Press Room

Click to access the online Summer with the Symphony Press Kit, which includes downloadable artist headshots and performance images from past SF Symphony summer concerts.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—The San Francisco Symphony today announced programming for its summer season, running June 29–August 7 with concerts at Davies Symphony Hall and outdoor performances at Stanford Live’s Frost Amphitheater at Stanford University, Shoreline Amphitheatre, and Sigmund Stern Grove. The Symphony’s summer season includes a wide range of programs, from concerts dedicated to classical masterworks to family-friendly film performances, and special presentations featuring exceptional guest artists and ensembles.  

CONCERTS AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL 
The San Francisco Symphony performs thirteen programs at Davies Symphony Hall this summer, June 29–August 7, including concerts presenting traditional classical repertoire, special performances featuring sensational guest artists, and unique programs incorporating film and other multimedia elements. 

Classical programs 
Guest conductors Paolo Bortolameolli, Ludovic Morlot, and Erina Yashima lead classical programs at Davies Symphony Hall with performances by pianist Inon Barnatan, cellist Johannes Moser, and string trio Time for Three. On July 7, conductor Erina Yashima leads the Orchestra in Kareem Roustom’s Ramal, Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8, and Édouard Lalo’s Cello Concerto featuring cellist Johannes Moser. On July 14, Paolo Bortolameolli makes his Davies Symphony Hall debut conducting the SF Symphony in Aaron Copland’s El Salón México, Johann Strauss, Jr.’s Overture to Die Fledermaus, Richard Strauss’ Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, and Kevin Puts’ Contact: Concerto for Two Violins, Bass, and Orchestra—an SF Symphony co-commission—featuring the string trio Time for Three: violinists Nicolas “Nick” Kendall and Charles Yang, and double bass player Ranaan Meyer. Conductor Ludovic Morlot leads a concert on July 21, which includes Gabriella Smith’s Tidalwave Kitchen, George Gershwin’s An American in Paris, Maurice Ravel’s Boléro, and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, performed by pianist Inon Barnatan. The San Francisco Symphony will also bring each of these programs to Stanford University’s Frost Amphitheater in July as part of the four-concert SF Symphony at Frost series, presented by Stanford Live.  

Mason Bates’ Philharmonia Fantastique 
On August 4 & 5, conductor Teddy Abrams leads the San Francisco Symphony in Mason Bates’ Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra—an interactive concerto for orchestra accompanied by a film which combines live-action and animation. The film takes audiences directly inside the instruments of the orchestra to see how they work, exploring the age-old connection of creativity and technology. Co-commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the American Youth Symphony, Philharmonia Fantastique is a collaboration between composer Mason Bates, seven-time Academy Award-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom of LucasFilm and Skywalker Sound as director, and Pixar and Disney animator and Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Jim Capobianco, with the film produced by Vulcan Productions. Also on the program is Teddy Abrams’ Overture to The Greatest: Muhammad Ali, Angelica Negrón’s Fractal Isles, and Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Watch a short video preview of Philharmonia Fantastique. 

Special presentations 
Kicking off the summer season on June 29, the San Francisco Symphony and Endeavor Content present Get Happy: A Judy Garland Centennial Celebration. Conducted by Edwin Outwater and featuring Broadway vocalists Jessica Vosk and Andy Karl with the Orchestra, the performance commemorates Judy Garland’s most precious life moments projected live-to-screen. Garland’s legendary songbook, accompanied by rare performance footage, intimate home movies, and cherished photographs and interviews, showcases a truly one-of-a-kind concert celebration of the icon’s unrivaled, everlasting legacy. On July 9, vocalist Isabel Marie Sánchez performs a program dedicated to the music of beloved singer Selena, with the SF Symphony conducted by Edwin Outwater. On July 13, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) joins forces with the SF Symphony in Final Words—the celebratory finale performance of SFGMC’s 2021–22 season, and a commemoration of Dr. Timothy Seelig’s final season as Artistic Director—for a program of choral favorites. On July 16, American rock band The Airborne Toxic Event joins the Symphony for a performance blending rock and electronic music with orchestral arrangements, conducted by Edwin Outwater. Eclectic ensemble Pink Martini joins the SF Symphony for a concert conducted by Edwin Outwater on July 28 (the concert will repeat at Frost Amphitheater on July 29). On July 30, vocalist Bernadette Peters performs music from her Broadway shows and Grammy Award-winning albums, including standards from Rodgers & Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, and more, with Joseph Thalken conducting the SF Symphony.  

Film concerts 
The San Francisco Symphony’s summer season includes several film presentations, featuring the Orchestra performing the movie score live while the films are projected onto a large screen above the stage. On July 1 & 2, Don Davis leads the Orchestra in his own score to the Wachowskis’ film The Matrix. On July 23 & 24, Sarah Hicks conducts Pixar in Concert, featuring selections from Pixar films including A Bug’s Life, Brave, Cars, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Inside Out, Monsters, Inc., Monsters University, Ratatouille, Toy Story, and Wall-E. The final film performances of the summer feature Richard Donner’s 1985 coming-of-age adventure movie The Goonies, with Thiago Tiberio conducting Dave Grusin’s score, August 6 & 7.  

FOUR PERFORMANCES AT STANFORD LIVE’S FROST AMPHITHEATER 
The San Francisco Symphony performs four Friday night concerts at Stanford Live’s Frost Amphitheater, featuring programs presented at Davies Symphony Hall on preceding Thursdays (July 7, July 14, July 21, and July 28). The Friday concerts are part of the Stanford Live Arts Festival at Frost, a month-long series of outdoor performances presented in partnership with Bay Area partners. The 2022 edition of SF Symphony at Frost kicks off on July 8 with conductor Erina Yashima and cellist Johannes Moser, followed by a concert on July 15, featuring conductor Paolo Bortolameolli and string trio Time for Three. Conductor Ludovic Morlot conducts the concert on July 22, with pianist Inon Barnatan as soloist. The final performance at Frost takes place on July 29, featuring Pink Martini with the SF Symphony, conducted by Edwin Outwater. This summer marks the third season of SF Symphony at Frost, presented by Stanford Live. The series was inaugurated in 2019 when the SF Symphony partnered with Stanford Live to present concerts annually in the newly renovated Frost Amphitheater.  

FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR 
On July 4, Edwin Outwater leads the San Francisco Symphony in the annual Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular concert at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, presented by LiveNation. The program features vocalist Rosena Hill Jackson and includes music by John Stafford Smith, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, Leonard Bernstein, Alan Menken, Michael Giacchino, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, Germaine Franco, and more, followed by a spectacular fireworks display. 

STERN GROVE FESTIVAL 
On July 31, SF Symphony’s Resident Conductor of Engagement and Education Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser leads the San Francisco Symphony in a concert at the 85th Stern Grove Festival—the admission-free performing arts series that takes place every summer in the natural outdoor amphitheater at Sigmund Stern Grove. In addition to giving annual performances at the Stern Grove Festival since the festival’s formation in 1938, the San Francisco Symphony also played the very first concert in the Grove in 1932, a year after Rosalie M. Stern purchased Stern Grove and gave it as a gift to the City of San Francisco in memory of her husband Sigmund, a prominent civic leader. The program includes Igor Stravinsky’s Scherzo à la russe, Dinuk Wijeratne’s Polyphonic Lively, Jessie Montgomery’s Coincident Dances, Johannes Brahms’ Tragic Overture, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol, and Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1, featuring violinist Benjamin Beilman.  

About the San Francisco Symphony 
The San Francisco Symphony is widely considered to be among the most artistically adventurous and innovative arts institutions in the United States, celebrated for its artistic excellence, creative performance concepts, active touring, award-winning recordings, and standard-setting education programs. In the 2020–21 season, the San Francisco Symphony welcomed conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen as its twelfth Music Director, embarking on a new vision for the present and future of the orchestral landscape. In their inaugural season together, Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony introduced a groundbreaking artistic leadership model anchored by eight Collaborative Partners from a variety of cultural disciplines: Nicholas Britell, Julia Bullock, Claire Chase, Bryce Dessner, Pekka Kuusisto, Nico Muhly, Carol Reiley, and esperanza spalding. This group of visionary artists, thinkers, and doers, along with Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony, have set out to explore and develop new ideas inspired by the Partners’ unique areas of expertise, including innovative digital projects, expansive and imaginative performance concepts in a variety of concert formats, commissions of new music, and projects that foster collaboration across artistic and administrative areas. Shaped by the dynamic partnership and shared vision of Esa-Pekka Salonen, San Francisco Symphony’s eight Collaborative Partners, and the Orchestra and Chorus, the 2021–22 season reflects a spirit of collaboration, experimentation, and renewed dialogue through live music. This exciting artistic future builds on the remarkable 25-year tenure of Michael Tilson Thomas as the San Francisco Symphony’s Music Director, who continues his rich relationship with the Symphony as its first Music Director Laureate. 

About Stanford Live 
Stanford Live presents a wide range of fine performances from around the world, fostering a vibrant learning community and providing distinctive experiences through the performing arts. From its home at Bing Concert Hall and Frost Amphitheater, Stanford Live functions simultaneously as a public square, a sanctuary and a lab, drawing from all Stanford University has to offer to connect performance to the most significant issues, ideas and discoveries of our time.  

CALENDAR EDITORS, PLEASE NOTE: 

Tickets  
Tickets for concerts at Davies Symphony Hall start at $20 and can be purchased beginning April 29 at 10am via sfsymphony.org or by calling the San Francisco Symphony Box Office at 415-864-6000.  

Tickets for concerts at Frost Amphitheater start at $25 and can be purchased beginning April 21 at 2pm via Stanford Live. 

Tickets for the Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular at Shoreline Amphitheatre start at $25 and can be purchased beginning May 2 via LiveNation.com.  

Admission for the Stern Grove Festival is free, with advance reservations required. Reservations can be made online via sterngrove.org beginning July 19. General Admission reservations can be made for up to 4 people per reservation (one per person). Senior benches can be reserved for up to 2 people per reservation (one per person). ADA seating can be reserved for up to 2 people per reservation (one per person). Children 2+ must have their own reservation. For more information, visit sterngrove.org/faq.  

Location
Davies Symphony Hall is located at 201 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco.  

Frost Amphitheater is located at 351 Lasuen Street, at the intersection of Lasuen Street and Roth Way on the Stanford University campus. 

Shoreline Amphitheatre is located at One Amphitheatre Pkwy in Mountain View. 

Stern Grove Festival takes place in Sigmund Stern Grove, located at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard in San Francisco. 

Health & Safety Information  
Davies Symphony Hall: A face covering is required for entry into Davies Symphony Hall and must be worn at all times. Due to the transmissibility of the Omicron variant, the SF Symphony strongly recommends that patrons wear a non-vented respirator, such as an N95, KN95, or KF94 face mask. The San Francisco Symphony requires proof of up-to-date vaccination against COVID-19 for everyone entering Davies Symphony Hall ages 12 and up who’s eligible—including patrons, performers, volunteers, and staff. “Up-to-date vaccination” is defined as two weeks after completion of the two-dose regimen of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, one dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or other WHO authorized COVID-19 vaccine, and one week after receiving a booster shot, for those eligible. Patrons under age 12 must show proof of up-to-date vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test (PCR test taken within 2 days of event entry or antigen [rapid] test taken within 1 day of event entry.    

For those patrons under age 12 who wish to show verification of a negative COVID-19 test result, the following are acceptable as proof: a printed document (from the test provider or laboratory); or an email, text message, web page, or application (app) screen displayed on a phone or mobile device from the test provider or laboratory. The information should include person’s name, type of test performed, negative test result, and date the test was administered. Self-administered antigen testing is not acceptable at this time, but patrons may bring an unopened at-home rapid test with them to Davies Symphony Hall to take with a verified EMT present. Safety protocols are subject to change and will be updated on an ongoing basis The most up-to-date information about health and safety protocols at Davies Symphony Hall can be found here. 

Frost Amphitheater: As of April 4, 2022, it is no longer required to show proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test to attend events at Frost Amphitheater. Stanford Live is monitoring local COVID-19 trends and will follow protocols mandated by local governments and Stanford University. More information can be found here.  

Frost Amphitheater has a clear bag policy. Only small clutch bags (no larger than 5”x8”) and clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bags that do not exceed 12"W x 12"H x 6"D will be allowed inside the venue. Please visit the What to Bring page to learn more. 

Shoreline Amphitheater: To reduce staff contact with guest belongings, Shoreline Amphitheatre has implemented a bag policy allowing only clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC tote bags no larger than 12” x 6” x 12” and/or small clutch bags (4.5”x 6.5”).  

Sigmund Stern Grove: Mask requirements are subject to current SF Department of Public Health & Safety guidelines and are recommended. For more information, visit sterngrove.org/covid.

​[To view or download the full PDF version of this press release with calendar listings, click on DOWNLOAD PDF]