SAN FRANCISCO, CA—The San Francisco Symphony’s 2025 holiday season, November 30–December 22, features a festive lineup of programs, including performances of traditional Christmas classical music, family-friendly events, holiday film presentations, and a star-studded lineup of guest artists. Throughout December, the lobbies of Davies Symphony Hall are transformed into a cheerful holiday wonderland, complete with towering trees decorated with handmade ornaments made by children and volunteers from local schools and nonprofit community organizations.
Visit sfsymphony.org/holidays for the full season lineup.
A Merry-Achi Christmas (November 30)
On November 30, Mariachi Sol de México® de José Hernández returns to Davies Symphony Hall to kick off the holidays with a festive musical tribute to Mexico’s Christmas traditions, performing Mexican and American holiday favorites in A Merry-Achi Christmas. The San Francisco Symphony does not appear in this performance.
Christmas with the Count Basie Orchestra (December 3)
From the intimate clubs of Kansas City to the grand stage of Carnegie Hall, the Count Basie Orchestra is a testament to the enduring power of jazz to transcend generations and inspire audiences across the globe. On December 3, the 18-time Grammy Award-winning ensemble, conducted by Jonathan Taylor Rush, directed by Scotty Barnhart, and featuring celebrated jazz vocalist Carmen Bradford, joins the San Francisco Symphony Strings for Christmas with the Count Basie Orchestra, highlighting some of the ensemble’s favorite holiday tunes.
Handel’s Messiah (December 5–6)
On December 5–6, conductor Jane Glover leads the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus in performances of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah, featuring soprano Susanna Phillips, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, tenor Josh Lovell in his Orchestral Series debut, and baritone Will Liverman. This year’s Messiah performances mark the 100th anniversary of the first San Francisco Symphony performance of the work, which took place on December 15, 1925, and were conducted by then-SF Symphony Music Director Alfred Hertz. Handel’s Messiah was an instant classic soon after its 1742 premiere and has been a holiday tradition around the world ever since. Through a dramatic series of arias, recitatives, and choruses, Handel offers a musical meditation on Christ’s birth, life, and resurrection—and his message of redemption.
Deck the Hall (December 7)
Deck the Hall, a beloved family holiday tradition, brings the festive spirit to Davies Symphony Hall with two kid-friendly matinee performances on December 7 at 11:00am and 3:00pm. Conducted by the San Francisco Symphony’s Resident Conductor of Engagement and Education Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, this annual holiday children’s concert and celebration features an array of musical performances from Symphony musicians and special guests. This year, the one-hour program will be hosted by Carolyn McArdle, San Francisco Giants broadcaster and 98.1 The Breeze morning show host, who will bring audiences along on a musical journey through winter holiday folklore and traditions across cultures featuring symphonic music, singing, dance, and live storytelling. Each segment of the program will be centered around a story from different cultural traditions with kid-focused narration woven throughout. The Deck the Hall program highlights the talented young singers of the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the Young Women’s Choral Projects of San Francisco, and features students from the San Francisco Ballet Training Program in selections from Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. Also joining the Symphony for Deck the Hall is bass-baritone Elijah Cineas; klezmer ensemble Kugelplex; and the all-female mariachi ensemble Mariachi Bonitas de Dinorah, performing a selection of holiday mariachi melodies. McArdle will also narrate Nathan Wang’s musical rendition of Clement-Clarke Moore’s The Night Before Christmas. The concert ends with a holiday sing-along complete with costumed characters.
To make the experience even more memorable, guests can purchase a VIP Package that includes premium concert seating and an exclusive preconcert experience with treats, interactive activities, special appearances, and more. Deck the Hall is chaired by Alex Carlson and planned with the help of the San Francisco Symphony Junior Committee League, led by Junior Committee President Jessica Pascolini. Proceeds from this event support Deck the Hall Community Day, which takes place this year on December 8 and invites 3,500 children from public schools to this holiday concert free of charge, providing many of them with their first opportunity to visit a concert hall and hear a live orchestral performance. Deck the Hall proceeds provide additional support for the Symphony’s many artistic, education, and community programs.
The Louise M. Davies Foundation and Zenni Optical are Deck the Hall’s Presenting Partners. Kelsie Costa & Christopher Olson, Hannah & Bianca–The J.C. Kellogg Foundation, and IEQ Capital are Community Impact Partners. In-kind sponsors for Deck the Hall include Barnett Vineyards and Luxardo.
Holiday films: The Holiday—Film with Live Orchestra (December 10–11), Disney’s Frozen—Film with Live Orchestra (December 13), and Home Alone—Film with Live Orchestra (December 19–20)
The holiday season includes screenings of three favorite holiday-inspired films, featuring the San Francisco Symphony performing the scores live to picture as the films are projected onto a large screen above the stage. On December 10–11, conductor Anthony Parnther and the San Francisco Symphony perform Hans Zimmer’s score to hit comedy The Holiday, written, produced, and directed by Nancy Meyers and featuring a star-studded cast including Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and Jude Law.
On December 13, Eímear Noone conducts the San Francisco Symphony in a matinee performance of Disney’s Frozen in Concert featuring favorite songs from the movie—including the Academy Award®-winning, instant classic “Let It Go”—from songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and composer Christophe Beck.
On December 19–20, Joshua Gersen conducts the San Francisco Symphony and Ragazzi Boys Chorus in performances of Chris Columbus’s Home Alone, featuring John Williams’s iconic score.
SF Symphony Youth Orchestra performs Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf (December 14)
On December 14, the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and Wattis Foundation Music Director Radu Paponiu present their annual performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s timeless musical fable Peter and the Wolf. Actor Joshua Dela Cruz returns as guest narrator in this program for the second year in a row, and the concert includes selections from Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite and additional programming to be announced. After Peter and the Wolf, Paponiu and the Youth Orchestra invite the audience to join them in a festive sing-along of popular holiday carols.
Dela Cruz is the current host of Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues & You! and starred in Paramount+’s Blue’s Big City Adventure alongside previous hosts Steve Burns and Donovan Patton. He has also appeared on Fubar, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, Bull, and Time After Time. On Broadway, Dela Cruz debuted in Disney’s Aladdin as an understudy and ensemble member, later taking over the role of Aladdin himself. Other theater appearances include roles in Here Lies Love at the Public Theater and Merrily We Roll Along by Encores! at New York City Center.
The Youth Orchestra’s performance of Peter and the Wolf is an annual holiday favorite and has been a regular part of the Orchestra’s season since 1985. Past narrators have included Richard Dreyfuss, Tom Kenny, John Lithgow, Bobby McFerrin, Rita Moreno, Kathy Najimy, Linda Ronstadt, Sharon Stone, W. Kamau Bell, SF Symphony Music Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas, and the late Leonard Nimoy and Robin Williams, among many other lauded actors, comedians, musicians, and public figures.
Peabo Bryson and Friends: Home for the Holidays (December 16)
On December 16, two-time Academy Award winner Peabo Bryson brings Peabo Bryson and Friends: Home for the Holidays to Davies Symphony Hall for a performance of Christmas classics and pop hits. Bryson is joined by two-time Grammy Award winner Sheena Easton; American Idol winner and Grammy Award nominee Ruben Studdard; and international trumpet prodigy and vocalist Ilya Serov. The San Francisco Symphony does not appear in this presentation.
Holiday Gaiety with Peaches Christ & Edwin Outwater (December 17)
On December 17, the SF Symphony presents Holiday Gaiety—a festive holiday variety show co-emceed by conductor Edwin Outwater and San Francisco drag sensation Peaches Christ. The adult-themed program features a star-studded lineup including comedian Evan Mills; singer-songwriter and drag performer Adore Delano (RuPaul’s Drag Race season six and RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars season two, as well as season seven of American Idol); vocalist Sasha Allen (The Voice season 21); mezzo-soprano and aerialist Nikola Printz; drag artist Sister Roma from The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence; and vocalist and drag performer Sapphira Cristál (runner-up and Miss Congeniality in season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race). Please be advised this show may contain adult content and explicit language.
Holiday Brass (December 20)
On December 20, members of the San Francisco Symphony brass, percussion, and timpani sections, conducted by Edwin Outwater, present a festive mix of classical and popular holiday selections in Holiday Brass. The program includes special brass arrangements of works by George Frideric Handel, Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel, Georges Bizet, and Astor Piazzolla, as well as holiday favorites including Gustav Holst’s Christmas Day, Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride, and more. In addition, San Francisco Giants announcer Jon Miller makes a special appearance, joining the SF Symphony brass to narrate Anthony DiLorenzo’s ’Twas the Night Before Christmas.
A Charlie Brown Christmas—LIVE! (December 21–22)
On December 21–22, A Charlie Brown Christmas—LIVE! returns to Davies Symphony Hall with conductor Ming Luke leading the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus in four performances that bring the classic Christmas animated TV special to life. The presentation features Vince Guaraldi’s delightful score, an animated backdrop, as well as singers, actors, and dancers that embody Charles Schulz’s beloved Peanuts characters.
The first half of the program features selections and medleys from Vince Guaraldi’s full Peanuts catalogue, celebrating 60 years of his music for Charlie Brown and the 75th anniversary of Peanuts.
