Your San Francisco Symphony
Unforgettable performances and world-renowned artistry
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World Premieres
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Commissioned Works
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SFS Media Recordings
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Grammy Nominations
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Grammy Win
SoundBox is an experimental live music series designed for musical innovation and immersive audience experiences, pushing the envelope with adventurous programming and design.
Composer and pianist Courtney Bryan presented a SoundBox concert of contemporary Afrodiasporic composers from the United States, the Caribbean, South America, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
Percussionist and composer Andy Akiho joined SF Symphony musicians for an adventurous, percussion-centered program, featuring works composed by Akiho utilizing artwork by sculptor Jun Kaneko as percussion instruments.
Notable SF Symphony commissions included new piano concertos by Nico Muhly and John Adams.
The Emerging Black Composers Project spotlights early-career Black American composers and their music with the goal of commissioning 10 works over 10 years. The 2024–25 season saw the world premiere of Strange Beasts by EBCP winner Xavier Muzik. The San Francisco Conservatory of Music is a supporting partner to the program.
The San Francisco Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus won the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater. This Deutsche Grammophon recording, conducted by Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, was taken from a staged production by Peter Sellars and features the SF Symphony & Chorus with soloists Fleur Barron, Axelle Fanyo, Nicholas Phan, and Christopher Purves.
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Esa-Pekka Salonen concluded his five-year tenure as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony.
I’ve been so impressed and touched by the quality and commitment on stage every night, every concert has been highly enjoyable, and very intense in my experience. ” Esa-Pekka Salonen, Music Director
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New musicians hired by Salonen, including four principal players and Chorus Director Jenny Wong
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New audio releases on SFS Media via Apple Music Classical and Grammy-winning Deutsche Grammophon recording of Saariaho’s Adriana Mater
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World and US premieres conducted by Salonen
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Digital video productions featuring Salonen
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Staged productions in collaboration with director Peter Sellars
Lead support for SoundBox was provided by the Barbro and Bernard Osher SoundBox Fund.
The Emerging Black Composers Project was underwritten by Michèle and Laurence Corash.
Special thanks to Bernard and Barbro Osher for lead support for the recording of Adriana Mater and to Esa-Pekka Salonen and Jean-Baptiste Barrière for additional support.
