For the past dozen years San Francisco Symphony has played homage to the large Chinese population in the San Francisco Greater Bay Area with a gala Chinese New Year Concert and Celebration at Davies Symphony Hall which has drawn thousands of patrons through the years.
This year, however, Chairwomen Sharon Seto and Iris Chan went even further, and hosted, along with Bank of America, a launch party that they named “in anticipation of the San Francisco Symphony’s Chinese New Year Concert and Imperial Banquet,” and invited over hundred Symphony supporters and friends.
Launch party guests include: Kathleen Sullivan Alioto, Sharon Seto, Gioi Tran, Lan Tran, Gerrye Wong. Photo by Calvin Wong
Held in the beautiful penthouse venue atop the newly restored historic One Kearny Building, the launch drew out the loyal supporters of the Symphony in force, among them Leo Lin, CFO of Jade Sponsor, Monster Inc., Ken and Lan Tran, Genelle Relfe, Bill and Carolyn Lee. SF Supervisor David Chiu, photographers Elaine Lee and Horatio Jung, Sugar Bowl Bakery CEO Andrew and Tina Lee, and Margaret Liu Collins. Showing the guests the newly decorated room and rooftop garden of his building, owners Dr. Joe Fang and wife Maria were gracious hosts proudly pointing out the panels of his mother’s well known calligraphy artistry.
Fang proudly related to the admiring visitors that the main building was constructed in 1902 as the headquarters for Citizens Savings Bank and survived the 1906 earthquake. The corner piece was designed by famous architect, Charles Moore, designer of many famous buildings including the Hood Museum of Art. Listed as a National Historical Landmark, the final addition in 2007 was designed by Charles Bloszies, who also did the neighboring building, the Ritz Carlton.
Guests included Michael Chan, Philomena King, Iris Chan, Angeline Chang, Maggie Mui, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Ly. Photo by Elaine Lee.
Chairs Seto and Chan welcomed all with a slide show of past SFS Chinese New Year concerts and pronounced the good news that the post concert grand Imperial Banquet in the Grand Rotunda of City Hall is almost sold out. It is obvious their enthusiastic leadership and large committee is the backbone to the event’s continued success, agreed Launch Party attendees Irene Bechtel, Gwyneth Borden, Rada Brooks, Jerome Dodson, Sam leftwich, and Yanek Chiu. Sharon Seto proudly proclaimed that this event truly is for the community as all proceeds of the February 11, New Years Concert will go towards the Symphony’s music education and community programs.
Jade Sponsor Monster CFO Leo Lin, Thao Dodson, Lan Tran, Gerrye & Calvin Wong. Photo by Elaine Lee.
At the Chinese New Year Celebration Concert, Carolyn Kuan will once again conduct the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in a program featuring all Chinese composers and an SFS-commissioned world premiere by Huang Ruo. Guests soloists include Hu Jianbing on the Chinese sheng and pianist Jie Chen. The 3 p.m. Festival Reception is free to all ticket holders and provides family-friendly entertainment and activities, including children’s arts and crafts, lion dancing, Chinese calligraphy, complimentary food, desserts and tea in the Davies Symphony Hall lobbies. The concert at 4 p.m.consists entirely of Chinese and Chinese American composers, whose works incorporate traditional Chinese music and traditions into the Western orchestral style.
Tickets are available through sfsymphony.org, by phone (415) 864-6000 or at the Davies Symphony Hall Box Office. Imperial Dinner tickets are available by calling the SFS Volunteer Council (415) 503-5505.
