Beethoven Anniversary Series 1: Esme Quartet

the vibe

Bringing Great Artists and Great Audiences Together Welcome to our 2026–27 Season! A hallmark of San Francisco Performances for decades has been bringing great artists and great audiences together. Since 1979 our role has been to bring performers the world is watching right here to San Francisco,for concerts in intimate settings. Audiences love the experience of being up-close to artists. And artists repeatedly tell us how much they appreciate San Francisco audiences, because we support their ability to connect on a very direct level, performing music they are especially excited about. It’s a relationship based on a mutual and collective love of music. We trust our artists to share their personal musical journeys with us, and our artists trust our audiences to be enthusiastic and engaged fellow travelers. But it goes deeper. Recent studies about the physio logical effects of live music on audiences conducted by the Max Planck Society found that artists and audiences connect on a physical level. Those performing and attending live concerts often experience synchronized heart rates, decreased levels of stress, and increased brain activity. Anyone who attends concerts knows the emotional and psychological benefits of coming together to share live music. It makes us think, feel, and appreciate those around us and the gifts and work of those on stage. This is especially important and necessary in our challenging and stressful times—our hearts beating together, our minds and spirits nourished and united as we enjoy experiences that honor and celebrate our shared humanity. We invite you, our extraordinary audience, to join us and our exceptional variety of artists this season.