ESA-PEKKA SALONEN 
& CONDUCTING STAFF

One of the most influential and creative forces in music, SF Symphony Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen has—through his many high-profile conducting roles, work as a leading composer, and advocacy for accessibility and varied musical voices—shaped a unique vision for the present and future of the symphony orchestra. His restless innovation drives him constantly to reposition classical music in the now.

Beginning with his debut in 1974, and continuing through his remarkable 25-year tenure as Music Director (1995–2020) and his current post as Music Director Laureate, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony have developed a dynamic and productive partnership.

Herbert Blomstedt, Conductor Laureate of the San Francisco Symphony (SFS), served as the Symphony’s Music Director from 1985 to 1995. During that decade, he raised the orchestra’s standards and its international stature.

A passionate communicator, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser brings clarity and meaning to the concert hall, fostering deep connections between audiences and performers. 

Daniel Stewart joined the conducting staff of the San Francisco Symphony as Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra in 2019.

A native of Hong Kong, Jenny Wong was appointed Chorus Director of the San Francisco Symphony by Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen in September 2023.

Polish conductor Aleksandra Melaniuk joins the San Francisco Symphony conducting staff in the 2023–24 season as an extension of her work as a Salonen Fellow in the Colburn School Conservatory of Music’s Negaunee Conducting Program.

Based in Los Angeles and Berlin, Elias Peter Brown joins the San Francisco Symphony conducting staff in the 2023–24 season as an extension of his work as a Salonen Fellow in the Colburn School Conservatory of Music’s Negaunee Conducting Program.