Film with Live Orchestra
Matilda
July 25 & 26, 2026
Overview
Hosted and narrated live by director and star Danny DeVito, the beloved modern fairytale Matilda comes to life on the big screen as composer David Newman conducts his enchanting score live-to-picture! Based on the book by Roald Dahl, Matilda tells the larger-than-life story of a little girl gifted with genius intelligence and magical powers—which she uses to survive her self-absorbed parents and an evil headmistress.Kids’ Tickets Half-Off!
Part of SUMMER WITH THE SYMPHONY.
© 2026 TriStar Pictures, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Concert Extras
Preconcert Talk: A live Q&A with Danny DeVito and David Newman will presented on stage one hour before each performance. Free to all ticketholders.
Summer Extras: While you’re here, cool off with refreshing lemonade (with or without alcohol) and summer-perfect dessert specials at the lobby bar, like a delicious Matilda-inspired chocolate cake. Stop by our summer photo station in the lobby and snap a pic with your friends.
Lobby Exhibit: Michael Tilson Thomas—A Maestro for San Francisco. Head to Davies Symphony Hall’s First Tier lobby for a photo exhibit exploring Michael Tilson Thomas’s transformative tenure with the San Francisco Symphony. On display through August 1.
Summer Extras: While you’re here, cool off with refreshing lemonade (with or without alcohol) and summer-perfect dessert specials at the lobby bar, like a delicious Matilda-inspired chocolate cake. Stop by our summer photo station in the lobby and snap a pic with your friends.
Lobby Exhibit: Michael Tilson Thomas—A Maestro for San Francisco. Head to Davies Symphony Hall’s First Tier lobby for a photo exhibit exploring Michael Tilson Thomas’s transformative tenure with the San Francisco Symphony. On display through August 1.
Film
David Newman
Composer
Danny DeVito
Director
David Newman
Danny DeVito
San Francisco Symphony
David Newman
Conductor
David Newman has scored more than 110 films, ranging from Matilda, The War of the Roses, Bowfinger, and Heathers to the more recent Girls Trip, Night School, and Serenity. His music has brought to life the critically acclaimed dramas Brokedown Palace and Hoffa; comedies such as Galaxy Quest and Throw Momma from the Train; and animated films Ice Age, The Brave Little Toaster, and Anastasia, which earned an Academy Award nomination. In 2021, after a decade conducting live concerts for the classic West Side Story film, Newman arranged the score for Steven Spielberg’s re-imagining of the musical, earning a Grammy Award nomination in 2022.
As a conductor, Newman has appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2017, he conducted the concert world premieres of Star Wars: Episodes IV, V, VI, and VII with the New York Philharmonic. In 2020, he conducted the concert world premiere of Galaxy Quest live with the San Diego Symphony during Comic-Con, and in 2021, he was invited by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles to conduct their inaugural concerts of The Wizard of Oz with the American Youth Symphony.
Newman’s concert works have been performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, and Long Beach Symphony, as well as at the Ravinia Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, and Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in January 2017.
As a conductor, Newman has appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2017, he conducted the concert world premieres of Star Wars: Episodes IV, V, VI, and VII with the New York Philharmonic. In 2020, he conducted the concert world premiere of Galaxy Quest live with the San Diego Symphony during Comic-Con, and in 2021, he was invited by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles to conduct their inaugural concerts of The Wizard of Oz with the American Youth Symphony.
Newman’s concert works have been performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, and Long Beach Symphony, as well as at the Ravinia Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, and Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in January 2017.
Danny DeVito
Narrator
Danny DeVito is one of the entertainment industry’s most versatile players, excelling as actor, producer, and director. His award-winning performance as Louie De Palma on Taxi propelled DeVito to national prominence, earning him both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe.
Throughout his career, DeVito has directed more than 25 projects, including Matilda, Death to Smoochy, The War of the Roses, Hoffa, and Throw Mama from the Train, as well as numerous episodes of Taxi. He co-runs production company Jersey Films 2nd Avenue alongside his children Lucy and Jake DeVito. On television, he will next be seen in the 18th season of FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and later this year he will appear in Sony’s Jumanji: Open World. He makes his San Francisco Symphony debut with these performances.
Throughout his career, DeVito has directed more than 25 projects, including Matilda, Death to Smoochy, The War of the Roses, Hoffa, and Throw Mama from the Train, as well as numerous episodes of Taxi. He co-runs production company Jersey Films 2nd Avenue alongside his children Lucy and Jake DeVito. On television, he will next be seen in the 18th season of FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and later this year he will appear in Sony’s Jumanji: Open World. He makes his San Francisco Symphony debut with these performances.
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