Esa-Pekka Salonen ended his time as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony with a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, the “Resurrection,” amid a backdrop of artistic achievement and institutional conflict.
The concerts, held June 12–15 at Davies Symphony Hall, brought to a close a partnership that began in 2020 with high expectations and ended after only five seasons. Salonen, one of the most respected conductors of his generation, declined to renew his contract in 2024, citing a fundamental disagreement with the orchestra’s board. “I do not share the same goals for the future of the institution as the Board of Governors does,” he stated.
The final program featured soprano Heidi Stober, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, and the full orchestra under Salonen’s baton. According to San Francisco Classical Voice , the performance was “an electrifying triumph,” and a vivid example of what Salonen brought to San Francisco: clarity, structural command, and expressive power. But the music also carried an emotional charge, as it marked the conclusion of a tenure shaped as much by unrealized potential as by artistic success.
When Salonen was appointed in 2018, his arrival was seen as a major coup. He brought with him a vision for innovation, launching programs that integrated technology, interdisciplinary collaborations, and new commissions. His first season included the creation of a team of “collaborative partners” from a range of artistic and scientific fields, and during the pandemic, he led the development of the orchestra’s in-house streaming platform, SFS+.
But behind the scenes, the institution was under increasing financial pressure. According to the New York Times, the San Francisco Symphony had run cumulative deficits of over $100 million in the past decade. Pandemic-era cancellations exacerbated longstanding challenges, and the board moved to reduce expenditures, including tours, commissions, and semi-staged projects. In March 2024, Salonen formally announced he would step down at the end of the 2024–25 season.
His decision came just as the organization began making further cuts and scaling back its artistic ambitions. One of the final points of tension was the cancellation of a planned tour to European festivals. “Clearly these decisions are steering the organization in a somewhat different direction,” said CEO Matthew Spivey in an interview with the New York Times, “Given all of this, it’s understandable that Esa-Pekka would conclude his tenure as music director.”
The musicians, who had experienced salary cuts during the pandemic, publicly expressed support for Salonen’s vision and have raised concerns about the direction of the institution. On the night of his return to Davies Hall in March, protest fliers were distributed by orchestra members, citing “no clear artistic vision” from management.
Despite the friction, Salonen’s final appearance on the podium was greeted with extended applause, and the audience at Davies Hall responded with enthusiasm. The performance, as San Francisco Classical Voice noted, “exceeded even the excellent presentation of Mahler’s Second heard here in 2022,” and served as a reminder of the high artistic standard maintained under Salonen’s leadership.
The San Francisco Symphony has not yet announced a successor.
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