Figures were flying around today at the San Francisco Symphony's press
conference, announcing the orchestra's 2004-'05 season.

It will be SFS's 93rd, marking Michael Tilson Thomas' 10th year with the
Symphony, even as he reaches his 60th birthday in December.  There will
be a big-name gala birthday party in January, no details are available
yet.

The biggest, most impressive figure: during MTT's 10 seasons in the
2,850-seat Davies Hall, audience total will have reached over 6 million.
That means a lot of full houses at a time when many orchestras are
struggling to stay alive.

The first subscription series after the opening gala on Sept.  8 -
an unusual one, featuring no soloists, and music from the movies - will
have Thomas Quasthoff singing orchestrated Schubert songs, a program the
bass-baritone has just performed with the New York Philharmonic.

Along with hundreds of guest artists and orchestra members from the US
and abroad - SFS will also feature its own principal players in as many
as eight different programs.

Visiting orchestras include the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, with Yuri
Temirkanov, the China Philharmonic, with Long Yu, the Kirov, with Valery
Gergiev, the Kremerata Baltica, with Gidon Kremer, and the Cleveland
Orchestra, with Franz Welser-Most.  Among vocalists: Laura Claycomb,
Kiri Te Kanawa, Dawn Upshaw, Laura Aikin, Measha Brueggergosman, Susanne
Mentzer, John Mark Ainsley, Chrisoph Pregardien, Ben Heppner, and numerous
Merola/Adler veterans from the San Francisco Opera.

Details will soon be available on www.sfsymphony.org.

Janos Gereben/SF
www.sfcv.org
[log in to unmask]