San Francisco Symphony Announces Summer with the Symphony Season with Concerts at Davies Symphony Hall and Outdoor Performances at Frost Amphitheater, Shoreline Amphitheatre, and Sigmund Stern Grove, June 26–August 3, 2025

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—From June 26 to August 3, the San Francisco Symphony’s summer season includes three classical programs with violinist Blake Pouliot, Grammy Award-winning ensemble Time for Three, and violin duo TwoSet Violin; two film concerts with the Orchestra playing the scores of How to Train Your Dragon and The Princess Bride live-to-picture; and a program celebrating the movie music of Hans Zimmer. The summer lineup also features concerts with music by David Bowie reimagined for orchestra, a solo show by Paul Simon, a live appearance by Morgan Freeman, and a symphonic journey through Dolly Parton’s music. Edwin Outwater conducts the Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular at Shoreline Amphitheatre and a concert at Sigmund Stern Grove with ukulele player and vocalist Taimane, and the Symphony brings an all-Tchaikovsky program and a concert of movie music by Hans Zimmer to Stanford Live’s Frost Amphitheater.

Click to access the online Summer with the Symphony Press Kit, which includes downloadable artist headshots and performance images from past SF Symphony summer concerts.

CONCERTS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL
The San Francisco Symphony presents ten programs at Davies Symphony Hall this summer, including concerts with classical repertoire, performances featuring exciting guest artists, and unique film programs.

Classical programs 
Guest conductors Stephanie Childress, Robert Moody, and Sunny Xia lead classical programs at Davies Symphony Hall with performances by violinist Blake Pouliot, Grammy Award-winning ensemble Time for Three, and violin duo TwoSet Violin.

On July 11, Stephanie Childress makes her conducting debut with the San Francisco Symphony, leading the Orchestra in a program of works by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Violinist Blake Pouliot performs Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, the only violin concerto the composer ever wrote. Childress also conducts selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty Suite, as well as the passionate Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy-Overture and thunderous 1812 Overture. The San Francisco Symphony will also bring this program to Stanford Live’s Frost Amphitheater as part of the Stanford Live Arts Festival on July 10.

On July 12–13, TwoSet Violin debuts with the San Francisco Symphony as part of their world tour, led by Sunny Xia in her conducting debut with the Orchestra. Violinists Brett Yang and Eddy Chen will perform their new show "Sacrilegious Games" alongside the Orchestra. TwoSet Violin rose to international fame making classical music more relatable and accessible to a wider online audience. Their one-of-a-kind live performances offer an interactive experience for audiences, including many that have never attended a classical concert before. They seamlessly weave current social media trends into traditional classical concerts while upholding the integrity of classical music, drawing in a uniquely diverse global audience.

On July 23, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning ensemble Time for Three joins conductor Robert Moody and the Orchestra to perform Mason Bates’ Silicon Hymnal, an SF Symphony co-commission written for the trio. Described by the composer as “a book of songs with a heart of electronica,” this new work received its world premiere at Arizona MusicFest in March 2025. Moody also conducts the first San Francisco Symphony performance of Christopher Theofanidis’ Rainbow Body, inspired by the eponymous Tibetan Buddhist concept of one’s body being absorbed by the universe as light after their death. The concert closes with Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Time for Three previously performed with the San Francisco Symphony in 2006 and 2022, and Robert Moody makes his SF Symphony conducting debut in this program.

Special events
On June 26–27, the San Francisco Symphony presents BLACKSTAR Symphony: The Music of David Bowie, a concert celebrating David Bowie’s final album Blackstar, created in collaboration with Artistic Director Donny McCaslin. The program—conducted by Vince Mendoza, a multi–Grammy Award-winner and one of the Blackstar orchestrators—includes the album in its entirety plus some of Bowie’s greatest hits: “Space Oddity,” “Life on Mars,” “Heroes,” and more. Also an acclaimed saxophonist, Donny McCaslin performs live onstage with his jazz quartet—the same ensemble that recorded the Blackstar album. Joining them are Bowie’s longtime bandmate Gail Ann Dorsey, vocalist David Poe, and special guest artist John Cameron Mitchell (best known for his starring role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch).

On July 19 & 21–22, Another Planet Entertainment and the San Francisco Symphony present Paul Simon in Concert: A Quiet Celebration at Davies Symphony Hall. The concerts are part of Simon’s “A Quiet Celebration Tour” taking place this spring and summer, where he will present the live debut performance of his critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated album Seven Psalms, as well as perform a celebration of his timeless classics. The evolution of this extraordinary artist continues to unfold with this offering, in which Simon chose to perform in intimate venues like Davies Symphony Hall, where the acoustics are optimal in consideration of the severe hearing loss that he incurred over the last few years. Please note that the San Francisco Symphony does not appear in this performance.

On July 25, Anthony Parnther conducts Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience, a soul-stirring odyssey through the heart of the Mississippi Delta, birthplace of the Blues. Featuring a live appearance and multimedia narration by Academy Award winner and Mississippi son Morgan Freeman, this captivating performance fuses the raw, aching power of authentic Delta Blues with the grandeur of a symphony orchestra, creating a breathtakingly expansive soundscape. Through cinematic storytelling, masterful performances by Blues artists Anthony “Big A” Sherrod and Jacqueline “Jaxx” Nassar from Ground Zero Blues Club, and sweeping orchestral arrangements, Symphonic Blues unveils the Delta’s profound cultural legacy and its indelible influence on music across the world. This performance also shines a light on the region’s enduring spirit and the pivotal role of Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi—a sacred ground for Blues preservation and a living testament to its power. More than just a concert, Symphonic Blues is a transformative celebration of history, resilience, and the music that gave voice to generations.

On August 1, Jack Everly conducts Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony, an innovative multimedia symphonic experience featuring Parton on screen, leading audiences in a visual-musical journey of her songs, her life, and her stories. Accompanied by guest vocalists and musicians, this program features new orchestrations of Parton’s hit songs, including “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “I Will Always Love You,” woven together into a full evening of storytelling. Dolly Parton will not appear in person for this concert.

Films & film music concerts
The San Francisco Symphony’s summer season includes two film presentations, featuring the Orchestra performing movie scores live while the films are projected onto a large screen above the stage. On July 26–27, Nicholas Buc leads the Orchestra in John Powell’s Academy Award-nominated score of How to Train Your Dragon. The 2010 animated film tells the story of a young Viking who defies tradition and befriends a ferocious dragon, fighting against all odds to save both their worlds. On August 2–3, Jack Everly conducts The Princess Bride. Directed by Rob Reiner and featuring a score by Mark Knopfler, the 1987 fantasy comedy follows a farmhand (Cary Elwes) in his journey to save a princess (Robin Wright).

On July 16 & 18, Sarah Hicks leads the San Francisco Symphony in Movie Music of Hans Zimmer, featuring celebrated music from the scores of The Dark Knight, Dune, Gladiator, Inception, Interstellar, The Lion King, The Pirates of the Caribbean, Sherlock Holmes, and more. Over the course of his career, Zimmer has composed music for more than 150 films, winning two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Tony Award. The Symphony will bring this program to Stanford Live’s Frost Amphitheater on July 17. This concert will not feature film clips.

FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR
Kicking off the summer season on July 4, Edwin Outwater leads the San Francisco Symphony in the annual Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular concert at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. The program features patriotic orchestral favorites and a performance by ukulele player and vocalist Taimane, and the concert concludes with a spectacular fireworks display. Shoreline Amphitheatre will also host a full evening of family fun beginning at 5:00pm, including kids’ activities, American and Polynesian food favorites, frozen treats, an on-site afterparty, and more.

STERN GROVE FESTIVAL
On July 6, conductor Edwin Outwater leads the San Francisco Symphony in a concert featuring Taimane at the 88th Stern Grove Festival—the admission-free performing arts series that takes place every summer in the natural outdoor amphitheater at Sigmund Stern Grove. In addition to giving annual performances at the Stern Grove Festival since the festival’s formation in 1938, the San Francisco Symphony also played the very first concert in the Grove in 1932, a year after Rosalie M. Stern purchased Stern Grove and gave it as a gift to the City of San Francisco in memory of her husband Sigmund, a prominent civic leader. This concert is presented in partnership with the San Francisco Arts Commission. On May 25, Stern Grove will open an online lottery for free tickets, and five weeks prior to the concert, ticket winners will be notified. Learn more about Stern Grove’s new ticketing process.

TWO PERFORMANCES AT STANFORD LIVE’S FROST AMPHITHEATER
The San Francisco Symphony performs two Thursday evening concerts at Stanford Live’s Frost Amphitheater, featuring programs also presented at Davies Symphony Hall. The concerts are part of Summer@Live (formerly known as Stanford Live Arts Festival), a series of outdoor performances over the summer presented by Stanford Live at Frost Amphitheater on the Stanford University campus. On July 10, Stephanie Childress conducts a concert of Tchaikovsky works, featuring violinist Blake Pouliot, and on July 17, Sarah Hicks leads the SF Symphony in a program of music by celebrated film composer Hans Zimmer. This summer marks the sixth season of SF Symphony at Frost, presented by Stanford Live. The series was inaugurated in 2019 when the SF Symphony partnered with Stanford Live to present concerts annually in the newly renovated Frost Amphitheater.

Stanford Live presents a wide range of the finest performances from around the world, fostering a vibrant learning community and providing distinctive experiences through the performing arts. With its home at Bing Concert Hall, The Studio, and Frost Amphitheater, Stanford Live draws on the breadth and depth of Stanford University to connect performance to the significant issues, ideas, and discoveries of our time. Crucially, Stanford Live supports the university’s focus on placing the arts at the heart of a Stanford education.

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