San Francisco Symphony September 2025 Programming

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—In September, the San Francisco Symphony kicks off its 2025–26 season with the Orchestra’s annual All San Francisco concert as well as the Opening Gala with pianist Yuja Wang, both conducted by Jaap van Zweden. The September programming lineup also features two Orchestral Series programs led by James Gaffigan and Donald Runnicles and featuring Hélène Grimaud and Irene Roberts, concerts celebrating Marvel Studios’ music and films, and a special guest performance with Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Group in a concert celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. 

Season-Opening Festivities and Special Events
September 11: All San Francisco Concert 
On September 11, Jaap van Zweden leads the San Francisco Symphony in the Orchestra’s annual All San Francisco Concert. The program includes John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine; Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring San Francisco Conservatory of Music student pianist Parker Van Ostrand, 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 will be released for sale to the general public on August 12. 

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 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 art-making 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 more than 33,000 people with circular access to creative materials and services at their depot and in the community—all while diverting over 200 tons of waste from landfills. 

September 12: Opening Gala
The San Francisco Symphony celebrates the start of the 2025–26 season with the Opening Gala on September 12, with a program led by Jaap van Zweden and featuring superstar pianist Yuja Wang performing Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 1. The program also features John Adams’ thrilling 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. Patrons can reserve a VIP sponsorship package, including exclusive preconcert cocktail receptions and postconcert seated dinner experience. Proceeds from the Gala directly support the Symphony’s acclaimed education, community, and artistic programs, which serve tens of thousands throughout the Bay Area each year. Read more about the Opening Gala.

September 13: Celebrating Hardly Strictly Bluegrass: Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Group with the SF Symphony
Presented in partnership with Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (HSB), the San Francisco Symphony and singer, composer, and actor Lyle Lovett join forces on September 13 for a celebration of the iconic San Francisco music festival’s 25th anniversary. Lovett and the Orchestra will be joined by conductor Edwin Outwater and Lovett’s Acoustic Group. Lovett has broadened the definition of American music in a career that spans 14 albums. Coupled with his gift for storytelling, the Texas-based musician fuses elements of country, swing, jazz, folk, gospel, and blues in a convention-defying manner that breaks down barriers.

Two dollars from every ticket purchase will go towards the San Francisco Symphony’s Music & Mentors program, which provides vital services to orchestras, bands, and world music instrumental programs in San Francisco United School District (SFUSD) middle schools and high schools.

Orchestral Series
September 18–20: Gaffigan Conducts Gershwin & Ellington
September 18–20, James Gaffigan, General Music Director of Komische Oper Berlin, leads a vibrant program highlighting the multifaceted influences that shape the sounds of American music through the jazz-inflected style of Duke Ellington, the genre-blending compositions of George Gershwin, and the textural storytelling of Carlos Simon. The program opens with Simon’s The Block, a short orchestral study inspired by six paintings by artist Romare Bearden. Bearden’s work highlights the energy and joyous scenery of six different buildings located on one block in Harlem. Gaffigan then conducts two jazz-influenced works by Gershwin—Piano Concerto in F, featuring Hélène Grimaud as soloist, and An American in Paris. The program closes with Duke Ellington’s Harlem. “Growing up in New York City, I got to meet all sorts of people from all types of backgrounds,” said Gaffigan. “My high school was a microcosm for our country, and it was beautiful. I wish everyone had the opportunity to experience that. This program is extraordinary music all rooted in our country and its diverse people and communities."

September 26–28: Runnicles Conducts Mahler 1
Donald Runnicles, Music Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Chief Conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic, and former Music Director of the San Francisco Opera leads the San Francisco Symphony in Alban Berg’s Seven Early Songs, featuring mezzo-soprano Irene Roberts in her Orchestral Series Debut. The compositions show his admiration for the music of Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss in particular. Runnicles also conducts Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, often referred to “Titan,” because in early versions of the work, the composer stated that he was inspired by Titan, a novel by Jean Paul.

Film Series
September 4–6: Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience
Anthony Parnther conducts Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience, a symphonic cinematic journey covering 23 Marvel films. Accompanied by film clips projected onto a large screen, this program highlights iconic superheroes Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and more.

Community Chamber Concert Series
September 7: San Francisco Public Library Eureka Valley 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 September 7 at 3:00pm at the San Francisco Public Library’s Eureka Valley Branch, Assistant Concertmaster Wyatt Underhill, violist Matthew Young, and Associate Principal Cello Anne Richardson 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.

September 21: Flower Piano
On September 21 at 12:00pm at the San Francisco Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco Symphony musicians give a performance in the Great Meadow as part of the 10th anniversary of Flower Piano. This concert is a free event for San Francisco residents with proof of residency, such as a driver’s license.

September 25: San Francisco Disability Cultural Center
On September 25 at 6:00pm, San Francisco Symphony musicians perform at the San Francisco Disability Cultural Center, which celebrated the grand opening of a brick-and-mortar location at 165 Grove Street in July 2025. To learn more about the Center, visit disabilityculturalcenter.org. 

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