Maestro honored with arts medal
The tribute wasn’t affectionate; it was passionate. On Tuesday, May 14, South of Market at Ken Fulk’s St. Joseph’s Arts Society, candles flickered, trombones resounded and the voices of young singers soared to the ceiling of the old church, in homage to Michael Tilson Thomas, who will step down as leader of the San Francisco Symphony after the 2019-20 season. The occasion was the bestowal upon the maestro of the Museum of Performance + Design’s 2019 San Francisco Arts Medallion, which recognizes “those individuals whose leadership, actions and generosity have benefited the cultural life of the San Francisco Bay Area.”
“When we restored this building,” said Fulk at the beginning of the formal ceremonies, “I think we had this event in mind.”
Curtained hideaways appointed with furniture and art are tucked against the perimeters of what was once St. Joseph’s Catholic Church; drinks are dispensed from a bar toward what used to be the front of the sanctuary. Nearest the altar/ stage, in the central area where worshipers once sat praying for good things, admirers of Thomas — many of whom were the sort of music- and culturelovers who have already achieved or acquired good things — perched on large luxuriously upholstered sofas and banquettes. That crowd included former board presidents Nancy Bechtle and John Goldman and current president Sako Fisher, and such stalwart Symphony supporters and friends of the maestro as Paul Pelosi, Nancy Livingston and Fred Levin, Orville Schell and Liu Baifang, Susie Buell, Dede Wilsey, Gretchen Kimball ... and of course, Thomas’ husband, Joshua Robison, who was also celebrating a birthday.
Other guests occupied the cozy sidespaces. A little farther away, musiclovers no less fervent but perhaps a little less well-heeled sat in wooden chairs at long tables. When the Young Musicians Choral Orchestra Choraleers sang selections from “Les Miz,” one couldn’t help picturing everything at once: The original South of Market parishioners, the chic repurposing of the building, the message of a musical about revolution and poverty, and the multitiered occasion.
It’s one of the conundrums of the city: omnipresent thoughts about the haves, the have-a-littles and the have-nots juxtaposed with gratitude and respect for the contributions of the sofa-sitters, the people whose donations keep alive the traditional cultural life of the city.
The Museum of Performance + Design, founded in 1947 by San Francisco Ballet dancer and designer Russell Hartley and established as a charitable organization in 1976, is now tucked away on Jerrold Avenue, in an industrial district, open to the public afternoons from Tuesday to Friday, and one Saturday a month. Its current exhibition is about the ballet and fairy tales.
The board is small, and there’s a director of collections, Kirsten Tanaka, rather than an executive director, but the institution has a 3.5 million-item collection of archives, costumes, programs and more, all accessible to scholars. In the group’s own description, “Seventy years of collecting has made MP+D a prominent living record of the history of the performing arts in the Bay Area and beyond.”
Emceed by board President Pattie Lawton and host Fulk, the program began with “Flourish,” a fanfare for trombones that composer Tim Higgins had dedicated to the honoree; and went on to include the young singers, music-focused remarks from David Stull of the Conservatory of Music (“The fact is that leadership in the orchestral world has moved to the West Coast, and that began with Michael Tilson Thomas”); a performance of members of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus; and tributes from Sheri Greenawald and Frederica von Stade. “I am thrilled beyond words to say how much I adore and admire you, Michael,” said von Stade, following the sentiment by getting to the point, “and here’s your award.”
Master improviser Thomas expressed gratitude, then paid smooth tribute to “this astonishing library and what it represents in the cultural community.” Looking around the church, where candles flickered and the somewhat Goth glory was underlined with a display of large images of snakes, he said, “I keep thinking of all the genuflections, absolutions and confessions that have taken place in every nook and cranny,” he said. “And looking into those curtained spaces, reasons for more confessions . ... All kinds of sacred and profane events can take place here.”
“Thank you for this wonderful medal,” said Thomas, punctuating the statement with the slightest musical rest. “It’s just what I needed.”
PUBLIC EAVESDROPPING “I mean, it was so cliche, it was almost original.” Man to man overheard in South Park by Paul Baker