SF Symphony Announces New Music Director

Conductor Elim Chan in San Francisco Bay with the San Francisco skyline behind her

This morning the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) announced that Elim Chan will become its next Music Director. She will be the thirteenth conductor to hold that position over the course of the orchestra’s 115-year history. Her tenure will begin in September of 2027 for an initial six-year term.

Fortunately, those interested in her capabilities will not have to wait long. She will assume the SFS podium for the program that will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 5, and Saturday, June 6. The soloist for that occasion will be mezzo Sasha Cooke, who will sing both the song cycle Les Nuits d’été by Hector Berlioz and the “Liebestod” from the conclusion of Richard Wagner’s opera Tristan und Isolde. The program will conclude with Claude Debussy’s “La Mer,” providing Chan with the opportunity to display her command of a diversity of sonorities.

Following the Friday performance, all ticket-holders are invited to a post-concert welcome celebration. Both light food and beverages will be served. There will also be more music, but the performers and their repertoire have not yet been announced.

Tickets may be purchased for both of the concerts through the above hyperlink. Most readers probably also know that tickets may also be acquired at the Box Office for Davies Symphony Hall, which is on the south side of Grove Street, between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street. Those interested in learning more about Chan’s achievements as a conductor will find useful background material on her Wikipedia Web page.