jean Sibelius’s Six Pieces for Violin and Piano, Opus 79; and Henryk Wieniawski’s Fantasia on Themes from Gounod’s Faust, Opus 20

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S 2022–23 MUSIC FOR FAMILIES SERIES KICKS OFF DECEMBER 3 WITH “AUDIOBOOK! MUSIC INSPIRED BY STORIES” CONDUCTED BY RESIDENT CONDUCTOR OF ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION DANIEL BARTHOLOMEW-POYSER 

The series continues with “Discovering Beethoven’s Fifth” with Daniel Stewart and the SF Symphony Youth Orchestra on March 18 and “MADSADGLAD” with Barthlomew-Poyser on May 6; Teen Night returns for the second season, February 11 

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY YOUTH ORCHESTRA CELEBRATES ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2022-23 SEASON  

Wattis Foundation Music Director Daniel Stewart conducts the ensemble in five concerts throughout the season, culminating in celebratory 40th Anniversary Concert on May 21 

November 20 season-opening concert includes José González Granero’s Matsuri Overture, Maurice Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade 

Other 2022-23 SFSYO performances include the ensemble’s annual Peter and the Wolf performance, this year with narrator W. Kamau Bell (December 11); a Music for Families program, “Discovering Beethoven’s Fifth,” (March 18); and a performance of works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Gabriela Lena Frank, and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto featuring SFSYO Concerto Competition winner Eunseo Oh (March 8) 

THE SAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC AND SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ANNOUNCE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR THIRD ANNUAL EMERGING BLACK COMPOSERS PROJECT
 

This year’s competition looks to further identify and promote inventive Black musicians, of any music genre, under age 35; applications are due by February 1, 2023 

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S 2022 HOLIDAY CONCERT SEASON, DECEMBER 4—31, 2022, FEATURES AN ARRAY OF FESTIVE PROGRAMS
 

SF Symphony holiday concert season includes five returning favorites: Deck the Hall with conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser (December 4); The Colors of Christmas with Oleta Adams, Peabo Bryson, Ruben Studdard, and Jody Watley (December 6–7); Cool Yule Christmas featuring Tony DeSare and Capathia Jenkins (December 13); Holiday Gaiety, co-emceed by Peaches Christ and conductor Edwin Outwater (December 15); and A Merry-Achi Christmas with Mariachi Sol de México® de José Hernández (December 23)

Harry Connick, Jr. and his Band bring holiday tour to Davies Symphony Hall (December 24)

Seth MacFarlane rings in the New Year with the San Francisco Symphony (December 31)

The SF Symphony performs live accompaniment to iconic family-friendly holiday films How the Grinch Stole Christmas (December 16–17) and Elf (December 21–22)

Conductor Masaaki Suzuki leads SF Symphony, Chorus, and vocal soloists in George Frideric Handel’s Messiah (December 9–10) and Symphony’s popular Holiday Brass program returns (December 20) 

The SF Symphony Youth Orchestra performs Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf with guest narrator W. Kamau Bell (December 11)

Tickets for holiday concerts available now at sfsymphony.org/holiday

XIAN ZHANG CONDUCTS THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY, DECEMBER 1–3, 2022, AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL 
 

High-resolution images of the San Francisco Symphony and guest artist headshots are available for download from the Online Photo Library

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY CELEBRATES DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS WITH CONCERT EVENT, LOBBY ART, COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES, AND ¡FIESTA! DINNER EXPERIENCE, NOVEMBER 5 

Carlos Miguel Prieto conducts the San Francisco Symphony in music by Evencio Castellanos Yumar, Arturo Márquez, José Pablo Moncayo García, Gabriela Ortiz, and Silvestre Revueltas; trumpet player Pacho Flores is soloist in Arturo Márquez’ Concierto de Otoño; with performances by Casa Círculo Cultural and Canción de Obsidiana 

Local artists, community groups, and Latin American cultural partners join the SF Symphony to celebrate Día de los Muertos through lobby art installations and pre-concert activities 

¡Fiesta! Día de los Muertos dinner packages include post-concert reception, seated dinner, and online auction plus premium concert seating 

MUSIC DIRECTOR LAUREATE MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS RETURNS TO CONDUCT THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY, NOVEMBER 11–19, 2022, AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL 

November 11-13 concerts feature United States premiere of Danny Elfman’s Cello Concerto performed by Gautier Capuçon, alongside Igor Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings 

November 17-19 concerts include an all-Johannes Brahms program of Serenade No. 1 and Piano Concerto No. 1 with soloist Emanuel Ax 

Concert date change: San Francisco Symphony’s Lunar New Year concert to take place Sunday, February 5, 2023 

JURAJ VALČUHA CONDUCTS THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, NOVEMBER 3, 4 & 6, 2022

Program includes the SF Symphony premiere of Hannah Kendall’s The Spark Catchers, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, and Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 featuring pianist Behzod Abduraimov

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY PRESENTS THREE HALLOWEEN-INSPIRED PROGRAMS, OCTOBER 20–29, 2022 AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL

October 20–22, Esa-Pekka Salonen leads a program including Modest Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain; Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique; and Franz Liszt’s Totentanz, featuring pianist Bertrand Chamayou in his Orchestral Series debut
 
October 27–29, Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the Orchestra in HK Gruber’s Frankenstein!!, featuring baritone Christopher Purves in his Orchestral Series debut; Bernard Herrmann’s Suite from Psycho; and Béla Bartók’s Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin

October 25, Sarah Hicks conducts a performance of Disney’s Hocus Pocus—Film with Live Orchestra

MATTHEW SPIVEY NAMED CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S 2022–23 GREAT PERFORMERS SERIES INCLUDES TEN PERFORMANCES FEATURING WORLD-CLASS SOLOISTS AND VISITING ORCHESTRAS

Great Performers Series features pianists Leif Ove Andsnes, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Daniil Trifonov; violinists Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, and Itzhak Perlman; the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason; and the Israel Philharmonic with conductor Lahav Shani

SF Symphony 2022–23 Artist-in-Residence Pianist Igor Levit performs a solo recital on June 27 as part of his residency

Pianist Yuja Wang joins Esa-Pekka Salonen and the SF Symphony in performances preceding the Orchestra’s European tour, March 1 & 2

HARRY CONNICK, JR. AND SETH MACFARLANE JOIN SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONy’S 2022 HOLIDAY CONCERT SEASON, DECEMBER 4–31
 
Harry Connick, Jr. and his Band bring holiday tour to Davies Symphony Hall, December 24
 
Seth MacFarlane rings in the New Year with the San Francisco Symphony, December 31

Tickets for Harry Connick, Jr. and New Year’s Eve with Seth MacFarlane are on sale now at sfsymphony.org

JOHN WILLIAMS AND ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER JOIN THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY IN A PROGRAM OF WILLIAMS’ CONCERT AND FILM MUSIC, FEBRUARY 14, 2023
 
Program features Williams’ Violin Concerto No. 2, written expressly for Mutter, and a selection of Williams’ beloved film music

One-night-only concert marks Williams’ first performance with San Francisco Symphony in nearly 10 years

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, September 16, at 4pm (PT) at sfsymphony.org

MUSIC DIRECTOR ESA-PEKKA SALONEN LEADS THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY IN FOUR PROGRAMS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, SEPTEMBER 24–OCTOBER 15, 2022

September 24 concert includes the SF Symphony premiere of Florence Price’s Violin Concerto No. 2 performed by violinist Randall Goosby in his SF Symphony Orchestral Series debut, Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Overture to The Impresario
 
September 29–October 2 concerts include the world premiere of Push by the inaugural winner of the Emerging Black Composers Project, Trevor Weston, and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, featuring the SF Symphony Chorus, mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung, and soprano Golda Schultz in her SF Symphony debut 

October 7–9 concerts include the U.S. premiere of Sun Poem by Daniel Kidane, co-commissioned by the SF Symphony and London Symphony Orchestra, Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird, and Jean Sibelius’ Luonnotar featuring soprano Golda Schultz

October 13–15 concerts feature pianist Yuja Wang performing the world premiere of Magnus Lindberg’s SF Symphony-commissioned Piano Concerto No. 3, Carl Nielsen’s Helios Overture, and Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S 2022–23 FILM SERIES KICKS OFF WITH SCREENINGS OF STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE, SEPTEMBER 16 & 17, PERFORMED LIVE TO PICTURE
 
HOLIDAY FILM PROGRAMS INCLUDE RON HOWARD’S HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS AND JON FAVREAU’S ELF

2022–23 SEASON FILM PROGRAMMING ALSO INCLUDES DISNEY’S HOCUS POCUS, DISNEY’S FANTASIA, FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA’S THE GODFATHER, STEVEN SPIELBERG’S JURASSIC PARK, AND MARVEL STUDIOS’ BLACK PANTHER

Tickets for all performances on sale now at sfsymphony.org

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY CELEBRATES HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH WITH FIESTAS PATRIAS CONCERT, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

Concert features Ballet Folklórico de los Ángeles, Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar, and singer-songwriter Lupita Infante with conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez and the San Francisco Symphony

Tickets for Fiestas Patrias, priced $25 to $109, can be purchased at sfsymphony.org

MUSIC DIRECTOR ESA-PEKKA SALONEN AND THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY OPEN 2022–23 SEASON WITH TWO PERFORMANCES AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL FEATURING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SHAKESPEARE COMPANY, SEPTEMBER 22 & SEPTEMBER 23, 2022

Program for Opening Night Gala and All San Francisco concerts features Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream interspersed with scenes from William Shakespeare’s play

Opening Night Gala concert on September 23 is preceded by a red-carpet welcome and followed by an outdoor after-party for all ticketholders
 
Opening Night Gala Dinner Packages offer an enhanced experience and are available for purchase via sfsymphony.org/gala; proceeds from the event benefit the SF Symphony’s artistic, education, and community programs

All San Francisco Concert on September 22 welcomes and pays tribute to impactful community groups and nonprofit organizations across the Bay Area

Visit sfsymphony.org/safety for updated health and safety protocols for the San Francisco Symphony’s 2022–23 season

SINGLE TICKETS FOR ALL SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY 2022–23 SEASON CONCERTS ON SALE SATURDAY JULY 16, VIA THE BOX OFFICE STARTING AT 10AM AND ONLINE & BY PHONE AT 12PM

New program details announced for Opening Night Gala and All San Francisco concert
 
Added concert on September 15 celebrates Fiesta Patrias and Hispanic Heritage Month
 
Added holiday programming includes The Colors of Christmas, Cool Yule Christmas, Holiday Gaiety, How the Grinch Stole Christmas—Film with Live Orchestra, Holiday Brass, Elf—Film with Live Orchestra, and A Merry-Achi Christmas

Single tickets for all 2022–23 concerts can be purchased online starting July 16 at 12pm via sfsymphony.org

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES FOUR NEW MUSICIANS JOINING THE ORCHESTRA IN THE 2022–23 SEASON

New musicians include Principal Cellist Rainer Eudeikis, violists Katarzyna Bryla-Weiss and Leonid Plashinov-Johnson, and Associate Principal & E-flat Clarinet Matthew Griffith

JENS IBSEN SELECTED AS WINNER OF SECOND ANNUAL EMERGING BLACK COMPOSERS PROJECT PRIZE

Ibsen will receive a $15,000 commission and mentorship, and his piece will premiere with the San Francisco Symphony during the 2023–24 season

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY CONTRABASSOON STEVEN BRAUNSTEIN RETIRES AT END OF 2021–22 SEASON

MUSIC DIRECTOR ESA-PEKKA SALONEN AND THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY CONCLUDE THE 2021–22 SEASON WITH TWO PROGRAMS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, JUNE 16–25, 2022

June 16–19 concerts include Luciano Berio’s transcription of Luigi Boccherini’s Four Original Versions of Ritirata notturna di Madrid; Jessie Montgomery’s Strum for String Orchestra; Ottorino Respighi’s Pines of Rome; and Béla Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (June 16 & 17) and Piano Concerto No. 3 (June 18 & 19) featuring pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard

June 23–25 concerts feature SF Symphony premieres of Steven Stucky’s Radical Light and John Adams’ Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?, performed by pianist Víkingur Ólafsson in his Orchestral Series debut, as well as Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5

EUN SUN KIM CONDUCTS THE NATIONAL BRASS ENSEMBLE AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, JUNE 20, 2022
 
National Brass Ensemble is composed of musicians from top orchestras across the United States, including the San Francisco Symphony

Performance features world premieres of new works by Jonathan Bingham and Arturo Sandoval, Richard Strauss’s Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare, and a new compilation arrangement of music from Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle by SF Symphony Principal Trombone Timothy Higgins

Tickets on sale now at sfsymphony.org/NBE

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, DIRECTOR PETER SELLARS, AND THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY PRESENT NEW STAGED PRODUCTION OF IGOR STRAVINSKY’S OEDIPUS REX AND SYMPHONY OF PSALMS, JUNE 10–12, 2022

Oedipus rex features tenor Sean Panikkar (Oedipus rex); mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges (Jocasta), bass-baritone Sir Willard White (Creon/Messenger/Tiresias), tenor Jose Simerilla Romero (Shepherd), actor Breezy Leigh (Antigone), dancer Laurel Jenkins, and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus
 
Performances mark first collaboration in new four-year partnership with acclaimed director Peter Sellars

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY AND ESA-PEKKA SALONEN RELEASE STRAVINSKY: THE SOLDIER’S TALE, A NEW HOUR-LONG THEATRICAL CONCERT FILM, AVAILABLE ON SFSYMPHONY+ BEGINNING JUNE 1, 2022
 
Stravinsky: The Soldier’s Tale was conceived and directed by acclaimed British director, designer, and video artist Netia Jones, as a new work of digital music theater

The Soldier’s Tale is conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen and features seven San Francisco Symphony musicians, actor Bruce Davison, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet dancer Adji Cissoko

ALL SFSYMPHONY+ CONTENT IS AVAILABLE FOR FREE VIA SFSYMPHONYPLUS.ORG OR VIA SFSYMPHONY+ APP

Press interested in an advance copy of Stravinsky: The Soldier’s Tale can email [email protected]  

CONDUCTOR BERNARD LABADIE REPLACES TON KOOPMAN IN SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY CONCERTS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, MAY 20–22

Labadie leads the Orchestra in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Serenade No. 6, Serenata notturna and Symphony No. 36, Linz, and Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 103, which replaces Haydn’s Symphony No. 80 

Due to difficulties with his visa for entry into the United States, conductor Ton Koopman regretfully withdraws from this program

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES SUMMER SEASON WITH CONCERTS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL AND OUTDOOR PERFORMANCES AT FROST AMPHITHEATER, SHORELINE AMPHITHEATRE, AND SIGMUND STERN GROVE, JUNE 29–AUGUST 7, 2022  

Conductors Paolo Bortolameolli, Ludovic Morlot, and Erina Yashima lead classical programs at Davies Symphony Hall with performances by pianist Inon Barnatan, cellist Johannes Moser, and string trio Time for Three 

Teddy Abrams conducts Mason Bates’ Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra 

Special guest performances by actress and singer Jessica Vosk in Get Happy: A Judy Garland Centennial Celebration; singer Isabel Marie Sánchez in a program dedicated to the music of Selena; the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus in Final Words; Broadway sensation Bernadette Peters; The Airborne Toxic Event; and Pink Martini 

Summer film concerts include The Matrix Live, Pixar in Concert, and The Goonies 

Edwin Outwater conducts the San Francisco Symphony in the Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular at Shoreline Amphitheatre 

San Francisco Symphony performs four Friday night concerts at Frost Amphitheater, presented by Stanford Live, July 8–29 

San Francisco Symphony performs a free concert at Sigmund Stern Grove with Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser conducting, July 31 

Tickets on sale now for The Matrix Live—Film with Live Orchestra, Get Happy: A Judy Garland Centennial Celebration, Final Words: SF Gay Men’s Chorus & the SF Symphony, and The Airborne Toxic Event, and all concerts at Frost Amphitheater 

Tickets for all other summer concerts on sale April 29 at 10am via sfsymphony.org/summer 

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY COLLABORATIVE PARTNER JULIA BULLOCK BRINGS HISTORY’S PERSISTENT VOICE TO DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL FOR A ONE-NIGHT-ONLY PERFORMANCE WITH MEMBERS OF THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY, MAY 17, 2022

History’s Persistent Voice is conducted by Christian Reif and features video installations by artist Hana S. Kim

GUEST CONDUCTORS KARINA CANELLAKIS, TON KOOPMAN, RUTH REINHARDT, NATHALIE STUTZMANN, AND XIAN ZHANG LEAD THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY IN CONCERTS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, MAY–JUNE 2022 

May 6, 7 & 8 concerts are conducted by Xian Zhang in her Orchestral Series debut and include Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World, and SF Symphony premieres of Nokuthula Ngwenyama’s Primal Message and Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement performed by pianist Aaron Diehl, who also makes his Orchestral Series debut 

May 13–15 concerts are conducted by Karina Canellakis and include Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote featuring cellist Alisa Weilerstein, the SF Symphony premiere of Lili Boulanger’s D’un soir triste, and Witold Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra

May 20–22 concerts feature Ton Koopman leading the Orchestra in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Serenade No. 6, Serenata notturna and Symphony No. 36, Linz, plus the SF Symphony premiere of Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 80

May 26–28 concerts are conducted by Nathalie Stutzmann in her Orchestral Series debut, featuring the SF Symphony and Chorus in Johannes Brahms’ Gesang der Parzen, Schicksalslied, and Nänie; and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6  

June 2–5 concerts are conducted by Ruth Reinhardt in her Orchestral Series debut and feature pianist Daniil Trifonov performing the West Coast premiere of Mason Bates' Piano Concerto—an SF Symphony co-commission; the SF Symphony premiere of Lotta Wennäkoski’s Helsinki Variations; and Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 5

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY AND ESA-PEKKA SALONEN ANNOUNCE 2022–23 SEASON
 
Esa-Pekka Salonen leads 15 weeks of programming in the Bay Area and abroad in his third season as San Francisco Symphony Music Director

GUEST CONDUCTORS GIANCARLO GUERRERO, GUSTAVO DUDAMEL, AND KLAUS MÄKELÄ LEAD THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY IN CONCERTS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL IN APRIL 2022 

April 7–9 concerts are conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero in his Orchestral Series debut and include the world premiere of John Corigliano’s Triathlon, Concerto for Saxophonist and Orchestra performed by saxophonist Timothy McAllister in his Orchestral Series debut; the SF Symphony premiere of Astor Piazzolla’s Sinfonía Buenos Aires featuring bandoneón player Daniel Binelli, also making his Orchestral Series debut; and SF Symphony premieres of Antonio Estévez’ Mediodía en el Llano and Adolphus Hailstork’s An American Port of Call

April 21–24 concerts feature Gustavo Dudamel conducting the SF Symphony in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 38, Prague and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5

April 28–30 concerts are conducted by Klaus Mäkelä in his Orchestral Series debut and include the SF Symphony premiere of Jimmy López Bellido’s Perú Negro, along with Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10, and Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto featuring Vilde Frang

BOYZ II MEN PERFORM WITH SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY AND CONDUCTOR EDWIN OUTWATER, APRIL 1 & 2, 2022

Tickets for Boyz II Men with the SF Symphony are on sale now at sfsymphony.org

DANIEL BARTHOLOMEW-POYSER LEADS TEEN NIGHT AT THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY, MARCH 26, 2022

Bay Area musician, composer, educator, and activist Kev Choice joins Bartholomew-Poyser and the Orchestra to perform his composition Movements

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S SPOTLIGHT SERIES HIGHLIGHTS ASCENDANT ARTISTS THROUGH FOUR DEBUT RECITALS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, MARCH–JUNE 2022  

March 23, pianist Drew Petersen presents a solo recital performing Maurice Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit, Selected Études by Frédéric Chopin, and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 2

April 13, violinist Randall Goosby is joined by pianist Zhu Wang for a program of Antonín Dvořák’s Sonatina for Violin and Piano, William Grant Still’s Suite for Violin and Piano, and Edvard Grieg’s Violin Sonata No. 3

April 20, violinist Noa Wildschut and pianist Elizabeth Brauß perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Violin Sonata in E minor, K.304 (K300c), Maurice Ravel’s Violin Sonata No. 2, Joey Roukens’ Sarasvati, and Four Souvenirs for Violin and Piano by Paul Schoenfield

June 1, saxophonist Steven Banks is joined by pianist Xak Bjerken for a program including Paul Creston’s Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano, Johannes Brahms’ Sonata in F minor, Op. 120, no.1 (arranged for saxophone), and Banks’ own composition, Come As You Are

MUSIC DIRECTOR ESA-PEKKA SALONEN CONDUCTS THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY IN THREE WEEKS OF CONCERTS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, FEBRUARY 24–MARCH 12

February 24, 26 & 27 concerts feature Ludwig van Beethoven’s Creatures of Prometheus with actor Keith David as narrator and original animated projections by Hillary Leben

March 3–5 concerts feature Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, the world premiere of Fang Man’s Song of the Flaming Phoenix (火凤凰的笙音) with sheng virtuoso Wu Wei, and Alexander Scriabin’s The Poem of Ecstasy

March 10–12 concerts include the SF Symphony premiere of Elizabeth Ogonek’s Sleep & Unremembrance and Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Violin Concerto,
featuring Leila Josefowicz

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S 2021–22 MUSIC FOR FAMILIES SERIES KICKS OFF FEBRUARY 19 WITH “MUSIC AROUND THE WORLD—PERCUSSION” CONDUCTED BY DANIEL BARTHOLOMEW-POYSER

Music for Families continues on April 9 with “The Planets” featuring the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra conducted by Daniel Stewart and concludes on May 7 with “Superheroes” featuring Akiko Fujimoto conducting the San Francisco Symphony

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY FEBRUARY 25–26 SOUNDBOX CONCERTS CURATED BY PEKKA KUUSISTO AND JESPER NORDIN CANCELED

Pekka Kuusisto has withdrawn from the SoundBox concert due to the serious ill health of an immediate family member; the concert will be rescheduled for a future season

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY RELEASES NEW EDUCATIONAL VIDEO—MUSICAL HEROES: STORIES OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMPOSERS—EXPLORING THE HISTORY, WORK, AND IMPACT OF FLORENCE PRICE, WILLIAM GRANT STILL, AND GEORGE WALKER
 
Hosted by SF Symphony Resident Conductor of Engagement and Education Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, Musical Heroes is a free online resource intended for middle and high school-aged students and available to schools everywhere
 
Educational resource includes hour-long video highlighted by musical performances featuring SF Symphony musicians, along with teacher resources and classroom guides
 
View Musical Heroes: Stories of African-American Composers here

CONDUCTOR PERRY SO MAKES HIS ORCHESTRAL SERIES DEBUT LEADING THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, FEBRUARY 11 & 12, 2022

Program features five San Francisco Symphony premieres, including works by Texu Kim, Younghi Pagh-Paan, Takashi Yoshimatsu, Zhou Long, and Lou Harrison

Pipa virtuoso Wu Man makes her Orchestral Series Debut performing Lou Harrison’s Concerto for Pipa and String Orchestra

SAXOPHONIST STEVEN BANKS PERFORMS SPOTLIGHT SERIES RECITAL AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, JUNE 1, 2022

Banks replaces cellist Ifetayo Ali-Landing, who has had to withdraw from her recital on June 1

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY PRESENTS LUNAR NEW YEAR: YEAR OF THE TIGER FEBRUARY 5, 2022 AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL

Conductor Yue Bao makes her debut leading the Orchestra in traditional folk music and works by Asian composers including Huan-zhi Li, Chen Gang and He Zhanhao, Huang Ruo, Tan Dun, Texu Kim, Tyzen Hsiao, and Liu Yuan
 
Concert features soloists including violinist Bomsori and SF Symphony Assistant Principal Cello Amos Yang

CONDUCTOR LAUREATE HERBERT BLOMSTEDT LEADS THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, FEBRUARY 3, 4 & 6, 2022

Program includes Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4 and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES UPDATED SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR CONCERTS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL 

Beginning Thursday, January 20, the SF Symphony will require that all patrons wear N95, KN95, or equivalent face masks while inside Davies Symphony Hall

MEZZO-SOPRANO SASHA COOKE RETURNS TO DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL FOR HOW DO I FIND YOU, A PERFORMANCE OF 17 WORLD PREMIERES WRITTEN FOR HER DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, JANUARY 30, 2022

To be released as an album via Pentatone on January 28, how do I find you features new songs by Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly, Caroline Shaw, Joel Thompson, and 13 more composers

A Roundtable discussion with seven of the project’s composers and librettists
follows the performance

VIOLINIST ITZHAK PERLMAN’S JANUARY 16, 2022 GREAT PERFORMERS SERIES CONCERT AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL RESCHEDULED TO APRIL 18, 2022

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY PROGRAMMING UPDATE FOR MARCH 3–5 CONCERTS WITH ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, WU WEI, AND JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET

Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Scriabin’s The Poem of Ecstasy replace music from Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Castor and Pollux and Scriabin’s Prometheus, The Poem of Fire

LIGETI: PARADIGMS, A NEW SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY DIGITAL PROGRAM COMBINING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND SPATIAL AUDIO WITH THE MUSIC OF GYÖRGY LIGETI, AVAILABLE ON SFSYMPHONY+ BEGINNING JANUARY 18, 2022
 
Conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, LIGETI: PARADIGMS features the SF Symphony and Chorus in performances of Lux Aeterna, Ramifications, and Clocks and Clouds
 
In partnership with media artist Refik Anadol, Dolby Laboratories, and SF Symphony Collaborative Partner Carol Reiley, LIGETI: PARADIGMS pairs imagery generated by open-sourced AI algorithms interpreting Ligeti’s source music with SF Symphony and Chorus performances
 
ALL SFSYMPHONY+ CONTENT IS AVAILABLE FOR FREE VIA SFSYMPHONYPLUS.ORG OR VIA SFSYMPHONY+ APP 

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES UPDATED SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR CONCERTS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL

Beginning February 1, 2022, San Francisco Symphony to require all eligible patrons, staff, and performers to show proof of COVID-19 booster, for entrance into Davies Symphony Hall

CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH CONDUCTS THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, JANUARY 13–15, 2022

Program includes the SF Symphony premiere of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel’s Overture in C major, Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 featuring pianist Jan Lisiecki

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY RELEASES DECK THE HALL AT THE DRIVE-IN ON SFSYMPHONY+, DECEMBER 20, 2021
 
Available for free on-demand viewing via sfsymphonyplus.org
 
Digital program is hosted by SF Symphony Resident Conductor of Engagement and Education Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser with performances by SF Symphony musicians and special guests

THREE CONDUCTORS MAKE THEIR SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAL SERIES DEBUTS IN PROGRAM HONORING LATE OAKLAND SYMPHONY MUSIC DIRECTOR MICHAEL MORGAN, FEBRUARY 17–19, 2022

Conductors Earl Lee, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, and Akiko Fujimoto will lead the eclectic program, which Morgan planned and was scheduled to conduct

VOCALIST SHELÉA REPLACES YOLANDA ADAMS IN SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S HOLIDAY SOUL PERFORMANCE, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021

SAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC AND SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ANNOUNCE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR SECOND ANNUAL EMERGING BLACK COMPOSERS PROJECT

This year’s competition looks to further identify and promote inventive Black musicians and will focus on talent under age 35; applications are due by February 14, 2022

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES TWO CHANGES TO ORCHESTRA ROSTER

Principal Harp Douglas Rioth retires at end of 2021 calendar year

Associate Concertmaster Nadya Tichman continues her tenure with the San Francisco Symphony as revolving member of the 1st Violin section beginning in 2022–23 season

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S SFS MEDIA RECORDINGS NOMINATED FOR TWO 2022 GRAMMY AWARDS
 
BEST CLASSICAL COMPENDIUM FOR ALBAN BERG: VIOLIN CONCERTO, SEVEN EARLY SONGS, & THREE PIECES FOR ORCHESTRA
 
BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE FOR NICO MUHLY’S THROUGHLINE

SIMONE YOUNG CONDUCTS THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, DECEMBER 2–4, 2021

Concerts include Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 and Edward Elgar’s Violin Concerto featuring violinist Christian Tetzlaff

ARNIE ROTH CONDUCTS THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY IN DISTANT WORLDS: MUSIC FROM FINAL FANTASY, APRIL 15–16, 2022

Program features music by composer Nobuo Uematsu and others performed live while video from game series FINAL FANTASY is projected onto a large screen above the stage

Tickets on sale now at sfsymphony.org

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY YOUTH ORCHESTRA AND WATTIS FOUNDATION MUSIC DIRECTOR DANIEL STEWART PERFORM FIVE CONCERTS IN THE 2021–22 SEASON

November 21 season-opening concert includes Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst, Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World, and features SFSYO Concerto Competition winner Shun Lopez performing Hristo Yotsov’s Concerto for Drum Set and Symphony Orchestra

Other 2021–22 season SFSYO performances include annual holiday performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf on December 12, a Music for Families program on April 9, and two additional concerts March 6 and May 29

LUDOVIC MORLOT JOINS MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS TO CONDUCT THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY NOVEMBER 18–20

Morlot conducts Tim Higgins’ Trombone Concerto and Maurice Ravel’s Ma Mère l’Oye (Mother Goose) Suite (replacing William Grant Still’s Patterns); Tilson Thomas conducts Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring