The San Francisco Symphony will be led by 23 guest conductors during its 114th season, following the departure of music director Esa-Pekka Salonen. The season, which begins on September 4, will see six of these conductors making their debut with the orchestra. Salonen is stepping down at the end of this season in June, but he will continue to have a connection with the Symphony in the future.
“We greatly look forward to Esa-Pekka Salonen’s return to conduct the orchestra in future seasons,” said executive director Matthew Spivey in a statement announcing the 2025-26 season on Thursday. He added, “We are both eager to reunite and collaborate again.” The search for a new music director is already underway, though it could take several years. Spivey emphasized that the Symphony is looking for someone with exceptional talent and a strong artistic vision to inspire both the musicians and the community.
Former New York Philharmonic music director Jaap van Zweden, who recently left his post, will lead the Symphony’s Opening Gala on September 12. The program will feature superstar pianist Yuja Wang performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, along with John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” and Respighi’s “Pines of Rome.”
Van Zweden will also conduct a new three-season cycle of Beethoven’s nine symphonies, starting with Beethoven’s second and seventh symphonies on February 19-21, 2026.
Next January, the Symphony will perform several works by Beethoven and Mozart. One of the highlights will be a unique production of Mozart’s “Requiem” on February 26, 27, and March 1, 2026. The performance will feature dramatic readings, Gregorian chants, and other musical interpretations, with conductor Manfred Honeck leading the ensemble, San Francisco Symphony Chorus, and soloists including Ying Fang, Sasha Cooke, David Portillo, Kyle Ketelsen, and Adrian Roberts.
Twelve new works will be performed, including pieces by composers such as Iman Habibi, Ella Macen, Olii Mustonen, and Barbara Strozzi. Among the world premieres, Tyler Taylor’s piece, a winner of the 2024 Emerging Black Composers Project, will debut from May 22-24, 2026, conducted by Cristian Mäcelaru.
The Symphony will also unveil “Market Street, 1920s,” a new work by principal trombone Timothy Higgins, on October 3-5, 2025. Higgins, who previously debuted his Trombone Concerto in 2021, will also be the soloist in the U.S. premiere of Jimmy López’s “Shift” on May 29-30, 2026, conducted by Miguel Harth Bedoya. “Shift” is inspired by the bustling traffic of Lima, Peru, López’s hometown.
Finally, Finnish conductor John Storgards will make his debut with the Symphony, leading the U.S. premiere of “The Rapids of Life” by composer Outi Tarkiainen. The piece, dedicated to the late Kaija Saariaho, explores a woman’s instinctive creation of a child of nature who becomes aware of his surroundings for the first time.
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