San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra
Gabriella Smith and Prokofiev 5
May 23, 2027
Overview
The SF Symphony Youth Orchestra celebrates the orchestra as a storyteller in works by Gabriella Smith (the SF Symphony’s 2026-27 Creative Partner), Maurice Ravel, and Sergei Prokofiev. Smith’s Tidalwave Kitchen evokes the Pacific Ocean, while Ravel's Mother Goose Suite brings beloved fairy tales to life through exquisite orchestration. Prokofiev described his Fifth Symphony as "a symphony on the greatness of the human soul." Composed at the height of the Second World War, it remains a work of universal appeal.About the SF Symphony Youth Orchestra
Program
Gabriella
Smith
Tidalwave Kitchen
Maurice
Ravel
Ma Mère l'Oye (Mother Goose)
Sergei
Prokofiev
Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major
Sponsors
This concert is generously supported by the Phyllis C. Wattis Youth Symphony Fund.
Radu Paponiu
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Radu Paponiu
Conductor, Wattis Foundation Music Director
Radu Paponiu was appointed Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra in fall 2024, and recently extended his contract through the 2028–29 season. He was previously associate conductor of the Naples (Florida) Philharmonic and music director of the Naples Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. He has also served as music director of the Southwest Florida Symphony, assistant conductor of the Naples Philharmonic, and as a member of the conducting faculty of the Juilliard Pre-College.
As a guest conductor, Paponiu has appeared with the Romanian National Radio Symphony, Teatro Comunale di Bologna Orchestra, Transylvania State Philharmonic, Rockford Symphony, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, California Young Artists Symphony, and National Repertory Orchestra. He has collaborated with soloists such as Evgeny Kissin, Yefim Bronfman, Emanuel Ax, Gil Shaham, Midori, Vladmir Feltsman, Robert Levin, Charles Yang, Nancy Zhou, Stella Chen, and the Ébène Quartet.
Born in Romania, Paponiu began his musical studies on the violin at age seven, came to the United States at the invitation of the Perlman Music Program, and later completed two degrees in violin performance at the Colburn School. He went on to earn a master’s degree in orchestral conducting at New England Conservatory, where he studied with Hugh Wolff.
As a guest conductor, Paponiu has appeared with the Romanian National Radio Symphony, Teatro Comunale di Bologna Orchestra, Transylvania State Philharmonic, Rockford Symphony, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, California Young Artists Symphony, and National Repertory Orchestra. He has collaborated with soloists such as Evgeny Kissin, Yefim Bronfman, Emanuel Ax, Gil Shaham, Midori, Vladmir Feltsman, Robert Levin, Charles Yang, Nancy Zhou, Stella Chen, and the Ébène Quartet.
Born in Romania, Paponiu began his musical studies on the violin at age seven, came to the United States at the invitation of the Perlman Music Program, and later completed two degrees in violin performance at the Colburn School. He went on to earn a master’s degree in orchestral conducting at New England Conservatory, where he studied with Hugh Wolff.
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