San Francisco Symphony's All San Francisco Concert, an Annual Performance Presented in Recognition of Local Community Service Organizations, Takes Place September 11 with Jaap van Zweden, Pianist Parker Van Ostrand, and the Orchestra

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—The San Francisco Symphony kicks off its 2025–26 season with two celebratory events including the All San Francisco Concert on September 11, followed by the Opening Gala on September 12. 

The All San Francisco concert on September 11 features the San Francisco Symphony with conductor Jaap van Zweden in a special program including John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine; Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring pianist Parker Van Ostrand, a student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music; and Ottorino Respighi’s Pines of Rome. The All San Francisco Concert is a 46-year-strong tradition celebrating the people who work tirelessly to make the Bay Area a more just and equitable place. This special San Francisco Symphony program is offered at a subsidized ticket price of $12 for Bay Area nonprofit, social services, and grassroots organizations. Founded by native San Franciscan, veteran philanthropist, and patron of the arts Ellen Magnin Newman, and led by an advisory committee of nonprofit and community leaders, the All San Francisco Concert is an important pillar of the San Francisco Symphony’s ongoing work to make the Symphony an accessible, welcoming space for all Bay Area residents, regardless of income. 

A limited number of $12 tickets are available to the general public now at sfsymphony.org/allsf-concert.

In honor of its founder, the All San Francisco Concert also includes the presentation of the Ellen Magnin Newman Award. Recipients of the award are celebrated at the All San Francisco Concert and receive a San Francisco Symphony concert series subscription for two as well as a cash grant. This year’s recipient of the Ellen Magnin Newman Award is SCRAP. 

Founded in 1976 and based in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood, SCRAP works at the intersection of the arts, arts education, and the environment. SCRAP’s mission is to put the materials and methods of artmaking in reach for everyone, helping people turn everyday objects into creative projects that fuel the human spirit, support community vibrancy, and reinforce environmental awareness. Each year SCRAP’s programs serve over 33,000 people with circular access to creative materials and services at its depot and in the community—all while diverting 200+ tons of waste from landfill. The reusable supplies SCRAP diverts from the waste stream end up in the hands of tens of thousands of educators, students, artists, and nonprofits throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. SCRAP’s creative reuse programming includes workshops for teachers, students, and creative souls from every walk of life, Free Teachers’ Supplies Give-Aways, art tables at community events, and exhibitions of art made from reclaimed materials, all the while educating, reusing materials, and inspiring creativity.

Learn more about the Ellen Magnin Newman Award here. 

The All San Francisco Concert is presented in partnership with the San Francisco Arts Commission. 

All San Francisco Committee 
This year’s All San Francisco Concert on September 11 is cochaired by Rodney Earl Jackson Jr. (San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company) and Judy Tsang (ITVS) and guided by an advisory committee made up of an inspiring and creative group of advisors and collaborators. SF Symphony Life Governor Ellen Magnin Newman serves as honorary chair. 

In addition, the All San Francisco Committee includes Erik Auerbach (First Exposures), Ryan Babbitt (Booker T. Washington Community Service Center), Jennifer Byrd (The Salvation Army), Edith Castorena (Brava! For Women in the Arts), Carrie Cottini (Edible Schoolyard Project), Brittany Ford (MAGIC SF, San Francisco Public Defender’s Office), Donna Hilliard (Code Tenderloin), Cristina Ibarra (Yerba Buena Gardens Festival), Cynthia Inaba (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco), Evan Johnson (Ruth’s Table), Lisa Kvetchman (community organizer), Joanne Lee (Edge on the Square), Andrea Martin (Asian Art Museum), Heather Mathews (Huckleberry Youth Programs), Robert Melton (Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California, Art Curator/Cochair Arts Forum), Barbara Ockel (Shipyard Trust for the Arts), Ryan Pinter (The Stanford Fund), Eleanor Pollak (San Francisco Symphony Volunteer Council Chair), Josué Rojas (San Francisco Based Fine Artist & Muralist), Julie Strobel (Openhouse), and Sherry Young (African American Shakespeare Company).  

About the San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is among the most adventurous and innovative arts institutions in the United States, celebrated for its artistic excellence, creative performance concepts, award-winning recordings, and standard-setting education and community engagement programs. Since it was established in 1911, the Symphony has a grown in acclaim under a succession of distinguished music directors: Henry Hadley, Alfred Hertz, Basil Cameron, Issay Dobrowen, Pierre Monteux, Enrique Jordá, Josef Krips, Seiji Ozawa, Edo de Waart, Herbert Blomstedt, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. The San Francisco Symphony is deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of musicians and music lovers through a comprehensive range of educational programs. These include Fisher Family Adventures in Music (AIM) and Music and Mentors, which serve more than 25,000 San Francisco public school students annually; interactive youth and family concerts; heritage events; and the prestigious, tuition-free San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. With a reputation for artistic daring and a dedication to excellence, innovation, and community engagement, the San Francisco Symphony continues to shape the future of orchestral music, making a lasting impact on the cultural fabric of San Francisco and the world. 

About the San Francisco Symphony’s community programs
In addition to the All San Francisco Concert, the San Francisco Symphony has a robust lineup of community programs and events, including Music in the Wards, which brings  SF Symphony musicians to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital for monthly concerts; the free Community Chamber Concerts series, which partners with a broad range of organizations to bring small ensemble concerts to communities across the Bay Area; and Deck the Hall Community Day, an annual holiday concert performed for approximately 2,500 young people in Davies Symphony Hall every December. Each fall, the Symphony celebrates Día de los Muertos with a concert program of traditional and contemporary Latin American music, preceded by a festive array of family-friendly activities and curated lobby installations. In celebration of Lunar New Year, the Symphony performs an annual concert honoring the musical cultures of East, South, and Southeast Asia. The San Francisco Symphony’s Community Ticket Program is designed to provide equitable access to the Orchestra’s concerts by providing free tickets to people who work with or are served by nonprofit healthcare, social service, and arts organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. To learn more about the Symphony’s extensive community engagement programs, visit sfsymphony.org/community.  

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