San Francisco is a city that loves music. The dust of the 1906 earthquake had hardly cleared before a group of civic leaders had laid the groundwork for a new orchestra. Five years later, the San Francisco Symphony was born. Since those first concerts in 1911, the SFS has played a defining role in American cultural life. Today, it's defining what the orchestra of the 21st century will be.

Launched in September 2001, the Michael Tilson Thomas / San Francisco Symphony Mahler recording project is an important focus for the orchestra. The project includes plans to record all of the composer’s nine symphonies and the Adagio from the unfinished Symphony No. 10.

The San Francisco Symphony’s live concert recording of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 received the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Classical Album. The debut release of the cycle, a live concert recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, won last year’s Grammy for Best Orchestral Performance.

Music
Performing Arts



Classical
San Franciscan
World-Class