San Francisco Symphony Chorus
the SFS Chorus
152 voices
1972-present
SFS Media
Music Director
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Chorus Director
Jenny Wong
Founder
Seiji Ozawa
Background[edit]
Established in 1972 at the request of then-music director Seiji Ozawa, the chorus first performed in the 1973-74 Symphony season. The SFS Chorus today has 152 members and gives a minimum of 26 performances each season at Davies Symphony Hall. They have performed with some of the world's greatest conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Kurt Masur, Neville Marriner, Roger Norrington, and many others.
Leadership[edit]
During its first decade, Louis Magor served as the SFS Chorus director. Magor was succeeded in 1982 by the director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, Margaret Hillis. In 1983, Hillis was succeeded by Vance George who served as Chorus Director for twenty-three years until his retirement in 2006.[1] The current director is Ragnar Bohlin, who came to the SFS Chorus from Stockholm, Sweden where he was awarded with the prestigious Johannes Norrby medallion in 2006, for expanding the horizon of the Swedish choral community.[2]
Emmy Award, Outstanding Classical Music-Dance Program
Grammy Award for Best Classical Album
Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance
Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Classical