Music by Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra is featured at two Bay Area concerts this November. Redwood Symphony brings his Sinfonía No. 3, “La Salsa” to Redwood City on November 21, with tickets available when checked. A week earlier, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra performs his Sinfonía No. 4 on November 14. That concert’s advance reservations are sold out, but SFCM offers a rush-ticket waiting list and an official livestream.
For California’s Puerto Rican community, these programs offer a chance to hear Caribbean musical ideas in a full orchestral setting. Sierra is the composer featured on both programs; neither organizer’s announcement lists him as an attending guest or performer.
Redwood Symphony plays Roberto Sierra: November 21
Start with the concert you can currently plan to attend: Redwood Symphony’s La Salsa!, conducted by Eric Kujawsky. The program pairs Sierra with Raymond Scott’s Powerhouse, arranged by Robert Wendel; Michael Daugherty’s Hell’s Angels, featuring the Infernal Fagotti Bassoon Quartet; and Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
Sierra’s own listening notes connect the Third Symphony to salsa, danza and other Afro-Caribbean traditions. Think of familiar rhythmic energy moving through an orchestra’s many colors. This is a seated symphonic concert, not a salsa dance night. Redwood Symphony describes this performance as the work’s Bay Area debut.
- When: Saturday, November 21, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. PST. Pre-concert talk at 6:45 p.m.
- Where: Cañada College Main Theater, 4200 Farm Hill Blvd., Redwood City, CA 94061.
- Length: Approximately 90 minutes, including intermission.
- Listed advance prices: Adults $35; seniors $30; students with ID $15. Children under 18 attend free with a paid adult or senior ticket holder. Cañada affiliates attend free with ID, space permitting.
Check Redwood Symphony tickets. Ticket availability was checked November 12; prices shown are the listed admission rates, not a verified all-in checkout total. Confirm any fees and the appropriate child or affiliate ticket option before completing your order.
The orchestra’s venue guide lists free weekend parking and wheelchair access. Lot 4 is for passenger drop-off and disabled parking; regular parking is available in lots 1, 2, 5 and 6. Most wheelchair-accessible seating is at the back on the upper level, and the guide notes that a lift is available. If you need a specific seating arrangement, confirm it with the orchestra before your visit.
Meet Roberto Sierra, a composer from Vega Baja
Born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, in 1953, Roberto Sierra studied composition in Puerto Rico and Europe, including with György Ligeti in Hamburg. His career has included composer residencies with the Puerto Rico, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and New Mexico orchestras. In 2021, his Sonata para Guitarra won the Latin Grammy for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. These details come from Sierra’s official biography.
The Puerto Rican connection runs deeper than birthplace. In his descriptions of the two symphonies on these programs, Sierra points directly to salsa, danza, bolero and Caribbean rhythm. You do not need to know orchestral terminology to enjoy that connection: listen for a repeated rhythmic pattern, a melody passed between instruments, or the contrast between a reflective passage and a driving finale.
Want to put a face to the name and sample his sound? Visit Sierra’s official listening page, which includes his portrait and audio selections.
SFCM Orchestra plays Roberto Sierra: November 14
The earlier date is Giancarlo Guerrero Conducts Bartók with the SFCM Orchestra. Alongside Sierra’s Sinfonía No. 4, the program includes Jimmy López’s Loud, Ravel’s Shéhérazade and Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin. Student conductors Grace Wahlen and Jason Gluck participate, and mezzo-soprano Lanie Anthan is the featured vocal soloist.
Sierra’s Fourth Symphony offers another way into his musical world. His official notes describe Caribbean rhythms and a melancholic bolero. In his composer-authored recording notes, he also identifies clave rhythms in the finale. Those are useful listening clues, whether you hear it in the hall or at home.
- When: Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. PST.
- Where: Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall, Ann Getty Center for Education, 50 Oak Street, San Francisco, CA 94102.
- Current status: The official ticket page showed sold out when checked November 12. A rush waiting list is available, but admission is not guaranteed.
Sold out at SFCM? Here are the options
According to the event’s ticket page, the box office opens one hour before the performance, at 6:30 p.m. You can arrive before the concert to join the rush-ticket waiting list. Available rush seats are released 5–15 minutes before the performance.
SFCM’s ticket policy says rush admission depends on capacity and is first come, first served. It also recommends checking the ticket page again because reservations may become available. Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall does not offer standing room in its standard configuration.
Prefer to listen without joining the rush line? The official event listing links to the SFCM Concert Hall livestream. Open the stream near the concert’s 7:30 p.m. start. The link is an official viewing option; a later on-demand recording has not been confirmed.
Make room for Puerto Rican music in your November
For an in-person plan with tickets currently available, Redwood City is the straightforward choice. For Sierra’s Fourth Symphony, check SFCM’s current ticket status, take a chance on rush admission, or use the official livestream. Either program is a chance to hear a Puerto Rican composer’s musical imagination reach beyond the island.
Looking for more Bay Area plans? Explore the CaliRicans Event Calendar and our feature on Rico Pabón’s November 21 appearance at La Peña in Berkeley. Note that the La Peña and Redwood Symphony concerts fall on the same evening.
Event details and ticket status checked November 12, 2026. All times are Pacific Standard Time. Programs, availability and ticket terms can change; consult the linked organizers before making plans.
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