San Francisco Symphony's Opening Night Gala
This isn't just another write-up about what people wore on the red carpet and how they styled their hair. We spent the night scouting out the musicians, staff and the behind-the-scenes celebrities that turned a typical Thursday night into a full-fledged musical affair. (Scroll down for our exclusive video footage!)
First, we headed over to the Symphonix Dinner at the City Hall where hundreds of young professionals came together for a lavish dinner complimented by an open bar and delicious desserts. This dinner was planned and styled by a set of Gala Co-Chairs that does this voluntarily on top of their full-time day jobs.
While people were getting their pictures and starting off the night with a champagne reception, we caught up with Gala Co-Chairs Meredith Tan and Nick Tan to find out more about what the evening had in store.
"Being a Gala Co-Chair is a big honor! We've been looking forward to this event all year and it's great seeing such a large turnout of young professionals coming together to celebrate the future of the Symphony." said Nick Tan.
"Proceeds from the tickets tonight help fund educational programs for the San Francisco Symphony. So not only are we toasting to a new season, we're celebrating new opportunities for students!" exclaimed Meredith Tan.
Afterwards, we raced over to catch up with Principal Percussionist Jake Nissly who has played with the San Francisco Symphony since 2013. (Fun Fact: Jake plays a mean trap set and also loves to perform with jazz combos!)
"I'm really excited about this season because we're going to be playing several concerts featuring the works of Bernstein (AKA: the Composer of West Side Story, Candide and so much more) because this would have been his one-hundredth birthday. We're also going to be performing Mahler's Symphony No. 3 which is one of MTT's specialties! There's definitely a little bit for everyone."
After an amazing performance with the San Francisco Symphony, Conductor MTT and Superstar Yo-Yo Ma, the celebration continued with an over-the-top After-Party. Guests of all ages were celebrating, dancing and toasting to another exciting season with the beloved San Francisco Symphony.
Scroll down to watch our exclusive footage from the event, featuring special guests Nick and Meredith Tan (Symphonix Gala Co-Chairs) Jake Nissly (San Francisco Symphony's Principal Percussionist), Christopher Reif (San Francisco Symphony's Resident Conductor and Youth Orchestra Music Director) along with Amy Sedan (San Francisco Symphony's Assistant Orchestra Personel Manager)!
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Click here to find out more about the San Francisco Symphony's 2017-2018 Season.
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