LUDOVIC MORLOT JOINS MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS
TO CONDUCT SF SYMPHONY NOVEMBER 18–20
Ludovic Morlot joins Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) to conduct part of the November 18–21 San Francisco Symphony concerts at Davies Symphony Hall. Morlot — recently appointed Music Director of the Barcelona Symphony — will conduct the first half of the program, including Maurice Ravel’s Ma Mère l’Oye (Mother Goose) Suite (which replaces William Grant Still’s Patterns) and the world premiere of Principal Trombone Timothy Higgins’ Trombone Concerto, commissioned by the SF Symphony and performed by Higgins. Tilson Thomas will lead the orchestra in Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring as planned.
Ludovic Morlot
Michael Tilson Thomas says: “I’m happy to be in San Francisco, making music with my Symphony colleagues once again. I am feeling well, having returned to the stage in New York last week for the first time since my surgery. I now see that I have to conserve my energy as I continue to recover and have made the decision to focus next week on conducting Copland’s Appalachian Spring. I am so happy that Ludovic Morlot can be here to premiere the Higgins Trombone Concerto, which I was hoping to perform with the remarkable Tim Higgins. I look forward to conducting William Grant Still’s Patterns with the San Francisco Symphony at a later date.”
The world premiere of Principal Trombone Timothy Higgins’ Trombone Concerto,
commissioned by the SF Symphony, will be performed by Higgins and conducted by Ludovic Morlot.
Previously music director of the Seattle Symphony, Morlot’s innovative programming encompassed theatrical productions, performances outside the traditional concert hall, collaborations with musicians from different genres, and commissions and world premieres. Some of these projects, including John Luther Adams’s Become Ocean and Aaron Jay Kernis’s Violin Concerto earned the orchestra five Grammy awards, as well as the distinction of being named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. He makes his San Francisco Symphony debut at these performances.
Pre-Concert Talk: Peter Grunberg will give an “Inside Music” talk from the stage one hour prior to the November 18–20 performances. Free to all concert ticket holders; doors open 15 minutes before.
Off-The-Podium: A post-concert audience Q&A session with moderator Peter Grunberg will be presented from the stage immediately following the concert on November 20. Free to all ticket holders.
Broadcast / Archived Stream: A broadcast of these performances will air Tuesday, November 30 at 8 pm on Classical KDFC 90.3 San Francisco, 104.9 San Jose, 89.9 Napa, and kdfc.com where it will be available for on-demand streaming for 21 days following the broadcast.
photos courtesy SF Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
Michael Tilson Thomas (Copland) and Ludovic Morlot (Higgins, Ravel), conductors
Timothy Higgins, trombone
MAURICE RAVEL Ma Mère l’Oye (Mother Goose) Suite
TIMOTHY HIGGINS Trombone Concerto [SF Symphony Commission, World Premiere]
AARON COPLAND Appalachian Spring
Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Avenue
Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 10am [Open Rehearsal]
Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 7:30pm
Friday, November 19, 2021 at 7:30pm
Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 7:30pm
for tickets ($20–125), call 415-864-6000 or visit SFS
