The San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the Musicians of the San Francisco Symphony led a benefit concert at Davies Symphony Hall to offer relief for those impacted by the Los Angeles county fires earlier this year.
An idea dreamt up by a few musicians came to life Saturday night in San Francisco.
The San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the San Francisco Symphony musicians led a benefit concert at Davies Symphony Hall earlier this year to offer relief for those impacted by the Los Angeles County fires.
Scott Pingel, the San Francisco Symphony's principal bassist, explained that it all began with conversations between musicians, who said the devastating fires in Southern California struck a chord with them.
"We had what was gonna be a dark week at the San Francisco Symphony, and a bunch of us musicians were talking and we were thinking, 'We gotta do something'" Pingel recalled.
After a few phone calls, they learned they could host the concert at Davies Symphony Hall.
It's not clear how much was raised yet. Still, organizers said the net proceeds of all the tickets will be split evenly between Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles and the Entertainment Community Fund.
"There’s no way we could have put it together without everybody chipping in and putting it together," Pingell said.
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Edwin Outwater, who conducted this benefit concert, explained that it took about four weeks to put together.
"And that’s kind of amazing because big orchestral concerts like this one usually take over a year to plan," he continued.
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Outwater, the music director at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a "longtime friend of the San Francisco Symphony," grew up in Santa Monica and has personal memories of many of the places destroyed in the Palisades Fire.
"The best thing we can do is band together and care for each other, and I think that’s what this music is all about," Outwater said.
The program on Saturday featured the works of Aaron Copland, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Antonín Dvořák, performed by musicians from the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra, and pianist Garrick Ohlsson.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie was also at the concert and gave some remarks before the program.
"It's difficult for us to grasp the scale of loss in Los Angeles, but sadly, many in the Bay Area know firsthand the immense toll wildfires can take," Lurie said.
"Tonight, as fellow Californians, we share with our neighbors in southern Californians, and we share in their grief and rebuilding," Lurie continued.
Many on stage and in the audience Saturday have loved ones who were impacted in Southern California.
Others have seen and experienced the same devastation in their communities.
"Being in Santa Rosa, we've been through this fires business three times, so our hearts really go out [to LA]," said Santa Rosa resident Holly Julian, who was in attendance Saturday.
As thousands of Southern Californians continue rebuilding, these San Francisco musicians are lending a hand in their own way. They said they selected songs for the program meant to inspire hope and belief in brighter days ahead.
