Meet the future of the LA Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony
It's September, and in the classical music world that means symphony orchestras are busy firing up their new seasons.But amidst the gala concerts, two of America's finest, the San Francisco Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, are opening their 2026 seasons with one eye on the future.
Both orchestras have spent the last few years painstakingly searching for new music directors and this spring they made their long-awaited announcements: British conductor Daniel Harding will take over in Los Angeles, while Hong Kong native Elim Chan will move to San Francisco.It will be a year before either Chan or Harding give their first official downbeat as music directors, but meeting them offers answers to some questions about these crucial choices, which took many classical music observers by surprise.What new directions, if any, might they take with their new orchestras? And how will their leadership impact the temperament and perspective of music-making not only in their own communities, but also internationally.Conversations with the newly minted music directors quickly reveal two distinct, dynamic personalities ready to embark on their next musical journeys.Chan, who is 39 years old, is effervescent, quick to laugh and has a surprising hobby she began exploring about 10 years ago."I do boxing," she says.
"I picked up this new sport because I was looking for something really out of my comfort zone."Chan's true comfort zone is standing in front of an orchestra — which she discovered by chance.Studying at Smith College in Massachusetts (where she also took courses in forensic science), Chan was asked to step out of the collegiate choir to try her hand at conducting.
That turned out to be her "Aha!" moment.Later, she became the first — and so far only — woman to win the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition while earning her doctoral degree at the University of Michigan."Elim Chan comes to us rather unknown," says Joshua Kosman, retired classical music critic fo...