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"content": "\u003cp>It’s a horror-filled time in the nation’s movie theaters. Rather than the typical summertime superhero fare, it’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/05/15/nx-s1-5822305/in-obsession-love-hurts-it-really-really-really-hurts\">Obsession\u003c/a>\u003c/em> and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13990351/backrooms-director-kane-parsons-petaluma-kenilworth-marin-teachers\">Backrooms\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, horror films made by young directors who came from TikTok and YouTube, which are raking in audiences and topping box-office charts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then there’s \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em>, a 117-year old opera currently running the War Memorial Opera House in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, a Richard Strauss bloodfest of beheading, stabbing, bathtub murder and night terrors. Here’s the twist: at 1 hour and 44 minutes, it’s even shorter than \u003cem>Obsession\u003c/em> or \u003cem>Backrooms\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990545\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The two-story set, designed by Boris Kudlicka, of Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra’ at SF Opera. (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As staged by Keith Warner and last seen at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-opera\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a> in its 2017 U.S. premiere, this \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> is set inside a 21st century museum, its revenge drama unfolding overnight through the eyes of a stowaway visitor after closing time. In addition to a wonderful set with video tableaus and rooms that slide in and out of the museum’s walls, aided by stellar lighting, this voyeuristic framework lends the staging a \u003cem>Rear Window\u003c/em> quality that’s engrossing and fun.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s also a little bit convoluted. As the museum visitor, and simultaneously Elektra, Elena Pankratova doesn’t display the acting skills to really sell the gambit. I found myself discarding the entire premise of the museum exhibit coming to life, and focusing instead on the sheer endurance of her marathon singing performance (one in which she’s onstage for nearly the entire show, which at times showed in her voice).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417.jpg\" alt=\"Two women in black and blue wardrobe sit on a bench, looking afraid\" class=\"wp-image-13990548\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elena Pankratova as Elektra and Michaela Schuster as Klytemnestra in Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra.’ (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Without having to deplete her lungs over and over like Pankratova, Elza van den Heever brings projection and rounded tone to the role of Chrysothemis as Elektra’s sister. Unlike her siblings, Chrysothemis does not seek revenge upon her mother Klytemnestra, played by Michaela Schuster, for having an affair with Aegisth and killing her father Agamemnon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the two women nonetheless convey the story’s necessary suspense and anguish. Meanwhile, Kyle Ketelsen as the avenging Orest is resolutely delightful, and William Burden as Aegisth is appropriately bumbling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990547\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elena Pankratova as Elektra and Elza van den Heever as Chrysothemis in Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra.’ (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The real star of the show, however, is below the stage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> brings with it the largest orchestra the Opera House has ever seen: 95 musicians, fueled by Eun Sun Kim’s baton and charging through Richard Strauss’ score like a locomotive. At the moment when Elektra recognizes her brother Orest, it’s as if the orchestra’s train crashes through an entire city block — Notes! Notes! \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/auqm-lOn6k4?si=CibV9DO-SHVIR2vl\">Notes everywhere!\u003c/a> — bleating a full-volume, clustered chord. What follows is one full minute of dynamite slowly morphing into a feather, a moment as powerful as it is wondrous, while Kim very gradually applies the brakes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1334\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601.jpg\" alt=\"A large orchestra is stuffed tightly into an orchestra pit before a large stage \" class=\"wp-image-13990555\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601.jpg 1334w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601-1025x1536.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eun Sun Kim leads the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in a rehearsal for ‘Elektra’ at the War Memorial Opera House. (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The despair in this staging never decelerates, however. \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> unfolds in a milieu where happiness is a burden, and the Gods determine that anyone having too much fun must die. If that sounds like the setting of a horror movie, then bring on the dread and unease.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One last thing: you’ll never look at a kitchen sink in the same way again.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Elektra’ runs through June 27 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/elektra/\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s a horror-filled time in the nation’s movie theaters. Rather than the typical summertime superhero fare, it’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/05/15/nx-s1-5822305/in-obsession-love-hurts-it-really-really-really-hurts\">Obsession\u003c/a>\u003c/em> and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13990351/backrooms-director-kane-parsons-petaluma-kenilworth-marin-teachers\">Backrooms\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, horror films made by young directors who came from TikTok and YouTube, which are raking in audiences and topping box-office charts. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Then there’s \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em>, a 117-year old opera currently running the War Memorial Opera House in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, a Richard Strauss bloodfest of beheading, stabbing, bathtub murder and night terrors. Here’s the twist: at 1 hour and 44 minutes, it’s even shorter than \u003cem>Obsession\u003c/em> or \u003cem>Backrooms\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Then there’s \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em>, a 117-year old opera currently running the War Memorial Opera House in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, a Richard Strauss bloodfest of beheading, stabbing, bathtub murder and night terrors. Here’s the twist: at 1 hour and 44 minutes, it’s even shorter than \u003cem>Obsession\u003c/em> or \u003cem>Backrooms\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990545\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The two-story set, designed by Boris Kudlicka, of Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra’ at SF Opera.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As staged by Keith Warner and last seen at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-opera\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a> in its 2017 U.S. premiere, this \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> is set inside a 21st century museum, its revenge drama unfolding overnight through the eyes of a stowaway visitor after closing time. In addition to a wonderful set with video tableaus and rooms that slide in and out of the museum’s walls, aided by stellar lighting, this voyeuristic framework lends the staging a \u003cem>Rear Window\u003c/em> quality that’s engrossing and fun.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As staged by Keith Warner and last seen at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-opera\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a> in its 2017 U.S. premiere, this \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> is set inside a 21st century museum, its revenge drama unfolding overnight through the eyes of a stowaway visitor after closing time. In addition to a wonderful set with video tableaus and rooms that slide in and out of the museum’s walls, aided by stellar lighting, this voyeuristic framework lends the staging a \u003cem>Rear Window\u003c/em> quality that’s engrossing and fun.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s also a little bit convoluted. As the museum visitor, and simultaneously Elektra, Elena Pankratova doesn’t display the acting skills to really sell the gambit. I found myself discarding the entire premise of the museum exhibit coming to life, and focusing instead on the sheer endurance of her marathon singing performance (one in which she’s onstage for nearly the entire show, which at times showed in her voice).\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It’s also a little bit convoluted. As the museum visitor, and simultaneously Elektra, Elena Pankratova doesn’t display the acting skills to really sell the gambit. I found myself discarding the entire premise of the museum exhibit coming to life, and focusing instead on the sheer endurance of her marathon singing performance (one in which she’s onstage for nearly the entire show, which at times showed in her voice).\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417.jpg\" alt=\"Two women in black and blue wardrobe sit on a bench, looking afraid\" class=\"wp-image-13990548\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elena Pankratova as Elektra and Michaela Schuster as Klytemnestra in Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Without having to deplete her lungs over and over like Pankratova, Elza van den Heever brings projection and rounded tone to the role of Chrysothemis as Elektra’s sister. Unlike her siblings, Chrysothemis does not seek revenge upon her mother Klytemnestra, played by Michaela Schuster, for having an affair with Aegisth and killing her father Agamemnon.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the two women nonetheless convey the story’s necessary suspense and anguish. Meanwhile, Kyle Ketelsen as the avenging Orest is resolutely delightful, and William Burden as Aegisth is appropriately bumbling. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But the two women nonetheless convey the story’s necessary suspense and anguish. Meanwhile, Kyle Ketelsen as the avenging Orest is resolutely delightful, and William Burden as Aegisth is appropriately bumbling. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990547\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elena Pankratova as Elektra and Elza van den Heever as Chrysothemis in Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The real star of the show, however, is below the stage.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> brings with it the largest orchestra the Opera House has ever seen: 95 musicians, fueled by Eun Sun Kim’s baton and charging through Richard Strauss’ score like a locomotive. At the moment when Elektra recognizes her brother Orest, it’s as if the orchestra’s train crashes through an entire city block — Notes! Notes! \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/auqm-lOn6k4?si=CibV9DO-SHVIR2vl\">Notes everywhere!\u003c/a> — bleating a full-volume, clustered chord. What follows is one full minute of dynamite slowly morphing into a feather, a moment as powerful as it is wondrous, while Kim very gradually applies the brakes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> brings with it the largest orchestra the Opera House has ever seen: 95 musicians, fueled by Eun Sun Kim’s baton and charging through Richard Strauss’ score like a locomotive. At the moment when Elektra recognizes her brother Orest, it’s as if the orchestra’s train crashes through an entire city block — Notes! Notes! \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/auqm-lOn6k4?si=CibV9DO-SHVIR2vl\">Notes everywhere!\u003c/a> — bleating a full-volume, clustered chord. What follows is one full minute of dynamite slowly morphing into a feather, a moment as powerful as it is wondrous, while Kim very gradually applies the brakes.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601.jpg\" alt=\"A large orchestra is stuffed tightly into an orchestra pit before a large stage \" class=\"wp-image-13990555\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601.jpg 1334w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601-1025x1536.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eun Sun Kim leads the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in a rehearsal for ‘Elektra’ at the War Memorial Opera House. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The despair in this staging never decelerates, however. \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> unfolds in a milieu where happiness is a burden, and the Gods determine that anyone having too much fun must die. If that sounds like the setting of a horror movie, then bring on the dread and unease.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One last thing: you’ll never look at a kitchen sink in the same way again.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Elektra’ runs through June 27 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/elektra/\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Dissonance and death anchor this vigorous Richard Strauss one-act opera, set at night inside a museum.",
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"title": "Review: ‘Elektra’ at SF Opera Unfolds Like a Horror Movie Onstage | KQED",
"description": "Dissonance and death anchor this vigorous Richard Strauss one-act opera, set at night inside a museum.",
"ogTitle": "There Will Be Blood: ‘Elektra’ Unfolds Like a Horror Movie at SF Opera",
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"headline": "There Will Be Blood: ‘Elektra’ Unfolds Like a Horror Movie at SF Opera",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s a horror-filled time in the nation’s movie theaters. Rather than the typical summertime superhero fare, it’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/05/15/nx-s1-5822305/in-obsession-love-hurts-it-really-really-really-hurts\">Obsession\u003c/a>\u003c/em> and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13990351/backrooms-director-kane-parsons-petaluma-kenilworth-marin-teachers\">Backrooms\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, horror films made by young directors who came from TikTok and YouTube, which are raking in audiences and topping box-office charts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then there’s \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em>, a 117-year old opera currently running the War Memorial Opera House in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, a Richard Strauss bloodfest of beheading, stabbing, bathtub murder and night terrors. Here’s the twist: at 1 hour and 44 minutes, it’s even shorter than \u003cem>Obsession\u003c/em> or \u003cem>Backrooms\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990545\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The two-story set, designed by Boris Kudlicka, of Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra’ at SF Opera. (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As staged by Keith Warner and last seen at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-opera\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a> in its 2017 U.S. premiere, this \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> is set inside a 21st century museum, its revenge drama unfolding overnight through the eyes of a stowaway visitor after closing time. In addition to a wonderful set with video tableaus and rooms that slide in and out of the museum’s walls, aided by stellar lighting, this voyeuristic framework lends the staging a \u003cem>Rear Window\u003c/em> quality that’s engrossing and fun.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s also a little bit convoluted. As the museum visitor, and simultaneously Elektra, Elena Pankratova doesn’t display the acting skills to really sell the gambit. I found myself discarding the entire premise of the museum exhibit coming to life, and focusing instead on the sheer endurance of her marathon singing performance (one in which she’s onstage for nearly the entire show, which at times showed in her voice).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417.jpg\" alt=\"Two women in black and blue wardrobe sit on a bench, looking afraid\" class=\"wp-image-13990548\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elena Pankratova as Elektra and Michaela Schuster as Klytemnestra in Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra.’ (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Without having to deplete her lungs over and over like Pankratova, Elza van den Heever brings projection and rounded tone to the role of Chrysothemis as Elektra’s sister. Unlike her siblings, Chrysothemis does not seek revenge upon her mother Klytemnestra, played by Michaela Schuster, for having an affair with Aegisth and killing her father Agamemnon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the two women nonetheless convey the story’s necessary suspense and anguish. Meanwhile, Kyle Ketelsen as the avenging Orest is resolutely delightful, and William Burden as Aegisth is appropriately bumbling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990547\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elena Pankratova as Elektra and Elza van den Heever as Chrysothemis in Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra.’ (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The real star of the show, however, is below the stage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> brings with it the largest orchestra the Opera House has ever seen: 95 musicians, fueled by Eun Sun Kim’s baton and charging through Richard Strauss’ score like a locomotive. At the moment when Elektra recognizes her brother Orest, it’s as if the orchestra’s train crashes through an entire city block — Notes! Notes! \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/auqm-lOn6k4?si=CibV9DO-SHVIR2vl\">Notes everywhere!\u003c/a> — bleating a full-volume, clustered chord. What follows is one full minute of dynamite slowly morphing into a feather, a moment as powerful as it is wondrous, while Kim very gradually applies the brakes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1334\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601.jpg\" alt=\"A large orchestra is stuffed tightly into an orchestra pit before a large stage \" class=\"wp-image-13990555\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601.jpg 1334w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601-1025x1536.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eun Sun Kim leads the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in a rehearsal for ‘Elektra’ at the War Memorial Opera House. (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The despair in this staging never decelerates, however. \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> unfolds in a milieu where happiness is a burden, and the Gods determine that anyone having too much fun must die. If that sounds like the setting of a horror movie, then bring on the dread and unease.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One last thing: you’ll never look at a kitchen sink in the same way again.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Elektra’ runs through June 27 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/elektra/\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "elim-chan-review-davies-wagner-berlioz-debussy-san-francisco-symphony",
"title": "She’s the One: Elim Chan Wins ’Em Over at Davies Symphony Hall ",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/elim-chan\">Elim Chan\u003c/a> could have left the building Friday night after conducting just one piece, the gorgeous concert opener “Prelude and Liebestod” from Wagner’s \u003ci>Tristan und Isolde\u003c/i>, and earned a spot in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-symphony\">San Francisco Symphony\u003c/a> Hall of Fame.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, in her first public program at Davies Symphony Hall since \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13990101/san-francisco-symphony-new-music-director-elim-chan\">being appointed as the Symphony’s next Music Director\u003c/a>, Chan rose to the night’s three-point challenge. One, to win the hearts of her new city’s audience. Two, to establish a continuum with the symphony’s past. And three, to plant herself artistically and make a statement of her own. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By the end of the program, the 39-year-old conductor not only achieved all of the above, but steered attention away from herself and to the guest soloist, the orchestra and the audience.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As we start this new chapter, I don’t want any barriers between us,” she said. “We need the audience to give this music its meaning.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A woman of her word, Chan finished the concert and then wandered out onto the street in front of Davies, among the people, and \u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/gmeline.bsky.social/post/3mnmaexmmtc2x\">just started hanging out with everyone\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-3504.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990511\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-3504.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-3504-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-3504-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-3504-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elim Chan mingles with fans after conducting the San Francisco Symphony on June 5, 2026. (Christopher M. Howard)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>But back to the music. After a sustained standing ovation at her entrance that rendered Chan visibly emotional, she began with the Wagner, and its beautiful chords and phrasings that danced and swelled. The Prelude is fragile; in the wrong hands it can get mushy. Chan kept the orchestra restrained and united, controlling the dynamics with delicate skill until the piece’s huge, final rapturous climax.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was as if Chan had absorbed all the love from the past two weeks since her appointment, and sent it right back into the audience. It also constituted one of the most exhilarating experiences I’ve ever had inside a concert hall. Win the audience’s hearts: check.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the Berlioz song cycle \u003ci>Les Nuits d’été\u003c/i>, Chan let the remarkable mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke take the lead. Chan has generally downplayed the focus on her historic appointment as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13990101/san-francisco-symphony-new-music-director-elim-chan\">first woman to lead a “Big 7” orchestra\u003c/a>. But as she conducted the songs in her outgoing, flamboyant style, and as Cooke drew out the meaning of the words with perfect tone and emotive body language, the power of two overtly expressive women taking center stage at Davies was unmistakable.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990512\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sasha Cooke and Elim Chan perform Berlioz’s ‘Les Nuits d’été’ at Davies Symphony Hall on June 5, 2026. (Christopher M. Howard)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Then, for an encore, Cooke introduced Michael Tilson Thomas’ “Ich Lebe mein Leben,” from his \u003ci>Meditations on Rilke\u003c/i>. Thomas’ spirit has lingered at Davies since his death just six weeks ago (a tribute exhibit is currently being displayed in the lobby). As Chan and Cooke worked their magic, it was fully present.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As if to pass the torch, Cooke explained that Thomas had once kissed the hem of her skirt after a performance — and then promptly kissed Chan’s. Establish a continuum: check.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2526concerts_060526_elimchanstefancohen_027.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990514\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2526concerts_060526_elimchanstefancohen_027.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2526concerts_060526_elimchanstefancohen_027-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2526concerts_060526_elimchanstefancohen_027-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2526concerts_060526_elimchanstefancohen_027-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elim Chan conducts at Davies Symphony Hall on June 5, 2026. (Stefan Cohen)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>That left the final goal of making a personal statement. Chan made two. One was artistic, furthered by a sweeping performance of Debussy’s \u003ci>La Mer\u003c/i>. Chan has spoken of her affection for the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” sequence in Disney’s \u003ci>Fantasia\u003c/i>; her magic trick is not to conjure waves and lightning, but to turn the orchestra into a single living, breathing organism. Despite its many moving parts, \u003ci>La Mer\u003c/i> in Chan’s hands felt as one whole, a swirling, subtidal journey.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The other statement she made may be more important: that the conductor is not the be-all, end-all star of the show, nor the single person upon which the success of an orchestra rests.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We’ve gotten to see plenty of Chan’s fun personality. The polar opposite of her stoic mentor Bernard Haitnik, she conducts with a physical exuberance, as if prodding and dancing around the notes. She speaks like a normal human, calling the orchestra “so cool,” and says she likes the classics along with the \u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/gmeline.bsky.social/post/3mmfs4ax22k26\">“friggin’ new,” “wacky” contemporary pieces\u003c/a>. She \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZLFAinAVSb/\">loves La Taqueria burritos and Karl the Fog\u003c/a>. She even forgot to bring her baton onstage last night for the second half. (Conductors! They’re just like us!)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990513\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elim Chan makes a heart hand gesture to the audience at Davies Symphony Hall on June 5, 2026. (Christopher M. Howard)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Or, take the scene witnessed at concert’s end, when Chan hoisted her hands to form the \u003ca href=\"https://www.purewow.com/beauty/millennial-vs-gen-z-hand-heart-pose\">millennial-coded hand heart\u003c/a>. During the long standing ovation, in the 14th row stood an 80-something man, raising his own hands to return the same gesture. Or how about Chan, upon being presented with a large bouquet, removing its contents one by one and running through the orchestra rows to excitedly give the musicians their flowers?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This relatability will go a long way in San Francisco, where we’re a little suspicious of people who take themselves too seriously. Combine it with the breathtaking artistry she displayed at Davies on Friday night, and you’ve got the beginnings of a conductor, a city, and a beautiful friendship.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“As we start this new chapter, I don’t want any barriers between us,” she said. “We need the audience to give this music its meaning.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A woman of her word, Chan finished the concert and then wandered out onto the street in front of Davies, among the people, and \u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/gmeline.bsky.social/post/3mnmaexmmtc2x\">just started hanging out with everyone\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But back to the music. After a sustained standing ovation at her entrance that rendered Chan visibly emotional, she began with the Wagner, and its beautiful chords and phrasings that danced and swelled. The Prelude is fragile; in the wrong hands it can get mushy. Chan kept the orchestra restrained and united, controlling the dynamics with delicate skill until the piece’s huge, final rapturous climax.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But back to the music. After a sustained standing ovation at her entrance that rendered Chan visibly emotional, she began with the Wagner, and its beautiful chords and phrasings that danced and swelled. The Prelude is fragile; in the wrong hands it can get mushy. Chan kept the orchestra restrained and united, controlling the dynamics with delicate skill until the piece’s huge, final rapturous climax.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It was as if Chan had absorbed all the love from the past two weeks since her appointment, and sent it right back into the audience. It also constituted one of the most exhilarating experiences I’ve ever had inside a concert hall. Win the audience’s hearts: check.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It was as if Chan had absorbed all the love from the past two weeks since her appointment, and sent it right back into the audience. It also constituted one of the most exhilarating experiences I’ve ever had inside a concert hall. Win the audience’s hearts: check.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For the Berlioz song cycle \u003ci>Les Nuits d’été\u003c/i>, Chan let the remarkable mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke take the lead. Chan has generally downplayed the focus on her historic appointment as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13990101/san-francisco-symphony-new-music-director-elim-chan\">first woman to lead a “Big 7” orchestra\u003c/a>. But as she conducted the songs in her outgoing, flamboyant style, and as Cooke drew out the meaning of the words with perfect tone and emotive body language, the power of two overtly expressive women taking center stage at Davies was unmistakable.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For the Berlioz song cycle \u003ci>Les Nuits d’été\u003c/i>, Chan let the remarkable mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke take the lead. Chan has generally downplayed the focus on her historic appointment as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13990101/san-francisco-symphony-new-music-director-elim-chan\">first woman to lead a “Big 7” orchestra\u003c/a>. But as she conducted the songs in her outgoing, flamboyant style, and as Cooke drew out the meaning of the words with perfect tone and emotive body language, the power of two overtly expressive women taking center stage at Davies was unmistakable.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990512\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sasha Cooke and Elim Chan perform Berlioz’s ‘Les Nuits d’été’ at Davies Symphony Hall on June 5, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990512\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sasha Cooke and Elim Chan perform Berlioz’s ‘Les Nuits d’été’ at Davies Symphony Hall on June 5, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Then, for an encore, Cooke introduced Michael Tilson Thomas’ “Ich Lebe mein Leben,” from his \u003ci>Meditations on Rilke\u003c/i>. Thomas’ spirit has lingered at Davies since his death just six weeks ago (a tribute exhibit is currently being displayed in the lobby). As Chan and Cooke worked their magic, it was fully present.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Then, for an encore, Cooke introduced Michael Tilson Thomas’ “Ich Lebe mein Leben,” from his \u003ci>Meditations on Rilke\u003c/i>. Thomas’ spirit has lingered at Davies since his death just six weeks ago (a tribute exhibit is currently being displayed in the lobby). As Chan and Cooke worked their magic, it was fully present.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As if to pass the torch, Cooke explained that Thomas had once kissed the hem of her skirt after a performance — and then promptly kissed Chan’s. Establish a continuum: check.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As if to pass the torch, Cooke explained that Thomas had once kissed the hem of her skirt after a performance — and then promptly kissed Chan’s. Establish a continuum: check.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2526concerts_060526_elimchanstefancohen_027.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990514\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2526concerts_060526_elimchanstefancohen_027.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2526concerts_060526_elimchanstefancohen_027-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2526concerts_060526_elimchanstefancohen_027-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2526concerts_060526_elimchanstefancohen_027-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elim Chan conducts at Davies Symphony Hall on June 5, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That left the final goal of making a personal statement. Chan made two. One was artistic, furthered by a sweeping performance of Debussy’s \u003ci>La Mer\u003c/i>. Chan has spoken of her affection for the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” sequence in Disney’s \u003ci>Fantasia\u003c/i>; her magic trick is not to conjure waves and lightning, but to turn the orchestra into a single living, breathing organism. Despite its many moving parts, \u003ci>La Mer\u003c/i> in Chan’s hands felt as one whole, a swirling, subtidal journey.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That left the final goal of making a personal statement. Chan made two. One was artistic, furthered by a sweeping performance of Debussy’s \u003ci>La Mer\u003c/i>. Chan has spoken of her affection for the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” sequence in Disney’s \u003ci>Fantasia\u003c/i>; her magic trick is not to conjure waves and lightning, but to turn the orchestra into a single living, breathing organism. Despite its many moving parts, \u003ci>La Mer\u003c/i> in Chan’s hands felt as one whole, a swirling, subtidal journey.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The other statement she made may be more important: that the conductor is not the be-all, end-all star of the show, nor the single person upon which the success of an orchestra rests.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>We’ve gotten to see plenty of Chan’s fun personality. The polar opposite of her stoic mentor Bernard Haitnik, she conducts with a physical exuberance, as if prodding and dancing around the notes. She speaks like a normal human, calling the orchestra “so cool,” and says she likes the classics along with the \u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/gmeline.bsky.social/post/3mmfs4ax22k26\">“friggin’ new,” “wacky” contemporary pieces\u003c/a>. She \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZLFAinAVSb/\">loves La Taqueria burritos and Karl the Fog\u003c/a>. She even forgot to bring her baton onstage last night for the second half. (Conductors! They’re just like us!)\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>We’ve gotten to see plenty of Chan’s fun personality. The polar opposite of her stoic mentor Bernard Haitnik, she conducts with a physical exuberance, as if prodding and dancing around the notes. She speaks like a normal human, calling the orchestra “so cool,” and says she likes the classics along with the \u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/gmeline.bsky.social/post/3mmfs4ax22k26\">“friggin’ new,” “wacky” contemporary pieces\u003c/a>. She \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZLFAinAVSb/\">loves La Taqueria burritos and Karl the Fog\u003c/a>. She even forgot to bring her baton onstage last night for the second half. (Conductors! They’re just like us!)\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990513\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elim Chan makes a heart hand gesture to the audience at Davies Symphony Hall on June 5, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990513\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elim Chan makes a heart hand gesture to the audience at Davies Symphony Hall on June 5, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Or, take the scene witnessed at concert’s end, when Chan hoisted her hands to form the \u003ca href=\"https://www.purewow.com/beauty/millennial-vs-gen-z-hand-heart-pose\">millennial-coded hand heart\u003c/a>. During the long standing ovation, in the 14th row stood an 80-something man, raising his own hands to return the same gesture. Or how about Chan, upon being presented with a large bouquet, removing its contents one by one and running through the orchestra rows to excitedly give the musicians their flowers?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Or, take the scene witnessed at concert’s end, when Chan hoisted her hands to form the \u003ca href=\"https://www.purewow.com/beauty/millennial-vs-gen-z-hand-heart-pose\">millennial-coded hand heart\u003c/a>. During the long standing ovation, in the 14th row stood an 80-something man, raising his own hands to return the same gesture. Or how about Chan, upon being presented with a large bouquet, removing its contents one by one and running through the orchestra rows to excitedly give the musicians their flowers?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This relatability will go a long way in San Francisco, where we’re a little suspicious of people who take themselves too seriously. Combine it with the breathtaking artistry she displayed at Davies on Friday night, and you’ve got the beginnings of a conductor, a city, and a beautiful friendship.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This relatability will go a long way in San Francisco, where we’re a little suspicious of people who take themselves too seriously. Combine it with the breathtaking artistry she displayed at Davies on Friday night, and you’ve got the beginnings of a conductor, a city, and a beautiful friendship.\u003c/p>\n"
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/elim-chan\">Elim Chan\u003c/a> could have left the building Friday night after conducting just one piece, the gorgeous concert opener “Prelude and Liebestod” from Wagner’s \u003ci>Tristan und Isolde\u003c/i>, and earned a spot in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-symphony\">San Francisco Symphony\u003c/a> Hall of Fame.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, in her first public program at Davies Symphony Hall since \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13990101/san-francisco-symphony-new-music-director-elim-chan\">being appointed as the Symphony’s next Music Director\u003c/a>, Chan rose to the night’s three-point challenge. One, to win the hearts of her new city’s audience. Two, to establish a continuum with the symphony’s past. And three, to plant herself artistically and make a statement of her own. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By the end of the program, the 39-year-old conductor not only achieved all of the above, but steered attention away from herself and to the guest soloist, the orchestra and the audience.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As we start this new chapter, I don’t want any barriers between us,” she said. “We need the audience to give this music its meaning.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A woman of her word, Chan finished the concert and then wandered out onto the street in front of Davies, among the people, and \u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/gmeline.bsky.social/post/3mnmaexmmtc2x\">just started hanging out with everyone\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-3504.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990511\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-3504.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-3504-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-3504-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-3504-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elim Chan mingles with fans after conducting the San Francisco Symphony on June 5, 2026. (Christopher M. Howard)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>But back to the music. After a sustained standing ovation at her entrance that rendered Chan visibly emotional, she began with the Wagner, and its beautiful chords and phrasings that danced and swelled. The Prelude is fragile; in the wrong hands it can get mushy. Chan kept the orchestra restrained and united, controlling the dynamics with delicate skill until the piece’s huge, final rapturous climax.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was as if Chan had absorbed all the love from the past two weeks since her appointment, and sent it right back into the audience. It also constituted one of the most exhilarating experiences I’ve ever had inside a concert hall. Win the audience’s hearts: check.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the Berlioz song cycle \u003ci>Les Nuits d’été\u003c/i>, Chan let the remarkable mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke take the lead. Chan has generally downplayed the focus on her historic appointment as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13990101/san-francisco-symphony-new-music-director-elim-chan\">first woman to lead a “Big 7” orchestra\u003c/a>. But as she conducted the songs in her outgoing, flamboyant style, and as Cooke drew out the meaning of the words with perfect tone and emotive body language, the power of two overtly expressive women taking center stage at Davies was unmistakable.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990512\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-6716-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sasha Cooke and Elim Chan perform Berlioz’s ‘Les Nuits d’été’ at Davies Symphony Hall on June 5, 2026. (Christopher M. Howard)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Then, for an encore, Cooke introduced Michael Tilson Thomas’ “Ich Lebe mein Leben,” from his \u003ci>Meditations on Rilke\u003c/i>. Thomas’ spirit has lingered at Davies since his death just six weeks ago (a tribute exhibit is currently being displayed in the lobby). As Chan and Cooke worked their magic, it was fully present.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As if to pass the torch, Cooke explained that Thomas had once kissed the hem of her skirt after a performance — and then promptly kissed Chan’s. Establish a continuum: check.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2526concerts_060526_elimchanstefancohen_027.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990514\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2526concerts_060526_elimchanstefancohen_027.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2526concerts_060526_elimchanstefancohen_027-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2526concerts_060526_elimchanstefancohen_027-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2526concerts_060526_elimchanstefancohen_027-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elim Chan conducts at Davies Symphony Hall on June 5, 2026. (Stefan Cohen)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>That left the final goal of making a personal statement. Chan made two. One was artistic, furthered by a sweeping performance of Debussy’s \u003ci>La Mer\u003c/i>. Chan has spoken of her affection for the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” sequence in Disney’s \u003ci>Fantasia\u003c/i>; her magic trick is not to conjure waves and lightning, but to turn the orchestra into a single living, breathing organism. Despite its many moving parts, \u003ci>La Mer\u003c/i> in Chan’s hands felt as one whole, a swirling, subtidal journey.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The other statement she made may be more important: that the conductor is not the be-all, end-all star of the show, nor the single person upon which the success of an orchestra rests.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We’ve gotten to see plenty of Chan’s fun personality. The polar opposite of her stoic mentor Bernard Haitnik, she conducts with a physical exuberance, as if prodding and dancing around the notes. She speaks like a normal human, calling the orchestra “so cool,” and says she likes the classics along with the \u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/gmeline.bsky.social/post/3mmfs4ax22k26\">“friggin’ new,” “wacky” contemporary pieces\u003c/a>. She \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZLFAinAVSb/\">loves La Taqueria burritos and Karl the Fog\u003c/a>. She even forgot to bring her baton onstage last night for the second half. (Conductors! They’re just like us!)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990513\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2026_SFS_Elim_Chan_Debut-9241-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elim Chan makes a heart hand gesture to the audience at Davies Symphony Hall on June 5, 2026. (Christopher M. Howard)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Or, take the scene witnessed at concert’s end, when Chan hoisted her hands to form the \u003ca href=\"https://www.purewow.com/beauty/millennial-vs-gen-z-hand-heart-pose\">millennial-coded hand heart\u003c/a>. During the long standing ovation, in the 14th row stood an 80-something man, raising his own hands to return the same gesture. Or how about Chan, upon being presented with a large bouquet, removing its contents one by one and running through the orchestra rows to excitedly give the musicians their flowers?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This relatability will go a long way in San Francisco, where we’re a little suspicious of people who take themselves too seriously. Combine it with the breathtaking artistry she displayed at Davies on Friday night, and you’ve got the beginnings of a conductor, a city, and a beautiful friendship.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-symphony\">San Francisco Symphony\u003c/a> has appointed Elim Chan as its new music director. The 39-year-old conductor born in Hong Kong has signed a six-year contract, the Symphony announced on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The appointment is a historic one. Chan will be the first woman to lead the San Francisco Symphony in its 115-year history. She is also the first woman to be hired as music director by one of the so-called “Big 7” symphony orchestras in the United States, encompassing New York, Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Philadelphia.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chan, who recently served as principal conductor for the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra in Belgium, is lesser-known than her two predecessors in San Francisco: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/michael-tilson-thomas\">Michael Tilson Thomas\u003c/a>, who led the orchestra for 25 years and died earlier this month, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13954083/esa-pekka-salonen-steps-down-sf-symphony\">Esa-Pekka Salonen\u003c/a>, who stepped down in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Chan is a much-talked-about rising star in the classical world, serving as principal guest conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and guest conducting the major orchestras in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston to effusive reviews. She made her debut at the San Francisco Symphony in 2023, and has since returned twice, drawing acclaim from audiences, musicians and critics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an interview with KQED Thursday at Davies Symphony Hall, Chan emphasized that one of her goals in San Francisco is to change the public’s perception of the symphony.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A big thing of mine is how to get people who have never listened to classical music, who think that they are not educated enough, or they feel they’re not comfortable enough,” Chan said. “All sorts of reasons, right? We are going to take all those reasons \u003cem>out\u003c/em>. Because coming to the symphony is so cool.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">She can ‘bring out the best’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After her 2023 debut at Davies, the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> hailed Chan as “a promising podium talent, one who combines lithe physical command with a wealth of artistic resources.” Last year, after an all-Tchaikovsky program, the \u003cem>San Francisco Classical Voice\u003c/em> enthused that “it’s clear by now that conductor \u003ca href=\"https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/classical/review-sf-symphony-elim-chan-holst-18436788\">Elim Chan\u003c/a> can bring out the best in a top-rank orchestra.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Symphony is betting that it can offer Chan a sizable enough platform to propel her further upward. Already, she is slated to conduct a program of Berlioz, Debussy and Wagner at Davies on June 5 and 6. Her first full season as music director begins in 2027.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The appointment also marks a victory for San Francisco in its sometime rivalry with Los Angeles. While the Symphony’s selection process for a music director is a highly guarded one, Chan had been one of the names whispered amongst pundits as a contender in San Francisco. Chan had also conducted regularly for the L.A. Philharmonic, and was viewed as a potential successor there to Gustavo Dudamel, whose namesake fellowship she was awarded in 2017.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://youtu.be/fvMRqU1EU_U?si=Pxqu07JY5octt3cu\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a conductor, Chan’s style may best be described as outsized. Praised for her energy and rhythm, and noted for bringing precision and verve to nominally calm, flowing musical passages, Chan transcends her diminutive height. Often, she arcs forward, as if charging after the music. (Along with conducting, Chan also trains on the side with a boxing coach.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Thursday, Chan told KQED that the first time she witnessed Michael Tilson Thomas on the podium, he was conducting his Maverick Series, focusing on new works. She lists off new composers she’s especially excited about: Gabriela Smith, Anthony Cheung, Elizabeth Ogonek, Noriko Koide. \u003cbr>\u003cbr>On Thursday night, during a reception at City Hall hosted by mayor Daniel Lurie, Chan told the crowd in her casual, charismatic way of speaking that “I love the old classics. But I also love the friggin’ new things! The wacky things!”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chan has a track record of balancing the old and the new. She has also studied with traditionalists like Bernard Haitink, who, among other enduring lessons, instilled in Chan a respect for Anton Bruckner. (On Thursday, she said she trusts the San Francisco orchestra enough to finally tackle conducting Bruckner’s music.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Breaking a glass ceiling — and transcending labels\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For many years, an open question has persisted about when major symphony orchestras would embrace women as music directors or full-time principal conductors. Despite high-profile figures like Marin Alsop and Nathalie Stutzmann, no woman had been appointed at one of the top seven U.S. orchestras until now.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2014, still in her 20s, Chan became the first woman to win the esteemed Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in England, bringing her global attention. Two years later, writing for \u003cem>The Guardian\u003c/em>, she called for a de-emphasis on her gender.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I have felt there to be at times an imbalance of focus on my gender over my whole identity as a musician. I do not want to be given any special treatment because I am a woman,” she wrote. “I am proud of being a woman conductor, but I want to take the next step and go beyond any tags and be seen and valued as the same as my male colleagues.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the morning of her announcement, however, Chan said she was able to take a moment to realize the historic importance of the occasion.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Before I walked into the hall to meet the musicians, I told myself, actually, yeah … it \u003cem>is\u003c/em> a big deal,” Chan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chan has also received attention as an Asian, making the Bay Area a natural fit; the region is home to one of the highest percentages of Asian Americans in the continental United States, and Eun Sun Kim, another Asian woman, leads the orchestra at San Francisco Opera. In the 2016 \u003cem>Guardian\u003c/em> piece, Chan expressed a regard for talent over ethnic identity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My core priorities have always been and will always be the music and the audience, and I think audiences over the past two years have come to see me simply as Elim, rather than under the labels ‘Asian’ or ‘female conductor.’”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Chan’s first concerts with the Symphony since being hired — a program of Wagner, Berlioz and Debussy — take place June 5 and 6 at Davies Symphony Hall.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chan, who recently served as principal conductor for the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra in Belgium, is lesser-known than her two predecessors in San Francisco: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/michael-tilson-thomas\">Michael Tilson Thomas\u003c/a>, who led the orchestra for 25 years and died earlier this month, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13954083/esa-pekka-salonen-steps-down-sf-symphony\">Esa-Pekka Salonen\u003c/a>, who stepped down in 2024.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As a conductor, Chan’s style may best be described as outsized. Praised for her energy and rhythm, and noted for bringing precision and verve to nominally calm, flowing musical passages, Chan transcends her diminutive height. Often, she arcs forward, as if charging after the music. (Along with conducting, Chan also trains on the side with a boxing coach.)\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Thursday, Chan told KQED that the first time she witnessed Michael Tilson Thomas on the podium, he was conducting his Maverick Series, focusing on new works. She lists off new composers she’s especially excited about: Gabriela Smith, Anthony Cheung, Elizabeth Ogonek, Noriko Koide. \u003cbr>\u003cbr>On Thursday night, during a reception at City Hall hosted by mayor Daniel Lurie, Chan told the crowd in her casual, charismatic way of speaking that “I love the old classics. But I also love the friggin’ new things! The wacky things!”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For many years, an open question has persisted about when major symphony orchestras would embrace women as music directors or full-time principal conductors. Despite high-profile figures like Marin Alsop and Nathalie Stutzmann, no woman had been appointed at one of the top seven U.S. orchestras until now.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I have felt there to be at times an imbalance of focus on my gender over my whole identity as a musician. I do not want to be given any special treatment because I am a woman,” she wrote. “I am proud of being a woman conductor, but I want to take the next step and go beyond any tags and be seen and valued as the same as my male colleagues.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-symphony\">San Francisco Symphony\u003c/a> has appointed Elim Chan as its new music director. The 39-year-old conductor born in Hong Kong has signed a six-year contract, the Symphony announced on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The appointment is a historic one. Chan will be the first woman to lead the San Francisco Symphony in its 115-year history. She is also the first woman to be hired as music director by one of the so-called “Big 7” symphony orchestras in the United States, encompassing New York, Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Philadelphia.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chan, who recently served as principal conductor for the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra in Belgium, is lesser-known than her two predecessors in San Francisco: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/michael-tilson-thomas\">Michael Tilson Thomas\u003c/a>, who led the orchestra for 25 years and died earlier this month, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13954083/esa-pekka-salonen-steps-down-sf-symphony\">Esa-Pekka Salonen\u003c/a>, who stepped down in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Chan is a much-talked-about rising star in the classical world, serving as principal guest conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and guest conducting the major orchestras in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston to effusive reviews. She made her debut at the San Francisco Symphony in 2023, and has since returned twice, drawing acclaim from audiences, musicians and critics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an interview with KQED Thursday at Davies Symphony Hall, Chan emphasized that one of her goals in San Francisco is to change the public’s perception of the symphony.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A big thing of mine is how to get people who have never listened to classical music, who think that they are not educated enough, or they feel they’re not comfortable enough,” Chan said. “All sorts of reasons, right? We are going to take all those reasons \u003cem>out\u003c/em>. Because coming to the symphony is so cool.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">She can ‘bring out the best’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After her 2023 debut at Davies, the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> hailed Chan as “a promising podium talent, one who combines lithe physical command with a wealth of artistic resources.” Last year, after an all-Tchaikovsky program, the \u003cem>San Francisco Classical Voice\u003c/em> enthused that “it’s clear by now that conductor \u003ca href=\"https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/classical/review-sf-symphony-elim-chan-holst-18436788\">Elim Chan\u003c/a> can bring out the best in a top-rank orchestra.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Symphony is betting that it can offer Chan a sizable enough platform to propel her further upward. Already, she is slated to conduct a program of Berlioz, Debussy and Wagner at Davies on June 5 and 6. Her first full season as music director begins in 2027.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The appointment also marks a victory for San Francisco in its sometime rivalry with Los Angeles. While the Symphony’s selection process for a music director is a highly guarded one, Chan had been one of the names whispered amongst pundits as a contender in San Francisco. Chan had also conducted regularly for the L.A. Philharmonic, and was viewed as a potential successor there to Gustavo Dudamel, whose namesake fellowship she was awarded in 2017.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/fvMRqU1EU_U'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/fvMRqU1EU_U'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a conductor, Chan’s style may best be described as outsized. Praised for her energy and rhythm, and noted for bringing precision and verve to nominally calm, flowing musical passages, Chan transcends her diminutive height. Often, she arcs forward, as if charging after the music. (Along with conducting, Chan also trains on the side with a boxing coach.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Thursday, Chan told KQED that the first time she witnessed Michael Tilson Thomas on the podium, he was conducting his Maverick Series, focusing on new works. She lists off new composers she’s especially excited about: Gabriela Smith, Anthony Cheung, Elizabeth Ogonek, Noriko Koide. \u003cbr>\u003cbr>On Thursday night, during a reception at City Hall hosted by mayor Daniel Lurie, Chan told the crowd in her casual, charismatic way of speaking that “I love the old classics. But I also love the friggin’ new things! The wacky things!”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chan has a track record of balancing the old and the new. She has also studied with traditionalists like Bernard Haitink, who, among other enduring lessons, instilled in Chan a respect for Anton Bruckner. (On Thursday, she said she trusts the San Francisco orchestra enough to finally tackle conducting Bruckner’s music.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Breaking a glass ceiling — and transcending labels\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For many years, an open question has persisted about when major symphony orchestras would embrace women as music directors or full-time principal conductors. Despite high-profile figures like Marin Alsop and Nathalie Stutzmann, no woman had been appointed at one of the top seven U.S. orchestras until now.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2014, still in her 20s, Chan became the first woman to win the esteemed Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in England, bringing her global attention. Two years later, writing for \u003cem>The Guardian\u003c/em>, she called for a de-emphasis on her gender.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I have felt there to be at times an imbalance of focus on my gender over my whole identity as a musician. I do not want to be given any special treatment because I am a woman,” she wrote. “I am proud of being a woman conductor, but I want to take the next step and go beyond any tags and be seen and valued as the same as my male colleagues.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the morning of her announcement, however, Chan said she was able to take a moment to realize the historic importance of the occasion.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Before I walked into the hall to meet the musicians, I told myself, actually, yeah … it \u003cem>is\u003c/em> a big deal,” Chan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chan has also received attention as an Asian, making the Bay Area a natural fit; the region is home to one of the highest percentages of Asian Americans in the continental United States, and Eun Sun Kim, another Asian woman, leads the orchestra at San Francisco Opera. In the 2016 \u003cem>Guardian\u003c/em> piece, Chan expressed a regard for talent over ethnic identity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "free-concerts-bay-area-summer-best",
"title": "The 8 Best Free Concerts in the Bay Area This Summer",
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"headTitle": "The 8 Best Free Concerts in the Bay Area This Summer | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\" target=\"_blank\">How We Get By\u003c/a>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the full series \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We understand. Concert tickets are too expensive. Why not make a summertime project of seeing free concerts all around the Bay Area instead?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If, like many others these days, you find yourself logging onto Ticketmaster and cursing the gods, then see below for our select list of free live music this summer in the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989605\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1268px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/BillyHart.CRED_.DesmondWhite.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1268\" height=\"672\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989605\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/BillyHart.CRED_.DesmondWhite.jpg 1268w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/BillyHart.CRED_.DesmondWhite-160x85.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/BillyHart.CRED_.DesmondWhite-768x407.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1268px) 100vw, 1268px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jazz drummer Billy Hart. \u003ccite>(Desmond White)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://healdsburgjazz.org/festival-schedule/june-13-2026/\">George Cables, Billy Hart, Rufus Reid and others\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>June 13\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>Healdsburg Plaza, Healdsburg\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of our favorite annual traditions takes place during the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, when musical legends like Houston Person or Charles McPherson play casual afternoon sets in the town square, completely free. This year, the plaza hosts a tribute to the late bassist Ray Drummond, with a quintet of all-stars: Billy Hart (pictured above), George Cables, Rufus Reid, Bobby Watson and Craig Handy. Visiting the chi-chi wine country town has only gotten more expensive over the years, but for one day in June, at least, Healdsburg is home to the best deal in classic jazz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989604\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Afterthought.TopChefs.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989604\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Afterthought.TopChefs.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Afterthought.TopChefs-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Afterthought.TopChefs-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Afterthought (center) with the Top Chefs, performing on the stoop in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Top Chefs)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://illuminate.org/event/friday-happy-hour-june-19/\">The Top Chefs\u003c/a> / \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rebel-soul-fest-2026-tickets-1988568553073\">Rebel Soul Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>June 19 and 20\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>Golden Gate Park Bandshell, San Francisco\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The historic Golden Gate Park bandshell hosts a who’s-who of local talent each summer. On Friday, June 19, it’s the Top Chefs, a tight-knit group of instrumentalists who \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DF6kCnBvRdQ/\">sometimes play on San Francisco stoops\u003c/a>; charismatic and thoughtful rapper Afterthought fronts the band. On Saturday, Rebel Soul Records presents soul singers Martin Luther McCoy and Otis McDonald; freestyle rap champ Frak; Oakland MC Ian Kelly and more. Soak in the sun on the concourse and enjoy the crisp acoustics of the bandshell, where \u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/1570/Golden-Gate-Bandshell-Concerts\">free concerts run weekly all through the summer\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13908335\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/Herbst-Theatre-Exterior.jpg\" alt=\"Lit-up exterior of beaux arts building at night.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13908335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/Herbst-Theatre-Exterior.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/Herbst-Theatre-Exterior-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/Herbst-Theatre-Exterior-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/Herbst-Theatre-Exterior-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/Herbst-Theatre-Exterior-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/Herbst-Theatre-Exterior-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Herbst Theatre, in San Francisco’s War Memorial. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of San Francisco Performances)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcivicmusic.org/calendar\">Henryk Górecki, Symphony No. 3\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>June 21\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>Herbst Theater, San Francisco\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if you don’t think you’ve heard Górecki’s 1977 symphony, you probably have — possibly in the Netflix series \u003ci>The Crown\u003c/i>, or in feature films like \u003ci>Basquiat\u003c/i> and \u003ci>A Hidden Life\u003c/i>. The languid, emotional work shares a mood with Arvo Pärt’s \u003ci>Spiegel im Spiegel\u003c/i> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13927554/barry-jenkins-nicholas-britell-interview-soundbox-san-francisco-symphony\">Nicholas Britell’s “Agape,”\u003c/a> perfect for conveying a feeling of hopeful beauty. In a program that includes two piano pieces by Chopin, the free Sunday afternoon concert in the heart of San Francisco features Marnie Breckenridge in the soprano role.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13906756\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1390px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/2676A77F-DF1D-458C-95AB-222CFBF2911F-1-1-e1638496339267.jpeg\" alt=\"Miko Marks\" width=\"1390\" height=\"997\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13906756\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/2676A77F-DF1D-458C-95AB-222CFBF2911F-1-1-e1638496339267.jpeg 1390w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/2676A77F-DF1D-458C-95AB-222CFBF2911F-1-1-e1638496339267-800x574.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/2676A77F-DF1D-458C-95AB-222CFBF2911F-1-1-e1638496339267-1020x732.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/2676A77F-DF1D-458C-95AB-222CFBF2911F-1-1-e1638496339267-160x115.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/2676A77F-DF1D-458C-95AB-222CFBF2911F-1-1-e1638496339267-768x551.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1390px) 100vw, 1390px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Miko Marks. \u003ccite>(Amanda Lopez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cortemaderacommunityfoundation.org/corte-madera-summer-concerts\">Miko Marks\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>July 5\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>Town Park, Corte Madera\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The singer Miko Marks, from Oakland, knows that all the best country music lives just a half-inch away from soul music. For two decades now, she’s been teaching that lesson to the rest of the country, from the restlessness of her 2005 debut \u003ci>Freeway Bound\u003c/i> to the puttin’-down-roots theme of her recent album \u003ci>Feel Like Goin’ Home\u003c/i>. A stellar live performer, she’s a highlight of this year’s Corte Madera’s summertime free music series (which also boasts the sharply skilled blues guitarist Jackie Greene on Aug. 25).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989606\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1440px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Wray-2025-for-site.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1440\" height=\"960\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989606\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Wray-2025-for-site.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Wray-2025-for-site-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Wray-2025-for-site-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lady Wray performs at this year’s Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Big Crown Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/lady-wray/\">Lady Wray\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>July 11\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born in Salinas and raised in the church, Nicole Wray first entered the music biz working in the sequined-wardrobe era of pop R&B. A couple decades later, she’s become one of the most emotional purveyors of acutely traditional soul; her recordings could easily be mistaken for a forgotten 45 rpm record from 1968. This year’s Yerba Buena Gardens Festival has no shortage of great free concerts, including Mission District faves \u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/la-gente-sf-2026/\">La Gente SF\u003c/a> (July 16) and the Ecuadorian American musician \u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/helado-negro-reyna-tropical/\">Helado Negro\u003c/a> (Aug. 15), but for #saturdayvibes, Lady Wray’s our pick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10604599\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1913px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/04/PMO.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1913\" height=\"955\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10604599\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/04/PMO.jpg 1913w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/04/PMO-400x200.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/04/PMO-800x399.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/04/PMO-1180x589.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/04/PMO-960x479.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1913px) 100vw, 1913px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Pacific Mambo Orchestra. \u003ccite>(Artist Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://jazzontheplazz.com/2026-concerts/\">Pacific Mambo Orchestra\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>July 15\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>Los Gatos Town Plaza, Los Gatos \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve ever watched supper-club scenes from movies made in the 1940s and thought, “I wish dance bands like that still existed,” well, look no further. The Pacific Mambo Orchestra is a tight-knit, swinging unit that modernizes the nightclub bands of yesteryear, adept in salsa, mambo and other Latin big-band styles. It’s no wonder they’ve played at jazz festivals all over the world and won a Grammy Award. This one’s free \u003ci>and\u003c/i> worth the trip down to the furthest corner of the South Bay before you hit Hwy. 17’s long winding path down to Santa Cruz. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989607\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/AlGreen.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1875\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989607\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/AlGreen.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/AlGreen-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/AlGreen-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/AlGreen-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/AlGreen-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/AlGreen-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Al Green headlines this year’s Stern Grove Festival finale. \u003ccite>(David Raccuglia)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sterngrove.org/lineup2026\">Al Green\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Aug. 16\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>Stern Grove, San Francisco\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are so many shows to choose from at this year’s Stern Grove Festival — Japanese Breakfast, the Violent Femmes, Public Enemy — but c’mon now. Al Green. \u003ci>Al Green\u003c/i>. The most famous human embodiment of the sacred meeting the sexual this side of Aretha Franklin. The Memphis reverend who hands out roses to all the ladies. If you’re going to brave the festival’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sterngrove.org/galotterytickets\">relatively recent ticket lottery system\u003c/a> for just one show, make it the man behind “Tired of Being Alone,” “Love and Happiness” “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” and “Let’s Stay Together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989608\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Deke_Dickerson_1_photo_credit_Susie_Delaney.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989608\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Deke_Dickerson_1_photo_credit_Susie_Delaney.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Deke_Dickerson_1_photo_credit_Susie_Delaney-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Deke_Dickerson_1_photo_credit_Susie_Delaney-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Deke_Dickerson_1_photo_credit_Susie_Delaney-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Deke Dickerson appears as part of the KRSH-FM free backyard concert series. \u003ccite>(Susie Delaney)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.krsh.com/backyard-concerts-2026/\">Deke Dickerson\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Aug. 20 \u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>KRSH Studios Backyard, Santa Rosa \u003c/i>\u003ci>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For lovers of country pickin’, Telecaster twangin’ and B-string bendin’, there are few finer guitarists than Deke Dickerson. Raised on rockabilly and not immune to novelty (he performed in the Go-Nuts, a “snack rock” band that once showered the Bottom of the Hill in a hailstorm of donuts), Dickerson is serious about guitars, even once penning a biography of country guitar icon Merle Travis. In the humble backyard of Americana radio station KRSH — its studios are located inside a passenger train car — this should be an afternoon of free music to remember. \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\" target=\"_blank\">How We Get By\u003c/a>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the full series \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We understand. Concert tickets are too expensive. Why not make a summertime project of seeing free concerts all around the Bay Area instead?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If, like many others these days, you find yourself logging onto Ticketmaster and cursing the gods, then see below for our select list of free live music this summer in the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989605\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1268px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/BillyHart.CRED_.DesmondWhite.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1268\" height=\"672\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989605\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/BillyHart.CRED_.DesmondWhite.jpg 1268w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/BillyHart.CRED_.DesmondWhite-160x85.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/BillyHart.CRED_.DesmondWhite-768x407.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1268px) 100vw, 1268px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jazz drummer Billy Hart. \u003ccite>(Desmond White)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://healdsburgjazz.org/festival-schedule/june-13-2026/\">George Cables, Billy Hart, Rufus Reid and others\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>June 13\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>Healdsburg Plaza, Healdsburg\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of our favorite annual traditions takes place during the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, when musical legends like Houston Person or Charles McPherson play casual afternoon sets in the town square, completely free. This year, the plaza hosts a tribute to the late bassist Ray Drummond, with a quintet of all-stars: Billy Hart (pictured above), George Cables, Rufus Reid, Bobby Watson and Craig Handy. Visiting the chi-chi wine country town has only gotten more expensive over the years, but for one day in June, at least, Healdsburg is home to the best deal in classic jazz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989604\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Afterthought.TopChefs.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989604\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Afterthought.TopChefs.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Afterthought.TopChefs-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Afterthought.TopChefs-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Afterthought (center) with the Top Chefs, performing on the stoop in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Top Chefs)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://illuminate.org/event/friday-happy-hour-june-19/\">The Top Chefs\u003c/a> / \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rebel-soul-fest-2026-tickets-1988568553073\">Rebel Soul Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>June 19 and 20\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>Golden Gate Park Bandshell, San Francisco\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The historic Golden Gate Park bandshell hosts a who’s-who of local talent each summer. On Friday, June 19, it’s the Top Chefs, a tight-knit group of instrumentalists who \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DF6kCnBvRdQ/\">sometimes play on San Francisco stoops\u003c/a>; charismatic and thoughtful rapper Afterthought fronts the band. On Saturday, Rebel Soul Records presents soul singers Martin Luther McCoy and Otis McDonald; freestyle rap champ Frak; Oakland MC Ian Kelly and more. Soak in the sun on the concourse and enjoy the crisp acoustics of the bandshell, where \u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/1570/Golden-Gate-Bandshell-Concerts\">free concerts run weekly all through the summer\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13908335\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/Herbst-Theatre-Exterior.jpg\" alt=\"Lit-up exterior of beaux arts building at night.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13908335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/Herbst-Theatre-Exterior.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/Herbst-Theatre-Exterior-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/Herbst-Theatre-Exterior-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/Herbst-Theatre-Exterior-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/Herbst-Theatre-Exterior-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/Herbst-Theatre-Exterior-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Herbst Theatre, in San Francisco’s War Memorial. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of San Francisco Performances)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcivicmusic.org/calendar\">Henryk Górecki, Symphony No. 3\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>June 21\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>Herbst Theater, San Francisco\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if you don’t think you’ve heard Górecki’s 1977 symphony, you probably have — possibly in the Netflix series \u003ci>The Crown\u003c/i>, or in feature films like \u003ci>Basquiat\u003c/i> and \u003ci>A Hidden Life\u003c/i>. The languid, emotional work shares a mood with Arvo Pärt’s \u003ci>Spiegel im Spiegel\u003c/i> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13927554/barry-jenkins-nicholas-britell-interview-soundbox-san-francisco-symphony\">Nicholas Britell’s “Agape,”\u003c/a> perfect for conveying a feeling of hopeful beauty. In a program that includes two piano pieces by Chopin, the free Sunday afternoon concert in the heart of San Francisco features Marnie Breckenridge in the soprano role.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13906756\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1390px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/2676A77F-DF1D-458C-95AB-222CFBF2911F-1-1-e1638496339267.jpeg\" alt=\"Miko Marks\" width=\"1390\" height=\"997\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13906756\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/2676A77F-DF1D-458C-95AB-222CFBF2911F-1-1-e1638496339267.jpeg 1390w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/2676A77F-DF1D-458C-95AB-222CFBF2911F-1-1-e1638496339267-800x574.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/2676A77F-DF1D-458C-95AB-222CFBF2911F-1-1-e1638496339267-1020x732.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/2676A77F-DF1D-458C-95AB-222CFBF2911F-1-1-e1638496339267-160x115.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/2676A77F-DF1D-458C-95AB-222CFBF2911F-1-1-e1638496339267-768x551.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1390px) 100vw, 1390px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Miko Marks. \u003ccite>(Amanda Lopez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cortemaderacommunityfoundation.org/corte-madera-summer-concerts\">Miko Marks\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>July 5\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>Town Park, Corte Madera\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The singer Miko Marks, from Oakland, knows that all the best country music lives just a half-inch away from soul music. For two decades now, she’s been teaching that lesson to the rest of the country, from the restlessness of her 2005 debut \u003ci>Freeway Bound\u003c/i> to the puttin’-down-roots theme of her recent album \u003ci>Feel Like Goin’ Home\u003c/i>. A stellar live performer, she’s a highlight of this year’s Corte Madera’s summertime free music series (which also boasts the sharply skilled blues guitarist Jackie Greene on Aug. 25).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989606\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1440px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Wray-2025-for-site.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1440\" height=\"960\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989606\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Wray-2025-for-site.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Wray-2025-for-site-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Wray-2025-for-site-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lady Wray performs at this year’s Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Big Crown Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/lady-wray/\">Lady Wray\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>July 11\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born in Salinas and raised in the church, Nicole Wray first entered the music biz working in the sequined-wardrobe era of pop R&B. A couple decades later, she’s become one of the most emotional purveyors of acutely traditional soul; her recordings could easily be mistaken for a forgotten 45 rpm record from 1968. This year’s Yerba Buena Gardens Festival has no shortage of great free concerts, including Mission District faves \u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/la-gente-sf-2026/\">La Gente SF\u003c/a> (July 16) and the Ecuadorian American musician \u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/helado-negro-reyna-tropical/\">Helado Negro\u003c/a> (Aug. 15), but for #saturdayvibes, Lady Wray’s our pick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10604599\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1913px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/04/PMO.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1913\" height=\"955\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10604599\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/04/PMO.jpg 1913w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/04/PMO-400x200.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/04/PMO-800x399.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/04/PMO-1180x589.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/04/PMO-960x479.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1913px) 100vw, 1913px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Pacific Mambo Orchestra. \u003ccite>(Artist Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://jazzontheplazz.com/2026-concerts/\">Pacific Mambo Orchestra\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>July 15\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>Los Gatos Town Plaza, Los Gatos \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve ever watched supper-club scenes from movies made in the 1940s and thought, “I wish dance bands like that still existed,” well, look no further. The Pacific Mambo Orchestra is a tight-knit, swinging unit that modernizes the nightclub bands of yesteryear, adept in salsa, mambo and other Latin big-band styles. It’s no wonder they’ve played at jazz festivals all over the world and won a Grammy Award. This one’s free \u003ci>and\u003c/i> worth the trip down to the furthest corner of the South Bay before you hit Hwy. 17’s long winding path down to Santa Cruz. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989607\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/AlGreen.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1875\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989607\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/AlGreen.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/AlGreen-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/AlGreen-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/AlGreen-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/AlGreen-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/AlGreen-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Al Green headlines this year’s Stern Grove Festival finale. \u003ccite>(David Raccuglia)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sterngrove.org/lineup2026\">Al Green\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Aug. 16\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>Stern Grove, San Francisco\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are so many shows to choose from at this year’s Stern Grove Festival — Japanese Breakfast, the Violent Femmes, Public Enemy — but c’mon now. Al Green. \u003ci>Al Green\u003c/i>. The most famous human embodiment of the sacred meeting the sexual this side of Aretha Franklin. The Memphis reverend who hands out roses to all the ladies. If you’re going to brave the festival’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sterngrove.org/galotterytickets\">relatively recent ticket lottery system\u003c/a> for just one show, make it the man behind “Tired of Being Alone,” “Love and Happiness” “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” and “Let’s Stay Together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989608\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Deke_Dickerson_1_photo_credit_Susie_Delaney.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989608\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Deke_Dickerson_1_photo_credit_Susie_Delaney.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Deke_Dickerson_1_photo_credit_Susie_Delaney-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Deke_Dickerson_1_photo_credit_Susie_Delaney-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Deke_Dickerson_1_photo_credit_Susie_Delaney-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Deke Dickerson appears as part of the KRSH-FM free backyard concert series. \u003ccite>(Susie Delaney)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.krsh.com/backyard-concerts-2026/\">Deke Dickerson\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Aug. 20 \u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>KRSH Studios Backyard, Santa Rosa \u003c/i>\u003ci>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For lovers of country pickin’, Telecaster twangin’ and B-string bendin’, there are few finer guitarists than Deke Dickerson. Raised on rockabilly and not immune to novelty (he performed in the Go-Nuts, a “snack rock” band that once showered the Bottom of the Hill in a hailstorm of donuts), Dickerson is serious about guitars, even once penning a biography of country guitar icon Merle Travis. In the humble backyard of Americana radio station KRSH — its studios are located inside a passenger train car — this should be an afternoon of free music to remember. \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "vikingur-olafsson-interview-bach-beethoven-schubert-iceland-piano",
"title": "Víkingur Ólafsson Talks Bach, Nature and the Bay Area",
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"headTitle": "Víkingur Ólafsson Talks Bach, Nature and the Bay Area | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>The Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is one of the world’s most engrossing live performers of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/classical-music\">classical piano music\u003c/a> right now. Dazzling yet nuanced, he visited the Bay Area twice last year: to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13970454/john-adams-piano-concerto-vikingur-olafsson-san-francisco-symphony-review\">premiere an exciting new John Adams concerto\u003c/a> and to pull off \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13972538/review-vikingur-olafsson-goldberg-variations-davies-yuja-wang-canceled\">Bach’s Goldberg Variations from memory in a last-minute program switcheroo\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Goldberg Variations, in particular, rewired Ólafsson’s consciousness after performing them for more than a year in concert halls around the world: “Slowly, the work takes over your perception of reality, forcing you to notice how, really, everything can be viewed as a set of variations,” he says. “Places, events, people. Trees, leaves, houses, streets. Thoughts and ideas. Cells and DNA.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, on a recent album on Deutsche Grammophon and \u003ca href=\"https://calperformances.org/events/2025-26/recital/vikingur-olafsson-piano-opus-109/\">in a concert this week presented by Cal Performances at Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall\u003c/a>, the widely lauded 42-year-old pianist directs his attention to Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 30, adding context of Bach and Schubert to show the threads of imagination among three composers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ólafsson spoke with KQED about the Bay Area, his process and his home country of Iceland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988880\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1637px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988880\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-2-c-Markus-Jans.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1637\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-2-c-Markus-Jans.jpg 1637w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-2-c-Markus-Jans-160x195.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-2-c-Markus-Jans-768x938.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-2-c-Markus-Jans-1257x1536.jpg 1257w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1637px) 100vw, 1637px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Víkingur Ólafsson. \u003ccite>(Markus Jans)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED: You keep coming back to the Bay Area. What are your general impressions of the region?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Víkingur Ólafsson\u003c/strong>: I love it so much. I could live there if it wasn’t so far away from home. It’s a perfect place. It has some of the most interesting people. And of course, it has one of the people who is dearest to me in the whole music world, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/john-adams\">John Adams\u003c/a>. When I come to the Bay Area, I’m looking forward to it every time. I know I’ll have good conversations, excellent food and, hopefully, good performances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I like Japantown — I very much like the restaurants there, and the vibe. The time before last when I was there, I went hiking, and it was just so wonderful. The coffee in the Bay Area is so excellent that you can almost go into any coffee shop, and this is unusual for the United States, but you can really get fabulous coffee everywhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You premiered John Adams’ newest concerto here. What is it like working with John Adams?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s the kind of composer that reinvents himself in every piece. You never know what you’re gonna get, except that it’s gonna be beautiful and fantastic, because he’s such an incredible creator in that sense. I was so excited by that, him writing a piece for me — the honor of my musical life, really. I have such high regard for this man on all levels. As a composer, but also just a musical thinker in general. It’s fantastic to talk with him about Debussy, or Bach or Beethoven.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13970454']It helps that I have a very good relationship with him and consider him a dear friend, and an ally. We’ve known each other now for five years and spent time together in different parts of the world. And so it feels very personal, him writing me a concerto, and of course in the manner he did: a three-movement work, but in one connected structure, with that incredible Bach fantasia taking over the third movement. It’s such a stroke of genius, but it also felt very much like he was sort of tailor-making it for me. He created a world for me to inhabit very freely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You have a new album, \u003cem>Opus 109\u003c/em>, which you’ll play in Berkeley. It seems very inspired by your time touring with the Goldberg Variations.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once you spend a year with the Goldberg Variations, you start to see traces of it in so much of music that came after Bach. And nowhere, I believe, more than in the late works of Ludwig van Beethoven, when he comes back from that five-year silence and goes into what we now have come to call his third period. Beethoven’s revolution with the third period, this music of the future — I realized it was very much fueled by Bach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beethoven’s last three sonatas, Opus 109, 110, 111, these three sisters, they’re always played together. And I was actually gonna try to do that, to be a good boy for once, and do something like everybody does it. But I failed with that. I just didn’t like it. Opus 109 is such a perfect sonata, it really deserves to be the center of the program. I looked around and I saw very strong connections, especially with the second movement of Beethoven’s E minor sonata, Opus 90, written six years before the Opus 109.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/DJs9AYlvSiM?si=RRNOtVBB8GrvMgKq\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then in the middle of those two sonatas, young Schubert, living in the same city as Beethoven, writes this E minor sonata that’s basically forgotten today. And it’s an absolute masterpiece of work. Later-time musicologists added a terrible scherzo, in A-flat major, found in the same sketchbook, but it’s just a rough draft. And then someone else found another E major movement, a rondo, which also is quite terrible, which was written two years before the other parts of that sonata. They put that as a fourth movement. I just looked at it and was like, “Well, the sonata is already complete in two movements.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I also decided to put a little Bach into the mix. And I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but I wanted to test if I could actually do an entire album in E — just in one tonality, E major, E minor — and get away with it. And at least for me personally, I think you don’t really get tired of that tonality. I haven’t heard anyone complain yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13972538']\u003cstrong>You said in your post-concert comments, last time you were here, that “One should never apologize for Johann Sebastian Bach.” Do you find yourself having to defend Bach against people who say that Bach is too mathematical, or architectural?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I mean, that’s like someone telling me that nature isn’t beautiful. I don’t have anything to say to them. I feel bad for them if they see no beauty, if they hear no beauty. There’s nothing to be said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is there anything about growing up in Iceland that has influenced your playing or your studies?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You could say the instability of Iceland, in every sense. The fact that it’s very much still being born as an island, with all the earthquakes, with all of the volcanoes, with the glaciers, with that fact that the nature there and the weather changes constantly. It’s an incredibly dynamic country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988881\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988881\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-4-c-Markus-Jans.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-4-c-Markus-Jans.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-4-c-Markus-Jans-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-4-c-Markus-Jans-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-4-c-Markus-Jans-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Víkingur Ólafsson. \u003ccite>(Markus Jans)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And the fact that I come from a country where I had a much longer path than I might have had if I came from a different culture with more connections to the music industry. I became world-famous inside Iceland, and was completely unknown outside of Iceland. I was filling the house every night as a 21-year-old, but no one had heard of me! That gave me a lot of creative time in my youth and my formative years to experiment more than if I’d had an international career pushed upon me when I was 22 or 24.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are so many other factors that are more subconscious than that. But I think the slowness of my path, although I wasn’t grateful for it at the time, helped me in that sense.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Víkingur Olafsson performs selections for solo piano by Beethoven, Bach and Schubert on Wednesday, April 29, presented by Cal Performances at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley. \u003ca href=\"https://calperformances.org/events/2025-26/recital/vikingur-olafsson-piano-opus-109/\">More information and tickets here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Saying Bach is too mathematical ‘is like someone telling me that nature isn't beautiful,’ says the pianist. ",
"status": "publish",
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"title": "Víkingur Ólafsson Talks Bach, Nature and the Bay Area | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is one of the world’s most engrossing live performers of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/classical-music\">classical piano music\u003c/a> right now. Dazzling yet nuanced, he visited the Bay Area twice last year: to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13970454/john-adams-piano-concerto-vikingur-olafsson-san-francisco-symphony-review\">premiere an exciting new John Adams concerto\u003c/a> and to pull off \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13972538/review-vikingur-olafsson-goldberg-variations-davies-yuja-wang-canceled\">Bach’s Goldberg Variations from memory in a last-minute program switcheroo\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Goldberg Variations, in particular, rewired Ólafsson’s consciousness after performing them for more than a year in concert halls around the world: “Slowly, the work takes over your perception of reality, forcing you to notice how, really, everything can be viewed as a set of variations,” he says. “Places, events, people. Trees, leaves, houses, streets. Thoughts and ideas. Cells and DNA.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, on a recent album on Deutsche Grammophon and \u003ca href=\"https://calperformances.org/events/2025-26/recital/vikingur-olafsson-piano-opus-109/\">in a concert this week presented by Cal Performances at Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall\u003c/a>, the widely lauded 42-year-old pianist directs his attention to Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 30, adding context of Bach and Schubert to show the threads of imagination among three composers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ólafsson spoke with KQED about the Bay Area, his process and his home country of Iceland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988880\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1637px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988880\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-2-c-Markus-Jans.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1637\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-2-c-Markus-Jans.jpg 1637w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-2-c-Markus-Jans-160x195.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-2-c-Markus-Jans-768x938.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-2-c-Markus-Jans-1257x1536.jpg 1257w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1637px) 100vw, 1637px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Víkingur Ólafsson. \u003ccite>(Markus Jans)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED: You keep coming back to the Bay Area. What are your general impressions of the region?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Víkingur Ólafsson\u003c/strong>: I love it so much. I could live there if it wasn’t so far away from home. It’s a perfect place. It has some of the most interesting people. And of course, it has one of the people who is dearest to me in the whole music world, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/john-adams\">John Adams\u003c/a>. When I come to the Bay Area, I’m looking forward to it every time. I know I’ll have good conversations, excellent food and, hopefully, good performances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I like Japantown — I very much like the restaurants there, and the vibe. The time before last when I was there, I went hiking, and it was just so wonderful. The coffee in the Bay Area is so excellent that you can almost go into any coffee shop, and this is unusual for the United States, but you can really get fabulous coffee everywhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You premiered John Adams’ newest concerto here. What is it like working with John Adams?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s the kind of composer that reinvents himself in every piece. You never know what you’re gonna get, except that it’s gonna be beautiful and fantastic, because he’s such an incredible creator in that sense. I was so excited by that, him writing a piece for me — the honor of my musical life, really. I have such high regard for this man on all levels. As a composer, but also just a musical thinker in general. It’s fantastic to talk with him about Debussy, or Bach or Beethoven.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>It helps that I have a very good relationship with him and consider him a dear friend, and an ally. We’ve known each other now for five years and spent time together in different parts of the world. And so it feels very personal, him writing me a concerto, and of course in the manner he did: a three-movement work, but in one connected structure, with that incredible Bach fantasia taking over the third movement. It’s such a stroke of genius, but it also felt very much like he was sort of tailor-making it for me. He created a world for me to inhabit very freely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You have a new album, \u003cem>Opus 109\u003c/em>, which you’ll play in Berkeley. It seems very inspired by your time touring with the Goldberg Variations.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once you spend a year with the Goldberg Variations, you start to see traces of it in so much of music that came after Bach. And nowhere, I believe, more than in the late works of Ludwig van Beethoven, when he comes back from that five-year silence and goes into what we now have come to call his third period. Beethoven’s revolution with the third period, this music of the future — I realized it was very much fueled by Bach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beethoven’s last three sonatas, Opus 109, 110, 111, these three sisters, they’re always played together. And I was actually gonna try to do that, to be a good boy for once, and do something like everybody does it. But I failed with that. I just didn’t like it. Opus 109 is such a perfect sonata, it really deserves to be the center of the program. I looked around and I saw very strong connections, especially with the second movement of Beethoven’s E minor sonata, Opus 90, written six years before the Opus 109.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/DJs9AYlvSiM'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/DJs9AYlvSiM'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Then in the middle of those two sonatas, young Schubert, living in the same city as Beethoven, writes this E minor sonata that’s basically forgotten today. And it’s an absolute masterpiece of work. Later-time musicologists added a terrible scherzo, in A-flat major, found in the same sketchbook, but it’s just a rough draft. And then someone else found another E major movement, a rondo, which also is quite terrible, which was written two years before the other parts of that sonata. They put that as a fourth movement. I just looked at it and was like, “Well, the sonata is already complete in two movements.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I also decided to put a little Bach into the mix. And I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but I wanted to test if I could actually do an entire album in E — just in one tonality, E major, E minor — and get away with it. And at least for me personally, I think you don’t really get tired of that tonality. I haven’t heard anyone complain yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You said in your post-concert comments, last time you were here, that “One should never apologize for Johann Sebastian Bach.” Do you find yourself having to defend Bach against people who say that Bach is too mathematical, or architectural?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I mean, that’s like someone telling me that nature isn’t beautiful. I don’t have anything to say to them. I feel bad for them if they see no beauty, if they hear no beauty. There’s nothing to be said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is there anything about growing up in Iceland that has influenced your playing or your studies?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You could say the instability of Iceland, in every sense. The fact that it’s very much still being born as an island, with all the earthquakes, with all of the volcanoes, with the glaciers, with that fact that the nature there and the weather changes constantly. It’s an incredibly dynamic country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988881\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988881\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-4-c-Markus-Jans.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-4-c-Markus-Jans.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-4-c-Markus-Jans-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-4-c-Markus-Jans-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/VO-4-c-Markus-Jans-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Víkingur Ólafsson. \u003ccite>(Markus Jans)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And the fact that I come from a country where I had a much longer path than I might have had if I came from a different culture with more connections to the music industry. I became world-famous inside Iceland, and was completely unknown outside of Iceland. I was filling the house every night as a 21-year-old, but no one had heard of me! That gave me a lot of creative time in my youth and my formative years to experiment more than if I’d had an international career pushed upon me when I was 22 or 24.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are so many other factors that are more subconscious than that. But I think the slowness of my path, although I wasn’t grateful for it at the time, helped me in that sense.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Víkingur Olafsson performs selections for solo piano by Beethoven, Bach and Schubert on Wednesday, April 29, presented by Cal Performances at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley. \u003ca href=\"https://calperformances.org/events/2025-26/recital/vikingur-olafsson-piano-opus-109/\">More information and tickets here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Michael Tilson Thomas Showed Us How to Love",
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"content": "\u003cp>The last time I saw Michael Tilson Thomas, it wasn’t on stage at Davies Symphony Hall. It was at the Roxie Theater, at a screening of the 1932 film \u003cem>Merrily We Go To Hell\u003c/em>, in July of last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He and his husband, Joshua Robison, stood smiling in the lobby after the film, out in the city they loved. I couldn’t help but give him a nod and a “Good to see you.” It was \u003cem>always\u003c/em> good to see him. When Thomas was around, you knew something exciting was likely to happen. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After one of the world’s most remarkable careers in classical music, Thomas \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13988770/michael-tilson-thomas-dead-at-81-san-francisco\">died Wednesday at age 81\u003c/a>, at his home. The phrase “surrounded by loved ones” usually means family around a bedside. I like to imagine the entire population of San Francisco surrounding him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because, my goodness, he showed us how to love music, which is to say how to love the world, and each other. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951059\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13951059\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Tilson Thomas embraces concertmaster Alexander Barantschik after the San Francisco Symphony’s performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, at Davies Symphony Hall. \u003ccite>(Stefan Cohen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I’ve seen others propose that Thomas “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/arts/music/michael-tilson-thomas-dead.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share\">demystified\u003c/a>” classical music, but I would argue that he did the opposite. He made it accessible, yes. But he also held it up with curiosity and wonder, and said, “Isn’t this so \u003cem>terrifically\u003c/em> mysterious, so beautiful, how all these different elements somehow work together, to create this incredible thing called music?” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I know, because he had that effect on me. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I first encountered Michael Tilson Thomas in 1995, during his first season at the San Francisco Symphony as Music Director, conducting Stravinsky with the young violinist Midori. At age 19, I’d just gotten off tour with my punk band. I was invited by a friend I’d met at a warehouse show. Not the typical audience for classical music, in other words. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thomas took the podium, the music started, and I was transfixed. I’d taken piano lessons as a child and played in the school band, but had left formality behind for more ferocious, chaotic music that moved me, made by bands like D.R.I., Septic Death and Neurosis. That night in 1995, Michael Tilson Thomas pulled me back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10217547\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1100px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/Soundbox.MTT_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1100\" height=\"733\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10217547\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/Soundbox.MTT_.jpg 1100w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/Soundbox.MTT_-400x266.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/Soundbox.MTT_-800x533.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Tilson Thomas with members of the SF Symphony and Chorus. (Photo: Stefan Cohen)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He did it again in 2001, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13875367/a-landmark-of-michael-tilson-thomas-career-revisited\">continuing undaunted with a scheduled performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 just one day after 9/11\u003c/a>. Nicknamed the “Tragic” symphony, and inspired by death and loss, the piece’s finale utilized a giant hammer smashed upon a large drum. The whole thing was appropriately thundering, and turbulent. I walked out of Davies that night in a daze at the power of great art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recording of that performance won a Grammy award, one of many for Thomas. It also turned me into a Mahler devotee. “Get that Renaissance music out of here —\u003cem> we are a Mahler city!\u003c/em>” I sometimes like to joke. But it’s true: like his mentor Leonard Bernstein, Thomas made us all Mahler fans. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then in 2015, Thomas \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10216961/live-review-soundbox-classical-goes-clubbing\">premiered SoundBox\u003c/a>, a series of classical concerts in the warehouse-like back hall of Davies. At Soundbox, you could stand instead of sit. You could use your phone. You could drink. You could be \u003cem>yourself\u003c/em> at a classical concert, basically, which meant everything for people like myself more accustomed to sweaty clubs than concert halls. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it worked. That first season, I was exposed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm06nqdG9wU\">Meredith Monk’s wildly pulsating \u003cem>Panda Chant II\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/g_4-kt0LVdU?si=Vqs3MlGKzSTHDasW\">Lou Harrison’s fiery \u003cem>Pacifika Rondo\u003c/em> selection “A Hatred of the Filthy Bomb”\u003c/a> — two classical pieces that are, frankly, punk as hell. More than a decade later, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Discover-the-Music/SoundBox\">Soundbox is still running\u003c/a>, and producing classical converts. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10217079\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/SoundBox.Hed_.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Tilson Thomas surveys the crowd before introducing the premiere of SoundBox in 2014.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10217079\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/SoundBox.Hed_.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/SoundBox.Hed_-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/SoundBox.Hed_-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/SoundBox.Hed_-1180x663.jpg 1180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Tilson Thomas surveys the crowd before introducing the premiere of SoundBox in 2014. \u003ccite>(Gabe Meline/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Naturally, the past four years have brought a poignance to each Thomas appearance, knowing his diagnosis with an aggressive form of brain cancer. Not that he ever wanted anybody to be sad about it. When he made his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13951043/review-michael-tilson-thomas-mahler-5-san-francisco-symphony\">final series appearance to conduct a soaring Mahler’s Fifth Symphony in 2024\u003c/a> — using no sheet music — he smiled and joked around during his entrance, setting an upbeat mood. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the end, the applause was so long and sustained that he finally quieted the crowd by \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@horsesweremylife/video/7329402685969698094\">miming that it was time for him to have a nightcap and go to bed\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mood was even more upbeat, even jovial, at his 80th birthday concert last year. As if to spite the news that his cancer had returned, Thomas happily conducted Britten and Respighi; an all-star cast sang Thomas’ favorite songs; and a giant balloon drop capped the evening. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He sat on stage, singing along, holding Robison’s hand. Commemorative blue bandanas draped on every seat bore a quote from Thomas, reading, in part, “To be an artist is to have the courage for rebirth and growth. It’s neverending.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13975353\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a blue shirt clasps his hands in appreciation next to a door as smiling friends stand close by\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13975353\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Tilson Thomas leaves the stage for the last time with Joshua Robison, Edwin Outwater and Teddy Abrams at the end of his 80th birthday celebration at Davies Symphony Hall, April 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Stefan Cohen / San Francisco Symphony)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Thomas cared deeply about music. “When we first met during my job interview, we spent the entire conversation on a single piece of music — Ligeti’s Violin Concerto,” said San Francisco Symphony CEO Matthew Spivey. “That was how he came to know people, and came to know the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also often insisted that the true measure of his life’s work was not the many, many accolades and awards for his music, but its lasting effect on the audience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love this music that I make,” he once \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/201506031000/michael-tilson-thomas-on-beethoven-innovation-and-20-years-with-the-san-francisco-symphony\">told KQED’s Michael Krasny in 2015\u003c/a>. “But I’ve always said that for me, the most important moment in music was what happens when the music ends. When the symphony stops, what is left then?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now that the music has ended, I can tell you what’s left: a whole lot of love. \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The last time I saw Michael Tilson Thomas, it wasn’t on stage at Davies Symphony Hall. It was at the Roxie Theater, at a screening of the 1932 film \u003cem>Merrily We Go To Hell\u003c/em>, in July of last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He and his husband, Joshua Robison, stood smiling in the lobby after the film, out in the city they loved. I couldn’t help but give him a nod and a “Good to see you.” It was \u003cem>always\u003c/em> good to see him. When Thomas was around, you knew something exciting was likely to happen. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After one of the world’s most remarkable careers in classical music, Thomas \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13988770/michael-tilson-thomas-dead-at-81-san-francisco\">died Wednesday at age 81\u003c/a>, at his home. The phrase “surrounded by loved ones” usually means family around a bedside. I like to imagine the entire population of San Francisco surrounding him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because, my goodness, he showed us how to love music, which is to say how to love the world, and each other. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951059\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13951059\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/2324concerts_012524mttmahler_stefancohen_022-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Tilson Thomas embraces concertmaster Alexander Barantschik after the San Francisco Symphony’s performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, at Davies Symphony Hall. \u003ccite>(Stefan Cohen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I’ve seen others propose that Thomas “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/arts/music/michael-tilson-thomas-dead.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share\">demystified\u003c/a>” classical music, but I would argue that he did the opposite. He made it accessible, yes. But he also held it up with curiosity and wonder, and said, “Isn’t this so \u003cem>terrifically\u003c/em> mysterious, so beautiful, how all these different elements somehow work together, to create this incredible thing called music?” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I know, because he had that effect on me. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I first encountered Michael Tilson Thomas in 1995, during his first season at the San Francisco Symphony as Music Director, conducting Stravinsky with the young violinist Midori. At age 19, I’d just gotten off tour with my punk band. I was invited by a friend I’d met at a warehouse show. Not the typical audience for classical music, in other words. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thomas took the podium, the music started, and I was transfixed. I’d taken piano lessons as a child and played in the school band, but had left formality behind for more ferocious, chaotic music that moved me, made by bands like D.R.I., Septic Death and Neurosis. That night in 1995, Michael Tilson Thomas pulled me back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10217547\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1100px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/Soundbox.MTT_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1100\" height=\"733\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10217547\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/Soundbox.MTT_.jpg 1100w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/Soundbox.MTT_-400x266.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/Soundbox.MTT_-800x533.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Tilson Thomas with members of the SF Symphony and Chorus. (Photo: Stefan Cohen)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He did it again in 2001, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13875367/a-landmark-of-michael-tilson-thomas-career-revisited\">continuing undaunted with a scheduled performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 just one day after 9/11\u003c/a>. Nicknamed the “Tragic” symphony, and inspired by death and loss, the piece’s finale utilized a giant hammer smashed upon a large drum. The whole thing was appropriately thundering, and turbulent. I walked out of Davies that night in a daze at the power of great art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recording of that performance won a Grammy award, one of many for Thomas. It also turned me into a Mahler devotee. “Get that Renaissance music out of here —\u003cem> we are a Mahler city!\u003c/em>” I sometimes like to joke. But it’s true: like his mentor Leonard Bernstein, Thomas made us all Mahler fans. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then in 2015, Thomas \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10216961/live-review-soundbox-classical-goes-clubbing\">premiered SoundBox\u003c/a>, a series of classical concerts in the warehouse-like back hall of Davies. At Soundbox, you could stand instead of sit. You could use your phone. You could drink. You could be \u003cem>yourself\u003c/em> at a classical concert, basically, which meant everything for people like myself more accustomed to sweaty clubs than concert halls. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it worked. That first season, I was exposed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm06nqdG9wU\">Meredith Monk’s wildly pulsating \u003cem>Panda Chant II\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/g_4-kt0LVdU?si=Vqs3MlGKzSTHDasW\">Lou Harrison’s fiery \u003cem>Pacifika Rondo\u003c/em> selection “A Hatred of the Filthy Bomb”\u003c/a> — two classical pieces that are, frankly, punk as hell. More than a decade later, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Discover-the-Music/SoundBox\">Soundbox is still running\u003c/a>, and producing classical converts. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10217079\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/SoundBox.Hed_.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Tilson Thomas surveys the crowd before introducing the premiere of SoundBox in 2014.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10217079\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/SoundBox.Hed_.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/SoundBox.Hed_-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/SoundBox.Hed_-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/SoundBox.Hed_-1180x663.jpg 1180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Tilson Thomas surveys the crowd before introducing the premiere of SoundBox in 2014. \u003ccite>(Gabe Meline/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Naturally, the past four years have brought a poignance to each Thomas appearance, knowing his diagnosis with an aggressive form of brain cancer. Not that he ever wanted anybody to be sad about it. When he made his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13951043/review-michael-tilson-thomas-mahler-5-san-francisco-symphony\">final series appearance to conduct a soaring Mahler’s Fifth Symphony in 2024\u003c/a> — using no sheet music — he smiled and joked around during his entrance, setting an upbeat mood. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the end, the applause was so long and sustained that he finally quieted the crowd by \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@horsesweremylife/video/7329402685969698094\">miming that it was time for him to have a nightcap and go to bed\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mood was even more upbeat, even jovial, at his 80th birthday concert last year. As if to spite the news that his cancer had returned, Thomas happily conducted Britten and Respighi; an all-star cast sang Thomas’ favorite songs; and a giant balloon drop capped the evening. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He sat on stage, singing along, holding Robison’s hand. Commemorative blue bandanas draped on every seat bore a quote from Thomas, reading, in part, “To be an artist is to have the courage for rebirth and growth. It’s neverending.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13975353\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a blue shirt clasps his hands in appreciation next to a door as smiling friends stand close by\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13975353\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Tilson Thomas leaves the stage for the last time with Joshua Robison, Edwin Outwater and Teddy Abrams at the end of his 80th birthday celebration at Davies Symphony Hall, April 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Stefan Cohen / San Francisco Symphony)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Thomas cared deeply about music. “When we first met during my job interview, we spent the entire conversation on a single piece of music — Ligeti’s Violin Concerto,” said San Francisco Symphony CEO Matthew Spivey. “That was how he came to know people, and came to know the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also often insisted that the true measure of his life’s work was not the many, many accolades and awards for his music, but its lasting effect on the audience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love this music that I make,” he once \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/201506031000/michael-tilson-thomas-on-beethoven-innovation-and-20-years-with-the-san-francisco-symphony\">told KQED’s Michael Krasny in 2015\u003c/a>. “But I’ve always said that for me, the most important moment in music was what happens when the music ends. When the symphony stops, what is left then?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now that the music has ended, I can tell you what’s left: a whole lot of love. \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "The San Francisco Symphony’s 2026–27 Season Is Here",
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"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-symphony\">San Francisco Symphony\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Calendar/Season-Overview\">115th season\u003c/a> kicks off on Sept. 8, 2026, and today the orchestra announced a slate of multifaceted programming that includes several premieres and fresh collaborations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nov. 19–21, 2026, Alonzo King LINES Ballet debuts two new works set to Debussy’s \u003cem>Prélude à L’Après-midi d’un faune\u003c/em> and Copland’s suite from \u003cem>Appalachian Spring\u003c/em>, conducted by James Gaffigan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>June 3–5, 2027, the Symphony presents Janni Younge’s production of Stravinsky’s \u003cem>The Firebird\u003c/em> with puppetry and South African dance. Photographer and video artist Deborah O’Grady adds visuals from California’s dramatic landscapes to \u003cem>The Dharma at Big Sur\u003c/em> by Bay Area composer \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/john-adams\">John Adams\u003c/a> on June 17 and 18, 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13980628']On Feb. 11–13, 2027 San Francisco Symphony premieres a new work by Kyle Rivera, the winner of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13980628/emerging-black-composers-project-san-francisco-symphony-conservatory-of-music\">Emerging Black Composers Project\u003c/a>. Rivera’s piece dramatizes how dead whales sustain hidden ecosystems of deep-sea organisms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On April 22–24, 2027 former San Francisco Symphony Director Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to Davies Symphony Hall (\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13954764/sf-symphony-leadership-esa-pekka-salonen-musicians-protest\">he left in 2025\u003c/a> due to disagreements with the board about budget cuts and programming). For the 2026–27 season, Salonen conducts the world premiere of a new concerto for harp and percussion by composer Rene Orth, a San Francisco Symphony commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joe Hisaishi, the Japanese composer who has worked extensively with director Hayao Miyazaki, returns to the San Francisco Symphony stage on Oct. 22, 2026 for the West Coast premiere of his original Concerto for Orchestra, which he will conduct himself. (Studio Ghibli fans bought up tickets quickly when Hisaishi \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13963803/review-joe-hisaishi-studio-ghibli-san-francisco-symphony\">performed with the orchestra in 2024\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13987039']The San Francisco Symphony will continue popular series including Films with Live Orchestra, which features classics such as \u003cem>Star Wars: Return of the Jedi\u003c/em> and \u003cem>The Ring\u003c/em>. Soundbox, a series of experimental performances in a relaxed, nightclub-like setting, comes back for a 13th season with two programs curated by violinist Vijay Gupta (Jan. 29–30) and conductor Edwin Outwater (April 1–2).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new season also features collaborations with musicians such as Grammy-winning blues singer-songwriter Fantastic Negrito and Berkeley-born composer and environmentalist Gabriella Smith, who has come on as a creative partner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Symphony’s new season gets underway on Sept. 8, and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Calendar/Season-Overview\">full program can be found here\u003c/a>. Single-concert tickets go on sale July 18, with subscriptions available now.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"headline": "The San Francisco Symphony’s 2026–27 Season Is Here",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-symphony\">San Francisco Symphony\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Calendar/Season-Overview\">115th season\u003c/a> kicks off on Sept. 8, 2026, and today the orchestra announced a slate of multifaceted programming that includes several premieres and fresh collaborations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nov. 19–21, 2026, Alonzo King LINES Ballet debuts two new works set to Debussy’s \u003cem>Prélude à L’Après-midi d’un faune\u003c/em> and Copland’s suite from \u003cem>Appalachian Spring\u003c/em>, conducted by James Gaffigan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>June 3–5, 2027, the Symphony presents Janni Younge’s production of Stravinsky’s \u003cem>The Firebird\u003c/em> with puppetry and South African dance. Photographer and video artist Deborah O’Grady adds visuals from California’s dramatic landscapes to \u003cem>The Dharma at Big Sur\u003c/em> by Bay Area composer \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/john-adams\">John Adams\u003c/a> on June 17 and 18, 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>On Feb. 11–13, 2027 San Francisco Symphony premieres a new work by Kyle Rivera, the winner of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13980628/emerging-black-composers-project-san-francisco-symphony-conservatory-of-music\">Emerging Black Composers Project\u003c/a>. Rivera’s piece dramatizes how dead whales sustain hidden ecosystems of deep-sea organisms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On April 22–24, 2027 former San Francisco Symphony Director Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to Davies Symphony Hall (\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13954764/sf-symphony-leadership-esa-pekka-salonen-musicians-protest\">he left in 2025\u003c/a> due to disagreements with the board about budget cuts and programming). For the 2026–27 season, Salonen conducts the world premiere of a new concerto for harp and percussion by composer Rene Orth, a San Francisco Symphony commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joe Hisaishi, the Japanese composer who has worked extensively with director Hayao Miyazaki, returns to the San Francisco Symphony stage on Oct. 22, 2026 for the West Coast premiere of his original Concerto for Orchestra, which he will conduct himself. (Studio Ghibli fans bought up tickets quickly when Hisaishi \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13963803/review-joe-hisaishi-studio-ghibli-san-francisco-symphony\">performed with the orchestra in 2024\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The San Francisco Symphony will continue popular series including Films with Live Orchestra, which features classics such as \u003cem>Star Wars: Return of the Jedi\u003c/em> and \u003cem>The Ring\u003c/em>. Soundbox, a series of experimental performances in a relaxed, nightclub-like setting, comes back for a 13th season with two programs curated by violinist Vijay Gupta (Jan. 29–30) and conductor Edwin Outwater (April 1–2).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new season also features collaborations with musicians such as Grammy-winning blues singer-songwriter Fantastic Negrito and Berkeley-born composer and environmentalist Gabriella Smith, who has come on as a creative partner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Symphony’s new season gets underway on Sept. 8, and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Calendar/Season-Overview\">full program can be found here\u003c/a>. Single-concert tickets go on sale July 18, with subscriptions available now.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Joshua Robison, the husband of conductor and music director \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/michael-tilson-thomas\">Michael Tilson Thomas\u003c/a>, died in his sleep Sunday night at his apartment in San Francisco. He was 79. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>News of Robison’s passing was confirmed by a San Francisco Symphony spokesperson. No cause of death was given. Robison had been in a long period of recovery from a spinal cord injury after suffering a fall at home last August. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robison, full of energy and quick with a smile, was a constant presence at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-symphony\">San Francisco Symphony\u003c/a>, and at civic and arts events in and around San Francisco. To Thomas, he served as a creative partner and source of support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987052\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/2324concerts_121523mttway_002.jpg\" alt=\"A group of people sit in chairs, many dressed in blue, on the sidewalk\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987052\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/2324concerts_121523mttway_002.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/2324concerts_121523mttway_002-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/2324concerts_121523mttway_002-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/2324concerts_121523mttway_002-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joshua Robison, second from left, sits with Michael Tilson Thomas, Mayor London Breed, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and San Francisco Symphony Executive Director Matthew Spivey at a dedication ceremony for ‘MTT Way’ outside Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco in Dec. 15, 2023. \u003ccite>(Courtesy San Francisco Symphony)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While Thomas was the music director and public face of the San Francisco Symphony from 1995–2020, “Joshua was the steady and indispensable force behind the scenes who helped make it all work,” said the Symphony’s board chair Priscilla Geeslin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Their partnership was extraordinary: Michael’s expansive artistic vision paired with Joshua’s insight, advocacy, and unwavering dedication. Joshua ensured that bold ideas became realities, that relationships were nurtured, and that the Symphony’s work resonated far beyond the stage,” Geeslin added. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robison and Thomas met as musicians in their junior high orchestra. “We have very strong memories of making music together when we were 12 or 13 years old,” Thomas \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/38-years-together-Tilson-Thomas-and-Robison-marry-5867303.php\">once told\u003c/a> the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13975353\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a blue shirt clasps his hands in appreciation next to a door as smiling friends stand close by\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13975353\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joshua Robison, second from left, leaves the stage with Michael Tilson Thomas, Edwin Outwater and Teddy Abrams at the end of Thomas’ 80th birthday celebration at Davies Symphony Hall, April 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Stefan Cohen / San Francisco Symphony)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In high school and at UC Berkeley, while Thomas continued to study music, Robison became a champion gymnast. In the 1970s, the two reunited in New York state, and were inseparable ever since.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2014, 38 years after first meeting, the two were married. In 2021, after Thomas was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13909978/michael-tilson-thomas-goes-public-about-cancer-steps-back-from-some-engagements\">diagnosed with a brain tumor\u003c/a>, Robison provided constant care and support. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, Robison produced an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13975328/michael-tilson-thomas-80th-birthday-concert-symphony-review\">80th birthday concert\u003c/a> for Thomas at Davies Symphony Hall, and sat by Thomas’ side onstage for the duration of the celebration. At the concert’s end, Thomas sang along to the song “Some Other Time,” gesturing toward Robison on the lines: “There’s so much more embracing / Still to be done / But time is racing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A memorial for Robison has not yet been announced. \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Joshua Robison, the husband of conductor and music director \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/michael-tilson-thomas\">Michael Tilson Thomas\u003c/a>, died in his sleep Sunday night at his apartment in San Francisco. He was 79. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>News of Robison’s passing was confirmed by a San Francisco Symphony spokesperson. No cause of death was given. Robison had been in a long period of recovery from a spinal cord injury after suffering a fall at home last August. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robison, full of energy and quick with a smile, was a constant presence at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-symphony\">San Francisco Symphony\u003c/a>, and at civic and arts events in and around San Francisco. To Thomas, he served as a creative partner and source of support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987052\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/2324concerts_121523mttway_002.jpg\" alt=\"A group of people sit in chairs, many dressed in blue, on the sidewalk\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987052\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/2324concerts_121523mttway_002.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/2324concerts_121523mttway_002-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/2324concerts_121523mttway_002-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/2324concerts_121523mttway_002-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joshua Robison, second from left, sits with Michael Tilson Thomas, Mayor London Breed, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and San Francisco Symphony Executive Director Matthew Spivey at a dedication ceremony for ‘MTT Way’ outside Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco in Dec. 15, 2023. \u003ccite>(Courtesy San Francisco Symphony)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While Thomas was the music director and public face of the San Francisco Symphony from 1995–2020, “Joshua was the steady and indispensable force behind the scenes who helped make it all work,” said the Symphony’s board chair Priscilla Geeslin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Their partnership was extraordinary: Michael’s expansive artistic vision paired with Joshua’s insight, advocacy, and unwavering dedication. Joshua ensured that bold ideas became realities, that relationships were nurtured, and that the Symphony’s work resonated far beyond the stage,” Geeslin added. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robison and Thomas met as musicians in their junior high orchestra. “We have very strong memories of making music together when we were 12 or 13 years old,” Thomas \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/38-years-together-Tilson-Thomas-and-Robison-marry-5867303.php\">once told\u003c/a> the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13975353\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a blue shirt clasps his hands in appreciation next to a door as smiling friends stand close by\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13975353\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/2425concerts_042625_mttbirthday_stefancohen_080-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joshua Robison, second from left, leaves the stage with Michael Tilson Thomas, Edwin Outwater and Teddy Abrams at the end of Thomas’ 80th birthday celebration at Davies Symphony Hall, April 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Stefan Cohen / San Francisco Symphony)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In high school and at UC Berkeley, while Thomas continued to study music, Robison became a champion gymnast. In the 1970s, the two reunited in New York state, and were inseparable ever since.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2014, 38 years after first meeting, the two were married. In 2021, after Thomas was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13909978/michael-tilson-thomas-goes-public-about-cancer-steps-back-from-some-engagements\">diagnosed with a brain tumor\u003c/a>, Robison provided constant care and support. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, Robison produced an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13975328/michael-tilson-thomas-80th-birthday-concert-symphony-review\">80th birthday concert\u003c/a> for Thomas at Davies Symphony Hall, and sat by Thomas’ side onstage for the duration of the celebration. At the concert’s end, Thomas sang along to the song “Some Other Time,” gesturing toward Robison on the lines: “There’s so much more embracing / Still to be done / But time is racing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A memorial for Robison has not yet been announced. \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Ghost Ship Symphony Honors 36 Artists Who Died in 2016 Warehouse Fire",
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"content": "\u003cp>The impacts of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/ghost-ship\">Ghost Ship\u003c/a> fire on Dec. 2, 2016, when an East Oakland warehouse went up in flames during an electronic music show, continue to reverberate through the Bay Area’s creative scenes. The fire claimed the lives of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/ghostshipmemorial\">36 people, aged 20 to 61, most of whom were artists and musicians\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alexandrea Archuleta was slated to perform that night. Working the door when the fire broke out, she managed to escape with her life. Now, she’s uplifting the memories of friends she lost and creating a space for healing with a new symphonic work, \u003cem>Symphony No. 1 …And No One Died, Thus We Began to See in the Dark\u003c/em>, which she’ll perform with a new ensemble called Ghost Ship Symphony on \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-in-movements-a-community-gathering-with-ghost-ship-symphony-rupture-tickets-1744402467739?aff=oddtdtcreator\">Nov. 15 at Bandaloop in West Oakland\u003c/a>. [aside postid='arts_13816362,arts_13908910']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Archuleta conceptualized the uplifting, cathartic piece as a love letter, not only to the 36 victims but to the many friends who worked together to support her and other survivors, whether through meals, medicinal herbs, fundraising or just some friendly company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The radical love of people in the Bay Area is the other side of this,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the fire, the house she shared with roommate and fellow musician Sharmi Basu became a hub for mutual aid during the depths of the community’s mourning. “We needed to get people money because people were too sick from grief to work,” Basu says, noting that many artists also lost housing as the City of Oakland cracked down on unpermitted live-work warehouses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Basu is now the executive director of the organization for \u003ca href=\"https://www.vitalarts.org/\">Vital Arts\u003c/a>, an artist advocacy organization founded by Edwin Bernbaum, whose son, visual projection artist Jonathan, was killed in the fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Building on the spirit of DIY mutual aid, Vital Arts leads several programs, including a paid fellowship and free legal cafes, that work to address artists’ material needs in the expensive Bay Area. As many advocates have pointed out over the years, the untenable cost of living and lack of available creative spaces is what pushed people to live and perform in unsafe venues like Ghost Ship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Ghost Ship Symphony concert, which includes a performance from dance collective RUPTURE, Vital Arts will announce its new cohort of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13977921/bay-area-artist-census-fellowship-vital-arts\">Bay Area Artist Census fellows\u003c/a>, who over the next 18 months will survey the creative community about its needs for housing, healthcare and fair wages, and advocate for solutions. The organization also just opened applications for the latest round of its \u003ca href=\"https://www.vitalarts.org/adpg\">Artist Displacement Prevention Grant\u003c/a>, which pays $3,000 to support artists facing housing insecurity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think as artists, our job is to remind each other of life and give each other hope,” Basu says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983598\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983598\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/CFTA-Regional-Conversation_Oakland_July-11-2025_Sharmi-Basu_Photo-by-Paul-Kuroda-2-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A person speaks into a microphone at a conference. \" width=\"2560\" height=\"1545\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/CFTA-Regional-Conversation_Oakland_July-11-2025_Sharmi-Basu_Photo-by-Paul-Kuroda-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/CFTA-Regional-Conversation_Oakland_July-11-2025_Sharmi-Basu_Photo-by-Paul-Kuroda-2-2000x1207.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/CFTA-Regional-Conversation_Oakland_July-11-2025_Sharmi-Basu_Photo-by-Paul-Kuroda-2-160x97.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/CFTA-Regional-Conversation_Oakland_July-11-2025_Sharmi-Basu_Photo-by-Paul-Kuroda-2-768x463.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/CFTA-Regional-Conversation_Oakland_July-11-2025_Sharmi-Basu_Photo-by-Paul-Kuroda-2-1536x927.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/CFTA-Regional-Conversation_Oakland_July-11-2025_Sharmi-Basu_Photo-by-Paul-Kuroda-2-2048x1236.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sharmi Basu is the executive director of Vital Arts, an organization that supports artists with grants and legal advice. \u003ccite>(Paul Kuroda)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To that end, Basu has been working with Archuleta to find classical musicians to complete the Ghost Ship Symphony ensemble. The Nov. 15 show will serve as a work-in-progress preview of a large-scale orchestral performance next year, to mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy on Dec. 4, 2026 at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Archuleta came up as an electronic musician. As she processed her grief over the past nine years, the works of Italian film composer Ennio Morricone and minimalist Estonian composer Arvo Pärt became a balm and a guiding light. She’s collaborating with arranger Franklin Cole, who’s based in her hometown of Denver, Colorado, to translate her composition into a sweeping epic propelled by horns and timpani.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The piece is part of a growing canon of contemporary classical works dedicated to the Ghost Ship victims, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13845021/a-symphonic-requiem-for-ghost-ship-fire-victims\">Richard Marriott’s \u003cem>Ghost Ship Concerto\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which debuted in 2018 with the Oakland Symphony, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13922065/requiem-sinfonica-honors-ghost-ship-victims-with-music-and-hope\">Arturo Rodriguez’ \u003cem>Requiem Sinfónica\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, performed in full with members of Awesöme Orchestra in 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Archuleta’s \u003cem>Symphony No. 1 …And No One Died and We Began to See in the Dark \u003c/em>will be the first time such a project has been led by a survivor. She envisions the music not as a “bummer or downer,” but as a greeting to her friends in the afterlife. Over the years, she says, she’s arrived at a more accepting attitude towards death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s this long eternal forever, and it’s this beautiful place, and it’s this comforting place,” she says. “It’s not as heart-wrenching or as darksided as I think the West kind of tends to view it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Alexandrea Archuleta and Ghost Ship Symphony perform a \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-in-movements-a-community-gathering-with-ghost-ship-symphony-rupture-tickets-1744402467739?aff=oddtdtcreator\">preview of ‘Symphony No. 1 …And No One Died and We Began to See in the Dark’\u003c/a> at Bandaloop (1601 18th St., Oakland) on Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. The evening will feature a dance performance by the collective RUPTURE.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The impacts of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/ghost-ship\">Ghost Ship\u003c/a> fire on Dec. 2, 2016, when an East Oakland warehouse went up in flames during an electronic music show, continue to reverberate through the Bay Area’s creative scenes. The fire claimed the lives of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/ghostshipmemorial\">36 people, aged 20 to 61, most of whom were artists and musicians\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alexandrea Archuleta was slated to perform that night. Working the door when the fire broke out, she managed to escape with her life. Now, she’s uplifting the memories of friends she lost and creating a space for healing with a new symphonic work, \u003cem>Symphony No. 1 …And No One Died, Thus We Began to See in the Dark\u003c/em>, which she’ll perform with a new ensemble called Ghost Ship Symphony on \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-in-movements-a-community-gathering-with-ghost-ship-symphony-rupture-tickets-1744402467739?aff=oddtdtcreator\">Nov. 15 at Bandaloop in West Oakland\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Archuleta conceptualized the uplifting, cathartic piece as a love letter, not only to the 36 victims but to the many friends who worked together to support her and other survivors, whether through meals, medicinal herbs, fundraising or just some friendly company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The radical love of people in the Bay Area is the other side of this,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the fire, the house she shared with roommate and fellow musician Sharmi Basu became a hub for mutual aid during the depths of the community’s mourning. “We needed to get people money because people were too sick from grief to work,” Basu says, noting that many artists also lost housing as the City of Oakland cracked down on unpermitted live-work warehouses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Basu is now the executive director of the organization for \u003ca href=\"https://www.vitalarts.org/\">Vital Arts\u003c/a>, an artist advocacy organization founded by Edwin Bernbaum, whose son, visual projection artist Jonathan, was killed in the fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Building on the spirit of DIY mutual aid, Vital Arts leads several programs, including a paid fellowship and free legal cafes, that work to address artists’ material needs in the expensive Bay Area. As many advocates have pointed out over the years, the untenable cost of living and lack of available creative spaces is what pushed people to live and perform in unsafe venues like Ghost Ship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Ghost Ship Symphony concert, which includes a performance from dance collective RUPTURE, Vital Arts will announce its new cohort of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13977921/bay-area-artist-census-fellowship-vital-arts\">Bay Area Artist Census fellows\u003c/a>, who over the next 18 months will survey the creative community about its needs for housing, healthcare and fair wages, and advocate for solutions. The organization also just opened applications for the latest round of its \u003ca href=\"https://www.vitalarts.org/adpg\">Artist Displacement Prevention Grant\u003c/a>, which pays $3,000 to support artists facing housing insecurity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think as artists, our job is to remind each other of life and give each other hope,” Basu says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983598\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983598\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/CFTA-Regional-Conversation_Oakland_July-11-2025_Sharmi-Basu_Photo-by-Paul-Kuroda-2-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A person speaks into a microphone at a conference. \" width=\"2560\" height=\"1545\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/CFTA-Regional-Conversation_Oakland_July-11-2025_Sharmi-Basu_Photo-by-Paul-Kuroda-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/CFTA-Regional-Conversation_Oakland_July-11-2025_Sharmi-Basu_Photo-by-Paul-Kuroda-2-2000x1207.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/CFTA-Regional-Conversation_Oakland_July-11-2025_Sharmi-Basu_Photo-by-Paul-Kuroda-2-160x97.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/CFTA-Regional-Conversation_Oakland_July-11-2025_Sharmi-Basu_Photo-by-Paul-Kuroda-2-768x463.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/CFTA-Regional-Conversation_Oakland_July-11-2025_Sharmi-Basu_Photo-by-Paul-Kuroda-2-1536x927.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/CFTA-Regional-Conversation_Oakland_July-11-2025_Sharmi-Basu_Photo-by-Paul-Kuroda-2-2048x1236.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sharmi Basu is the executive director of Vital Arts, an organization that supports artists with grants and legal advice. \u003ccite>(Paul Kuroda)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To that end, Basu has been working with Archuleta to find classical musicians to complete the Ghost Ship Symphony ensemble. The Nov. 15 show will serve as a work-in-progress preview of a large-scale orchestral performance next year, to mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy on Dec. 4, 2026 at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Archuleta came up as an electronic musician. As she processed her grief over the past nine years, the works of Italian film composer Ennio Morricone and minimalist Estonian composer Arvo Pärt became a balm and a guiding light. She’s collaborating with arranger Franklin Cole, who’s based in her hometown of Denver, Colorado, to translate her composition into a sweeping epic propelled by horns and timpani.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The piece is part of a growing canon of contemporary classical works dedicated to the Ghost Ship victims, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13845021/a-symphonic-requiem-for-ghost-ship-fire-victims\">Richard Marriott’s \u003cem>Ghost Ship Concerto\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which debuted in 2018 with the Oakland Symphony, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13922065/requiem-sinfonica-honors-ghost-ship-victims-with-music-and-hope\">Arturo Rodriguez’ \u003cem>Requiem Sinfónica\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, performed in full with members of Awesöme Orchestra in 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Archuleta’s \u003cem>Symphony No. 1 …And No One Died and We Began to See in the Dark \u003c/em>will be the first time such a project has been led by a survivor. She envisions the music not as a “bummer or downer,” but as a greeting to her friends in the afterlife. Over the years, she says, she’s arrived at a more accepting attitude towards death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s this long eternal forever, and it’s this beautiful place, and it’s this comforting place,” she says. “It’s not as heart-wrenching or as darksided as I think the West kind of tends to view it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Alexandrea Archuleta and Ghost Ship Symphony perform a \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-in-movements-a-community-gathering-with-ghost-ship-symphony-rupture-tickets-1744402467739?aff=oddtdtcreator\">preview of ‘Symphony No. 1 …And No One Died and We Began to See in the Dark’\u003c/a> at Bandaloop (1601 18th St., Oakland) on Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. The evening will feature a dance performance by the collective RUPTURE.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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},
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"id": "city-arts",
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"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"order": 1
},
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"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"meta": {
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"source": "WNYC"
},
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
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"source": "NPR"
},
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"order": 15
},
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
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},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"meta": {
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
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"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
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