| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / APRIL 9, 2026 |
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| SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES FOUR SUMMER WITH THE SYMPHONY PROGRAMS: MENDELSSOHN & BRUCH, A.R. RAHMAN, WEST SIDE STORY, AND SUTTON FOSTER & KELLI O’HARA Chloé Van Soeterstède leads the Orchestra in works by Andrée, Bruch, and Mendelssohn, joined by violinist Paul Huang, July 1 Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer A.R. Rahman performs with the Orchestra, July 2 Sarah Hicks conducts Leonard Bernstein’s score to West Side Story live-to-picture, July 9–10 Tony Award-winning performers Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara join the SF Symphony, July 18 Tickets for all programs are on sale now at sfsymphony.org SF Symphony’s full Summer with the Symphony lineup will be announced in May |
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| SAN FRANCISCO, CA—The San Francisco Symphony announces four upcoming performances as part of the 2026 Summer with the Symphony season. On July 1, Chloé Van Soeterstède leads the Orchestra in the first San Francisco Symphony performance of Concert Overture in D major by Elfrida Andrée, who was not only a composer but also an activist who fought for gender equality in her home country of Sweden. Paul Huang performs Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, which the composer dedicated to violinist Joseph Joachim, who not only helped revise the concerto, but also performed the premiere in 1868. The program closes with Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 in D major, Opus 107, Reformation, written for the 300th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession, a major document of the Protestant Reformation. On July 2, Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer A.R. Rahman joins the SF Symphony to bring his genre-spanning compositions—ranging from Eastern classical, pop, world music, and rap—to astonishing new levels. From Bollywood to Hollywood, Rahman is one of the world’s most prolific film composers, and the musical mastermind behind Slumdog Millionaire’s award-winning score. On July 9–10, Sarah Hicks conducts Leonard Bernstein’s score to the 1961 film West Side Story live with the San Francisco Symphony, while the remastered film is shown in high definition on the big screen with the original vocals and dialogue intact. The 10-time Academy Award-winning romantic tragedy was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins and featured Robbins’ choreography, a screenplay by Ernest Lehman, a book by Arthur Laurents, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. On July 18, Tony Award-winning performers Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara join the San Francisco Symphony for a special tribute to Broadway and beyond, inspired by the 1962 CBS special “Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall.” With conductor Michael Rafter and pianist Dan Lipton, Foster and O’Hara pay homage to icons of stage and screen Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett by performing favorites from their Tony Award-winning and nominated shows and telling stories in between. Tickets for these programs start at $29 and are on sale now at sfsymphony.org. The San Francisco Symphony recently announced three additional Summer with the Symphony concerts. On July 12, the Orchestra performs with Grammy Award-winning banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck at the 89th Stern Grove Festival. Stern Grove will open an online lottery for free tickets on May 31 at sterngrove.org. On July 30, Grammy Award-winning musician, singer, and songwriter St. Vincent makes her debut with the SF Symphony and conductor Jules Buckley, and on August 1, Grammy Award-nominated violinist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird makes his debut with the SF Symphony. Both concerts are on sale now at sfsymphony.org. |
| SUMMER WITH THE SYMPHONYMendelssohn 5 & Bruch Violin Concerto |
| Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at 7:30pm Chloé Van Soeterstède conductorPaul Huang violin San Francisco Symphony ELFRIDA ANDRÉE Concert Overture in D major [First San Francisco Symphony Performance] MAX BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1 FELIX MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 5, Reformation Tickets (starting at $29): sfsymphony.org/Mendelssohn-Bruch |
| SUMMER WITH THE SYMPHONYA.R. Rahman with the San Francisco Symphony |
| Thursday, July 2, 2026, at 7:30pm A.R. Rahman composer and guest artistSan Francisco Symphony Tickets (starting at $89): sfsymphony.org/AR-Rahman |
| SUMMER WITH THE SYMPHONYWest Side Story—Film with Live Orchestra |
| Thursday, July 9, 2026, at 7:30pmFriday, July 10, 2026, at 7:30pm Sarah Hicks conductorSan Francisco Symphony West Side Story (1961) LEONARD BERNSTEIN composer ROBERT WISE & JEROME ROBBINS directors Tickets (starting at $89): sfsymphony.org/WestSideStory |
| SUMMER WITH THE SYMPHONYStern Grove Festival |
| Sunday, July 12, 2026, at 2:00pm Béla Fleck banjo San Francisco Symphony Tickets: sterngrove.org (ticket lottery opens May 31) |
| SUMMER WITH THE SYMPHONYAn Evening with Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara |
| Saturday, July 18, 2026, at 7:30pm Michael Rafter conductorSutton Foster vocalistKelli O’Hara vocalist Dan Lipton pianistSan Francisco Symphony Tickets (starting at $30): sfsymphony.org/Foster-OHara |
| SUMMER WITH THE SYMPHONYSt. Vincent with the San Francisco Symphony |
| Thursday, July 30, 2026, at 7:30pm Jules Buckley conductor St. Vincent guest artist San Francisco Symphony Tickets (starting at $50): sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2025-26/St-Vincent |
| SUMMER WITH THE SYMPHONYAndrew Bird and the San Francisco Symphony |
| Saturday, August 1, 2026, at 7:30pm Andrew Bird guest artist San Francisco Symphony Tickets (starting at $35): sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2025-26/Andrew-Bird |