ODC, New Ballet, Scottish Fiddlers, more
Dance highlights: ODC in Alameda, New Ballet reinvents a classic
Here are two performances dance fans should know about.
ODC/Dance: The San Francisco company's commitment to taking dance to the people continues this weekend with a sitespecific collaboration with Rhythmix Cultural Works at Alameda Point, “Island City Waterways: Uprooted.” Conceived and directed by Janet Koike, Rhythmix founder and artistic director, the free 75-minute multimedia piece explores the history of what used to be the Alameda Naval Air Station.
Touching on pioneering aviators and a succession of wars, “Uprooted” also hinges on the base's history as a collection point for Japanese Americans interned during World War II. That experience is brought to life via letters written by the parents of choreographer and ODC School director Kimi Okada while they were in held in Tule Lake in the eastern Sierras.
Details: 10 and 11:45 a.m., 1:30 and 3:15 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Alameda Point's West Mall Square; free but registration required; islandcitywaterways.org.
New Ballet: Leonide Massine's famed ballet “La Boutique fantasque” (the enchanted toyshop) saw its debut 102 years ago by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. Key to the production were the splashy set and costumes created by Fauvist artist Andre Derain. Now, New Ballet founder, director and primary choreographer Dalia Rawson has created a new adaptation of the ballet that finds dolls in a Paris toy shop coming to life. The production premiering this weekend is set to the traditional Rossini score and features colorful sets, costumes and animation by artist Atlquetzalli Rivera.
DETAILS » 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday (first performance designed for families with toddlers); Hammer Theatre Center, San Jose; $19-$100; hammertheatre.com, newballet.com.
— Andrew Gilbert, Correspondent, and Randy McMullen, Staff
Scottish Fiddlers' busy weekend
The San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers, the renowned group ked by famed musician and teacher Alasdair Fraser, is resuming its spring concert series with three weekend performances.
The will perform 7 p.m. May 20 at First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley; 3 p.m. May 21 at the Salesforce Amphitheater in San Francisco; and 3 p.m. May 22 at Bankhead Theater in Livermore.
The Scottish Fiddlers, which founded in 1986, perform a variety of traditional and contemporary Scottish and Celtic music as well as tunes from America and beyond. The group's lively concerts incorporate dancers and singers in addition to a multicultural string band.
DETAILS » Tickets for Berkeley are $22.95-$27; ticket for Livermore are $12-$42; admission for San Francisco show is free; check venues for COVID safety measures; tickets and more information at sffiddles.org.
East Bay icon's swan song
Jewlia Eisenberg lived a remarkable life.
The Oakland resident was a composer, vocalist, activist, educator, lay cantor and so much more before she died at the age of 50 in March 2021 from a rare immune disorder.
The artist, best known for her work with the band Charming Hostess, remained busy during her last year of life, working on a historical album inspired by two Italian writers — Natalia and Leone Ginzburg — who fought fascism during World War II.
Battling her health problems to the end, Eisenberg
wasn't able to finish the work before she died, but two Charming Hostess members and Eisenberg collaborators — guitarist-producer Max Baloian and cellist-vocalist Marika Hughes — ultimately completed it.
People can hear the work beginning on May 20, when Eisenberg's posthumous album — “The Ginzburg Geography” — is released by John Zorn's label, Tzadik, tzadik.com.
There will also be a listening party and CD release event for “The Ginzburg Geography” in Berkeley Friday night. Special guests include Charming Hostess members Jason Ditzian, Cynthia Taylor and Laura Inserra, and AnMarie Rodgers, Eisenberg's partner.
DETAILS » 7 p.m.; Chochmat HaLev, 2215 Prince St., Berkeley; $18; eventbrite. com (search for “The Ginzburg Geography”).
— Jim Harrington, Staff
Classical picks: Oakland Symphony, West Bay Opera, SFCMP
Here are three concerts classical music fans should know about.
Oakland Symphony: The late British composer Michael Tippett often wrote on themes of human rights and social injustice. His 1944 oratorio, “A Child of Our Time,” looks back at a terrifying chapter from World War II: Kristallnacht, and the plight of Jewish refugees. The Oakland Symphony's seasonending concert features the work, which incorporates African American spirituals in the choral episodes. Esteemed conductor Leonard Slatkin makes a special guest appearance, leading the orchestra and Oakland Symphony Chorus, with soprano Mary-Hollis Hundley, mezzo-soprano Melody Wilson, tenor Noah Stewart, and baritone Robert
Sims as soloists. The program also includes Alan Hovhaness' Symphony No. 2, “Mysterious Mountain,” and Cindy McTee's “Circuits.”
DETAILS » 8 p.m. Friday; Paramount Theatre, Oakland; $25-$90; oaklandsymphony.org.
West Bay's “Queen”: Tchaikovsky's “Pique Dame,” also known as “The Queen of Spades,” takes obsession to new heights. Loosely based on Alexander Pushkin's brooding 1834 novella, the opera returns this weekend in a new production at West Bay Opera, conducted by José Luis Moscovich and featuring soprano Rhoslyn Jones as Liza, tenor Michael Boley as Hermann, baritone Jonathan Beyer as Prince Yeletsky, and members of the Silicon Valley Boychoir.
DETAILS » 8 p.m. May 20 and 28; 2 p.m. May 22 and 29; Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto; $35-$98; wbopera.org.
Synergy and Synthesis: That's the title of the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players' LABORATORY series, offered in two performances this weekend. The program includes Lou Harrison's “Solo to Anthony Cirone” for just-tuned tenor bells, and Steve Reich's “Violin Phase” for violin and pre-recorded tape; works by composers Steed Cowart, Orlando Jacinto Garcia and Helen Grime complete the lineup.
Details: 2:30 and 4 p.m. May 22, SFJAZZ Center, San Francisco; $15 live, $5 access; sfcmp.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent