This morning the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) released its announcement of plans for the next season, which will began, as usual, this coming September. As many readers probably know by now, Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen will terminate his position in June of 2025. As of this writing, his replacement has not yet been announced.
Michael Tilson Thomas during his tenure as Music Director of SFS (photograph by Kristen Loken, courtesy of SFS)
As a result, to the best of my knowledge, all of the programs in the Orchestral Series will be led by visiting conductors. The most familiar of these will be SFS Conductor Laureate Herbert Blomstedt, who served as Music Director from 1985 to 1995 and was followed by Michael Tilson Thomas. Blomstedt will return to Davies Symphony Hall to lead the SFS performances on May 15, 16, and 17. Just as familiar to many will be Donald Runnicles, Music Director and Principal Conductor of the San Francisco Opera from 1992 to 2009. He will return to San Francisco in the fall, coming to Davies on September 26, 27, and 28.
As in the past, I shall try to take a piecemeal approach to accounting for the performances in Davies during the new season. Once again, the Orchestral Series is rich in both breadth and depth; and it would be folly to simply represent it as a very long list. Fortunately, SFS has provided me with a list of six different categories for classifying the concert programs. In order of “appearance,” those categories are as follows:
- Works by Living Composers
- Returning Conductors
- Returning Soloists & Guest Artists
- Artist Debuts
- Commissions and Premieres
- Conductor Debuts
As time permits, I shall work my way through accounts of each of these categories, in the hopes that these efforts will guide readers towards the concerts they would like to attend.
Subscription packages went on sale this morning at 10 AM. There are four options for the Orchestral Series, all of which are summarized on a single Web page. Each option has its own hyperlink for facilitating subscription purchases. Those purchases will include options for getting additional concerts free when they consist of four or more events. One can also purchase subscriptions by calling 415-864-6000. Single tickets will not go on sale until July 19, after the current season has concluded on June 28.
It goes without saying that all of these performances will take place in Davies, which is located at 201 Van Ness Avenue and fills an entire city block. The other boundaries are Grove Street (north), Hayes Street (south), and Franklin Street (west). The main entrance (which is also the entrance to the Box Office) is on Grove Street, roughly halfway down the block. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling 415-503-5351. In addition, the Box Office in the Davies lobby will be open for selling tickets, once they are on sale.
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