Join us in celebrating the amazing Robin Sharp’s twenty years as concertmaster of the SFCO. Robin’s incredible artistry and leadership have lifted the SFCO to new heights, and her beautiful violin playing has charmed audiences for decades. Robin will perform Max Bruch’s iconic Violin Concerto in G minor, one of the most beloved pieces in the violin repertoire. Featuring the virtuoso SFCO string players, Dance Card, by Grammy Award winner Jennifer Higdon, “is a celebration of the joy, lyricism and passion of a group of strings playing together! This work reflects the deep commitment that string players bring to their music making, not only in the many years of learning to play their instruments, but also in the dedication manifested in gorgeous music-making as an ensemble.” Our program opens with Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, the tragic and triumphant story of a hero’s fight against tyranny and oppression. The dramatic score has captured the imagination of listeners for centuries, becoming a symbol of the struggle for liberty and freedom.

Ring in the New Year with the SFCO and the exuberant music of three ground-breaking composers. Louise Farrenc was a concert pianist and composer who fought for women’s rights and would become the only female professor at the famed Paris Conservatoire during the 19th century. Her Symphony in G Minor sizzles with energy and drama. Rarely has there been a virtuosic performer that forever changed the direction of their instrument’s technique, as completely as Niccolò Paganini. Paganini’s virtuosity was astounding - legends surrounding his persona were numerous as many speculated that he must have made a pact with the devil himself to have been granted such talent. His 1st violin concerto will be performed by the amazing 14-year-old violinist, Lisa Saito. Our program concludes with music by a composer who would change the trajectory of classical music itself. Ludwig van Beethoven was the embodiment of the Revolutionary Artist, creating a seismic shift in the power and emotional drama of our repertoire. The 7th Symphony is as joyful and exuberant as any piece he would write - an affirmation of life, and a perfect way to lift our spirits into the new year.

In a first for the SFCO, internationally acclaimed harpsichordist, Jory Vinikour, joins Music Director Jory Fankuchen and the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra in Philip Glass’ mesmerizing Concerto for Harpsichord and Orchestra. Mr. Vinikour brings his commanding musicianship and effortless technique to Glass’ homage to the Baroque. In another nod to the pre-Classical style, Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 49, La Passione, fuses Baroque sound and form with the dramatic Sturm and Drang movement of the 18th century in a fiery and tumultuous work. Our program opens with Scene Symphony, an SFCO commission by the brilliant young composer Jens Ibsen.

Irving Klein Competition winner, Julia Schilz, joins the SFCO in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s joyful Violin Concerto No. 5. Mozart was only nineteen years of age when he composed this, his final violin concerto, and a piece that sits at the very pinnacle of Classical concerti. Franz Schubert was also nineteen when he penned his 5th Symphony and its connection to Mozart’s writing is more than just youthful exuberance. At the time of its composition, Schubert was particularly enthralled with his earlier counterpart, writing in his diary, "O Mozart! Immortal Mozart! What countless impressions of a brighter, better life hast thou stamped upon our souls!” The 5th Symphony pays homage to its muse both in its sunny elegance, and the smaller orchestra size Schubert would write for. Our concert opens with Samuel-Coleridge Perkinson’s lively and virtuosic Sinfonietta No. 1. A composer, conductor, and pedagogue, Perkinson was equally comfortable in a myriad of styles and genres. His Sinfonia No. 1 blends new and old, in an exciting and expertly-crafted tour de force.