Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall

If you know the opening notes of Star Wars by heart, hearing John Williams's score played live while Return of the Jedi unfolds on the big screen is a pretty compelling excuse to revisit the trilogy's grand finale. The San Francisco Symphony has programmed the film as part of its live-to-picture series, with conductor Anthony Parnther leading the orchestra. The appeal is less about nostalgia than scale: Return of the Jedi has some of Williams's richest material, from the ominous Emperor's themes to the warmth of the final celebration, and a full orchestra gives those details room to register in a way home speakers rarely can. For longtime fans, it's also a chance to hear the score as an orchestral work in its own right, with the film providing the familiar visual backdrop rather than simply carrying the experience.

The All-SF Concert is a chance to hear the San Francisco Symphony in a program that puts local talent at the center, rather than building the evening around a visiting soloist or blockbuster repertoire. The orchestra's 2026-27 season uses this concert to spotlight musicians and composers connected to the Bay Area, making it a particularly fitting choice for anyone interested in what is happening within the city's classical music community. The program also gives the Symphony room to show off the range of its own players, something that can get lost when the focus is on a single star performer. For regular Davies Symphony Hall attendees, that local emphasis makes this feel distinct from the season's more conventional offerings. It is a good pick when you want classical music that feels connected to the place where you are hearing it, rather than simply passing through.