Oakland composer Cava Menzies’ new work ‘The Line Between’ debuts this weekend.
With summer approaching, the classical music scene continues to innovate. From live and in-person concerts to streaming events, there’s something for every musical interest and comfort zone. Here is a partial roundup.
LIVE AT DAVIES >>
It was an unforgettable evening: On May 6, members of the San Francisco Symphony under music director Esa-Pekka Salonen performed their first live concert in Davies Symphony Hall in more than a year. The crowd was sparse, masked and socially distanced; the intermission-less program, limited to strings and percussion, evoked a world of emotion.
That was just the beginning: Programs led by Jeremy Denk and James Gaffigan followed, and more in-person concerts are on the way, beginning this week with Ken-David Masur conducting works by Tchaikovsky, Somei Satoh and Qigang Chen (today and Friday). Berkeley Symphony music director Joseph Young leads a program featuring Bizet, Jessie Montgomery and Carlos Simon (June 3-4); Joshua Weilerstein conducts Dvorak, Bohuslav Martinu and Florence Price (June 10-11); and Salonen returns with the U.S. premiere of Daniel Kidane’s “Be Still,” along with Bernstein’s “Serenade” and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, with Augustin Hadelich as soloist (June 24-25). DETAILS >> Reduced capacity and pandemic-related restrictions remain in effect; $45-$95; 415-8646000, www.sfsymphony.org.
SINGING AT THE DRIVE-IN >> “The Line Between” is the title of the San Francisco Girls Chorus’ new program, presented in a special broadcast at Fort Mason’s popular drive-in theater, Fort Mason Flix. With artistic director Valérie Sainte-Agathe leading more than 100 singers, the main event is the world premiere of Oakland musician and artist Cava Menzies’ “The Line Between,” featuring the company’s virtual resident ensemble, Roomful of Teeth. Also included: excerpts from percussionist and composer Susie Ibarra’s “The Future Is Bright,” and Bay Area composer Danny Clay’s “Music for Hard Times,” a collaboration with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the Living Earth Show.
DETAILS >> 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, 6:30 p.m. June 3; Fort Mason Flix, San Francisco; $45-$60; 415-863-1752, www.sfgirlschorus.org.
FROM SPAIN, WITH LOVE >> In his
past Bay Area appearances, early music master Jordi Savall has dazzled audiences with the music of Monteverdi. Now Cal Performances is presenting the Catalan artist in a special session recorded in Barcelona, featuring selections from Monteverdi’s “Madrigals of Love and War,” with musicians from La Capella Reial de Catalunya and Le Concert des Nations. DETAILS >> Streams 7 p.m. June 3, available on demand through Sept. 1; $15-$67; 510-642-9988, www.calperformances.org.
ALL HAIL THE MAXWELLS >> Praised for their mastery of the classical quartet repertoire and deep connection to folk traditions, the Maxwell Quartet is one of Scotland’s most impressive musical imports. In this week’s appearance for Music at Kohl Mansion, the charismatic foursome — Colin Scobie, George Smith, Elliott Perks and Duncan Strachan — will play Dvorak’s String Quartet No. 13 in G major and transcriptions of Scottish folk songs.
DETAILS>> 7 p.m. June 6, 6 p.m. June 10; $20 per household; 650762-1130, www.musicatkohl.org.
RAGAZZI SINGS OUT >> “Rising Together in Song” is the title of the season-ending concert by the Ragazzi Boys Chorus. With singers ages 5-18, the event includes all seven of the organization’s sections; they’ve been singing from home using the revolutionary JackTrip technology, which allows musicians to collaborate online in real time. Led by artistic and executive director Kent Jue, the program spans early music to contemporary works. DETAILS >> 4 p.m. June 6; $25 suggested donation; www.ragazzi. org.
LEFT COAST PLAYS SALONEN >> Now that Esa-Pekka Salonen is San Francisco Symphony’s music director, the Bay Area is hearing more from Salonen the composer. The Left Coast Chamber Ensemble’s June program includes his atmospheric “Nachtlieder” for clarinet and piano, performed by S.F. Symphony clarinetist Jerome Simas and Left Coast pianist Eric Zivian. Kurt Rohde is the soloist for Derek Bermel’s “Soul Garden” for viola and string quartet; works by Samuel Coleridge Taylor and Clara Schumann complete the lineup.
DETAILS >> Livestreamed 7:30 p.m. June 7; free but RSVP required; 415-617-5223; leftcoastensemble.org.
A KRONOS EXTRAVAGANZA >> The Kronos Quartet’s Kronos Festival returns June 11, expanding the annual San Francisco extravaganza to eight days in the virtual realm. Ten world premieres and more than 20 guest artists are featured, including Vân-Ánh Võ, Tongo Eisen-Martin, and Zachary James Watkins. Many of Kronos’ signature works, such as Clint Mansell’s “Lux Aeterna” and Frank Zappa’s “None of the Above,” will be performed. Another highlight: Ellen Reid’s “Soundwalk,” a selfguided, GPS-enabled public artwork makes its Bay Area debut June 12 in Golden Gate Park. DETAILS >> June 11-18; free; www. kronosquartet.org.
CHANTICLEER HEADS OUTSIDE >> Best known as the home of the California Shakespeare Theater, Orinda’s Bruns Amphitheater is becoming a hub for classical music. West Edge Opera will perform its summer season there July 24-Aug. 8, and Chanticleer has just announced it will perform its next Bay Area concert in the outdoor venue. Titled “Awakenings,” it’s an hourlong program spanning early works by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Monteverdi, 20th-century music by Heitor Villa-Lobos and Augusta Read Thomas, and a newly commissioned work by Chicago-based composer Ayanna Woods. DETAILS >> 3 and 6:30 p.m. June 14; Bruns Amphitheater, Orinda; $50; www.chanticleer.org.
BACK TO HERBST >> San Francisco Performances returns to live, in-person performances with “Summer Music Sessions,” a series of evening events in the organization’s longtime venue, Herbst Theatre. Announced earlier this month by SFP president Melanie Smith, the series opens July 14 with pianist David Greilsammer playing works by Mozart, Rebel, Janácek, C.P.E. Bach and Ofer Pelz.
Subsequent programs feature pianist Garrick Ohlsson in an all-Brahms recital (July 15), and the Alexander String Quartet joined by guitarist William Kanengiser in a “British Invasion” program ranging from John Dowland to a new work by Sting (July 16). Kanengiser returns for a solo recital (July 18); pianist Natasha Paremski plays Chopin, Prokofiev and Thomas Ades (July 19); pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin is joined by the Alexander Quartet (July 20); and pianist Aaron Diehl plays Duke Ellington and William Grant Still (July 21). Timo Andres performs a solo recital (July 23), and returns, joined by violinist Jennifer Koh and cellist Jay Campbell, to close the series on July24.
DETAILS >> Kanengiser’s July 18 program begins at 7 p.m.; all other programs 7:30 p.m.; $45-$65; tickets on sale June 14; 425-677-0325, www.sfperformances.org.