SF’s “Civic Strings” Free Concerts (2025/26)

The San Francisco Civic Music Association is dedicated to offering numerous opportunities for classical music lovers and amateur musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Our ensembles are open to all musicians and our concerts are free and available to the public. We’d love to see you soon!

2026 SCHEDULE & PROGRAM

Sunday, October 18, 2026 – SF Civic Symphony: Great Mysteries
Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave, SF – maps
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
PROGRAM:

• Franz Liszt: Les Préludes
• Camille Saint Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1, A minor
  Angela Lee, Cello
• Edward Elgar: Enigma Variations

Paul Schrage – Music Director & Conductor: Paul Schrage
RSVP | Free Concert – Donations Accepted – Suggested Donation $20

Sunday, October 24, 2026 – An Afternoon of Chamber Music
Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez St,. SF – maps
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
PROGRAM:

• Marcel Boucard, Suite Champêtre
  Barbara Landt, Flute
  Carol Yarbrough, Horn
• Paul Hindemith, Kleine Kammermusik
• Malcolm Arnold, Three Shanties
  Sonore Quintet
  – Barbara Brown, Flute
  – Susan Ritter, Oboe
  – Sam Torrisi, Clarinet
  – Jeff Dickey, Horn
  – Leigh Korn, Bassoon
• Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904), Piano Quartet No. 2 in E♭Major
  Pinky Quartet:
  – Leyan Lo, Violin
  – Alex Li, Viola
  – Eric Cheng, Cello
  – Sheila Chan, Piano

RSVP | Free Concert – Donations Accepted – Suggested Donation $20

Sunday, November 1, 2026 – Civic Strings: Enlightenment and America
First Baptist Church, 22 Waller St., SF – maps
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
PROGRAM:

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Divertimento in B Flat Major, K. 137
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante, K.364 (320d) for Violin and Viola and String Ensemble
  Michelle Maruyama, violin
  • Marcel Gemperli, viola
• Sam Marshall: Rose, for String Orchestra
• George Gershwin: Lullaby
• Florence Price: II. Clementine, from Five Folksongs in Counterpoint
• Scott Joplin: The Entertainer
• Bates/Ward: America, the Beautiful (audience singalong!)

Michelle Maruyama – Music Director & Conductor
RSVP | Free Concert – Donations Accepted – Suggested Donation $20

Sunday, November 1, 2026 – Civic Strings: Enlightenment and America
First Baptist Church, 22 Waller St., SF – maps
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
PROGRAM:

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Divertimento in B Flat Major, K. 137
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante, K.364 (320d) for Violin and Viola and String Ensemble
  Michelle Maruyama, violin
  Marcel Gemperli, viola
• Sam Marshall: Rose, for String Orchestra
• George Gershwin: Lullaby
• Florence Price: II. Clementine, from Five Folksongs in Counterpoint
• Scott Joplin: The Entertainer
• Bates/Ward: America, the Beautiful (audience singalong!)

Michelle Maruyama – Music Director & Conductor
RSVP – Free Concert – Donations Accepted – Suggested Donation $20

Saturday, November 14, 2026 – An Afternoon of Chamber Music
Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez St,. SF – maps
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
PROGRAM:

A selection of several chamber music groups.

• Maurice Ravel, Sonata for Violin and Cello M.74
  Hazel Keelan, violin
  Glenn Fisher, cello
• Miriam Hyde, Trio for flute, oboe and piano
• John Carmichael, Escapades for flute, oboe and Piano
• Aulos Trio:
  Catherine Jennings, flute
  Eva Langfeldt, oboe
  Julian Fong, piano
• Intermission
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750), Trio Sonata BWV 1039
  Danny Beagle, Flute
  Steve Shapiro, flute
  Roland Feller, Cello
• Felix Mendelssohn, Piano Trio in C minor
  Lily Tsai, violin
  Stephanie Tsai, cello
  Ben-han Sung, piano

RSVP | Free Concert – Donations Accepted – Suggested Donation $20

Sunday, November 15, 2026 – Mozart to Mendelssohn
Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave, SF – maps
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
PROGRAM:

A program of choral/orchestral works, in collaboration with CHORA NOVA

• Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: Oratorio on Scenes from the Bible (Cantata after the Cessation of the Cholera in Berlin, 1831)
  SATB Soloists TBA
• Grace Williams: The Dancers (1951)
  Gabrielle Goozée-Nichols, soprano
• Margaret Bonds: Credo (1967)
  Soprano and Baritone Soloists TBA

Music Director & Conductor: John Kendall Bailey
RSVP | Free Concert – Donations Accepted – Suggested Donation $20

Sunday, December 6, 2026 – First Baptist Church & Civic Strings: Holiday Concert
First Baptist Church, 22 Waller St., SF – maps
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
PROGRAM:

To be announced

Celebrate the holidays with a joint community event with First Baptist Church and Civic Strings!

This will be a community fair with savory foods and treats, along with music from our all-strings ensemble.

Michelle Maruyama – Music Director & Conductor
RSVP | Free Concert – Donations Accepted – Suggested Donation $20

RSVP is advised and tickets holders will be seated ahead of general walk-in.

Community support keeps our concerts available for all, and we appreciate your generosity during registration and at the event, with a suggested amount of $20 per person. Please arrive early to ensure check-in for the 2:30pm seating time. Seating is not pre-assigned but ticket holders will get first choice. We will begin seating general walk-ins at 2:50pm.

Masks are recommended not required. This is a free community concert and open to anyone who wishes to attend. All persons attending are to offer courtesy and respect to fellow attendees, event staff, musicians, and venue host. Our concerts are to bring people together and we want everyone to have an enjoyable afternoon of music.

About San Francisco Civic Music Association

San Francisco Civic Music Association is an independent, non profit organization founded by members of the San Francisco Civic Symphony. The Association’s mission is to offer free concerts to the community and to provide a place where musicians of all levels can learn and perform. Our operations are paid for by donations from our musicians, listeners, and supporters.

SFCMA also provides free workshops during the summer for adults looking to improve their musicianship.

See their full 2026 calendar of events.

 

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