SAN FRANCISCO / BAY AREA CLASSICAL MUSIC NEWS COVERAGE

The San Francisco Symphony will present a June program conducted by Elim Chan and featuring mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke. The concerts include music by Mendelssohn, Berlioz, Wagner, and Debussy. Performances will take place at Davies Symphony Hall....

Symphony San Jose will present Hopelessly Romantic, a program featuring works by Schubert, Sibelius, and Schumann, on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, January 25, 2026, at 2:30 p.m....

Symphony San Jose will present HOPELESSLY ROMANTIC, a concert program featuring music by Schubert, Sibelius, and Schumann. The performances will showcase Geneva Lewis as soloist in Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, conducted by François López-Ferrer....

Berkeley Symphony will conclude its 2025–26 Symphonic Series with FABLES AND FOLKLORE, led by conductor Carolyn Kuan. The program features music by Huang Ruo, Clarice Assad, and Antonín Dvořák, with guitarist Marc Teicholz as guest soloist....

San José Chamber Orchestra will present its annual CELEBRATION New Year’s Eve concert featuring conductor Barbara Day Turner and guest artists Jon Nakamatsu, Evan Kahn, and Jon and Alec Manasse. ...

The San Francisco Symphony has announced its January programming, including three Orchestral Series concerts led by guest conductors, a Shenson Spotlight recital, and live-to-picture film performances. ...

San José Chamber Orchestra will present Celebration on December 31 at St. Francis Episcopal in San José. Led by Music Director Barbara Day Turner, the New Year’s Eve program will feature guest artists Jon Nakamatsu, Evan Kahn, and Jon and Alec Manasse....

Celebrate “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” at the majestic and beautifully decorated California Theatre with Symphony San Jose, Symphony San Jose Chorale, Cantabíle Youth Singers, and New Ballet, and special guests....

SF contemporary chamber music group Ensemble for These Times will start the New Year with the seventh edition of its popular annual series, a program of music by women and nonbinary composers....

Cellist Gautier Capuçon brings his groundbreaking project GAÏA to Davies Symphony Hall on November 16, 2025, featuring 16 world-premiere works inspired by the Earth and commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony....

Berkeley Symphony continues its 54th season with Worlds Beyond, November 16, 2025, conducted by Ming Luke. The program features works by Juan Pablo Contreras, Richard Strauss, Missy Mazzoli, and Dmitri Shostakovich at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley....

Berkeley Symphony will continue its 54th season with Refracted Light, the second concert in its 2025–26 Symphonic Series, on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at 4 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley (2345 Channing Way)....

The San Francisco Symphony has announced that single tickets for all 2025–26 season concerts will go on sale Saturday, July 19. Tickets will be available in person at the Davies Symphony Hall box office starting at 10:00am PT.....

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale has selected acclaimed conductor, harpsichordist, solo bassoonist, and Olivier Award winner Peter Whelan as its next Music Director....

Music at Kohl Mansion has announced its highly anticipated 43rd season of chamber music concerts, bringing an exciting lineup of acclaimed ensembles from across the globe to the historic Kohl Mansion in Burlingame, CA....

As San Francisco Ballet prepares to mark the 50th anniversary of its orchestra in the 2025–2026 season, the company has announced two major developments: a newly ratified labor agreement with the orchestra’s union, and the naming of its Music Director and Principal Conductor position in honor of...

As Symphony San Jose wraps up its 2025/2026 season with this weekend's performances, its board of directors has announced that it has signed CEO and Executive Artistic Director Robert Massey to a three-year contract extension, securing the orchestra's leadership through the 2027/2028 season....

Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony are releasing four new SFS Media digital-only spatial audio recordings via the Apple Music Classical app in the coming months, beginning with Jean Sibelius's Finlandia, recorded live in concert March 14–16, 2024 and available for list...

The season closes with España — a musical trip through Spain led by Spanish conductor Jose Luis Gomez and featuring Gabriela Lena Frank’s Escaramuza, and Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez performed by Spanish guitarist Rafael Aguirre....

From June 26 to August 3, the San Francisco Symphony's summer season includes three classical programs with violinist Blake Pouliot, Grammy Award-winning ensemble Time for Three, and violin duo TwoSet Violin; two film concerts with the Orchestra playing the scores of How to Train Your Dragon and The...

This May and June, Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony close out the 2024–25 season with four dynamic programs, marking the culmination of Salonen's influential five-year tenure as Music Director.  ...

Berkeley Symphony will close its 2024–25 Symphonic Series with Triumph on Sunday, June 1 at 4 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall (101 Zellerbach Hall #4800, Berkeley, CA 94720)....

Chamber Music Marin has announced the line-up for their 2025-2026 Chamber Music Concert Series which takes place October 19, 2025 through May 17, 2026 at Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church in Mill Valley, CA....

Award-winning SF contemporary chamber group Ensemble for These Times (E4TT) its holding its first-ever Call for Scores for music for piano four-hands. Learn more!...

On Saturday, April 26, at 7:30pm, the San Francisco Symphony celebrates Music Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas's 80th birthday with a one-night-only performance....

The San Francisco Symphony has announced three upcoming performances as part of the 2025 Summer with the Symphony season.Tickets for all programs go on sale today at 10:00am PT....

Symphony San Jose has revealed its 2025/2026 season—one filled with an exciting mix of classical masterpieces, contemporary discoveries, light classics, film music, pops, ballet, and education concerts. Learn more!...

NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet will return to BroadwaySF’s Golden Gate Theatre this holiday season. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets here!...

Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert at San Francisco’s Davies Hall, prompting audience confrontations and heightened security. Despite a visible security presence and entry screening with wands, several audience members brought Palestinian flags and i...

Belgian pianist Florian Noack's program offers a captivating journey through rich landscapes of romantic and early 20th century music, blending intense emotion, vivid storytelling, and virtuosity. ...

Diablo Ballet’s 31st Season will conclude with the brand-new production of Alice in Wonderland by choreographer Brian Enos. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets here....

The San Francisco Symphony has revealed details of the Orchestra’s 114th season, taking place September 4, 2025–June 28, 2026. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets. ...

San José Chamber Orchestra will present “SJCO CHAMBER MUSIC” (A Program of All-American Composers) featuring Tangent Winds quartet on Sunday April 27, 2025 at 7 pm at St Francis Episcopal Church, 1205 Pine Avenue, San José 95125....

The San Francisco Symphony's April programming lineup features an Orchestral Series program led by Marin Alsop and featuring pianist and composer Gabriela Montero, Michael Tilson Thomas's 80th birthday concert, and more....

Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony have appointed two new musicians: Principal Bassoon Joshua Elmore and Section Percussionist Stan Muncy. ...

On July 19 & 21–22, Another Planet Entertainment and the San Francisco Symphony will present Paul Simon in Concert: A Quiet Celebration at Davies Symphony Hall....

Symphony San Jose will present BEETHOVEN'S EROICA on Saturday, March 8, 2025 at 7:30pm and Sunday, March 9, 2025 at 2:30pm at The California Theatre. ...

In response to the devastating Los Angeles wildfires in January, the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the Musicians of the San Francisco Symphony are teaming up to present SF Musicians for LA: A Benefit for Fire Relief on Saturday, March 8, at 7:30pm at Davies Sym...