SFS to Present “Re-Opening Night” Program

San Francisco Symphony Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen (photograph by Minna Hatinen, courtesy of SFS)

Next month will begin with the return of the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) to Davies Symphony Hall to kick off its 2021–22 Season, which was announced at the end of this past June. As expected, the ensemble will be conducted by Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen; and the performers will also include one of his eight hand-picked Collaborative Partners, vocalist and bassist esperanza spalding. In addition there will be a jazz trio of guest musicians and members of the Alonzo King LINES Ballet.

King will create original choreography for a suite extracted from Alberto Ginastera’s Opus 8 score for the ballet Estancia. Both spalding and the jazz trio will contribute to the performance of excerpts from Wayne Shorter’s “Gaia.” These two selections will be framed by orchestral selections. The program will begin with John Adams’ “Slonimsky’s Earbox.” The concluding selection will be “Noches de encantamiento,” the theme-and-variations final movement of a four-movement suite that José Yves Limantour extracted from the score that Silvestre Revueltas composed for the film The Night of the Mayas.

This program will be given three performances. The first of these will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 30. This will be the annual All San Francisco Concert, which is offered to community groups and social service organizations by invitation only. Those interested in being invited should send electronic mail to allsf@sysymphony.org by this coming Friday, September 17.

The “Re-Opening Night” concert will take place the following evening, Friday, October 1, at 7 p.m. Doors will open at 6 p.m. for complementary sparkling wine served in the lobbies. The program will last for about 90 minutes, after which ticket holders are invited to attend an After-Party at the corner of Grove Street and Franklin Street. There are also VIP packages, which include admission for sparkling wine at 5:30 p.m., the best reserved seats, and an invitation to an Encore Reception with Salonen, the guest artists, and SFS musicians. A Web page has been created summarizing the different VIP packages, their respective prices, and the amount of that price that is tax deductible. Tickets for those attending the concert will range from $225 to $425; and the charge for VIP packages begins at $1000.

The first subscription concert of the season with then take place the following day, Saturday, October 2, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The program will be the same as the one performed on October 1 but without any of the Gala festivities. Ticket prices will range from $35 to $200.

Tickets for Davies are available online through the hyperlinks at the beginning of the above two paragraphs. Tickets can also be purchased by phone at 415-864-6000. Also, according to current news, the Box Office Lobby will again be open for in-person ticket sales and exchanges. Davies is located at 201 Van Ness Avenue on the southwest corner of Grove Street. The main entrance (which is also the entrance for the Box Office) is located on the south side of Grove Street, halfway between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street.

Because we are still under pandemic conditions, SFS has released the following statement:

The San Francisco Symphony requires proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for everyone ages 12 and up entering Davies Symphony Hall. All patrons are required to wear a face mask while attending performances and post-concert events. These protocols are in accordance with policies enacted by the City and County of San Francisco and follow the advice of the San Francisco Symphony Health & Safety Task Force. Details about health and safety protocols at Davies Symphony Hall can be found here.