DOUBLE TROUBLE, a program of concerti for two instruments, including a pair of Debut Artists and a world premiere, plus a great, double-digit Haydn symphony, coming soon to a concert hall, church, or theater near you!

As a SFCO Member, you not only get the best seats in the house, but you also get to make advanced reservations for our Double Trouble series, allowing you to bypass those long lines. Members can also reserve priority seating for guests for a $20 donation per ticket. Please plan on arriving at least 15 minutes before the concert is scheduled to start; members who arrive after this cannot be guaranteed seating. 

We’ve also got our first member’s reception following our January 3 concert at San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre.  Please join us!

The winner of our Name That Haydn Symphony contest is Don Smiegiel of San Francisco.  Don’s winning entry, which was chosen by a finely calibrated applause-o-meter at the Freight and Salvage on Monday evening, Nov. 30, is “The Freight and Salvation Symphony”. Inspired perhaps by his surroundings, Don’s name triumphed over scores (pun intended) of strong entries, including “The Sunset Strip Symphony”, “The To Grandma’s House We Go Symphony” “The New Year’s Symphony”, and my personal favorite: “The Duck Symphony”. Thanks to all of you who played our game, and in the bargain had the great fortune of hearing the New Esterhazy String Quartet perform two and a half quartets by Haydn on our Classical at the Freight series.  Congratulations to Don, whose grand prize was a beautiful, brand-new
 
San Francisco Chamber Orchestra sweatshirt,
which you too can own by visiting our beautiful, brand-new online store.  Pick up a poster, or perhaps a set of lovely black-and-white notecards featuring the whimsical cartoons of Berkeley artist Gail Machlis.  Our ever-popular t-shirts and sweatshirts are now available in a wider variety of colors and sizes.  You can even adopt your own San Francisco Chamber Orchestra musician in our online store.  All instruments still available, but hurry – our supply of violists is limited!
Start a hot fashion trend on your block.

Brass bands are all very well in their place – outdoors and several miles away.

   {answer below}

I think Haydn is boring.  Why should I come to your Double  Trouble program to hear his 77th symphony if I don’t like his first 76?
                  Snoozing in Sausalito

Dear Snoozing,
I appreciate your honesty, you callow philistine!  Sorry, that just slipped out…  In today’s world of the 3-minute pop song, video on demand, and Guitar Hero on your 47-inch flat screen, attending a classical music concert can seem about as exciting as watching paint dry.  Our attention spans have dwindled and our appetite for dramatic gestures has increased.

What’s wrong with this picture is that listening to music, and classical music in particular, has become a passive activity.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself.  And try to stay awake! 

Instead, try this:  sit back, but instead of relaxing, open up your ears and your imagination as widely as possible. There’s an entire musical world to explore, and enjoy, in a Haydn symphony – wit and humor, delightful melodies, the interplay of voices and themes, sudden shifts of mood, color, texture.  Make up your own internal movie to Haydn’s soundtrack.  Connect the dots.  Be an active listener – it takes a bit of effort but one that is richly rewarded, especially in classical music. 

And if you don’t like Haydn’s 77th, there’s always number 78!
 
 Got questions? Need some musical advice? Dating a violist?  
Ask the Maestro at SimonSays@sfchamberorchestra.org