On the heels of their Asian tour, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony return to California with a musical program that features Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto performed by Yefim Bronfman and the world premiere of Mark Volkert’s Pandora. MTT and the Orchestra open their concerts with Strauss’s tone poem Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, which is followed by the debut performances of Pandora by SFS Assistant Concertmaster Mark Volkert. The composition, for orchestral strings, was written in 2010 and carries the dedication: “For Michael Tilson Thomas and the strings of the San Francisco Symphony with great admiration.” Yefim Bronfman joins the Orchestra for Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto, “Emperor.”

Performances take place December 5, 7, and 8 at Davies Symphony Hall and December 6 at the Green Music Center at Sonoma State University – the Orchestra’s debut there.