July 1, 2026
With the close of the 2025–26 season, we bid farewell to three musicians retiring from the SF Symphony.
Stephen Paulson served as Principal Bassoon of the San Francisco Symphony for 47 years, from 1977 to 2024, before stepping into the Associate Principal Bassoon role in the 2024–25 season. With the Symphony, he appeared as soloist in Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto on several occasions and was featured in the multiple Keeping Score episodes and in the 2022 theatrical concert film of Stravinsky’s A Soldier’s Tale. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, he served as principal bassoon with the Rochester Philharmonic and co-principal bassoon of the Pittsburgh Symphony. Paulson is longtime professor of bassoon at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and he has given master classes at colleges worldwide. Also a conductor, he has served as music director of Symphony Parnassus since 1998. Reflecting on his time with the San Francisco Symphony, Paulson said, “Everybody in this orchestra plays so precisely, and yet with such freedom. To play with people who have such good instincts—who know when to do something and when not to, or when to accompany and when to come out and be free—is an amazing thing.”
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Born in Shanghai, Associate Principal Viola Yun Jie Liu joined the San Francisco Symphony in 1993. He began his violin studies with his father, entered the middle school of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and was named assistant professor of viola upon graduation. In 1990, he was invited by Mstislav Rostropovich to join the National Symphony in Washington, DC. Liu currently serves on the faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and regularly gives chamber music concerts and solo recitals in venues worldwide. Considering his life in music, Liu noted, “As a musician, I think the most important thing is to love music and appreciate what we are doing every day. After some years playing in the Orchestra, we might lose some of the excitement; but if we truly love music, it will keep us on stage for a very long time!”
Jonathan Ring joined the San Francisco Symphony horn section in 1991 after holding positions in the Columbus Symphony and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. A founding member of Bay Brass, he served on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he taught horn and coached chamber music. Of his Symphony colleagues, Ring noted, “There are wonderful personalities and musicians in the Orchestra, and there’s a unity of purpose toward making the music as good as it can be. I have been extremely fortunate to have had a career doing what I love and at such a high level for the past 35 years!"
We thank these musicians for their many years of service to the San Francisco Symphony and we wish them well.
Jonathan Ring joined the San Francisco Symphony horn section in 1991 after holding positions in the Columbus Symphony and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. A founding member of Bay Brass, he served on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he taught horn and coached chamber music. Of his Symphony colleagues, Ring noted, “There are wonderful personalities and musicians in the Orchestra, and there’s a unity of purpose toward making the music as good as it can be. I have been extremely fortunate to have had a career doing what I love and at such a high level for the past 35 years!"
We thank these musicians for their many years of service to the San Francisco Symphony and we wish them well.
