The Bay Area is in a moment of reckoning — we’re still fully emerging from the pandemic, confronting the realities of a volatile economy and job market, and working to restore the vibrancy that makes our home one of the most creative and inspiring in the world.

Many civic and community leaders have spoken with clarity and urgency about the financial realities we all face in the arts, in government, in the business world, individually, and beyond. They’ve reminded us that temporary fixes are no substitute for permanent solutions, especially for nonprofits like the San Francisco Symphony, and that long-term health requires difficult but responsible decisions now.

Most institutions in San Francisco and beyond are absorbing that message and responding to this moment with realism and resolve. Regrettably, the union representing the San Francisco Symphony’s orchestra musicians is not.

As we continue labor negotiations, we are disappointed that the musicians’ representatives have yet to acknowledge the seriousness of the financial circumstances confronting our institution, our city, and our sector. Their approach suggests a disconnect from what so many others already understand: that we are in a period that demands realism and forward-looking solutions.

The San Francisco Symphony has existed to serve our community through extraordinary orchestral music for more than a century. We are also a nonprofit navigating rising costs, changing audience behaviors, shifting philanthropic trends, and the need to evolve our funding model to ensure long-term viability.

Our musicians are world-class artists and a vital part of who we are. But preserving artistic excellence also requires financial sustainability and, above all, cooperation.

What the musicians’ representatives are asking for today simply isn’t realistic. Our responsibility is not just to the orchestra itself, but to the broader community—to our audiences, our students, our collaborators, and yes, our performers—for generations to come.

Over the past two years, the Symphony’s leadership team and Board have taken difficult but necessary steps toward addressing our finances—all while preserving our most vital artistic and educational programs.

We’ve invested in what matters most: hiring new musicians, commissioning new works, supporting robust education initiatives, and advancing the search for a new Music Director to lead us into our next chapter.

Our Board, meanwhile, is committed to supporting this vision—helping to shape the future and ensuring that our offer to the musicians represents a sustainable and financially prudent path forward. That offer depends not just on what we have today, but on the funds we can raise together with our community.

We know that navigating this moment requires clarity and an elevated sense of partnership. That’s why we have launched this website that shares our vision for the future—a vision centered on artistic innovation, deeper community connection, and long-term sustainability.

The site also provides a clear window into our financial picture. We believe that a shared understanding of our challenges and opportunities is the foundation for progress. We invite our audiences, supporters, and partners—including our musicians and their representatives—to explore these materials and engage with the full scope of what we’re building together.

The road ahead will pose challenges but we believe it will also lead to renewed strength. With the support of our community, we can connect artists and audiences through the power of orchestral music. We can innovate on the concert experience to shape the future of our art form, collaborate with new creative partners across genres and disciplines, inspire learning through robust education and training programs, reflect the identity and spirit of the Bay Area, and honor and build on our legacy of excellence and creativity.

At the San Francisco Symphony, we believe in the power of music to inspire, to unite, and to transform lives. We strive to be a beacon of artistic greatness and innovation—a symphony that reflects the spirit of our city: bold, diverse, and endlessly creative. This is what we are fighting for. Not a temporary fix to paper over challenges, but a roadmap to a thriving, long-term future.

To our Bay Area community: thank you for standing with us. Your generosity, belief, and advocacy fuel this organization. We invite you to continue that partnership—and help us chart a path forward that honors our past, meets the urgency of this moment, and secures our future.

With gratitude,

Matthew Spivey
Chief Executive Officer, San Francisco Symphony

Priscilla B. Geeslin
Chair, San Francisco Symphony