“Market Street, 1920s,” trombonist Timothy Higgins’ commission for San Francisco Symphony, is inspired by San Francisco’s defiance of Prohibition in the 20th century and how it reflects political discourse in the world today.
Higgins says the piece—which premieres this weekend in Davies Symphony Hall on a program with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 and Grieg’s Piano Concerto featuring soloist Javier Perianes led by Spanish conductor Gustavo Gimeno—has “kind of vintage vibe and sound to it that’s reminiscent of those cable car videos of San Francisco.”
He adds, “I wanted to put a time stamp on it that was a little more reflective of a time in America when people were arguing more.”
While the 1919 federal Volstead Act enforced the national liquor ban during Prohibition, San Francisco’s city government instructed the police department to turn a blind eye toward speakeasies and bootleggers. That resistance came to Higgins’ mind when he was composing “Market Street, 1920s.”
“Just the defiance, like a we-do-what-we-want attitude in the city, I kind of enjoyed that idea,” he says.
Higgins developed two musical themes for the piece: one in a traditional compositional style, the other more jazz-like, unbound by rules. He says, “Both sides make their statement, then they both get a nice, long explanation, and then they begin to argue with each other. In that argument, and even in their statements, both themes begin to sound like each other. You don’t quite know which argument is making its case as the piece unfolds, and at the end, they kind of argue over each other.”
The back and forth between the two opposing sides is suggestive of the current state of political affairs in America.
“I didn’t set out to write a piece that would be prescient of our time, but it became clear that this is exactly what I feel we’re all surrounded by,” Higgins says. “Whatever your political persuasion is, we’re all just jockeying for attention and arguing with each other, and oftentimes I feel there is common ground that we just blow right past.”
Although Higgins would like people to look at his new work as a farcical piece, he hopes it will get them to become a bit more self-reflective.
“Maybe we can all take a step back and stop being guided by algorithms and politicians. I feel we’re all Americans for basically the same reasons, and we can all take ownership in that. This piece is very lofty — it’s trombones, trumpets and percussion — but I hope we will at least be reflective about how we engage with one another,” he says.

“Market Street, 1920s” isn’t Higgins’ first commission for the San Francisco Symphony. In November 2021, he soloed in a memorably rousing performance of the premiere of his Trombone Concerto.
Higgins, a member of San Francisco Symphony since 2008, says his familiarity with his fellow orchestra members and their proficiency and capability have been assets during his compositional process.
“In writing the work, I was able to lean into those strengths: the versatility of the ensemble, the ability for it to switch styles and adjust and switch sounds so clearly and quickly. There’s a precision in the orchestra that is exceptional. So I knew that when I was putting down on the page the orchestra will get it quick, and they’ll understand what I’m trying to get across. They also know me, so that helps. It’s a fast-paced piece, and they’re going to get it really clearly.”
Higgins, who has lived in Chicago and Washington, D.C. and is originally from Houston, recently was appointed principal trombone with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Although he heads to Chicago right after playing his new piece with the San Francisco Symphony, he says he will always be fond of and grateful for San Francisco.
“I found it to be a city without judgment,” he says. “Be who you want to be, do what you want to do, just don’t get in the way of your neighbor, and celebrate who you are. I love that about the city.”
The San Francisco Symphony presents “Gimeno Conducts Tchaikovsky 5” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3-4 and 2 p.m. Oct. 5 in Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave. San Francisco. Tickets are $30-$185 at (415) 864-6000 or sfsymphony.org.
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