September 4, 2025
Orchestral Series
October 3–5 Gustavo Gimeno leads the SF Symphony in the world premiere of Market Street, 1920s by Principal Trombone Timothy Higgins; Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto featuring Javier Perianes; and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5
October 16–18 Jun Märkl makes his Orchestral Series debut conducting Béla Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with Leonidas Kavakos, and Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé
October 24–26 David Afkham, in his Orchestral Series debut, conducts Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto featuring Sergey Khachatryan, and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8
Special Events and Great Performers Series
October 10 The Decemberists join forces with conductor Edwin Outwater and the Orchestra to perform reimagined symphonic arrangements of their music
October 19 Marc-André Hamelin presents a piano recital of works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Maurice Ravel, and Robert Schumann
Film Series
Conner Gray Covington conducts two fall films live-to-picture: Disney/Pixar’s Coco, October 29, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, October 30
Family-Friendly Programming
October 11 SF Symphony Youth Orchestra Wattis Foundation Music Director Radu Paponiu conducts the San Francisco Symphony in “Around the World Through Dance,” a Music for Families program
Chamber Music Concerts
October 19 SF Symphony musicians present a chamber music concert at Davies Symphony Hall
October 19 SF Symphony musicians Jessie Fellows, Katie Kadarauch, and Anne Richardson perform a free Community Chamber Concert at the SF Public Library’s Richmond Branch
October 3–5 Gustavo Gimeno leads the SF Symphony in the world premiere of Market Street, 1920s by Principal Trombone Timothy Higgins; Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto featuring Javier Perianes; and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5
October 16–18 Jun Märkl makes his Orchestral Series debut conducting Béla Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with Leonidas Kavakos, and Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé
October 24–26 David Afkham, in his Orchestral Series debut, conducts Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto featuring Sergey Khachatryan, and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8
Special Events and Great Performers Series
October 10 The Decemberists join forces with conductor Edwin Outwater and the Orchestra to perform reimagined symphonic arrangements of their music
October 19 Marc-André Hamelin presents a piano recital of works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Maurice Ravel, and Robert Schumann
Film Series
Conner Gray Covington conducts two fall films live-to-picture: Disney/Pixar’s Coco, October 29, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, October 30
Family-Friendly Programming
October 11 SF Symphony Youth Orchestra Wattis Foundation Music Director Radu Paponiu conducts the San Francisco Symphony in “Around the World Through Dance,” a Music for Families program
Chamber Music Concerts
October 19 SF Symphony musicians present a chamber music concert at Davies Symphony Hall
October 19 SF Symphony musicians Jessie Fellows, Katie Kadarauch, and Anne Richardson perform a free Community Chamber Concert at the SF Public Library’s Richmond Branch
Download a PDF of this Press Release Orchestral Series
October 3–5: Gimeno Conducts Tchaikovsky 5
Gustavo Gimeno, Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Teatro Real, conducts the world premiere of Market Street, 1920s, composed by SF Symphony Principal Trombone Timothy Higgins (Robert L. Samter Chair) and commissioned by the Symphony. “America has always been a divided culture,” said Higgins. “Yet, in actuality, Americans are more united in our ideals of freedom and the American dream. Market Street, 1920s is an over the top, farcical, tongue-in-cheek argument over the direction of our culture.” The Orchestra previously performed the world premiere of Higgins’ Trombone Concerto (an SF Symphony commission) with Higgins as soloist, and his works for brass and chamber ensembles have been performed on many other Symphony programs. “Any time a musician can step out of their section into a different role is a breath of fresh air,” said Higgins. “The San Francisco Symphony has a long tradition of successful world premieres, and I'm thrilled to add my work to that list again.”
Javier Perianes joins Gimeno and the Orchestra to perform Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto, a composition influenced by Robert Schumann as well as Norwegian folk music. The program closes with Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s dramatic Symphony No. 5, the theme of which is a musical representation of fate.
October 16–18: Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé
In his Orchestral Series debut, Jun Märkl, Music Director of the Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and Chief Conductor of the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague, conducts Béla Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with Leonidas Kavakos and the Orchestra. Bartók composed this work in 1938 for his longtime recital partner, violinist Zoltán Székely. Märkl also leads the Orchestra in Maurice Ravel’s dreamlike “choreographic symphony” Daphnis et Chloé, written in 1909 for the Ballets Russes and based on the Greek pastoral myth.
October 24–26: Afkham Conducts Tchaikovsky & Shostakovich
David Afkham, Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España, makes his Orchestral Series debut conducting Sergey Khachatryan in Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s virtuosic and lyrical Violin Concerto, the only violin concerto the composer ever wrote. Afkham also leads the Orchestra in Dmitri Shostakovich’s grim Symphony No. 8 from 1943, which the composer wrote in two months while in ill health on a state-sponsored sabbatical.
Special Events and Great Performers Series
October 10: The Decemberists with the San Francisco Symphony
Known for their sweeping narratives and meticulously crafted songs, The Decemberists join forces with conductor Edwin Outwater and the San Francisco Symphony for a one-night-only performance on October 10. Featuring lush symphonic arrangements of selections from their expansive catalog, this special collaboration reimagines the indie rock band’s music in a bold new light.
October 19: Marc-André Hamelin Piano Recital
The 2025–26 Great Performers Series kicks off with a solo recital by pianist Marc-André Hamelin. The program includes Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Hammerklavier; Maurice Ravel’s Gaspard de le nuit; and Robert Schumann’s Waldszenen. Hamelin last performed at Davies Symphony Hall in 2019.
Film Series
October 29: Coco—Film with Live Orchestra
Conner Gray Covington conducts Disney/Pixar’s Coco live-to-picture with the San Francisco Symphony. Coco, directed by Lee Unkrich with a score composed by Michael Giacchino, features original songs by Germaine Franco, Adrian Molina, Robert Lopez, and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. The animated film tells the story of a young boy who journeys through the Land of the Dead to find his deceased great-great-grandfather.
October 30: Vertigo—Film with Live Orchestra
Conner Gray Covington leads the Orchestra in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo live-to-picture. Set in San Francisco and accompanied by Bernard Herrmann’s Wagner-inspired score, the psychological thriller stars James Stewart as a former detective who is hired to keep tabs on a mysterious woman, played by Kim Novak.
Family-Friendly Programming
October 11: Music for Families “Around the World Through Dance”
Radu Paponiu, SF Symphony Youth Orchestra Wattis Foundation Music Director, conducts a Music for Families program, featuring works by Isaac Albéniz, Béla Bartók, Amy Beach, Leonard Bernstein, Johannes Brahms, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Antonín Dvořák, and Johann Strauss, Jr. This concert, which brings the audience along on an exploration of classical music inspired by different styles of dance, is best suited for children ages 5–12, and kid-friendly activities will be available in the Davies Symphony Hall lobbies before the concert begins.
Chamber Music Concerts
October 19: Chamber Music at Davies Symphony Hall
In this chamber music concert, San Francisco Symphony musicians perform Andy Akiho’s 21; Leoš Janáček's String Quartet No. 2, Intimate Letters; Bohuslav Martinů’s Quartet for Clarinet, Horn, Cello and Snare Drum; and Richard Strauss’ Till Eulenspiegel einmal anders!
October 19: San Francisco Public Library Richmond Branch
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 October 19 at 2:00pm at the San Francisco Public Library’s Richmond Branch, Acting Associate Principal Second Violin Jessie Fellows (Audrey Avis Aasen-Hull Chair), Assistant Principal Viola Katie Kadarauch, and Associate Principal Cello Anne Richardson (Peter & Jacqueline Hoefer 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.
[To view or download the full PDF version of this press release with calendar listings, click on DOWNLOAD A PDF OF THIS PRESS RELEASE]
