Dear San Francisco Philharmonic Patron,Now that we’ve entered the month of April, we’re just three weeks away from our final concert of the 2024-2025 season–it’s hard to believe how quickly this season has flown by! We would love to see you on April 26 at 7:30 at the Herbst Theatre for what promises to be a thrilling conclusion to the Philharmonic’s musical year. We’ll be kicking off the evening with the riotous “Danse Bacchanale” from the opera Samson and Delilah by Camille Saint-Saëns: the piece’s final, furious moments will have you gasping for breath! Then, we’ll be joined by Ani Bukujian, principal second violinist of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Ani has delighted SF Phil audiences in the past with her expressive, energetic musicality, and she’ll be performing Samuel Barber’s moving Violin Concerto, which is a staple of 20th-century American classical music.The second half of our program features an orchestral masterpiece rightfully beloved by fans of classical music from around the world: Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9: From the New World. Astronaut Neil Armstrong took along a recording of the symphony during the Apollo 11 mission, which landed on the moon, but you can hear it right here on Earth, performed by the SF Phil! Our March concert was presented to a near-sellout crowd at the Herbst, so head over to City Box Office now to score your tickets for our season finale!The mission of the San Francisco Philharmonic, which is palpable at each one of our concerts and engagements, is to take high-quality classical music off an elite podium and make it available to diverse audiences at affordable prices. We couldn’t fulfill this mission without your support: from securing sheet music to renting rehearsal venues and partnering with world-class soloists, every donation helps. As we close our season, we hope you’ll consider supporting the SF Phil–every donation counts, and every gift is tax deductible.Wishing you a terrific month ahead, and hoping to see you on the 26th!Jessica BejaranoFounder and Music DirectorSan Francisco Philharmonic Orchestra  About Our Soloist, Ani Bukujian Ani Bukujian was born into a musical family and started playing the violin at the age of two and a half. Bukujian studied with her father exclusively until the age of 15.A native of Los Angeles, she is the winner of numerous musical competitions, including three gold medals at World Championship of Performing Arts, first place at JS Bach Competition, ASTA Annual National Solo Competition, and Pasadena String Festival. At the age of 7, she was a solo performer in her debut concert with a chamber orchestra at Glendale’s Alex Theatre. Bukujian was also part of Viva-Vivaldi All-Girl Orchestra in Washington DC, being the youngest first violin in the orchestra. At the age of 8, she was asked to perform a solo piece with Bakersfield Symphony, where she played one of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. As an AGBU scholarship recipient, she performed at Weill Recital Hall in her first year at The Julliard School in 2012.Bukujian has recently performed as a member of Charleston Symphony Orchestra and has served as concertmistress at Miami Summer Music Festival, where she played the solo of Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra. She has also participated in other festivals such as Bowdoin Music Festival and Fontainebleau Festival in France. She has performed at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen and Alice Tully Hall, in addition to Carnegie Hall’s Stern, Zankel, and Weill venues.She holds both a Bachelor’s and Master of Music from The Juilliard School where she studied with Lewis Kaplan from 2011 to 2015 and Laurie Smukler from 2015 to 2017. In addition, she attended the San Francisco Conservatory where she studied with Alexander Barantschik. Bukujian is currently a principal second violinist for San Francisco Ballet Orchestra.