San Francisco Ballet and Juliet" (1994); "Giselle" (1999); "Don Quixote", co-staged with former principal dancer and current choreographer in residence Yuri Possokhov (2003); and "Nutcracker" (2004). Tomasson's "Nutcracker", set in San Francisco during the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition, is notable for being the only uniquely San Francisco "Nutcracker". It features sets (including "a backdrop of San Francisco's Victorian houses known as 'painted ladies) and costumes created by, respectively, Michael Yeargan and Martin Pakledinaz, both repeat Tony Award-winning designers. Upon its premiere, "The New York Times" called Tomasson's "Nutcracker" "striking, elegant and beautiful". Today, San Francisco Ballet presents approximately 100 performances each year.
San Francisco Ballet de Coteau's battle with terminal cancer forced him to step down from the position. Emil de Cou, who had been serving as conductor since 1995, then assumed the role of music director, leading the Orchestra until 2001, when he left to join Washington D.C.'s National Symphony Orchestra. He was replaced by first associate conductor Jean-Louis LeRoux, who then left the interim position in 2003 and was succeeded by Andrew Mogrelia. In 2005, Mogrelia left in order to focus on his duties as music director at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. That same year, Martin West, frequent guest conductor for the