San Francisco Symphony 2025–26 Opening Gala, Conducted by Jaap van Zweden, Features Pianist Yuja Wang in Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, September 12 at Davies Symphony Hall

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—The San Francisco Symphony celebrates the start of its 2025–26 season September 12 with a special Opening Gala concert featuring superstar pianist Yuja Wang in a performance of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Orchestra and guest conductor Jaap van Zweden. The program also includes Bay Area-based composer John Adams’ thrilling and fast-paced Short Ride in a Fast Machine and Ottorino Respighi’s majestic and atmospheric Pines of Rome, a tone poem inspired by scenes from the Italian capital. Concert tickets and dining packages for the Gala are available now via sfsymphony.org.

The San Francisco Symphony’s Opening Gala begins at 5:30pm with a preconcert lobby reception for attendees 21 years of age and older with complimentary beverages, light bites catered by McCalls Catering and Events, and preconcert entertainment. (Doors open at 6:30pm for attendees under 21.) 

Following the concert, concert attendees can extend their evening with a live DJ in the Orchestra level lobby, photo booth, and specialty cocktails available for purchase. 

For an elevated experience, patrons can reserve a VIP sponsorship including an exclusive preconcert cocktail reception and celebratory postconcert seated dinner in Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall. The Opening Gala features decor and catering from McCalls Catering and Events, lighting design by Got Light, and projection design by Yuki Izumihara.  

The 2025 Opening Gala is led by a host committee of San Francisco Symphony Governors including Solomon B. Cera, Tiffany Chang, Priscilla B. Geeslin, Aditi Iyer, Patricia Lee-Hoffmann, and Trine Sorensen.  

The Opening Gala presenting sponsor is Zenni Optical. In-kind support for the Opening Gala is provided by Chandon, Junipero Gin, Old Potrero Rye, and The Caviar Co.  

Proceeds from the Opening Gala directly support the Symphony’s acclaimed education, community, and artistic programs. For more information and reservations to the Gala event, please visit sfsymphony.org/gala.     

Click here to access the Online Press Kit, which includes a PDF of this press release, downloadable artist headshots, and photos from past SF Symphony opening week celebrations. 

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 education and community programs
The San Francisco Symphony provides some of the most extensive education and community programs offered by any American orchestra. The Symphony's free music education experiences engage students in grades 1–12 throughout the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), serving more than 25,000 students annually. The Fisher Family Adventures in Music (AIM) program, one of the longest-running education programs of its kind in the country since its launch in 1988, serves every child in grades 1–5 in San Francisco’s public schools. The Music and Mentors program supports SFUSD band and orchestra students in grades 6–12, offering weekly coaching sessions with professional musicians, as well as providing instrument supplies and concert tickets. The Symphony’s online educational resources include a variety of digital programs that offer lessons and activities designed to support schools and promote music education at home. To learn more about the Symphony’s education programs, visit sfsymphony.org/education.

The Symphony’s community engagement programs aim to serve, enrich, and reflect the Bay Area community, with a robust lineup of year-round events and programs that are dynamic, diverse, and accessible to all. These include the All San Francisco Concert, a 46-year-strong tradition celebrating the people who work tirelessly to make the Bay Area a more just and equitable place; Music in the Wards, which brings SF Symphony musicians to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital to perform monthly concerts; the free Community Chamber Concerts series, which partners with a broad range of organizations to bring small ensemble concerts to Bay Area communities; Día de los Muertos, an annual concert program of traditional and contemporary Latin American music, preceded by a festive array of family-friendly activities; and Deck the Hall Community Day, an annual holiday concert performed for young people in Davies Symphony Hall every December. The San Francisco Symphony’s Community Ticket Program, which provides an average of more than 12,000 free tickets to community partners, essential workers, and fellow San Franciscans and Bay Area residents throughout the season, is designed to provide equitable access to the Orchestra’s concerts for members of our San Francisco Bay Area community. To learn more about the Symphony’s extensive community engagement programs, visit sfsymphony.org/community.   

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