[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 188 (Thursday, December 8, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2216-E2217]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          THE CENTENNIAL SEASON OF THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

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                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 8, 2011

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride and joy that I join 
my constituents in celebration of the centennial season of the San 
Francisco Symphony. Its illustrious history is marked by commitment to 
artistic excellence and innovation; its future is sustained by its 
large and loyal base of supporters.
  One hundred years ago today, December 8, 1911, the Symphony gave its 
first performance. In recognition of this historic occasion, on 
September 7, 2011 we began a year-long celebration with a free outdoor 
concert at the Civic Center Plaza with Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, 
pianist Lang Lang and violinist Itzhak Perlman. This concert 
demonstrated the San Francisco Symphony's value of making music 
available to everyone. The founders believed music was a source of 
enrichment and pleasure intended for all and not the province of the 
privileged few. Reaching broader audiences has always been a priority, 
from recordings and radio broadcasts in the 1920s to video and internet 
today. Today the San Francisco Symphony has accomplished one of its 
early goals, to offer music to a city, to a Nation and to the world.
  To help commemorate the centennial over the next year, San 
Franciscans will welcome notable performers and six of our Nation's 
greatest orchestras will visit San Francisco:

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the Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the 
Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia 
Orchestra.
  The centennial presents a wonderful opportunity to honor the 
Symphony's robust musical history, starting with the Barbary Coast. 
Over the past century, the Orchestra has grown in stature and acclaim 
under the leadership of eminent music directors, including Pierre 
Monteau, Seiji Ozawa, Herbert Blomstedt, and since 1995 Michael Tilson 
Thomas.
  Michael Tilson Thomas has brought pride to all San Franciscans. He 
has served as Music Director for 15 years, and this is his 25th season 
as Artistic Director of the New World Symphony--an academy for training 
the next generation of orchestral musicians. A recipient of the 2010 
National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the 
President, and winner of seven Grammy Awards, Thomas has been a 
remarkable mentor and supporter to many young artists, and he has 
educated millions about the joy of music.
  The San Francisco Symphony provides the most extensive education and 
community programs offered by any American orchestra. Concerts for 
children have been part of the programming from the beginning and the 
groundbreaking Adventures in Music program, now over 20 years old, 
provides music education and free concerts to every first through fifth 
grader in San Francisco's public schools--75,000 children each year.
  We offer special congratulations to John Goldman, the Symphony's 
President, whose generosity and family philanthropy have had a dramatic 
impact on the quality of life in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 
Symphony is blessed with an active board of governors with deep 
philanthropic and social ties to our City as well as tremendous public 
support. Thank you to the Symphony's brilliant musicians, dedicated 
staff and volunteers.
  The first one hundred years of the San Francisco Symphony have been 
distinguished by outstanding concerts of the highest quality. Its 
second century is certain to be just as successful.

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