San Francisco Symphony Leadership Cites Financial Hardship as Key Factor in Cutting Programs

Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen has opted not to renew his contract, as a result of cuts to certain programs and initiatives

In mid-March 2024, the renowned conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen announced that he had decided not to continue as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony, saying that he no longer "share[s] the same goals" as the organization.

Then, on March 18, the symphony's players wrote a joint letter to the organization's Board of Directors, holding them responsible for Salonen's decision to leave and urging them to take the necessary steps that would see him reinstated.

Flyers were also distributed by the musicians to audience members at a March 16 concert, urging patrons to contact CEO Matt Spivey and Board Chair Priscilla Geeslin.

The symphony's Board has now released a statement, dated March 25, that aims to address a number of concerns raised by both musicians and patrons. It cites financial hardship as the main factor in the decision to strip back some of Salonen's most prized initiatives.

"In recent years, we have strived to be as transparent as possible about the mounting financial pressures that the Symphony is facing due to the cumulative impact of operating deficits stretching back more than a decade," the Board wrote. "The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated and accelerated problematic trends in declining fundraising and ticket sales even as organizational expenses have continued to increase."

"As a result of these financial circumstances, the Symphony is now faced with a series of difficult and painful decisions to pare back or temporarily discontinue certain programs and initiatives that are extremely important to all of us. We take these actions very seriously, and they are done solely to stabilize the organization’s finances and secure the future of this institution."

"We would love nothing more than to be able to immediately restore the number of SoundBox performances, semi-staged productions, and new commissions; to resume touring; and to reinstate Concerts for Kids. The limiting factor prohibiting us from doing so is not a lack of desire, drive, or ambition. It is solely a lack of immediate financial resources."

Salonen joined the San Francisco Symphony in 2018 as its 12th Music Director, and began his tenure in the Fall of 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown. His initial contract comes to an end in June 2025.