Each year, the Symphony organizes a summer festival dedicated to a theme or a composer. Next year sounds pretty intriguing: Schubert/Berg, two Viennese schools, two different styles to contrast and highlight each other. We're looking forward to it. This year, not so much: the festival was dedicated to Brahms, and we were like, blah. Programming Brahms is as exciting as a dinner of mac'n'cheese: the League of American Orchestras computed the most performed pieces of the 2006-07 season, and Brahms pieces rank 1st, 4th, 6th and 8th. We feel, why set up a special extra Brahms session when you can't swing a bow without hitting one of his symphonies. It's not like we're Brahms-deprived and need an extra dose. And yet, we went, twice, and had a great time. ...

*FILM: Before she was hooked on aerobics and uttering "cunt" on live TV, Jane Fonda had a memorable career as an actress. She won her first Oscar for playing "Bree," a whore, in Klute, a taut '70s thriller by Alan J. Pakula. Tonight's screening is a part of Cinewhores, brought to you by Whore! magazine and St. James Infirmary. A talk about the sex-selling business follows. Show starts tonight at Artists' Television Access. MUSIC:......

What does SF Opera music director Donald Runnicles do when he's not conducting Wagner at the War Memorial Opera House? He's conducting Wagner in London. What does SF Symphony music director Michael Tilson Thomas do when he's not conducting Mahler at Davies Symphony Hall? You guessed it: he's conducting Mahler in London. We knew that addicts to Mahler or Wagner existed. But to think that they live in our own backyard? Well, that's just spooky.......

>The music event of the Fall season is the world premiere of a new piano concerto, Atlantic Crossings, by South-African composer Kevin Volans, composed for one of the great piano performers of the moment, Marc-André Hamelin and conducted by our own Michael Tilson Thomas. Marc-André is a 40 something Quebecois, who now lives in Philly and who kindly has agreed to answer our questions. ...

Last year, we sat through the recording of an episode of the Mahler Project, the recording of all the Mahler symphonies by the SF Symphony with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting. We were wondering what the outcome of the taping would sound like. We have now a measuring stick, with the release of the 5th Symphony, which was recorded last season as well. Mahler's 5th Symphony is one of his most famous works: the 4th movement,......

Sister sister -- Shanghai and SF affirmed their 25 years of friendship as Gavin and Shanghai mayor Han Zheng totally touched their cut pinky fingers together to affirm their sister city status. Gavin sprung for the trip "himself" (i.e., he's flying with the Gettys), and is bringing Plumpjack wine to present to the Shanghai mayor too. The two mayors pledged to do a lot of things -- like build a Chinese garden on Divisadero. Among other things, Michael Tilson Thomas will take the SF Symphony to Shanghai, SF will sponsor a ping-pong tournament, and (this is totally our favorite) the two cities will work on making more affordable housing. But you know what we really want? A panda!!!!!! Gavin, get us a panda! Awwwww, we love you, Shanghaiist! Will you be our sister citysite? (if we're not sisters already, come to think of it?) And more importantly -- can you get us (and not Oakland) a panda? Jen, can we start Chengdu-ist soon? ...

Nobody puts Wednesday in a corner -- nobody! Today: Stumble on down 22nd Street and check out the Bay Guardian-awarded Best Comedian Paco Romane's Romane Event at the Make Out Room. Romane will duel it out with the SF Weekly's best comedian Will Franken, along with another comedic troupe, the Hurley Brothers (no doubt soon to become the EBX's best comedy troupe). They'll also be screening a movie by cartoonist Lev. $7, 8-10 p.m. Thursday: Lush romanticism and plush seats! Local classical cult leader Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the Brahms violin and cello concerto at 2 p.m. in Symphony Hall. Also, a flashy Liszt piece (is there any other kind?), nominally about Faust. Dedicated slackers, if you get there early, you can line up for the 40 tickets in the Center Terrace (behind second base, as it were), which go on sale 2 hours in advance for $15-20. After you get your ticket, go check out the free pre-show talk at 1 p.m. too. Friday: Support the developmentally disabled artists of Creativity Explored at their annual holiday art exhibition and sale. Opening reception goes from 6-9 at their store, on 16th Street right off Guerrero (right by Otsu). Picture of Paco Romane and Robin Williams from Free Dirt Media website...

Some links to peruse over your hump-day coffee. SF Mike does Mahler, Michael Tilson Thomas stizz. Well, at least the Giants finished ahead of the Dodgers. Beat LA, bitches! Doctor Hal is back, and he's still answering your most vexing questions. Prepared for a disaster? The cats on Potrero are. We need more housing -- thankfully, developers have us covered. But is this the end of the bubble? Movable Type turns four! Happy Birthday!......

Both the San Francisco Symphony and the San Francisco Opera open their new seasons this week. Tomorrow, the symphony kicks it off with a gala, celebrating three anniversaries: Michael Tilson Thomas's, aka MTT, 10th anniversary at the baton, Shostakovich's 100th birthday next year, and the 25th anniversary for Davies Symphony Hall. Yo-Yo Ma at the cello would be our second best choice to perform Shostakovich's first cello concerto for tomorrow's performance. The first choice of......

Question: where does one go if one were to celebrate the birthday of an Orchestra Conductor? Why the Tosca Cafe, of course! Last Tuesday, San Francisco Symphony conductor Michael Tilson Thomas (that’s MTT for those not in the know) had his 60th birthday party thrown there in his honor by his partner of 30 years, Joshua Robinson. Robinson chose Tosca because Thomas had said he wanted to go someplace “very San Francisco” and what says......