A flurry of ‘Wintersongs’ across Bay Area
If you’ve already had your fill of “Jingle Bells” and “The Little Drummer Boy,” Kitka is the best possible holiday antidote to boring and predictable sounds.
The 10-member all-women Bay Area vocal ensemble has earned international esteem with its sonically sumptuous body of songs gleaned from frontier lands across the Baltics and the Caucasus, the Balkans and the Black Sea. In a follow-up to the group’s most popular album, 2003’s “Wintersongs” (Magnatune), Kitka just released “Evening Star,” another startlingly beautiful collection that includes songs in Bulgarian, Russian, Romanian, Georgian, Yiddish, Latvian, Serbian, Mingrelian, Greek and beyond. With lyrics drawn from sacred texts or pre-Christian rituals, the incantatory music is marked by thick, rising harmonies and sweeping melodies that feel utterly timeless. Truly a soundtrack for a season of awe, the songs form the backbone of Kitka’s annual winter concerts, which include two special events in Oakland, a concert by candlelight in St. Paul’s Church and a free community sing in Nile Hall.
Details: Today through Dec. 21 in Santa Cruz, Palo Alto, Oakland, San Francisco, Woodside and San Rafael; free-$40; www. kitka.org. — Andrew Gilbert, Correspondent
A match made in heaven
As musical collaborations go, this weekend’s concert by the Takács Quartet and pianist Garrick Ohlsson promises big thrills.
The Takács players, who made an impressive traversal of the complete Beethoven quartets for Cal Performances last season, return to perform Mozart’s Quartet No. 21in D major, “The Violet,” and Shostakovich’s Quartet No. 11in F minor. But the highlight of the program will surely come with the addition of Ohlsson, a powerhouse San Francisco-based pianist who recently joined the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He’ll be the quartet’s partner for Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F minor, a work of stark contrasts, brilliant shifts in tempo and moments of sublime introspection. Expect to be dazzled.
Details: 3 p.m. Sunday; Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley; $48-$110; 510-642-9988, www.calperformances.org. — Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
All about the Fishers
You may know Joely Fisher from any number of things, but you’re guaranteed to know her a whole lot better if you catch her cabaret show coming to Feinstein’s, the cabaret joint at San Francisco’s Hotel Nikko.
Among other things, she’s known for her roles on TV shows such as “Ellen” and “’Til Death,” and some locals may remember her starring in a touring production of “Cabaret” that came to the Curran Theatre in 1999.
And of course, she’s known for being a Fisher.
The elder of two daughters of singer Eddie Fisher and actor Connie Stevens, and the younger half-sister of actor Carrie Fisher and producer Todd Fisher, 50-year-old Joely intersperses songs with stories of growing up in this showbiz family, striving to find her own way in the entertainment business and building her own family. She even shares family photos. It’s a topic she’s been exploring a lot since the death of her sister Carrie last year, resulting in her new memoir, “Growing Up Fisher: Musings, Memories, and Misadventures,” not to be confused with the short-lived and entirely unrelated TV sitcom of the same name (minus the subtitle). Her late sister was known for her ever-increasing candor, and now it’s Joely’s turn to spill.
Details: 7p.m. Wednesday; Feinstein’s at the Nikko, San Francisco; $28-$60; 866-663-1063, www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com. — Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent
Holiday alt-rock times two
Looking for a double dose of modern rock?
Then make plans to attend both Not So Silent Night concerts at Oracle Arena in Oakland.
The two-night shindig hosted by local radio station 105.3-FM KITS (Live 105) kicks off Friday with the Lumineers, Portugal. The Man, Vance Joy, Manchester Orchestra and Welshly Arms.
Expect one of the highlights of that first night to be when Portugal. The Man performs the massively popular single “Feel It Still.”
Night 2, Saturday, brings the Killers, Weezer, Foster the People, Walk the Moon and Alice Merton.
That actually might be the stronger lineup of the two nights, mostly due to the Weezer factor.
But why choose? Just maximize the modern rockness and attend both nights.
Details: Both concerts start 6p.m.; Oracle Arena, Oakland; $35-$85per show, $150for two-night general admission floor pass; www.ticketmaster.com.
— Jim Harrington, Staff
Stringing along with a classic
Canadian violinist Lara St. John, herself the possessor of a legendary 1779Guadagnini instrument, will be playing it with members of the Stanford Philharmonia Friday night in Stanford University’s Memorial Auditorium as the 1999 movie “The Red Violin” plays out on a big screen.
Leading the musicians through John Corigliano’s Academy Award-winning score for the film will be the Philharmonia’s new music director, Paul Phillips, who is collaborating for the first time with the Stanford Live presenting organization. Director Francois Girard’s movie follows the titular violin over several hundred years and through five countries, from 17th-century Cremona, Italy, to modern-day Montreal, where it catches the eye of an expert appraiser played by Samuel L. Jackson.
Details: 7:30p.m., $15-$80; live.stanford.edu.
— Sue Gilmore, Correspondent
Concerts: John Mayer & Maren Morris
There’s so much going on with the Bay Area live music scene this week. Your best bets include the doubleheader of John Mayer and Maren Morris at the Alice in Winterland concert and Miguel appearing at the 106 KMEL Holiday House of Soul. Here’s a look at this week in music:
Alice in Winterland: John Mayer, a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter-guitarist who has sold more than 20 million albums, headlines this year’s holiday shindig for local radio station Alice @ 97.3. Also on the bill is sensational country-pop talent Maren Morris, whose majorlabel debut, “Hero,” ranked among the finest albums of last year. Should be an all-around fun night. Details: 8 p.m. Tuesday; The Masonic, San Francisco; $75-$105; www.livenation.com.
106 KMEL Holiday House of Soul: Topping the bill is Miguel, the Southern California soul star responsible for the chart-topping, double-platinum-certified “Adorn” and other hits. He’s in town to support his fourth full-length outing, “War and Leisure.” Fans also get to see Georgia rap/R&B talent TK Kravitz, whom many know for his work in the duo TK-N-Cash. Details: 8p.m. Wednesday; Fox Theater, Oakland; $39.95-$69.95; www.ticketmaster.com.
The Barr Brothers: The folk-blues act visits the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Wednesday in support of the recently released “Queens of the Breakers.” Details: 8p.m.; $18-$20; www.slimspresents.com.
Dancing in the Street — A Tribute to the Summer of Love: Party like it’s 1967at this benefit for the REX Foundation, the charitable nonprofit created by the Grateful Dead to support the arts, educational efforts and other causes/endeavors. Details: 8p.m. Friday; Fillmore, San Francisco; $50; www.rexfoundation.org.
— Jim Harrington, Staff
A pinch of Christmas snark
Turn your ho-hum day into a raucous ho-ho-ho holiday with “The Santaland Diaries.”
David Sedaris’ wickedly funny tale of life in the Santa lane is as delicious as any candy cane. In fact this 1992 riff was his breakout hit, fueling the rest of his career as a memoirist.
Adapted by Joe Mantello, this solo show recounts the author’s harrowing tales of his time as the mischievous Crumpet the Elf amid the tinsel and tears of Macy’s at Christmastime. Be forewarned, while this is a jolly old comedy, it’s not intended for children.
Starring Max Tachis as Sedaris, who may have deserved a few lumps of coal for the naughty quotient in this story, “Santaland” may well be an antidote to the treacly nature of most seasonal shows.
Details: Presented by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley; through Dec. 23; Lohman Theatre, Los Altos Hills; $20$45; theatreworks.org.
— Karen D’Souza, Staff
Storytime for grownups
Get ready for another episode of “Selected Shorts” at Stanford’s Bing Hall, and no, you don’t have to show up in Bermudas to enjoy it.
The celebrated National Public Radio show that elevates the art of storytelling is back for a return engagement, with “Criminal Minds” actress Kirsten Vangsness acting as host. The holiday-themed program on Sunday afternoon will features stories about running away and returning home and unexpected guests and surprise gifts from the pens of celebrated authors Laurie Notaro, Kurt Vonnegut and Jeanette Winterson, read aloud from the stage by actors Tate Donovan (of “The Man in the High Castle”) and Christina Pickles (“Friends,” “Break a Hip”).
The “Selected Shorts” broadcast, begun in 1985 on a New York stage, is now carried on some 150 stations around the country and hosts podcasts that are downloaded to the tune of 100,000 listeners every week. Find out more about it at www.selected shorts.org.
Details: Presented by Stanford Live; 2:30 p.m.; $15$50; live.stanford.edu.
— Sue Gilmore, Correspondent
It’s Clyne time in Berkeley
As one of this generation’s most admired young composers, British native Anna Clyne writes music that has been championed by conductors including Marin Alsop, Riccardo Muti and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Tonight, Bay Area audiences can hear the Berkeley Symphony perform the West Coast premiere of Clyne’s “Abstractions,” a five-movement orchestral suite that was premiered by Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony last year. The Berkeley program, conducted by Gemma New, also features the return of pianist Conrad Tao, appearing as soloist for Liszt’s “Totentanz” and Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.” Rene Orth’s “Chasing Light” — another West Coast premiere — completes the lineup.
Details: 8 p.m.; Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley; $15$96; 510-841-2800; www.berkeleysymphony.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
Free ‘Season of Hope’ concerts
For the 22nd year, St. Joseph’s Cathedral in San Jose will host “Season of Hope,” 12 days of free concerts, Dec. 12-23.
Each night features a different group in concert from 7:30to 8:30p.m. in the magnificent cathedral building, which opened in 1877and was fully restored in the late 1980s.
The arts and community groups donate their time. Concerts are free, but contributions to support the church’s food, shelter, medical care and job search programs are welcome.
This year’s lineup includes Inner Light Ministries Black Gospel (Tuesday); Ballet Folklórico Guerreros de Guadalupe (Dec. 14); San Jose State University Choraliers (Dec. 17); San Jose Jazz All-Star Band (Dec. 20) and Harpers Hall Celtic Harpists (Dec. 23).
Details: See the full schedule and more information at www.stjosephcathedral.org.
Two very different holiday nuggets
Everybody’s doing holiday shows, and many of the performances are adaptations of beloved Christmas classics. But amid all those reheated chestnuts, some theater companies are trying to keep the Yuletide fresh.
The popularity of “A Christmas Carol” has made Charles Dickens practically synonymous with the holiday season, and hotshot local sketch comedy troupe Killing My Lobster serves up a little Dickens and other Victorian high jinks in its latest sketch show at San Francisco’s PianoFight comedy venue. Directed by Stuart Bousel and written by the KML team led by artistic director Allison Page, “A Bag of Dickens” promises a plethora of newsies, chimney sweeps, Christmas geese, Queen Victoria, exotic diseases and more.
Meanwhile, Diablo Actors Ensemble, celebrating its 40th anniversary despite keeping a low profile since its former venue in Walnut Creek closed down four years ago, produces occasional plays as a nomadic company. Now DAE reemerges with a world premiere play in B8 Theatre Company’s space in Concord. Written and directed by DAE artistic director Scott Fryer, “An Appalachian Christmas” tells the tale of a young boy with two spinster aunts in the Appalachian Mountains in the 1930s, learning that he has much to be grateful for even in hard times. It’s a warm holiday story for cold winter nights, even if they’re not as cold here as in Appalachia.
Details: “A Bag of Dickens,” through Dec. 16 at PianoFight, San Francisco; $10-$50; www.killingmylobster.com; “An Appalachian Christmas,” through Dec. 16at B8Theatre Company, Concord; $25; 925-305-6171, www.diabloactors.org