San Francisco Symphony Welcomes Year of the Serpent at Lunar New Year Celebration

February 8 was an evening of fine food, fabulous music and cross-cultural friendship, when the San Francisco Symphony invited 300 of its closest friends to its 25th-annual Lunar New Year Concert and Banquet. Held at Davies Symphony Hall, the Lunar New Year: Year of the Serpent party is one of the Symphony’s signature events, an elegant affair drawing upon vibrant Asian traditions both past and present. This year’s event also honored Margaret Liu Collins and John Chen for their steadfast leadership and generous support over the past quarter century.

The exciting evening kicked off with pre-concert festivities in the Symphony Hall lobby, which featured an interactive reptile show with Lizard Lady Reptiles, calligraphy by Pauline Tsui and performances by Parangal Dance Company. Guests then made their way into the Hall for a very special concert, led by conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong and highlighting works by composers of Chinese descent such as An-Lun Huang, Zhao Jiping and Huan-Zhi Li. Pipa player Wu Man joined the Lecce-Chong and the Orchestra for Zhao Jiping’s Pipa Concerto No. 2, and Assistant Principal Cello Amos Yang performed selections from Chen Gang and He Zhanhao’s The Butterfly Lovers Concerto. The Orchestra also performed the world premiere of The Phoenix Ascends, a new San Francisco Symphony commission by composer Shuying Li. After the concert guests were treated to a banquet fit for royalty, a decadent, multi-course affair featuring a duo of soy roasted black cod and miso glazed eggplant, and a rich chocolate ginger pot de crème with dragon fruit. Proceeds from the event support the SF Symphony’s artistic, education and community programs.