At 40, SF Girls Chorus sounds as young as ever
It’s a big weekend for Bay Area music lovers. Beginning with an anniversary concert by the San Francisco Girls Chorus, here are some of the highlights.
THE BIG 4-0 >> Can the San Francisco Girls Chorus really be turning 40? If ever a music organization seemed blessed with eternal youth, it’s this one.
Then again, just consider the range of music this essential Bay Area chorus has presented over the years. Founded in 1978 to train and present young women’s voices, the chorus has a uniquely poised and beautiful sound. With members from 45 Bay Area cities, the group’s performance wing has appeared in concerts, special events and world premieres and collaborated with the San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Symphony, Opera Parallèle, New Century Chamber Orchestra, Kronos Quartet and the Philip Glass Ensemble, among others. Performances by these singers have enriched the Bay Area’s musical life immensely.
This week, under conductor and artistic director Valérie Sainte-Agathe, the Girls Chorus celebrates its four-decade landmark with a special concert — one that opens its 40th anniversary season with a look back at some of the composers who have shaped the music of today. Titled ”Mademoiselle: An American Inspiration,” the program begins with works by Nadia Boulanger, including the influential French composer’s “Cantique” and excerpts from “Les Heures Claires.”
The Boulanger connection continues with music by Boulanger’s student, French composer Louise Talma, and sister, Lili Boulanger. Rounding out the program are works by Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, David Conte and Aaron Copland; tenor Nicholas Phan joins the chorus as soloist in selections from Copland’s “Old American Songs.”
DETAILS >> 7:30 tonight, Herbst Theatre, San Francisco; $28-$38; 415-3924400; www.sfgirlschorus.org.
CARTER CELEBRATED >> American composer Elliott Carter is the focus of the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players’
season-opening concert. As part of the company’s On Stage series, the program honors Carter, who lived beyond his 100th birthday and continued to write forward-looking music well beyond that mark. The ensemble’s new artistic director, Eric Dudley, presents Carter’s “Penthode, “A 6 letter letter” and “Changes.” The program also includes the world premiere of “Big Show,” a Carter-inspired piece by California-based Asher Tobin Chodos, and the U.S. premiere of “Bone Games/Shy Garden” by Canadian composer Sabrina Schroeder.
DETAILS >> 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Taube Atrium Theater, San Francisco; $35 general, $15 students; 415-6338802; www.sfcmp.org.
BIG ON BRAHMS >> Violist Pamela Freund-Striplen and her Gold Coast Chamber Players return this weekend with “Brahms Latitude,” an all-Brahms program with performances in Lafayette and Piedmont. Freund-Striplen will be joined by violinist Livia Sohn, cellist Luigi Piovano and pianist Bernadene Blaha in performances of the composer’s Piano Trio in C major and Piano Quartet in G minor.
DETAILS >> 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Lafayette Library Community Center; repeats 5 p.m. Sunday, Piedmont Center for the Arts; $15-$45; 925-283-3728; www.gcplayers.org.
A-HUNTING BACH WILL GO
>> Under music director Jeffrey Thomas, American
Bach Soloists opens its 30th season this weekend with “Off to the Hunt!” The featured work is J.S. Bach’s “Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd” — also known as the “Hunt Cantata” — with sopranos Helene Brunet and Julie Bosworth, tenor Derek Chester and bass Mischa Bouvier as soloists. Two “Brandenburg” concertos — Nos. 1 and 3 — complete the program.
DETAILS >> 8 p.m. Friday, St. Stephen’s Church, Belvedere; 8 p.m. Saturday, First Congregational Church, Berkeley; and 4 p.m. Sunday, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco; $35-$89; 800-5954849; www.americanbach.org.
E4TT GOES HOLLYWOOD >> Some of Hollywood’s greatest film composers came to the U.S. under duress in the ’30s and ’40s, and Ensemble for These Times is presenting a concert of chamber works by a few of the leading lights. With works by Erich Korngold, Andre Previn, Miklos Rozsa, Ernst Toch and others, the program aims to show the rich variety of works this particular group of immigrants brought to musical life in this country.
DETAILS >> 7 p.m. Friday, 405 Shrader, San Francisco; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Berkeley Piano Club; $5$30; www.e4tt.org.
IN MEMORY OF MONTSERRAT >> Opera lovers around the world are mourning the loss of Montserrat Caballé, who died on Oct. 6 at age 85.
The legendary Spanish soprano had a rich history here; she made her San Francisco Opera debut in the title role of “Turandot” in 1977, with Luciano Pavarotti as her Calaf. Caballé returned to the company to sing the title role of “Tosca” in 1978 and Elisabetta in “Roberto Devereux” in 1979; in all, she sang 33 performances with San Francisco Opera, including the title roles of “Semiramide” and “La Gioconda,” Amelia in “Un Ballo in Maschera” and Elvira in “Ernani.” Two of those operas were revived by the company this fall.
Last month, “Roberto Devereux” featured a powerhouse performance by Sondra Radvanovsky as Elisabetta. The company’s current revival of “Tosca,” with Italian soprano Carmen Giannattasio in the title role, continues through Oct. 30. www.sfopera.com.