Axel Strauss was the first German artist to win the Naumburg Violin Award. After studying in Germany he came to the Julliard School of music where he studied with and became a teaching assistant to the late Dorothy Delay. An outstanding solo career followed as well as a brief period as Guest Concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic.

Other season highlights include the, Sing-it-Yourself Messiah to benefit a different humanitarian cause each year, a concert featuring Mozart's First Symphony as well as early music concerti with three titular members of The San Francisco Symphony.

Founded in 2000, the San Francisco Academy Orchestra's mission is to promote, present and preserve the art of musical performance as a vital form of human expression. Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Classical Voice as "venerable"� and "simply amazing",�the orchestra is dedicated to offering young professional musicians the opportunity to rehearse and perform alongside members of the acclaimed San Francisco Symphony.

2010-2011 SEASON AT A GLANCE:

Sunday, October 10th, 2010 at 5:00pm: Andrei Gorbatenko, Conductor W.A. Mozart - Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K546 Sir Edward Elgar -
Introduction and Allegro Astor Piazzolla - Four Seasons in Buenos
Aires, Axel Strauss, Violin.

Sunday, December 19th, 2010 at 5:00pm: Alden Gilchrist, Conductor
Handel - Sing-it-Yourself Messiah (Maestro Gilchrist will lead a free Messiah workshop on Saturday, Dec 18th from 10:00am-12:00pm).

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011 at 5:00pm: Andrei Gorbatenko, conductor
Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto for Violin and Cello, Dan Carlson,
Violin/Amos Yang, Cello Jan Kritel Vanhal - Concerto for Double Bass,
Scott Pingel, Double Bass W.A. Mozart - Symphony #1, K16.

Concerts are held at Calvary Presbyterian Church at 2515 Fillmore St.
Tickets will be available at the door, or may be purchased online at: