San Francisco Symphony features all Asian composers for their annual Lunar New Year show

SAN FRANCISCO -- Every year, the San Francisco Symphony performs a Lunar New Year Concert that celebrates music and community.

"This concert is especially important for the Chinese and Asian community right now because of the AAPI hate issues that have arisen since COVID, and I think it's an incredible opportunity for the community to gather," said Amos Yang, assistant principal cellist of the San Francisco Symphony.

Yang who has performed in the Lunar New Year concert since 2007 enjoys the wide range of Asian traditions present in the show.

"I really enjoyed the traditional lions dance, the dragon dance, all these amazing things that get the program off to an amazing start," Yang reveals. "Just the power of the percussion, the drums and then to see the incredible spectacle."

Guest conductor Earl Lee and legendary soprano Sumi Jo join the Symphony the year for the show. In creating the program, Lee wanted music that truly embodied culture and history.

"I wanted to bring something that really talks about not just celebration of Asian community, but also our history here in the United States, and you can't really ignore the Chinese railroad worker," Lee shares.

Lee will in fact perform a piece about the railroad workers with "Selections from Transcend" by composer Zhou Tian.

Presented in partnership with the San Francisco Arts Commission, proceeds from the evening support the symphony's artistic, education, and community programs. To learn more, visit here.