Michael Tilson Thomas opened both the San Francisco social season and the San Francisco Symphony season with legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman on September 5th. The evening marked the start of MTT and San Francisco Symphony’s 24th season together, an important milestone as MTT makes his way to retirement after his 25th year at the helm in 2020.
Perlman performed music from beloved Hollywood film scores including John Williams’ Theme from Schindler’s List, Ennio Morricone’s Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso, Barry’s Main Title from Out of Africa, and Gardel’s Tango from Scent of a Woman. Then, students of the revered violinist joined the stage for a special and unique performance of J.S. Bach’s Concerto No. 3 in D minor for Two Violins, Strings, and Continuo, BWV 1043. Rounding out the concert program, MTT conducted the SF Symphony in three orchestra showpieces—Gershwin’s Cuban Overture and An American in Paris, and Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz No. 1 for Orchestra.
Prior to the memorable opening night performance in Davies Symphony Hall, James Hormel and Michael Nguyen-Hormel presided over a gala reception and dinner for some 750 well-heeled guests, all dressed to the nines.
A peek at the Patrons’ Gala:
Photos by Drew Altizer and Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography