SF Symphony All-American Opener

The San Francisco Symphony has offered four different Opening Nights this year, starting with a "Marvel Studios' Infinity Saga Concert Experience" on the first weekend in September. The following week featured conductor Jaap van Zweeden leading the orchestra in Adams, Tchaikovsky and Respighi at the All San Francisco Concert for nonprofits and the following night at the Opening Gala for donors.

The 2025-26 subscription season finally got underway on September 18th, where there was a sweet little party for what's left of the cultural press corp.

To add to the month's uncertainty, it looked like the orchestra would probably go on strike after performing for what felt like years without a contract, but a settlement was announced at the Opening Gala, and the relief on all sides feels palpable. (All concert photos but one are by Stefan Cohen.)

On Thursday, what looked like a pops concert on paper turned out to be more interesting and substantial than expected. James Gaffigan conducted an All-American program, starting with a warm-up piece for large orchestra, The Block. Composed in 2018 by Carlos Simon, the six-minute work is based on six paintings by Romare Bearden of buildings in New York's Harlem neighborhood. Loud and rambunctious, it was over before it seemed to get anywhere.

The longest work on the program was next, Gershwin's 1925 Piano Concerto in F, a remarkable piece of music which I had somehow never heard live before. French pianist Hélène Grimaud was the soloist, playing with her usual virtuosic mastery while looking glamorous and sparkly.

Grimaud is famous for her idiosyncratic choices of tempo and phrasing, and I have heard her be alternately amazing or misguided. On Thursday, she managed to hit all the notes in the difficult Gershwin concerto but she made it look like work while missing the jazzy playfulness that is sprinkled throughout the score.

The orchestra surrounding her had no such problem and they sounded superb under conductor Gaffigan. After intermission, they gave the best performance of Gershwin's 1928 An American in Paris that I have ever heard. Gaffigan and the orchestra took the music seriously rather than as a cute pops staple, while also keeping it lively fun. The final work was another city tour, Duke Ellington's 1950 Harlem suite, orchestrated by Luther Henderson. It rambled all over the place in 20 minutes, featuring everything from rhumbas to extended percussion solos, and it was fascinating.

The brass, percussion, and woodwinds had a real workout during this concert, with standout performances by trumpet principal Mark Inouye, who has his own jazz ensemble and understands how to play this music. All the principals made stellar conributions but it was a special pleasure to hear guest principal trombone Gracie Potter, both because women in brass sections are distressingly rare and and also because she sounded so good. (Photo above by Michael Strickland.)

San Francisco Opera Opening Weekend

The Friday after Labor Day Weekend is the traditional opening of the San Fracisco Opera season...

...and also the opener for San Francisco's Society Season with its ceaseless rounds of charity fêtes.

The opener is a joyful affair with great people watching...

...and the opportunity to bump into old acquaintances like Cedric Westphal and Piper Kujac.

It's also a chance to gaze at outfits courting disaster...

...and completely triumphing.

Two days later, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, the company puts on a free annual concert in Golden Gate Park with star vocalists singing arias, duets and ensembles.

Mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz was one of the afternoon's highlights, singing a faux bel canto aria by Jake Heggie with the full SF Opera Orchestra being conducted by Music Director Eun Sun Kim.

To add to the amusement, we were serendipitously sitting on a blanket next to Printz's mom, who joined us in screaming "Brava!"

Soprano Adela Zaharia, who sang Gilda in the opening night Rigoletto, was fabulous. For an uncharacteristically gushing review by Joshua Kosman of both Rigoletto and the park concert, click here for On a Pacific Aisle.

We eventually joined a picnic group organized by John Lin...

...and spent a happy afternoon with fellow opera addict James Parr.

Labor Day Protest March

A protest organized by federal workers in front of the fed building on Golden Gate Avenue was scheduled for Labor Day morning, and about 100 people showed up, including my favorite political blogger in San Francisco, Jan Adams.

A larger protest and march was scheduled for 11AM at the corner of 16th and Mission Streets.

Exiting BART, I ran into a huge crowd of SEIU workers in purple T-shirts...

...along with contingents from just about every leftist organization in town.

A flatbed truck pulled up to the curb of the intersection and a wonderful singer serenaded the crowd with a Spanish language song.

Unfortunately, the troubadour was succeeded by one strident speaker after another who loved the sound of their own voices.

Like other old veterans of protest marches, I moved away from the speakers and into the shade.

At about a quarter to 12, the protest march got underway...

...traveling up Mission to 18th Street...

...where everyone turned right and made their way to Dolores Park.

There were many sub-categories of horrified disgust towards the current United States regime, from supporters of transsexuals...

...to veterans' groups protesting their shameful treatment.

My favorite contingent was an excellent, improvisatory drum corps that helped to lead the parade.

The Trump Administration is following the Nazi Germany playbook almost exactly, and their ongoing fascist coup only gets more outrageously surreal with each day. Find a way to resist, even if it's just explaining what is going on to non-political friends. Every bit helps.

Dragon in the Park

I have never attended Burning Man and probably never will, but have enjoyed recycled art works from the annual festival in San Francisco, where they have appeared as temporary installations over the last two decades.

Last month a 100-foot-long sea serpent sculpture called Naga arrived in the city after its 2024 Burning Man debut.

The sculpture by metal artist Cjay Roughgarden and an army of volunteers was installed at Rainbow Falls Pond, whose fake waterfall into a green pond has been looking sort of sad for decades. All of a sudden, it feels magical.

Though it's only scheduled to stay there for a year, the hope is that Naga will become permanent in that perfect location if the public responds well.

I hope the piece remains there forever, blowing bubbles out of its nostrils and lighting up from within during the night.