San Francisco Symphony 2018–19 Season Join Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony for the 2018-19 Season. Subscribe now to guarantee your seats! A new, special offer just for subscribers. Get 2 additional DSH concerts free when you buy a Davies Symphony Hall 6 or 7-concert package. Get 3 additional DSH concerts free when you buy a Davies Symphony Hall 12-concert or more package. Act now! This limited-time offer ends April 30, 2018. Exclusions apply. facebook @sfsymphony FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHY: Brandon Patoc and Spencer Lowell ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: Stefan Cohen and Kristen Loken ON THE COVER: Michael Tilson Thomas Music Director, Jacob Nissly Principal Percussion, Nadya Tichman Associate Concertmaster, Polina Sedukh Second Violin, In Sun Jang First Violin ON THE BACK COVER: Raushan Akhmedyarova Second Violin, Ed Stephan Principal Timpani, Paul Welcomer Second Trombone, Scott Pingel Principal Bass “Glorious music in a glorious city–there 01 Why Subscribe is nothing better!” Table of Season 02 Highlights Nadya Tichman / Associate Concertmaster 04 Film Series 05 Concerts Contents Subscription 15 Packages Great Performers 18 Packages Film Series 19 Packages Music 20 for Families Chamber 21 Music Organ 21 Concerts Youth 22 Orchestra Open 23 Rehearsals Amazing 24 Add-Ons 27 Seating 28 Prices ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER ASSOCIATE Season 29 at a Glance SFS Media NADYA TICHMAN, NADYA 34 volume Listen to music excerpts: sfsymphony.org Subscribe: 415-864-6000 sfsymphony.org 01 / “ One of the things I love most Why Why Subscribe about working with the San Francisco Symphony Subscribe is that we play music that As a Symphony subscriber, you move to the front of the line for fi rst pick of spectacular seats that are sure to go fast. You’ll also experience is off the beaten track , a dazzling spectrum of world-class music with these exclusive perks: right alongside the greatest time-test ed classics. It’s very A NEW, SPECIAL OFFER JUST FOR SUBSCRIBERS exciting to perform this music Get 2 additional DSH concerts free Get 3 additional DSH concerts free when you buy a Davies Symphony Hall when you buy a Davies Symphony Hall 6 or 7-concert package. 12-concert or more package.* in a city that celebrates that Off er ends 4/30/18. Off er ends 4/30/18. adventurous creativity.” 1 Pre-paid parking Premium seats at 10 2 Paul Welcomer / Second Trombone for a guaranteed spot the subscriber price The convenience of Discounts on high-demand paying half now and 9 3 performances before they half later** increase in price Easy ticket exchanges 8 N N O O S S A San FranciscoA E E S S 8 Symphony 1 Free seat upgrade 7 19 Subscriber Early access to newly added concerts before 6 the general public 5 4 Purchase additional tickets Single ticket prices may at the subscriber price. rise—prices for subscribers (See pages 24-25 for a list remain the same all season of Amazing Add-Ons) SECOND TROMBONE SECOND Davies Symphony Hall Classical and Great Performers *Off er includes any combination of DSH Packages, **The partial payment plan is for credit card purchases only, Series subscribers can save up to $15 per ticket off regular totaling 12 or more concerts. and is not available online. After the initial payment is prices to the general public. processed, the balance, plus a one-time extended payment PAUL WELCOMER, WELCOMER, PAUL handling fee, is automatically charged on May 14, 2018. volume volume Listen to music excerpts: sfsymphony.org Subscribe: 415-864-6000 sfsymphony.org 02 03 / / Ferocious Beauty: Season HighlightsSeason Season HighlightsSeason Season the Music of Stravinsky Highlights Igor Stravinsky was among the most transformative composers of the 20th century. Shocking, enchanting, and fiercely individual, his voice exploded music into the modern age. Join the San Francisco Symphony for a two-week festival celebrating Celebrating MTT his three most iconic ballet scores and more. Join us in celebrating Michael Tilson Thomas’ groundbreaking SEP 21–23 legacy as Music Director of the MTT Conducts Stravinsky’s The Firebird - p. 6 San Francisco Symphony with a signature showcase of eclectic SEP 27–30 MTT Conducts Stravinsky’s Petrushka IGOR STRAVINSKY programs and collaborations and The Rite of Spring - p. 6 with leading artists, from Beethoven's Ninth and Mahler's Ninth, to Gil Shaham and Yefim Bronfman. NOV MTT’s From the Diary Composers Who 15–18 of Anne Frank - p. 7 Paint with Music Step inside the Impressionistic NOV MTT Conducts sound worlds of composers who 23, 25 Beethoven’s Ninth - p. 8 paint with music. Panoramic scenes of kinetic colors, shimmering light and shadows are evoked through FEB Gil Shaham and Tchaikovsky’s 7-9 Fourth Symphony - p. 10 an ephemeral atmosphere of rich MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS orchestral texture and exotic soundscapes by Impressionist icons Debussy, Ravel, and more. JUN MTT Conducts Mahler’s 13–15 Ninth Symphony - p. 14 SEP 13–16 MAR 14–17 JUN 27, 29, 30 Yefim Bronfman Plays JUN MTT Conducts Pianist Yuja Wang Christian Tetzlaff Plays Mozart The Magic of Youth: Prokofiev with the SF Symphony 20–22 and Appalachian Spring - p. 5 with the SF Symphony - p. 11 a Semi-Staged Event - p. 14 - p. 14 Ravel Piano Concerto in D major Ravel Le Tombeau de Couperin Ravel L’Enfant et les sortilèges for the Left Hand OCT 18–20 MAY 9–11 Pablo Heras-Casado MTT Conducts the Music Conducts Boléro - p. 6 of Debussy - p. 12 Ravel Alborada del gracioso Debussy Prelude à L'Après-midi d'un faune Debussy Ibéria from Images pour Debussy Nocturnes orchestre Debussy La Mer Ravel Boléro MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS WITH Subscribe: 415-864-6000 sfsymphony.org CONCERTMASTER ALEXANDER BARANTSCHIK 04 05 / / Concerts Season HighlightsSeason Concerts / Beautiful Davies Symphony Hall, home Sep of the San Francisco Symphony, hosts more than 200 concerts throughout the season and offers in-house food and drinks, unique shopping, and more. Since its founding in 1911, the San Francisco Symphony has been a champion of innovative, adventurous programming, offering music lovers across the Bay Area and around the world a kaleidoscopic spectrum of dazzling classics and exciting new works. Turn to page 15 for subscription JURASSIC PARK package summaries. Film Series Experience the magic Jurassic Park Mary Poppins 25th anniversary of the movies like SAT JAN 5 8PM | SUN JAN 6 2PM THU NOV 1 8PM | FRI NOV 2 8PM never before at Davies Boasting exuberant favorites like “A Spoonful Dinosaurs once again roam the earth in Symphony Hall. Watch of Sugar” and “Chim Chim Cher-ee," this director Steven Spielberg’s ultimate thrill magical Disney classic gave audiences some cinema favorites ride, Jurassic Park. Boasting Academy of the most celebrated songs of all time. Award®-winning visual effects that deliver projected on the big Winner of five Academy Awards® (including stunningly real prehistoric predators even screen and hear the Best Original Music Score) and starring the 25 years after its release, this massive incomparable Julie Andrews and Dick Van thrilling power of the blockbuster hit roars to life on the big Dyke, don’t miss the music of this beloved YUJA WANG score performed live screen with John Williams’ majestic score film performed live to picture by the performed live by the SF Symphony. by the SF Symphony. SF Symphony. Composers Who Paint with Music Turn to page 19 for THU C MTT Conducts Pianist Yuja Wang package summaries. Tim Burton’s Close Encounters SEP 13 and Appalachian Spring The Nightmare 8PM of the Third Kind Hear Yuja Wang, “quite simply the most dazzling, uncannily FRI C Before Christmas FRI MAR 1 8PM | SAT MAR 2 8PM gifted pianist in the concert world today” (San Francisco 25th anniversary SEP 14 Chronicle), play Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand— FRI NOV 30 8PM | SAT DEC 1 8PM Steven Spielberg’s spectacular sci-fi 8PM a piece flavored by Harlem jazz. Then experience a different masterpiece features John Williams' iconic, Watch Jack Skellington plot to take over SAT A thread in the American tapestry when MTT leads the two-time Grammy Award-winning score Christmas in Tim Burton’s fantastical SEP 15 San Francisco Symphony in Copland’s complete ballet (Best Original Film Score, Best Instrumental tale The Nightmare Before Christmas. This 8PM Appalachian Spring, an iconic score that captures the Composition) and Academy Award®-winning “instant classic for both kids and grownups” pioneering spirit of American optimism. visual effects that have dazzled audiences SUN A (WOR Radio) comes to life like never before as since 1977. Experience the exhilarating SEP 16 Michael Tilson Thomas Conductor the SF Symphony performs Danny Elfman’s magic of this film on the big screen as the 2PM Yuja Wang Piano delightfully quirky score live with the film SF Symphony performs the score live. Luke Kritzeck Lighting design on the big screen. Clyde Scott Video design PRINCIPAL TUBA PRINCIPAL Castiglioni Inverno in-ver [with video] Ravel Piano Concerto in D major for the Left Hand Copland Appalachian Spring JEFFREY ANDERSON, JEFFREY volume Listen to music excerpts: sfsymphony.org Subscribe: 415-864-6000 sfsymphony.org 07 Stravinsky Festival with the San Francisco Symphony Great Performers Series THU M THU OPEN SF Symphony Plays Dvořák Bartók’s The Miraculous / FRI D GPS B MTT Conducts Stravinsky’s OCT 11 and Prokofiev The Mariinsky Orchestra NOV 8 Mandarin Concert SEP 21 The Firebird 2PM SUN 10AM 8PM “A model of farsighted musical intelligence and no- OCT 21 Plays Stravinsky Beguiling and depraved, Bartók’s pantomime ballet FRI F THU A On June 25, 1910, a slight, bespectacled, and unknown nonsense command” (Chicago Tribune), Austrian conductor 7:30PM Under the baton of Valery Gergiev, Russia’s illustrious The Miraculous Mandarin emerged like a shriek from the SAT C composer entered a Paris theater; he left that theater a OCT 12 NOV 8 s Manfred Honeck returns to the San Francisco Symphony Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra and “powerhouse Russian moral vacuum of World War I.