S.F. Symphony to resume inperson concerts May 6
The San Francisco Symphony is scheduled to return to live, inperson concerts in Davies Symphony Hall on May 6, more than a year after the coronavirus pandemic put a halt to such events, the Symphony announced on Monday, April 26.
Musical activity is also expected to resume with weekly programs every Thursday and Friday night throughout May and June.
The programs will initially be limited to socially distanced audiences of no more than 200 patrons, said CEO Mark C. Hanson. But if state and city restrictions continue to loosen, he said, the orchestra has a safety plan awaiting approval that will allow them to fill Davies to 35% capacity — or nearly 1,000 people.
“We were all pleasantly surprised a few weeks ago when the governor said he was going to open the state up by June 15,” Hanson told The Chronicle by phone. “And when the mayor announced that indoor events would be permissible, that’s when we knew we would be able to recommence public performances.”
The concert programs will be modestly scaled to begin with — 75 minutes without intermission, and featuring only string instruments because safety protocols are more complex for woodwind and brass players.
Patrons and performers will have to be masked, and audience members will be required to show written proof of a
COVID19 vaccination or a recent negative test.
Music director EsaPekka Salonen will conduct the first program on May 6 and 7 and return for programs on the weeks of June 17 and 24. In between, the orchestra will be led by guest artists Jeremy Denk, James Gaffigan, KenDavid Masur, Joseph Young and Joshua Weilerstein.
“I’m very excited about this,” Salonen said. “It’s been, what, 400 days or more without giving any concerts, and now at last it’s real. Everyone is very happy to be planning concerts and playing concerts again.”
For the opening program, attendance will be by invitation only. The Symphony is reserving the scarce opening spots to offer free admission to first responders, health professionals, and community and cultural leaders.
Tickets for the remaining programs will go on sale May 6.
Salonen and the orchestra have clearly taken the opportunity to broaden and diversify the repertoire as well. The three programs whose details were announced include music by African American composers (George Walker and William Grant Still) and women (Caroline Shaw and Freya Waley-Cohen) alongside works by Mozart, Schoenberg and Barber.
“Even before the pandemic our world was changing, and the pace of change has only accelerated,” Hanson said. “As we reemerge, we are trying to be as responsive as possible to this societal change. We are absolutely committed as an organization to taking a more inclusive programming approach to everything we do.”
Programming details for the subsequent concerts will be announced later, depending on what size and type of performing ensemble becomes possible.
Salonen said that because of limitations on rehearsal time, the repertoire for the opening programs was drawn from music that he and the orchestra had already recorded for online presentation. But he sounded ebullient at the ability to plan further programs, both for the near term and for the summer and fall.
“It’s completely new for an organization to be planning concerts and then giving them three weeks later — and not unhealthy, I must say. It’s good for an orchestra to be able to turn on a dime.”