Jenny Wong Named San Francisco Symphony Chorus's Next Director

Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony have revealed that Jenny Wong is the San Francisco Symphony Chorus’s next Director, beginning in her new role as part of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus’s performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Music Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas on October 19, 21–22, 2023. Wong’s appointment as Chorus Director is the result of a search led by Esa-Pekka Salonen that began in Fall 2021.  

As San Francisco Symphony Chorus Director, Jenny Wong will be responsible for ensuring the artistic excellence of the Chorus in all facets of performance. She will conduct the Chorus in the annual Chorus concert, prepare the Chorus for performances with the Orchestra, and collaborate closely with Esa-Pekka Salonen and guest conductors. She will also recruit, audition, and select new chorus members to join the 152-person ensemble.  

As a guest conductor, Wong conducted the San Francisco Symphony Chorus in its May 2022 performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina burana. She also prepared the Chorus and worked with Esa-Pekka Salonen on three programs during the 2022–23 season: Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in October 2022, and Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater and Ferruccio Busoni’s Piano Concerto in June 2023.  

During her first season as San Francisco Symphony Chorus Director, Jenny Wong will prepare the Chorus for four Orchestral Series performances, including Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Michael Tilson Thomas (October 19, 21–22, 2023); Steven Stucky’s orchestration of Igor Stravinsky’s Les Noces with Esa-Pekka Salonen (November 17–18, 2023); the Symphony’s annual holiday performances of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah with Jonathan Cohen (December 8 & 9, 2023); and the season-ending performances of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with Salonen (June 28–30, 2024). She will also prepare the Chorus for performances of Hans Zimmer’s score to Gladiator conducted by Justin Freer, part of the San Francisco Symphony’s Film Series (May 22–23, 2024) and for Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY with conductor Arnie Roth (May 31–June 1, 2024). On March 23, 2024, Wong will conduct the San Francisco Symphony Chorus’s performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina burana. 

“Working with Jenny last season on the Orchestra and Chorus’s performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater, and the Busoni Piano Concerto was musically inspiring, and I hugely enjoyed her thoughtful and collaborative approach,” said Esa-Pekka Salonen. “I know she’s going to bring a great deal of energy, expertise, and joy to the Chorus in her new role and I look forward to working with her as she quickly becomes an integral part of the San Francisco Symphony.” 

“I am thrilled and honored to be the San Francisco Symphony’s new Chorus Director, and equally excited to be working with Esa-Pekka Salonen,” said Wong. “The San Francisco Symphony is renowned for its dynamic artistic programming, its championing of a wide range of music and stellar artists, and its exemplary musicianship. I have witnessed not only the Chorus’s legacy of excellence and versatility, but also their tremendous openness and warmth of community. I look forward to leading the Symphony Chorus in raising our voices together in exceptional, harmonious, and meaningful ways.” 

Wong is the fourth Chorus Director of the SF Symphony Chorus since its founding in 1973, following Louis Magor (1974–1982), Vance George (1983–2007), and Ragnar Bohlin (2007–2021). Margaret Hillis also served as Interim Chorus Director during the 1982–83 season.