Artists Making Debuts with SFS in 2025–26

The organ in Davies Symphony Hall (from a YourClassicalPipedreams Web page)

Having accounted for artists returning to play with the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) during the 2025–26 season, it is time to focus on the debut performances. This undertaking has now reached “critical mass” to the extent that all of the performance dates have been accounted for in the first two articles of this series: “Living Composers” and “Returning Conductors.” One of those debuts will account for the two selections on the program other than living composer Guillaume Connesson’s “Flammenschrift.” On June 25–27, organist Olivier Latry will perform Francis Poulenc’s organ concerto, and the second half of the program will be devoted entirely to Camille Saint-Saëns’ third symphony, in which the organ plays a significant part.

Among the returning conductors, Manfred Honeck may provide the most interesting offering. He has conceived a “dramatic production” of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s K. 626 Requiem setting (February 26 and 27 and March 1); and that performance will involve the debut of tenor David Portillo along with Adrian Roberts, who will act as narrator. There will also be four debuts across two different performances of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The coupling of the BWV 249 Easter Oratorio and the BWV 243 Magnificat  (April 9–11) will include not only the first appearance of tenor Andrew Haji but also that of countertenor Hugh Cutting. The other Bach selection is BWV 1050, the fifth of the “Brandenburg” concertos. Violinist Alexi Kenny will lead both this selection and a complete performance of the four concertos in Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons (November 20 and 22); and Josh Lovell will be the tenor soloist in George Frideric Handel’s HWV 56 Messiah on December 5 and 6.  Flutist Yubeen Kim will also solo in BWV 1050, not only on November 20 and 22 but also at the May 8–9 concerts, which will include Jacques Ibert’s flute concerto on the program.

June will see the next SFS performance of  Ludwig van Beethoven’s Opus 125, his ninth (choral) symphony in D minor. This will feature debut performances by two vocalists, soprano Jessica Faselt and bass Peixin Chen on June 18, 20, and 21. Early in the season (September 26–28), mezzo Irene Roberts will sing Alban Berg’s Seven Early Songs. The debut artists not yet taken into account are pianist Alexandre Kantorow, who will play Sergei Prokofiev’s Opus 26 (third) piano concerto in C major on November 6–8 and cellist Daniel Müller-Schott performing Antonín Dvořák’s Opus 104 concerto (his last solo concerto).