SFS will Begin October with Celebration of MTT

Michael Tilson Thomas, whose tenure as SFS Music Director will be celebrated at the beginning of next month

Exactly one month from today, the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) will present a Special Event entitled A Concert for MTT. This will be a gathering of an abundance of guest artists to celebrate and honor the legacy of conductor Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT), who made his SFS debut at the age of 29 in 1974. This was the beginning of a 52-year relationship with the ensemble, over the course of which he led nearly 1800 concerts.

From a personal point of view, my wife and I made our move from Singapore to Palo Alto in the fall of 1995, just in time for the beginning of MTT’s 25-year tenure as SFS Music Director. Since that time we have attended a more-than-generous number of SFS concerts in Davies Symphony Hall, and MTT was on the podium for the lion’s share of those events. Two conductors will share that podium for next month’s concert, both of whom I first encountered at Davies during MTT’s tenure: Edwin Outwater and Teddy Abrams. Abrams will also be one of five pianists performing on the program, the others being Yuja Wang, Jeremy Denk, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and John Wilson. (All of them were also first encounters for me!) Vocal selections will be performed by mezzo Sasha Cooke. The SFS Chorus will also contribute to the program, prepared by Director Jenny Wong. The full program will be a generous one, as can be seen on its Web page.

As might be guessed, seating for this event has become very limited. Indeed, as I write this, seats are only available in the Second Tier (at least according to the Seat Map Web page). The performance will take place in Davies, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 2. Tickets may be purchased through the Web page for this event, and the Box Office can be reached by calling 415-864-6000.