GUEST CONDUCTORS ELIM CHAN AND ROBIN TICCIATI MAKE THEIR SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAL SERIES DEBUTS IN TWO PROGRAMS, JANUARY 12–22, 2023, AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL 

January 12–14 Elim Chan conducts the world premiere of a new work by Elizabeth Ogonek, Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with violinist James Ehnes, and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 

January 20–22 Robin Ticciati conducts the San Francisco Symphony premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Violin Concerto, featuring violinist Alina Ibragimova, and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 featuring soprano Ying Fang  

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S SHENSON SPOTLIGHT SERIES HIGHLIGHTS ASCENDANT ARTISTS THROUGH FOUR DEBUT RECITALS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, JANUARY–MAY 2023
 

January 18, cellist Sterling Elliott is joined by pianist Elliot Wuu for a program of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012 and Felix Mendelssohn’s Cello Sonata No. 2 in D major

January 31, violinist Johan Dalene and pianist Giorgi Gigashvili perform Edvard Grieg’s Violin Sonata No. 3, Arvo Pärt’s Fratres, and Maurice Ravel’s Violin Sonata in G major 

March 22, pianist Alexander Malofeev presents a solo recital performing Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor, Opus 27, no.2, Moonlight; Mieczysław Weinberg’s Piano Sonata No. 4; and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 2

May 10, violinist Bomsori is joined by pianist Julia Okruashvili for a program including Henryk Wieniawski’s Polonaise de concert, Opus 4; Claude Debussy’s Sonata in G minor; Karol Szymanowski’s Nocturne and Tarantella, Opus 28;  Selections from Jean Sibelius’s Six Pieces for Violin and Piano, Opus 79; and Henryk Wieniawski’s Fantasia on Themes from Gounod’s Faust, Opus 20

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S 2022–23 MUSIC FOR FAMILIES SERIES KICKS OFF DECEMBER 3 WITH “AUDIOBOOK! MUSIC INSPIRED BY STORIES” CONDUCTED BY RESIDENT CONDUCTOR OF ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION DANIEL BARTHOLOMEW-POYSER 

The series continues with “Discovering Beethoven’s Fifth” with Daniel Stewart and the SF Symphony Youth Orchestra on March 18 and “MADSADGLAD” with Barthlomew-Poyser on May 6; Teen Night returns for the second season, February 11 

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY YOUTH ORCHESTRA CELEBRATES ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2022-23 SEASON  

Wattis Foundation Music Director Daniel Stewart conducts the ensemble in five concerts throughout the season, culminating in celebratory 40th Anniversary Concert on May 21 

November 20 season-opening concert includes José González Granero’s Matsuri Overture, Maurice Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade 

Other 2022-23 SFSYO performances include the ensemble’s annual Peter and the Wolf performance, this year with narrator W. Kamau Bell (December 11); a Music for Families program, “Discovering Beethoven’s Fifth,” (March 18); and a performance of works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Gabriela Lena Frank, and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto featuring SFSYO Concerto Competition winner Eunseo Oh (March 8) 

THE SAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC AND SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ANNOUNCE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR THIRD ANNUAL EMERGING BLACK COMPOSERS PROJECT
 

This year’s competition looks to further identify and promote inventive Black musicians, of any music genre, under age 35; applications are due by February 1, 2023 

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S 2022 HOLIDAY CONCERT SEASON, DECEMBER 4—31, 2022, FEATURES AN ARRAY OF FESTIVE PROGRAMS
 

SF Symphony holiday concert season includes five returning favorites: Deck the Hall with conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser (December 4); The Colors of Christmas with Oleta Adams, Peabo Bryson, Ruben Studdard, and Jody Watley (December 6–7); Cool Yule Christmas featuring Tony DeSare and Capathia Jenkins (December 13); Holiday Gaiety, co-emceed by Peaches Christ and conductor Edwin Outwater (December 15); and A Merry-Achi Christmas with Mariachi Sol de México® de José Hernández (December 23)

Harry Connick, Jr. and his Band bring holiday tour to Davies Symphony Hall (December 24)

Seth MacFarlane rings in the New Year with the San Francisco Symphony (December 31)

The SF Symphony performs live accompaniment to iconic family-friendly holiday films How the Grinch Stole Christmas (December 16–17) and Elf (December 21–22)

Conductor Masaaki Suzuki leads SF Symphony, Chorus, and vocal soloists in George Frideric Handel’s Messiah (December 9–10) and Symphony’s popular Holiday Brass program returns (December 20) 

The SF Symphony Youth Orchestra performs Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf with guest narrator W. Kamau Bell (December 11)

Tickets for holiday concerts available now at sfsymphony.org/holiday

XIAN ZHANG CONDUCTS THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY, DECEMBER 1–3, 2022, AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL 
 

High-resolution images of the San Francisco Symphony and guest artist headshots are available for download from the Online Photo Library

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY CELEBRATES DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS WITH CONCERT EVENT, LOBBY ART, COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES, AND ¡FIESTA! DINNER EXPERIENCE, NOVEMBER 5 

Carlos Miguel Prieto conducts the San Francisco Symphony in music by Evencio Castellanos Yumar, Arturo Márquez, José Pablo Moncayo García, Gabriela Ortiz, and Silvestre Revueltas; trumpet player Pacho Flores is soloist in Arturo Márquez’ Concierto de Otoño; with performances by Casa Círculo Cultural and Canción de Obsidiana 

Local artists, community groups, and Latin American cultural partners join the SF Symphony to celebrate Día de los Muertos through lobby art installations and pre-concert activities 

¡Fiesta! Día de los Muertos dinner packages include post-concert reception, seated dinner, and online auction plus premium concert seating 

MUSIC DIRECTOR LAUREATE MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS RETURNS TO CONDUCT THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY, NOVEMBER 11–19, 2022, AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL 

November 11-13 concerts feature United States premiere of Danny Elfman’s Cello Concerto performed by Gautier Capuçon, alongside Igor Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings 

November 17-19 concerts include an all-Johannes Brahms program of Serenade No. 1 and Piano Concerto No. 1 with soloist Emanuel Ax 

Concert date change: San Francisco Symphony’s Lunar New Year concert to take place Sunday, February 5, 2023 

JURAJ VALČUHA CONDUCTS THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL, NOVEMBER 3, 4 & 6, 2022

Program includes the SF Symphony premiere of Hannah Kendall’s The Spark Catchers, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, and Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 featuring pianist Behzod Abduraimov

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY PRESENTS THREE HALLOWEEN-INSPIRED PROGRAMS, OCTOBER 20–29, 2022 AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL

October 20–22, Esa-Pekka Salonen leads a program including Modest Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain; Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique; and Franz Liszt’s Totentanz, featuring pianist Bertrand Chamayou in his Orchestral Series debut
 
October 27–29, Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the Orchestra in HK Gruber’s Frankenstein!!, featuring baritone Christopher Purves in his Orchestral Series debut; Bernard Herrmann’s Suite from Psycho; and Béla Bartók’s Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin

October 25, Sarah Hicks conducts a performance of Disney’s Hocus Pocus—Film with Live Orchestra