{"id":328050,"date":"2026-05-22T16:56:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T16:56:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/328050\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T16:56:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T16:56:21","slug":"elim-chan-will-lead-the-san-francisco-symphony-in-a-historic-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/328050\/","title":{"rendered":"Elim Chan will lead the San Francisco Symphony in a historic first"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

That sound of breaking glass? It\u2019s Hong Kong-born conductor Elim Chan, 39, shattering a particularly stubborn ceiling after being named the first woman to lead the San Francisco Symphony in its 115-year history. Her title is currently Music Director Designate, and when she officially steps into the job of music director in September 2027, she will become the first woman to lead a major American orchestra.<\/p>\n

Chan arrives as the orchestra\u2019s 13th music director at a precarious moment for the organization, which in 2024 was rocked by the resignation of its last music director, Esa-Pekka Salonen, who declined to renew his contract after five years and said he didn\u2019t share the same vision as the orchestra\u2019s board of governors. Like many arts organizations, the symphony is still struggling with a pandemic-precipitated drop in attendance and a shrinking budget.<\/p>\n

Fans will get their first chance to see Chan in action on June 5 and 6 when she\u2019ll take the stage in a program including Richard Wagner\u2019s Prelude from \u201cTristan und Isolde,\u201d Hector Berlioz\u2019s \u201cLes Nuits d\u2019\u00e9t\u00e9\u201d wih mezzo-soprano soloist Sasha Cooke, and Claude Debussy\u2019s \u201cLa Mer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Elim Chan, we have found a musician of unusual gifts and a leader of equal substance \u2014 a rare combination, and the one behind her remarkable international rise,\u201d said San Francisco Symphony Chief Executive Matthew Spivey in a news release. \u201cWhat sets her apart on the podium is the conviction she brings to the music itself. Works orchestras have played a hundred times sound newly made under her hand, lit by a feeling for structure, color, and emotional architecture that audiences hear before they can name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chan studied piano and cello in Hong Kong before moving to the U.S. to attend Smith College. She went to graduate school at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she ultimately earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 2015. The year before that she became the first woman to win the prestigious Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition, and was named assistant conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. <\/p>\n

Chan made her conducting debut with SF Symphony in January 2023 and has conducted the orchestra twice since. A rep for the the group said the feedback they\u2019ve received from \u201cour Orchestra, press, our audiences, and donors has been remarkable.\u201d Chan is, indeed, a electrifying presence to behold onstage, a fact that no doubt played a major role in the search committee\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

And now audiences get to delight in her fresh, invigorating approach to the conductor\u2019s podium. Glass ceilings should be broken more often.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m Arts editor Jessica Gelt rooting for something new and different. This is your arts and culture news for the week.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re reading Essential Arts <\/p>\n

Our critics and reporters guide you through events and happenings of L.A. <\/p>\n

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service<\/a>, which include arbitration and a class action waiver. You agree that we and our third-party vendors may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies, for the purposes set forth in our Privacy Policy<\/a> such as personalizing your experience and ads. <\/p>\n

The week ahead: A curated calendarFRIDAY \"David <\/p>\n

David E. Frank and Nicolet Anton in \u201cLimonade Tous les Jours: A Paris Love Story\u201d at City Garage.<\/p>\n

(Paul Rubenstein)<\/p>\n

Limonade Tous les Jours: A Paris Love Story
Romance in the City of Lights from Obie Award-winning playwright Charles L. Mee, in which a young chanteuse and a reserved American in his 50s ponder amour amid classic French cabaret songs.
8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 4 p.m. Sundays, through June 28. City Garage, 2525 Michigan Ave., Building T1, Santa Monica. citygarage.org<\/a> <\/p>\n

Three Lives
Written, directed by and starring Alex Xander Luu, this solo theater performance shares the dramatic, sometimes humorous, story of the Luu family\u2019s escape from Saigon in 1975 through the perspectives of a father, son and grandson.
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 2 and 8 p.m. Sunday. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. sierramadreplayhouse.org<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"David <\/p>\n

David Call and Lena Dunham in the movie \u201cTiny Furniture.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Joe Anderson \/ IFC Films)<\/p>\n

Tiny Furniture
Multi-hyphenate Lena Dunham\u2019s breakout 2010 indie feature about a new college graduate adrift in New York City screens with \u201cWelcome to Bushwick a.k.a The Crackcident,\u201d an episode from Dunham\u2019s series \u201cGirls.\u201d
7:30 p.m. Friday; 6 p.m. Saturday. The Eastwood (Oxford Underground), 1089 N Oxford Ave. eastwoodpac.stagey.net<\/a> <\/p>\n

SATURDAY<\/p>\n

\"Daisuke <\/p>\n

Daisuke Ryu in Akira Kurosawa\u2019s 1985 film \u201cRan,\u201d screening Saturday at the Academy Museum.<\/p>\n

(Winstar Cinema)<\/p>\n

Darkness and Humanity: The Complete Akira Kurosawa
The series continues with 35 mm screenings of \u201cRan,\u201d the filmmaker\u2019s 1985 adaptation of Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cKing Lear\u201d transported to 16th century Japan; and \u201cKagemusha,\u201d a 1980 feudal epic executive produced by George Lucas that helped revive Kurosawa\u2019s career and cement his legacy.
\u201cRan,\u201d 7:30 p.m. Saturday; \u201cKagemusha,\u201d 6:30 p.m. Sunday. 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

\u201cCut Piece,\u201d 1964, performed in \u201cNew Works of Yoko Ono,\u201d Carnegie Recital Hall, New York, filmed by David and Albert Maysles. Part of the exhibit \u201cYoko Ono: Music of the Mind\u201d at the Broad.<\/p>\n

(\u00a9 Yoko Ono)<\/p>\n

Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind
The first solo museum exhibition in Southern California of the singular artist, musician and activist, organized in collaboration with Tate Modern, London, includes work from her seven-decade career; direct participation by visitors will be invited in many of Ono\u2019s transformational works.
Through Oct. 11. The Broad, 221 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. thebroad.org<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Artist Kyungmi Shin, whose solo exhibition \u201cMy Fantasy\u2019s Burdens\u201d is currently showing at Perrotin Los Angeles, talks with Aleesa Pitchamarn Alexander on Sunday.<\/p>\n

(Todd Gray)<\/p>\n

Kyungmi Shin
The L.A.-based artist will discuss her work, including the current exhibition \u201cMy Fantasy\u2019s Burdens,\u201d with Aleesa Pitchamarn Alexander, curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Cantor Arts Center and co-director of the Asian American Art Initiative at Stanford University. \u201cMy Fantasy\u2019s Burden\u201d includes both paintings and ceramics by Shin, featuring the artist\u2019s practice of interrogating the Asian American diasporic identity, focusing on the cultural, economic and scientific consequences of colonialism.
4 p.m. Saturday; the exhibition concludes May 30. Perrotin Los Angeles, 5036 W Pico Blvd. perrotin.com<\/a> <\/p>\n

SUNDAY
Bob Dylan double feature
It\u2019s the music icon\u2019s 85th birthday and what better way to celebrate than with screenings of his 2021 concert film \u201cShadow Kingdom,\u201d directed by Alma Har\u2019el, and the 1987 musical melodrama \u201cHearts Of Fire\u201d \u2014 one of Dylan\u2019s forays into acting \u2014 directed by Richard Marquand.
7:30 p.m. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. americancinematheque.com<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"Stephen <\/p>\n

Stephen Schwartz performs during the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction and awards gala in 2025.<\/p>\n

(Charles Sykes \/Invision \/ AP)<\/p>\n

An Evening With Stephen Schwartz
Katharine McPhee, Joey McIntyre, Loren Allred and other performers join the celebrated composer-lyricist for a benefit concert to help the Altadena Music Theatre recover from the Eaton fire. Schwartz has won three Oscars, three Grammys, four Drama Desk Awards, a Golden Globe and the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater, in addition to six Tony nominations for shows including \u201cWicked,\u201d \u201cPippin\u201d and \u201cGodspell.\u201d Preceded by a VIP cocktail hour.
7:30 p.m. Manoukian Cultural Performing Arts Center, 2495 E. Mountain St., Pasadena. altadenamusictheatre.com<\/a> <\/p>\n

Arts anywhere<\/p>\n

New and recent releases of arts-related media.<\/p>\n

An Evening with Nicole Scherzinger<\/p>\n

The lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls crowned her triumphant, Olivier- and Tony-winning turn as Norma Desmond in the musical revival of \u201cSunset Boulevard\u201d with a series of solo concerts at prestigious venues (including Walt Disney Concert Hall<\/a>). The latest edition of \u201cGreat Performances\u201d captured Scherzinger\u2019s performance at London\u2019s Royal Albert Hall in October 2025, when she sang showtunes, covers and songs from her own repertoire. 9 p.m. Friday on PBS and streaming on the PBS app<\/a><\/p>\n

\""Reading <\/p>\n

\u201cReading Pictures: A History of Illustration,\u201d by D.B. Dowd.<\/p>\n

(Princeton University Press)<\/p>\n

Reading Pictures: A History of Illustration<\/p>\n

In this visual chronicle, D.B. Dowd, a professor of design and American culture studies at Washington University in St. Louis, follows this unique art form from relief prints and woodcuts in ancient China and Japan, through the development of the printing press in 15th century Europe, and on to modern developments such as illustrated news, recreational reading and ad-driven consumer culture. Dowd reconsiders the traditional narrative to view illustration in the context of race, gender, literacy and cultural memory. The book examines the integration of reading and looking, the increasing prevalence of images in the digital age, and what it means to be literate in the 21st century. Princeton University Press: 400 pages, $60<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kevin Crust<\/p>\n

Culture news and the SoCal scene \"Kylie <\/p>\n

Kylie Victoria Edwards and Daniel Yearwood in \u201cBrigadoon\u201d at Pasadena Playhouse.<\/p>\n

(Jeff Lorch)<\/p>\n

Theater lovers rejoice: \u201cBrigadoon\u201d at the Pasadena Playhouse may be the \u201cbest local staging of a musical\u201d <\/a>Times theater critic Charles McNulty has seen in 20 years covering the scene for The Times. The revival, directed by Katie Spelman with an updated book by playwright Alexandra Silber, is \u201cthe high-water mark so far of Pasadena Playhouse producing artistic director Danny Feldman\u2019s <\/a>ongoing reexamination of the American musical canon,\u201d McNulty writes. In the same column, McNulty notes that another classic musical revival, \u201cFlower Drum Song\u201d at East West Players, does not hit its mark.<\/p>\n

The Skirball Cultural Center\u2018s latest exhibit takes on the genesis of Punk rock in the 1970s<\/a>, and traces its rise from the UK to New York and Los Angeles. The exhibit, \u201cOutsiders, Outcasts, Rebels + Weirdos: Punk Culture 1976-86,\u201d pegs punk\u2019s year zero to 1976, \u201cwhen the Ramones debuted their self-titled record. That same year, the Sex Pistols cursed on live TV, John Holmstrom and Legs McNeil co-founded Punk magazine, and the Damned released the first British punk single, \u2018New Rose\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Erin Davis, son of Miles Davis, poses for a portrait during Musichead Gallery\u2019s photography exhibition marking a centennial celebration of the jazz musician.<\/p>\n

(Jason Armond \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

As the world celebrates the centennial of jazz legend Miles Davis<\/a>, a unique photo show is happening at Musichead Gallery on Sunset Boulevard. \u201cThe show celebrates the late jazz musician\u2019s centennial through imagery captured over a career spanning nearly five decades,\u201d writes staff writer Julius Miller, noting that some of those photos have not even been seen by members of the Davis family.<\/p>\n

Times classical music critic Mark Swed sat down for an exclusive interview with Los Angeles Philharmonic Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel<\/a> as he readied to play his final shows with the orchestra at Walt Disney Concert Hall before departing for the New York Philharmonic. \u201cI\u2019m living here and I\u2019m not living here,\u201d Dudamel told Swed. \u201cThe connection will always be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swed also weighed in on two performances marking composer Philip Glass\u2019 90th birthday<\/a> (which arrives at the end of January): Paris Opera\u2019s \u201cshocking\u201d new \u201cnoir\u201d production of Glass\u2019 \u201cSatyagraha\u201d; and a UC Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures-commissioned show called \u201cPhilip Glass and the Poets,\u201d which premiered at Campbell Hall featuring readings by performance artist Taylor Mac and dancer\/choreographer Lucinda Childs.<\/p>\n

\"An <\/p>\n

Lisa Waund\u2019s work in the Joy Department at the Hospital of Emotions at St. Vincent Medical Center.<\/p>\n

(Carlin Stiehl \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

The Times got an exclusive first look inside the soon-to-open Hospital of Emotions,<\/a> which features 70 artists in a takeover of 80 rooms at the shuttered St. Vincent\u2019s Medical Center on the outskirts of downtown L.A. The sprawling immersive art project is divided into various departments including joy, fear and sadness, and shines a spotlight on wellness and mental health.<\/p>\n

Meow Wolf L.A. won\u2019t open until later this year, but The Times got an early look at a new character that will be featured in the immersive art space. Its name is WoWoW and it\u2019s the creation of the experimental video art collective Everything Is Terrible. Read all about the \u201c20-foot-tall, 1,000-pound amoeba-like creature\u201d here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Enjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times<\/p>\n

Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Guests <\/p>\n

Guests enjoy wine and friendship at the Barnsdall Art Park Foundation\u2019s weekly wine tasting.<\/p>\n

(Janna Ireland \/ Barnsdall Art Park Foundation)<\/p>\n

Barnsdall Friday Wine Nights are returning for a 17th year. <\/a> The event is set to begin May 29 and run through Sept. 11, every Friday evening from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. Located on the West Lawn of Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s magnificent Hollyhock House, the gathering occupies one of the city\u2019s most magical outdoor spots. A $55 general admission ticket gets you four glasses of wine from Silverlake Wine, along with a rotating lineup of food trucks. DJs also regularly perform throughout the series. Best of all: Proceeds support arts programming and preservation at Barnsdall Art Park. A rep for the event notes that, \u201cthis year\u2019s fundraiser is especially critical amid proposed budget and staffing cuts to the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Break out your best picnic basket and blanket: Independent Shakespeare Co. has announced this summer\u2019s Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, which runs outdoors every year at the park\u2019s Old Zoo. This year\u2019s lineup includes the Bard\u2019s \u201cCoriolanus\u201d and \u201cThe Comedy of Errors.\u201d Performances are free, but registration is requested at www.IndieShakes.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jessica Gelt<\/p>\n

And last but not least<\/p>\n

Times restaurant critic Bill Addison declares the 10-table Wilde\u2019s the new \u201ccrown jewel\u201d of Los Feliz.<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"That sound of breaking glass? It\u2019s Hong Kong-born conductor Elim Chan, 39, shattering a particularly stubborn ceiling after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":328051,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[10242,10246,10247,10243,63,10244,10239,10241,1406,10245,101,103,102,10240,104,106,105,1860,3044,430,1968],"class_list":["post-328050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-design-columnist-carolina-a-miranda","tag-existential-questions","tag-group-show","tag-l-a-museum","tag-los-angeles-times","tag-matthew-lopez","tag-opera","tag-pauline","tag-performance","tag-private-jet","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-schindler-house","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news","tag-show","tag-story","tag-week","tag-work"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=328050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/328051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=328050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=328050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=328050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}