From early mornings to curtains up

What does a day in the life of a professional musician look like? While our day at work may be going to an office, working in sales, or (in my case) spending much of the day on a computer, a musician has a bit of a different routine. You can take a peek at what that routine looks like for Jacob Nissly, the principal percussionist at San Francisco Symphony.

While we usually only see the final product on stage at Davies Symphony Hall, so much goes on behind the scenes to make the music come together. I find it’s always a good idea to understand that extra work to better appreciate the performances themselves. – Ciara

Do you have a concert day routine?
I wake up around 4:30am and have the same practice routine I’ve done for the last 20 years, without fail, at least 362 days a year. It’s from a book called Stick Control, and it’s kind of like yoga for drummers—a slow warm up. Then I go for a run and am usually finished with that by 5:45am. Then off to rehearsal and eventually concert time, and I usually teach in between.

Part of the Principal Percussion’s job is to assign all the different instruments to the other players. How does that work?
Percussion isn’t like most sections, where the composer clearly delineates the parts, for example, into trumpet one, two, and three. So I have to make a judgment call about who will play what. As Principal, I’ll probably play the most exposed or solo parts, but I also try to share it around and take requests from my section. I am fortunate to have an amazing section where everyone can play every instrument or assignment at a super high level, which makes assigning easy!

On the Stage

Nathan Amaral

Classical | San Francisco Symphony
April 15 | Tickets

Today’s Stars, Tomorrow’s Legends: Catch ascendant soloists in their Davies Symphony Hall recital debuts.

View the Program

More Events

• ||: Girls :||: Chance :||: Music :|| | American Conservatory Theater | Now – April 19 | View Program
• Bohème Out of the Box | San Francisco Opera | Now – April 26
• The Monsters | Berkeley Repertory Theatre | Now – May 3 | View Program
  • Closed Captioned: matinees through April 30
• Come From Away | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley | April 15 – May 10

Next Line

• The lineup for SF Opera’s Pride Concert has been announced. Sapphira Cristál will host with a selection of incredible soloists to celebrate unity and acceptance.
• The nominees for the 2026 Sara Bareilles Awards have been selected. Nominees will perform for an audience on May 3 before winners are selected in the Best Production, Best Actor, and Best Actress categories.