Elim Chan named Music Director of San Francisco Symphony, the first woman and first person of Chinese descent in its 115-year history

SAN FRANCISCO — Elim Chan was named the incoming Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony, beginning in September 2027. Chan will become the first woman and the first person of Chinese and Asian descent to lead the symphony in its 115-year history.

Before officially joining the San Francisco Symphony as its Music Director, Chan will perform and conduct as Music Director Designate for the symphony in two upcoming concerts in San Francisco on June 5 and June 6.

The San Francisco Symphony announced on May 21 the appointment of Chan, 39, for a 6-year tenure as its 13th Music Director since the symphony was established in 1911.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie congratulated Chan and said in a statement, "World-renowned conductor Elim Chan is officially the next Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony. Director Chan’s talent has taken her to some of the greatest stages across the globe, and she will now help lead the next chapter of the San Francisco Symphony."

"As the first woman and first person of Chinese descent to serve in this role, her appointment is an important milestone for our city," Lurie said. "Welcome to San Francisco, Elim!"

"I hear she puts on quite a show, bringing audiences into her performances like none other. On June 5th and 6th, she is performing a program of works by Wagner, Debussy, and Berlioz in her first appearance as director designate. Our city is incredibly lucky to have this legend driving an important arts institution forward," Lurie said.

Tickets for both concerts are available online at sfsymphony.org/elimchan. On June 5 following Chan's first performance of the two concerts, all ticket holders are invited to a post-concert welcome celebration for Chan with live music, light food, and beverages.

After Chan joins the San Francisco Symphony in September 2027 for the 2027-2028 season, she will lead the orchestra in a minimum of 10 weeks of programming.

“In Elim Chan, we have found a musician of unusual gifts and a leader of equal substance—a rare combination, and the one behind her remarkable international rise,” said San Francisco Symphony Chief Executive Officer Matthew Spivey when announcing the appointment.

"She brings the strength, empathy, and intellectual rigor that orchestral leadership demands today, and the generosity to be an effective partner with our musicians, our board, and our community in the work ahead," Spivey said. "Her arrival opens new territory for this great American orchestra.”

Immediately prior to the San Francisco Symphony's announcement, Chan was recently appointed Artistic Partner with the Vienna Symphony for the 2026–27 and 2027–28 seasons, following her designation as Portrait Artist at the Musikverein in the 2022–23 season. Chan served as Principal Conductor of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra from 2019–2024 and Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra between 2018– 2023.

Chan performed in San Francisco before and debuted with the symphony during the 2022–23 season. Her second conducting performance was in October 2023.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Chan came to the United States to study at Smith College in Massachusetts and the University of Michigan. In 2014, Chan became the first woman to win the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition and spent her 2015–16 season as Assistant Conductor at the London Symphony Orchestra. Chan joined the Dudamel Fellowship program of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the 2017-18 season.

In the video produced by the San Francisco Symphony, Chan talked about her journey to become a musician and later a conductor.

"The first encounter of the idea of a conductor was from Disney, the original 'Fantasia' movie. My favorite episode in that movie is 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice,' where Mickey Mouse became the magician, made the spells to make all the brooms come alive," said Chan. "Making music is making magic."

When Chan was 8 or 9 years old, she first attended an orchestra concert in Hong Kong as an audience member. "My first orchestral concert, it was the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and I was really excited," said Chan.

"I saw the full orchestra on stage, of course, looking like what I remember from 'Fantasia'. The fascinating thing was when the conductor walked on stage, she was a woman," Chan said. "She started conducting, and the music started, the magic started. I remember very well saying to myself, I wanted to be like her. She is a magician."

While Chan was a Sophomore at Smith College, she said Verdi's Requiem changed her life and she conducted the opera. "I just felt this thunderbolt moment literally telling me. 'Elim, this is what you need to do. This is your spot. What are you waiting for?'"

The water in the San Francisco Bay Area reminded Chan of her birthplace Hong Kong. "Water has such a beautiful energy. It brings people to one place, and it also flows. I can see myself making a home here," said Chan.

"I love making music together with people. I think it is so important as musicians, as a symphony orchestra of a city, and in this case, the San Francisco Symphony. We have such a beautiful city with such a vibrant and special community," Chan added. "We are the thread and needle of the society, of the community, sing music as a way to knit the social fabric back together."