San Francisco Symphony Unveils May 2026 Programming Lineup
Month includes four Orchestral Series programs, Symphony Chorus, Youth Orchestra, and citywide chamber performances.
The San Francisco Symphony has announced its May 2026 programming, featuring four Orchestral Series concerts led by Herbert Blomstedt, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Cristian Măcelaru, and Dima Slobodeniouk, along with a Symphony Chorus performance led by Jenny Wong.
The month also includes the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra’s final concert of the season and a series of chamber music performances across the city.
TCHAIKOVSKY’S FOURTH SYMPHONY
May 8–10
Dima Slobodeniouk conducts a program featuring Henri Dutilleux’s Métaboles, a work in which each movement transforms material from the previous one, creating a continuous musical evolution. Principal Flute Yubeen Kim joins the Orchestra for Jacques Ibert’s Flute Concerto, presented in its first Symphony performances in more than 40 years. The program concludes with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, driven by its recurring “fate” motif, which the composer described as an inescapable force hanging over human life.
BLOMSTEDT CONDUCTS MAHLER 9
May 15–17
Conductor Laureate Herbert Blomstedt returns to lead Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9, the composer’s final completed work. Written following the death of his daughter and amid declining health, the symphony reflects Mahler’s introspection and emotional depth in what would become his last major composition.
MĂCELARU CONDUCTS DVOŘÁK’S NEW WORLD
May 22–24
Cristian Măcelaru leads the Orchestra in the world premiere of Embers by Emerging Black Composers Project winner Tyler Taylor. The composer describes the work as a reflection on shared human experiences and the pursuit of progress. Pianist Simon Trpčeski performs Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1, written when the composer was just 17. The program closes with Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World, inspired by the composer’s time in the United States and his interest in American musical traditions.
RAVEL & MUSIC OF THE AMERICAS
May 29–30
Miguel Harth-Bedoya makes his Orchestral Series debut with a program inspired by Spain and South America. The concert opens with Alberto Ginastera’s Dances from Estancia, followed by the United States premiere of Jimmy López’s Shift, performed by Principal Trombone Timothy Higgins. The program also includes Joaquín Turina’s Danzas fantásticas and Maurice Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole, reflecting the composer’s Spanish heritage.
SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY CHORUS CONCERT
May 31
Led by Chorus Director Jenny Wong, the San Francisco Symphony Chorus performs Morten Lauridsen’s Lux aeterna, composed in response to the illness of the composer’s mother and centered on themes of light and reflection. The program also includes works by Johannes Brahms, Gabriel Fauré, James MacMillan, Lili Boulanger, Ola Gjeilo, and traditional American songs. Organist Jonathan Dimmock and pianist John Wilson accompany the Chorus.
SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY YOUTH ORCHESTRA
May 17
Wattis Foundation Music Director Radu Paponiu leads the Youth Orchestra in its final concert of the 2025–26 season. The program includes Dylan Hall’s Scherzo for Orchestra, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. Comprised of more than 100 musicians under the age of 21, the ensemble is recognized internationally as one of the leading youth orchestras and provides a tuition-free preprofessional experience for Bay Area musicians.
CHAMBER MUSIC AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL
May 3
San Francisco Symphony musicians present a chamber program featuring works by Harry Burleigh, Carl Nielsen, Jean Françaix, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Sergei Prokofiev, highlighting a range of styles from American spiritual-inspired works to European chamber repertoire.
FREE COMMUNITY CHAMBER CONCERTS
May 9, 14, 30
The Symphony’s Community Chamber Concert series brings small ensembles to San Francisco Public Library branches, offering audiences the chance to hear musicians in intimate settings and engage in post-performance Q&A discussions. Performances take place at the Portola, Marina, and Anza branches.
CHAMBER MUSIC AT THE LEGION OF HONOR
May 31
Concertmaster Alexander Barantschik joins former Symphony cellist Peter Wyrick and pianist Anton Nel for a program featuring Mozart’s Piano Trio in E major, Brahms’s Cello Sonata No. 1, and Schumann’s Piano Trio No. 1.
Tickets for performances at Davies Symphony Hall are available at sfsymphony.org or by calling the Symphony Box Office.
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West Side Story—Film with Live Orchestra Davies Symphony Hall (7/09-7/10) |
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The Still Point: An Immersive Experience SOMArts Cultural Center (7/16-7/25) |
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark SPARC (7/03-7/26) |
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Comedy Oakland at Elbo Room Sat Aug 15 7pm Elbo Room Jack London (8/15-8/15) |
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Iphigenia in Splott Shotgun Players Ashby Stage (7/25-8/30) |
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Ride the Cyclone City Lights Theater Company (7/16-8/23) |
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Broadway Under the Stars - Mamma Mia! Transcendence Theatre Company (8/13-8/30) |
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Comedy Oakland at Quinn's Lighthouse Fri Aug 14 8:30pm Quinn's Lighthouse (8/14-8/14) |
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C.S. Lewis On Stage: Further Up and Further In Irvine Barclay Theatre (7/09-7/10) |
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Little Shop of Horrors 40th Anniversary Tour with Ellen Greene (the Original Audrey) Curran Theatre (8/16-8/16) |