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Since its beginning in 1911, the San Francisco Symphony has been known for innovative programs that offer a spectrum of traditional repertory and new music. Today, the Orchestra’s artistic vitality, recordings, and groundbreaking multimedia educational projects carry its impact throughout American musical life.
This season of the San Francisco Symphony highlights astounding performances from the Symphony’s long history, with performances from prestigious soloists, guest conductors, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Symphony’s newest Music Director.
Here are some highlights from the upcoming new season of the San Francisco Symphony, releasing in Spring Quarter 2023 as a part of the WFMT Orchestra Series:
- Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the San Francisco Symphony in a program of two works by Debussy, Prélude à L’Après-midi d’un faune, and La Mer; Olivier Messiaen’s Oiseaux exotiques, with pianist Jeremy Denk; and Kaija Saariaho’s Aile du songe, with flutist Claire Chase. (SFS 23-02 / WOS 22-43, April 11, 2023)
- Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the Symphony in his own composition, Notturno, featuring flutist Demarre McGill; Mozart’s Six German Dances, K. 509; and Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major, Opus 38, Spring. (SFS 23-05 / WOS 22-46, May 2, 2023)
- Conductor Daniel Steward leads the Symphony in Anna Clyne’s Sound and Fury; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Opus 125, with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, featuring soloists Michelle Bradley, soprano; Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano; Mario Chang, tenor; and Rod Gilfry, baritone. (SFS 23-07 / WOS 22-48, May 16, 2023)
- Gustavo Dudamel is conductor for Mozart’s Symphony No. 38 in D major, K. 504, Prague; and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor. (SFS 23-10 / WOS 22-51, June 6, 2023)
- Conductor Nathalie Stutzmann leads the Symphony in Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Opus 74, Pathétique; and three selections by Brahms with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Nänie, Opus 82; Gesang der Parzen, Opus 89; and Schicksalslied, Opus 54. (SFS 23-11 / WOS 22-52, June 13, 2023)
- The San Francisco Symphony presents a program conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen of Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3, featuring pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard; Boccherini’s Ritirata notturna di Madrid from La musica notturna delle strade di Madrid, G. 324; Jessie Montgomery’s Strum for String Orchestra; and Respighi’s Pines of Rome. (SFS 23-13 / WOS 22-54, June 27, 2023)
“At a time when America’s major orchestras are struggling to define their missions and maintain audiences, the San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas is an exception.”
- The New York Times
The San Francisco Symphony has grown in stature and acclaim under a succession of such distinguished music directors as Henry Hadley, Alfred Hertz, the legendary Pierre Monteux, Josef Krips, Seiji Ozawa, Edo de Waart, Herbert Blomstedt, and Michael Tilson Thomas.
Esa-Pekka Salonen assumes his post as the San Francisco Symphony’s twelfth Music Director in the 2020–21 season, embarking on a new vision for the present and future of the orchestral landscape. In their inaugural season together, Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony introduce a groundbreaking artistic leadership model anchored by eight Collaborative Partners from a variety of cultural disciplines: Nicholas Britell, Julia Bullock, Claire Chase, Bryce Dessner, Pekka Kuusisto, Nico Muhly, Carol Reiley, and Esperanza Spalding. This group of visionary artists, thinkers, and doers joins with Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony to embark on a future of experimentation by collaborating on new ideas, breaking conventional rules, and creating unique and powerful experiences.
“In most places, and certainly in London, the presence of many of the (American Mavericks Festival) composers – from Charles Ives to John Adams to Steve Reich – would have emptied halls. But the audiences in San Francisco have been large, varied, attentive, and enthusiastic. Something quite special, perhaps even revolutionary, is going on.”
- The Times (London)
The San Francisco Symphony has toured extensively to Europe, Asia and throughout the United States. It has won some of the world’s most prestigious recording awards, including fifteen Grammy Awards, Japan’s Record Academy Award, France’s Grand Prix du Disque, Germany’s ECHO Klassik, Britain’s Gramophone Award, and International Music Critic’s Awards (ICMA.)
“The San Francisco Symphony, led since 1995 by the brilliant and musically restless Michael Tilson Thomas, gave the kind of performance that proves yet again that the best is the enemy of the better.”
- The Washington Post
With the launch of the San Francisco Symphony’s own SFS Media label in 2001, Michael Tilson Thomas and the Orchestra recorded all of Mahler’s symphonies and songs for voice and orchestra. SFS Media records and releases audio and visual material reflecting the Orchestra and Michael Tilson Thomas’ commitment to showcasing music by maverick composers as well as core classical masterworks. With a slate of recordings and releases of music by Harrison, Cowell, Varese, Bernstein, Beethoven, Ives and Copland, the Orchestra’s recordings continue to reflect the broad range of programming that has been a hallmark of the MTT/SFS partnership.
SFS Media also releases documentary and live performance videos such as MTT and the SFS’s national public television series and multimedia project Keeping Score, designed to make classical music more accessible to people of all ages and musical backgrounds, now available as digital downloads and on DVD and Blu-ray. Keeping Score includes an innovative website, live performance audio CDs, a radio broadcast series, and an education program for K-12 schools.
“Can every conductor be Michael Tilson Thomas? Obviously not! But every conductor can learn from him the value of bringing a sense of adventure back to the concert hall.”
- The Toronto Star
