April 2026 Programming

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—The San Francisco Symphony’s April programming lineup features two Orchestral Series programs led by guest conductors Bernard Labadie and Simone Young, a Shenson Spotlight Series debut recital with violinist Nathan Amaral and pianist Sophiko Simsive, a violin recital with Joshua Bell, and a concert with pianist Yuja Wang and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra led by concertmaster Matthew Truscott. The month also includes a SoundBox program curated by composer Gabriella Smith, the SF Symphony’s fifth annual Teen Night concert, live-to-picture film series performances of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, free chamber music concerts at the SF Public Library, and chamber music concerts at Davies Symphony Hall and the Legion of Honor.

Orchestral Series
April 9–11: Labadie Conducts Bach’s Easter Oratorio
Bernard Labadie, music director of Les Violins du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec, leads the Orchestra in the first SF Symphony performances of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Easter Oratorio, which reflects the joy and rebirth of the Easter season. He also conducts Bach’s Sinfonia to the cantata Wir danken dir, Gott, and Magnificat in D major, which depicts a musical setting of Mary's song of thanksgiving. Easter Oratorio and Magnificat both feature soprano Joélle Harvey, countertenor Hugh Cutting in his Orchestral Series debut, tenor Andrew Haji in his Orchestral Series debut, baritone Joshua Hopkins, and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus.

April 17–19: Simone Young & Gautier Capuçon
Simone Young, chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conducts the first SF Symphony performances of The Space Between Stars by Ella Macens, who “wanted to convey the energy and magic of our night sky.” Gautier Capuçon joins Young and the Orchestra to perform Camille Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto No. 1, filled with sonic surprises and glimmers of Liszt and Wagner. The program also includes Young’s own selection of orchestral excerpts from Richard Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung, an epic cycle of works based on Germanic legends.

Great Performers Series and Shenson Spotlight Series
April 15: Nathan Amaral
Violinist Nathan Amaral, joined by pianist Sophiko Simsive, performs a Spotlight Series recital including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Violin Sonata in B-flat major, K.378, Francisco Mignone’s Valsa de esquina No. 2, and César Franck’s Violin Sonata. The Shenson Spotlight Series, now in its fifth season, features ascendant artists in their Davies Symphony Hall debuts. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Amaral has won the Grand Prize of both the Concert Artist Guild (CAG) and Young Concert Artist Trust (YCAT) competitions, and he is also the first prize winner of the 2024 Sphinx Competition. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Philharmonia Orchestra. Hailed as an “exceptional musician of rare talent” by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Simsive began her studies at the age of three and, since then, has been invited as a recitalist to venues such as Berlin Philharmonie and Concertgebouw. She is the newest pianist of the Claremont Trio, and she holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music.

April 19: Joshua Bell Violin Recital
Violinist Joshua Bell, accompanied by pianist Shai Wosner, plays a recital featuring Franz Schubert’s lyrical Violin Sonata in A major, also known as the “Duo” or “Grand Duo.” Bell also performs Edvard Grieg’s Violin Sonata No. 3, influenced by Norwegian folk music, and Sergei Prokofiev’s virtuosic Violin Sonata No. 2, originally composed for flute.

April 26: Yuja Wang & Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Pianist Yuja Wang and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra led by concertmaster Matthew Truscott, perform Sergei Prokofiev’s cheerful Symphony No. 1, Classical and the dramatic Piano Concerto No. 2, which the composer wrote in memory of a friend. Wang and the Orchestra also play Suite for Piano and Orchestra (Jazz Suite) by Alexander Tsfasman, a pianist and composer who helped pioneer the genre of Soviet Jazz. The concert is Mahler Chamber Orchestra’s first appearance in the San Francisco Symphony's Great Performers Series.

SoundBox
April 10–11: Gabriella Smith: Urban Forest
Composer Gabriella Smith presents SoundBox: Urban Forest, a vivid musical topography marked by the sounds of forests, cliffs, desert plants, and found objects. Taking place in a backstage rehearsal space at Davies Symphony Hall, each SoundBox performance is unique—encompassing shifting stage settings, art installations, projection screens, and unexpected elements, featuring original lighting design by Luke Kritzeck and video design by Adam Larsen. Since its debut in 2014, SoundBox has been widely recognized for its creative approach to the orchestral medium and its ability to galvanize a diverse demographic.

Family-Friendly Programming
April 25: Teen Night
Resident Conductor of Engagement and Education Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser leads the Orchestra in the fifth annual Teen Night concert, an innovative concert aimed at teens and young adults, conceived and programed by Bartholomew-Poyser. This concert is designed for ages 13 and up.

Film Series
April 30–May 2: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King—Film with Live Orchestra
Shih-Hung Young conducts Howard Shore’s Academy Award-winning score to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King live-to-picture in a program featuring the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and vocalist Kaitlyn Lusk. The 11-time Academy Award-winning final installment of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy depicts the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil fighting for control of the future of Middle-earth.

Chamber Music Concerts
April 11 & 25: Free Concerts at San Francisco Public Libraries
The San Francisco Symphony's free Community Chamber Concert series features small ensembles from the Symphony performing at community spaces across San Francisco. These concerts are an opportunity for audiences to get to know SF Symphony musicians and see them perform in an intimate setting.

On April 11 at 2:00pm at the San Francisco Public Library’s Visitacion Valley Branch, violinists Kingston Ho and Yvette Kraft (Isaac Stern Chair), violist Matthew Young, and cellist Davis You (Lyman & Carol Casey Second Century Chair) perform a Community Chamber Concert and engage in a Q&A with the audience.

On April 25 at 2:00pm at the San Francisco Public Library's Merced Branch, violinist Raushan Akhmedyarova and cellist Barbara Bogatin (Phyllis Blair Cello Chair) perform a Community Chamber Concert and engage in a Q&A with the audience.

All Community Chamber Concerts are free and open to the public.

April 12: Chamber Music at Davies Symphony Hall
In this chamber music concert, San Francisco Symphony musicians perform Steve Reich’s Music for Pieces of Wood, Jean Françaix’s Octet, selections from Danish String Quartet’s Last Leaf, and Johannes Brahms’s Piano Quartet in C minor.

April 12: Chamber Music at Gunn Theater at Legion of Honor
This chamber music program at the Gunn Theater at the Legion of Honor features SF Symphony Concertmaster Alexander Barantschik (Naoum Blinder Chair), former Symphony cellist Peter Wyrick, and guest pianist Anton Nel performing Joseph Haydn’s Piano Trio in A major; Cécile Chaminade’s Thème varié in A major; Carl Czerny’s Variations on a Theme by Rode, “La Ricordanza”; and Franz Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat major.

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