Five Longstanding Players Retire from the San Francisco Symphony

The five players have 183 years' experience between them

Five players are set to retire from the San Francisco Symphony at the close of the 2023/24 season. They are violinist and former Associate Concertmaster Nadya Tichman, Associate Principal Bassoon Steven Dibner, violinist Amy Hiraga, cellist Jill Rachuy Brindel, and cellist and former Associate Principal Cello Peter Wyrick.

Violinist Amy Hiraga (26 years of service) has performed and recorded with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the New York Chamber Orchestra, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Seattle Symphony, Aspen Philharmonia, Solisti of New York, Northwest Chamber Orchestra, and the St Luke's Chamber Ensemble. In chamber music, she has collaborated with Yuja Wang, Geraldine Walther, and Jerry Grossman, among others.

Cellist Jill Rachuy Brindel (44 years of service) joined the cello section of the San Francisco Symphony in 1980. She has been a member of the Navarro Trio for more than 20 years, and the group is currently in residence at Sonoma State University. Brindel serves as a coach for the cello section of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and she will continue to do so after her retirement.

Violinist Nadya Tichman (44 years of service) joined the San Francisco Symphony in 1980. She served as Associate Concertmaster through July 2022 and acting Concertmaster from 1998 – 2001. Tichman often performed in the Symphony’s Chamber Music Series, collaborating with Yo-Yo Ma, Yefim Bronfman, Lang Lang, and Garrick Ohlsson. She also performed as a soloist with the Symphony on many occasions.

Cellist Peter Wyrick (28 years of service) was a member of the cello section of the San Francisco Symphony from 1986 to 1989, and then rejoined the Symphony, serving as Associate Principal Cello from 1999 to 2023. He was previously the principal cello of the Mostly Mozart Orchestra and associate principal cello of the New York City Opera. He appeared as a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony in works including C.P.E. Bach’s Cello Concerto in A major, Bernstein’s Meditation No. 1 from Mass, Haydn’s Sinfonia concertante in B-flat major, and music from Tan Dun’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Concerto.

Bassoonist Steven Dibner (41 years of service) joined the San Francisco Symphony in 1983. Highlights of his career include playing for Frank Sinatra in Carnegie Hall, with Plácido Domingo at the Met, and with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center as well as touring and recording with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared as a bassoon soloist with the orchestra under Herbert Blomstedt and Yehudi Menuhin, and once sang a Mozart aria with the group.

Auditions for these positions are ongoing, and the orchestra will announce new appointments later in the summer.