Music director says he's stepping down

Esa-Pekka Salonen cites a break with management in a surprise announcement

The San Francisco Symphony Thursday announced its 24-25 season, and with it, the stunning news that the season will be music director Esa-Pekka Salonen's last.

In a statement, the Finnish conductor, who in 2020 succeeded Michael Tilson Thomas as music director, said, “I have decided not to continue as music director of the San Francisco Symphony because I do not share the same goals for the future of the institution as the board of governors does.

“I am sincerely looking forward to the many exciting programs we have planned for my final season as music director, and am proud to continue working with the world-class musicians of the San Francisco Symphony.”

As he prepares to embark on what will be his fifth and final season, Salonen, 65, the previous music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and a recent recipient of the 2024 Polar Music Prize, noted that he plans to continue his relationship with the Symphony in the form of guest appearances.

Meanwhile, the group of eight artists Salonen named as collaborative partners at the start of his tenure — composer Nicholas Britell, vocalist Julia Bullock, flutist Claire Chase, composer Bryce Dessner, violinist Pekka Kuusisto, composer Nico Muhly, AI entrepreneur Carol Riley and bassist Esperanza Spalding — will be disbanded in June. The partners collective was part of Salonen's goal to bring changes and new ideas to the orchestra and to classical music in general.

Salonen leaves an artistic legacy that is hard to neglect. Many of his programs, including semistaged performances of Stravinsky's “Oedipus Rex” in 2022, and Kaija Saariaho's “Adriana Mater” in 2023 — both directed by

Peter Sellars — were first-rate. His opening night concerts, including 2021's performance, which included works by John Adams and Wayne Shorter, featuring Spalding and Lines Ballet, were wonderfully daring. He introduced starry guests, such as the astonishing pianist Igor Levit, to the music community.

Salonen did not say what he will do next, and no specific reason was given for his departure, although reports and experts in the music community suggested that the conductor and symphony management could not agree on how to meet the widespread financial issues the

DOUG DURAN — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER San Francisco Symphony music director Esa-Pekka Salonen has announced he is leaving the symphony at the end of his contract in June.