Symphony Parnassus

“The best of the Bay Area’s community musicians.”  —Michael Tilson Thomas

To many in the Bay Area, Symphony Parnassus is known as the Doctors’ Orchestra. And for its first ten years, this was a fitting moniker: Officially the UCSF Orchestra, the ensemble drew its talent from the medical professionals at UC San Francisco. When Jonathan Davis (a biophysics graduate student) started the orchestra in 1989, he found an enthusiastic, supportive community of music lovers. The orchestra quickly attracted audiences and earned a reputation for outstanding performances.

Following budget cuts at UCSF in 1999, the orchestra was reorganized as a nonprofit and named Symphony Parnassus to honor its roots in the Parnassus Heights neighborhood. Though it’s no longer the Doctors’ Orchestra, Symphony Parnassus continues to attract top musical talent drawn from the local community: in addition to doctors, the roster also includes teachers, corporate executives, IT specialists, engineers, and scientists, as well as a number of professional musicians.

Over the years, the orchestra has collaborated with world-class musicians like pianist Robin Sutherland, violinist Geraldine Walther, oboist William Bennett and soprano Lisa Vroman. Ballet legend Rudolph Nureyev made his West Coast conducting debut with Symphony Parnassus, and famed jazz saxophonist and composer John Handy premiered his Concerto for Jazz Soloist and Orchestra with the group.

Before Stephen Paulson was appointed Music Director in 1998, Jonathan Davis led the orchestra from 1989-94, and Jeremy Swirling from 1994-98. With its focus on local soloists, composers and visual artists, Symphony Parnassus plays a unique and vital role in the Bay Area’s cultural community.