Chapel of the Chimes welcomes summer solstice
Each year on the summer solstice, something remarkable happens at Oakland’s Chapel of the Chimes. Musicians and music lovers gather for “Garden of Memory,” a music event like no other.
Founded in 1995 by pianist Sarah Cahill, the day-into-evening concert tucks practitioners of classical, jazz, avant-garde and electro-acoustic music into every nook and corner of the memorial site’s great columbarium. As audience members stroll through the historical landmark building on Piedmont Avenue, its marble sculptures, indoor gardens, stained glass windows and mosaic-tiled floors serve as a gorgeous backdrop.
Hosted by New Music Bay Area/20th Century Forum, this year’s event continues the tradition. Beginning at 5 p.m. today, more than 50 Bay Area performers will appear. It’s impossible to hear them all, but the schedule includes Pamela Z, Paul Dresher with Joel Davel, the Real Vocal String Quartet, Adam Fong, the William Winant Percussion Group, and the Rova Saxophone Quartet. Cahill will give the Bay Area premiere of John Adams’ “I Still Play,” and will be joined by violinist Kate Stenberg in works by Kaija Saariaho and Gabriela Frank.
DETAILS >> “Garden of Memory,” 5-9 p.m. today; Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland; $15 general, $10 students and seniors; $5 children 5-12, under 5 free; www.brownpapertickets.com. NEW SOUNDS IN SILICON VALLEY >> The Silicon Valley Music Festival turns 7 this year, and musicians from around the world are gathering for a weeklong celebration. Presented by Chamber Music Silicon Valley in collaboration with the San Jose Museum of Art, Mosaic Silicon Valley, the San Jose Chamber Orchestra and the Noon Arts and Lecture series, the festival runs Sunday through June 30, with performances at various venues in downtown San Jose.
This year’s headliner is
Common Sounds, a chamber ensemble featuring Western classical musicians and world music artists. The group launches the festival at 3 p.m. Sunday with a free flash mob appearance at the San Jose Museum of Art.
Mainstage concerts at the Rotary Summit Center feature Common Sounds in concert (June 28) and “Night at the Caravanserai” (June 29), with music by Andy Akiho, frequent Kronos Quartet collaborator Van Anh Vo, the San Jose Chamber Orchestra
and Mosaic Silicon Valley. The festival finale (June 30) includes performances of Osvaldo Golijov’s “Ayre,” Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” and the world premiere of Taylor Ackley’s “Far from Home.”
Additional events include free noontime performances Monday at First Unitarian Church of San Jose, Tuesday in the Beethoven Center at Schiro Gallery, and Wednesday at the Forager Tasting Room.
DETAILS >> Silicon Valley Music Festival, Sunday through June 30, various
venues; ticketed events for Rotary Summit Center begin at 7:30 p.m; $35 general, $10 students; 408641-3849; www.cmsv.org.
THE ‘RING’ IS THE THING >> The San Francisco Opera’s “Ring” is now midway through the second of three complete cycles of Wagner’s monumental four opera masterpiece, and opera lovers who haven’t yet done so should snap up whatever tickets remain.
With performances continuing through July 3, the company is also offering an array of ancillary events — lectures, films, concerts and more — to enhance the experience. Here are some of the fun, informative “Ring” things on the schedule.
• Ring Symposium: Singers from the current productions in discussion at the Taube Atrium Theatre, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. today and June 28, $40; 415-8643330; www.sfopera.com.
• “Sing Faster: The Stagehands’ Ring Cycle”: A screening of the documentary film shot backstage at S.F. Opera. 2 p.m. today and June 28, Taube Atrium Theatre; $5; 415-864-3330; www.sfopera.com.
• Wagner Chorus Concert: Members of the S.F. Opera Chorus sing Wagner and Carl Maria von Weber; Ian Robertson conducts. 8 p.m. today and June 28, Taube Atrium Theatre; $30; www.sfopera.com.
• “Ring” Forum: Speakers include Metropolitan Opera broadcaster William Berger, former Seattle Opera general director Speight Jenkins and Bay Area conductor Jonathan Khuner. 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday and June 30, Taube Atrium Theatre; $55-$65, includes box lunch.
• Rhine Cruise on the San Francisco Bay: Join fellow Wagnerites for a three-course luncheon on a Hornblower cruise. 11:45 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday; $125; www.wagnersf.org.
• “Ring 101”: S.F. Opera dramaturge Kip Cranna leads a multimedia history of the “Ring” in San Francisco, including interviews with special guests. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday, with a one-hour break for lunch; $50; 415-864-3330; www. sfopera.com.