Local musicians urge Arts Commission to scrutinize San Francisco Symphony funding and protect working artists

Amy Foote, a professional musician and music teacher who said she has lived and worked in San Francisco’s Mission District for 16 years, testified that rising rents and recent evictions are forcing artists out of the city and appealed to the Arts Commission to ensure grant money and institutional donations support working artists.

"When you grant money to an organization, they actually use that money toward their working artists," Foote said. She described losing steady gigs and teaching opportunities even while large cultural institutions plan renovations or fundraising drives.

Elliot Encarnacion, representing the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and the American Guild of Musical Artists, told commissioners the chorus and other bargaining-unit performers worry that donations to the San Francisco Symphony may not be distributed in ways that benefit working singers. "It is my intention to ask this body to provide intense scrutiny and oversight over any funds which are distributed to the San Francisco Symphony at this time," Encarnacion said, urging the commission to consider conditions or oversight when awarding public support.

Commissioners did not take formal action in response to the public comments. The remarks were given during the general public comment period at the start of the July 1 meeting, where staff noted public comment rules and time limits. The commission's agenda later included a contract authorization for a strategic and business plan and other items that commissioners said could be informed by the broader conversation about supporting artists.

The commission did not announce a specific follow-up assignment during the meeting; speakers asked for attention to grant reporting and oversight for major institutional awards and donations.