Community Engagement

Dear SF,

From the beginnings of Ensemble San Francisco in 2013, our engagement with diverse communities in the San Francisco Bay Area has been a sturdy plank in our platform. Our mission statement is: "To inspire a more just and inclusive world by using artistry to recognize our shared humanity." This, the why of ESF, is something about which we are as passionate as we are versatile. We play at Juvenile Hall in Santa Cruz County, San Francisco County, the VA Hospital, Institute on Aging, the LGBT Center on Market St, The Raphael House, UCSF, we have done fundraisers for refugees, research foundations, public school music education, teacher benefits, the DeMarillac Academy in the Tenderloin, and so many interesting events and collaborations I can't even remember! The "how" of ESF, the day-to-day acts of making music and sharing it, comes pretty naturally! I get to play with people who lift me up musically, and from whom I learn so much. They're also my friends, that aspect is a gift. And for me to get off of the Davies Hall stage and into places that won't hear the kinds of music we can perform is something that feels great on a human level, it is something that can be more meaningful than a staged performance. Sometimes you see some audience members dozing off but then you'll see the ones on the edge of their chair, ugly crying, or accessing something that you are tangentially a part of, and it makes all of these donated hours truly rewarding.

Wishing you long phrases, Matt Young (viola)