Esa-Pekka Salonen to Step Down as SF Symphony Music Director in 2025

Esa-Pekka Salonen will step down as the San Francisco Symphony’s music director in June of 2025, at the end of his five-year contract, the symphony announced today.

Salonen, a major figure in the classical music world, surprised many when he joined the symphony in 2020. After 17 years as Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he had repeatedly said he was uninterested in leading another major orchestra.

But Salonen’s creative vision and tech-friendly approach made a fit for San Francisco, where he presented innovative programs at Davies Symphony Hall and assembled an eight-member “brain trust” of younger artists to steer the orchestra into the future.

In a statement to KQED, Salonen explained that he was leaving the symphony because “I do not share the same goals for the future of the institution as the Board of Governors,” without elaborating.

“I am sincerely looking forward to the many exciting programs we have planned for my final season as Music Director,” Salonen continued, “and am proud to continue working with the world-class musicians of the San Francisco Symphony.”

The symphony has not yet named a replacement.

In a statement, San Francisco Symphony CEO Matthew Spivey praised Salonen’s creative vision and hard work to address the challenges of the pandemic in the fall of 2020, when his tenure began.

“Over his time as Music Director, Esa-Pekka has brought with him a palpable spirit of collaboration and adventure to the San Francisco Symphony that has inspired our musicians, staff, board, and audiences to think more expansively about the possibilities of the orchestral experience,” Spivey said.

Salonen, who was part of a 2014 iPad campaign for Apple, notably engaged with the tech sector following his appointment; a New York Times headline called him a “disrupter” in the classical world. An upcoming SoundBox program at the symphony in April curated by Carol Reiley, a roboticist and member of Salonen’s creative partner team, will feature music made with the help of robots and AI.

Earlier this month, Salonen conducted Scriabin’s Prometheus, The Poem of Fire augmented by colorful lights, smoke cannons and piped-in scents.

And yet Salonen has kept one foot in classical music’s traditions. In his final concert as Music Director next June, he will conduct Gustav Mahler, a favorite composer of Salonen’s predecessor Michael Tilson-Thomas and of Thomas’ mentor Leonard Bernstein.

“Esa-Pekka’s time as Music Director has been artistically rewarding and exciting for our whole organization, and though this moment is bittersweet, I’m looking forward to experiencing his creativity and artistry through his final programs in this role during the 2024–25 season,” said San Francisco Symphony Board Chair Priscilla Geeslin in a statement.

The news of Salonen’s exit, made public Thursday, coincided with the symphony’s 2024–25 season announcement. In his final season, Salonen will conduct 12 programs, starting with Verdi’s Requiem in September. He will also conduct several world premieres, by Gabriella Smith, Nico Muhly and Xavier Muzik, as well as his own cello concerto.

The season includes six commissions, five world premieres, 14 works by living composers and 14 artist debuts, along with classic repertoire from Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Sibelius and Strauss.

Salonen’s tenure in San Francisco has been marked, perhaps more than anything else, by a sense of wonder. At a party announcing his appointment in 2018, he addressed the crowd about the task of leading an orchestra.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I still don’t understand how it works,” he said.

Salonen is expected to continue collaborating with the symphony as a guest conductor after his tenure ends. His final season as music director commences in September, and concludes with a program of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 on June 12–14, 2025.