The SFMO was an orchestra of 15-25 players of instruments in the mandolin family: mandolin, mandola, octave mandolin, and mandocello, in addition to guitar and double bass. At times, we also included instruments such as the harp, viola da gamba, or archlute. Our repertoire focused on a new theme each season, with seasons lasting four to six months. From 2006-2024, we explored music from different countries and different time periods. See pictures of past performances and rehearsals on our gallery page.

Our philosophy was to put our hearts and souls into the expression of our music, dedicating effort into the finer details that give the music its particular character. As we were originally a teaching orchestra, the philosophy of continual learning and improving pervaded the orchestra. Most of our players studied classical music and classical mandolin technique for several years before joining the orchestra. We were proud to include some very fine players but knew that the greatest strength was in our ability to produce one coherent statement of our music which was much greater than the sum of us all individually.

The orchestra has played at some of the best-known local concert venues, including the Capp Street Community Music Center, the original Mission Dolores, Old First Church in San Francisco, and the California Academy of Sciences. We have also presented workshops and concerts at the San Francisco Folk Festival and the San Francisco Mandolin Festival. Past soloists include alto Twila Ehmcke, soprano Susan Gundunas, lutenist Alex Jenne, mandolin virtuoso Carlo Aonzo, and renowned mandolinist David Grisman.