Heggie brings ‘Wonderful World’ to Noe Valley
The Noe Valley Chamber Music series is turning 25, and Jake Heggie is hosting a celebration in its honor.
Heggie, of course, is the composer of eveninglength operas such as “Dead Man Walking” and “Moby-Dick,” both of which were hits at San Francisco Opera. But it turns out he also has impressive skills as a concert planner.
“I’m really busy, but I can’t say no to these kinds of things,” Heggie said in a recent conversation. “I think it’s so important to participate.”
“What a Wonderful World: an Earth Day Celebration,” Sunday at the Noe Valley Ministry, features Heggie and a starry list of musical friends and colleagues in a gala benefit for the series. The program includes selections from Heggie’s operas and song cycles, along with works by Brahms, Beethoven, Mahler, Mendelssohn and Richard Strauss.
Heggie, who lives in San Francisco not far from the Sanchez Street venue, has been lending his help, both as organizer and performer, to the series for years. “I’ve lived near Noe Valley almost my whole time in San Francisco, and this program started the first year I arrived in the city,” he said. “I’ve sort of been their go-to benefit guy every few years.”
Drawing from his close contacts throughout the music community, Heggie says this year’s program came together seamlessly.
“The event falls on Earth Day, so I wanted to do music that was somehow connected to the Earth, or felt grounded that way,” he said. “The first thing I did was invite four mezzo friends, because what’s earthier than mezzos?” Those singers — mezzo-sopranos Frederica von Stade, Catherine Cook, Laura
Krumm and Renée Rapier — enthusiastically joined the cause.
So did violinist Dawn Harms and her Rhythm Sisters string quartet, along with violinist Aloysia Friedmann and pianist Jon Kimura Parker.
The four mezzos will sing the final quartet from Heggie’s opera “Great Scott,” and Krumm will join the Rhythm Sisters in music from the composer’s “Camille Claudel: Into the Fire.” Also on the program is Heggie’s “Earthrise.” Inspired by the famous photograph taken from the Apollo 8 mission by astronaut William Anders — the first to capture the Earth rising over the surface of the moon — It’s composed for musical saw and string quartet, and Heggie notes that Anita Orne, the saw player who performed the work’s 2017 premiere on Orcas Island, is flying out to play it with the Rhythm Sisters.
Heggie’s been on a steady trajectory ever since his days in the publicity department at San
Francisco Opera. When von Stade heard some of his early compositions, she urged then-general director Lotfi Mansouri to give them a listen. The company premiered his first opera, “Dead Man Walking,” which brought Heggie to international prominence.
Since then, Heggie’s scored hits with “MobyDick” and “Great Scott,” as well as art songs, symphonies and other orchestral and choral works. His music is always being performed somewhere. Earlier this season, San Francisco’s Opera Paralléle staged his one-act opera “At the Statue of Venus.” Later this month, von Stade will reprise her role in his “Three Decembers” in a new production at Livermore Valley Opera.
In November, San Francisco Opera will give the West Coast premiere of Heggie’s latest opera, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Based on the iconic film starring Jimmy Stewart, it premiered in 2016 at Houston Grand Opera, and Heggie’s tweaked it a little since then. Now, he says, “It’s in great shape for San Francisco.”
This month, though, he’s proud to be helping Noe Valley celebrate a quarter century of chamber music performances.
“It’s such an important organization,” he said. “It’s grass-roots, it’s community based, and it’s been a great platform for young emerging chamber artists to be able to perform, to try material out and to connect. Really, I feel so fortunate to be here and to be connected with all of these great artists who live and work here, too.”
“What a Wonderful World,” 7:30 p.m. Sunday; Noe Valley Ministry, San Francisco; cocktails and live auction 6 p.m.; concert followed by dessert reception; $100; 415-648-5236; www.nvcm. org.
DOUBLE-BARRELED
BEETHOVEN >> Two prominent Bay Area orchestras are closing their 2017-18 seasons with Beethoven this month. At 8 tonight, the Berkeley Symphony performs the composer’s Symphony No. 9, “Choral,” in Zellerbach Hall. Tickets $15-$96; 510-8412800; www.berkeleysymphony.org. And the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra is wrapping its season with “Beethoven Unleashed,” featuring the Mass in C minor and the Op. 80 “Choral Fantasy.” Wednesday through April 29 in Palo Alto, San Francisco and Berkeley; $15$95; www.philharmonia. org.