World premieres, particular occasions, returning stars and debuts by visitor artists are on the calendar for the San Francisco Symphony’s 2025-26 season, introduced this week.
With music director Esa-Pekka Salonen having relinquished his tenure as music director on the finish of the 24-25 season, 23 visitor conductors – together with six making their orchestra sequence debuts – will lead packages throughout the brand new season.
These occasions start with the Symphony’s Opening Gala on September 12, 2025, with visitor conductor Jaap Van Zweden on the rostrum and famous person pianist Yuja Wang enjoying Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 on a program that additionally contains John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” and Respighi’s “Pines of Rome.”
Zweden’s look launches a three-season cycle of Beethoven symphonies, together with performances of the composer’s second and seventh symphonies in February, 2026; extra main orchestra works on the season embrace Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7, Mahler’s Symphonies 1 and 9, and Shostakovich’s eighth. The season additionally contains choices from Wagner’s “Ring” cycle.
New works determine prominently on the calendar, with the world premieres of works by the Symphony’s Principal Trombone Timothy Higgins and Rising Black Composers Mission winner Tyler Taylor. U.S. premieres of works by Outi Tarkiainen and Jimmy López are additionally on the calendar.
The season welcomes a full roster of visitor artists, together with violinist Itzhak Perlman and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianists Emanuel Ax, Seong-Jin Cho, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet; vocalists together with sopranos Ying Fang and Joélle Harvey, mezzo-sopranos Sasha Cooke and Kelley O’Connor, tenor Thomas Cooley, and baritone Will Liverman.
23 visitor conductors – together with six making their Orchestral Sequence debuts – will seem throughout 26 weeks of packages. Visitor conductors for the season embrace David Afkham, Harry Bicket, Herbert Blomstedt, Karina Canellakis, Jane Glover, Jun Märkl, Donald Runnicles, and John Storgârds.
The Symphony’s SoundBox sequence returns for its twelfth season, with packages nonetheless to be introduced.
Subscription packages for the 25-26 season go on sale March 20; single tickets develop into obtainable on July 19. Extra data is accessible at 415-864-6000; sfsymphony.org.
