On January 11, 2013, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony celebrate the opening of Bing Concert Hall at Stanford University with an inaugural concert that features mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade. The program showcases music by American composers, with works such John Adams’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Harrison’s “The Family of the Court” from Pacifica Rondo, and Bernstein’s Take Care of This House, performed with Frederica von Stade. MTT and the Orchestra also present Debussy’s La mer.

The evening also sees performances by Haydn’s String Quartet in F by the St. Lawrence String Quartet, the University’s ensemble in residence; a choral dedication with the Stanford Chamber Chorale and students from the Stanford Philharmonia; and a processional by Stanford Taiko, a student performing ensemble devoted to the art of Japanese drumming.