At age 99 and in failing health, the intrepid Herbert Blomstedt makes future conducting plans nevertheless — including a series of San Francisco Symphony concerts scheduled for January 2027. The SFS Conductor Laureate hasn’t changed plans even while staying inactive since his last, heartbreaking time on the podium — in Davies Hall, four months ago.
Until now.
Today, SFS Music Director Designate Elim Chan, 39, announced a change in plans: Blomstedt has withdrawn from his Jan. 14–16 concerts with regrets “on the advice of his doctors against long-distance plane travel ... sending his warmest regards to the Orchestra and his faithful audience.” Chan, Blomstedt’s successor twice removed — by Michael Tilson Thomas (1995–2020) and Esa-Pekka Salonen (2020–2025) — rearranged her busy schedule to lead the concerts Blomstedt was to conduct.
Instead of the original program of Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 3 and Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4, Chan will conduct Noriko Koide’s Swaddling Silk and Gossamer Rain, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola — with SFS Concertmaster Alexander Barantschik and Principal Viola Jonathan Vinocour — and Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations.
“Noriko Koide is a composer I discovered at the BBC Proms back in 2023, when I conducted the U.K. premiere of Swaddling Silk and Gossamer Rain,” says Chan.
“I fell in love with the piece instantly and I still remember how magical it was. It has a totally unique sound world and atmosphere, and you can almost feel the rain falling on a wooden rooftop above you, the humidity in the air, and you can smell the incense, the smoke, and then this beautiful imagery of a Japanese funeral procession. It’s extraordinary how she captures all that poetry in music.
Koide has also been commissioned for a new work for the beginning of Chan’s tenure as music director in the 2027–2028 season.
Chan is also adding another concert to her 2026–2027 season schedule with SFS, which already includes scheduled Oct. 29–31 concerts. The orchestra announced new June 25–27, 2027 concerts to close the season, as Gustavo Gimeno graciously withdrew from conducting on those dates.
The October concerts have Brahms’s Nänie with the SF Symphony Chorus, Renaud Capuçon soloing inFelix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and the return of the Chorus for the first Symphony performances of Arvo Pärt’s a cappella Magnificat.
The program for the June concerts: Augusta Read Thomas’s Sunlight Echoes, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Yefim Bronfman, and Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5.
Chan will also visit San Francisco for two additional weeks during the season for orchestra auditions, administrative planning, neighborhood visits, and “to build ties with San Francisco and its community,” learning more about the city, meeting with local nonprofits and community partners, and eating at local restaurants.
She says: “I'm looking forward not only to getting to know the orchestra onstage, but also to getting to know the musicians on a personal level and hearing their stories. I also want to get to know the neighborhoods. I love nature, food, and art, and San Francisco feels like the perfect place for all of that — it's such a beautiful city. There's so much to do and discover, and I want to roll like a local.
“I'm eager to visit the schools and youth programs training the next generation of musicians, and to connect with the choruses, dance companies, and other arts organizations that share our audiences and stages. Many arts organizations are facing significant challenges right now, and it’s important to support and celebrate the role they play in the cultural life of the Bay Area.”
