SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Guest conductors Giancarlo Guerrero, Gustavo Dudamel, and Klaus Mäkelä lead the San Francisco Symphony in three weeks of concerts at Davies Symphony Hall during the month of April.

On April 7–9, Music Director of the Nashville Symphony and NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Giancarlo Guerrero makes his Orchestral Series debut leading the SF Symphony in a program that includes some of the most captivating 20th and 21st century music from the Americas—all in their SF Symphony premieres. The program is highlighted by the world premiere of John Corigliano’s Triathlon, Concerto for Saxophonist and Orchestra, commissioned by the SF Symphony and performed by saxophonist Timothy McAllister, also making his Orchestral Series debut. Corigliano’s Triathlon—the composer’s first solo work for the instrument—features the soprano, alto, and baritone saxophones across three movements, exploring the full potential of each of the saxophones. Corigliano comments, “Triathlon was inspired by the wonderful joy that virtuosos can bring to music with their passion and the power. I wrote it out of a sense of that joy and love. It’s a warm piece, full of affection for Tim McAllister and for the art of saxophone playing.” The concerts also feature bandoneón player Daniel Binelli—a composer, arranger, and champion of the music of Astor Piazzolla—making his Orchestral Series debut with the SF Symphony premiere of Piazzolla’s raucous Sinfonía Buenos Aires. Rounding out the program are SF Symphony premieres of Adolphus Hailstork’s bustling An American Port of Call and Antonio Estévez’ miniature tone poem Mediodía en el Llano, a work evoking scenes of Venezuela’s vast central prairie, the Llanos.

On April 21–24, Music & Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Gustavo Dudamel returns to conduct the SF Symphony for the first time since March 2008. The program includes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s dramatic Symphony No. 38, Prague, unveiled during a visit to Prague, where the composer was adored, and Gustav Mahler’s masterful Fifth Symphony, which features the famous Adagietto movement Mahler composed as a love song to his wife Alma.  

April 28–30 concerts are conducted by Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and Music Director of Orchestre de Paris Klaus Mäkelä, in his SF Symphony Orchestral Series debut. The program opens with the SF Symphony premiere of Jimmy López Bellido’s Perú Negro, a fantasy on Afro-Peruvian folksongs, and features violinist Vilde Frang performing Alban Berg’s evocative Violin Concerto, a work rife with the emotion of a composer grappling with the fragility of life. Concluding the program is Dmitri Shostakovich’s tragic Tenth Symphony, widely seen as a depiction of the composer’s life in Stalinist Russia.

CALENDAR EDITORS, PLEASE NOTE: 

Tickets 
Tickets for concerts at Davies Symphony can be purchased via sfsymphony.org or by calling the San Francisco Symphony Box Office at 415-864-6000.

Location 
Davies Symphony Hall is located at 201 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco.

Health & Safety Information 
Davies Symphony Hall is currently operating at full audience capacity. A face covering is required for entry into Davies Symphony Hall and must be worn at all times. Due to the transmissibility of the Omicron variant, the SF Symphony strongly recommends that patrons wear a non-vented respirator, such as an N95, KN95, or KF94 face mask. The San Francisco Symphony requires proof of up-to-date vaccination against COVID-19 for everyone entering Davies Symphony Hall ages 12 and up who’s eligible—including patrons, performers, volunteers, and staff. “Up-to-date vaccination” is defined as two weeks after completion of the two-dose regimen of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, one dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or other WHO authorized COVID-19 vaccine, and one week after receiving a booster shot, for those eligible. Patrons under age 12 must show proof of up-to-date vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test (PCR test taken within 2 days of event entry or antigen [rapid] test taken within 1 day of event entry.   

For those patrons under age 12 who wish to show verification of a negative COVID-19 test result, the following are acceptable as proof: a printed document (from the test provider or laboratory); or an email, text message, web page, or application (app) screen displayed on a phone or mobile device from the test provider or laboratory. The information should include person’s name, type of test performed, negative test result, and date the test was administered. Self-administered antigen testing is not acceptable at this time, but patrons may bring an unopened at-home rapid test with them to Davies Symphony Hall to take with a verified EMT present. Details about health and safety protocols at Davies Symphony Hall can be found here.   

[To view or download the full PDF version of this press release with calendar listings, click on DOWNLOAD PDF]