San Francisco Classical Voice

Clerestory's Story
The Bay Area's newest early music vocal ensemble is hitting the scene, with a name that coyly suggests that other all-male a cappella chorus. (Hint: Eight of its singers are former members of Chanticleer.) Pronounced “clear story,” the name refers to the row of windows at the top of the nave that let sunlight into a church’s sanctuary. The group says it’s a metaphor for the “illumination that serious music brings to our lives.” Oct. 20, 8 p.m., St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco; Oct. 22, 5 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Berkeley; $8-$10, info@clerestory.org, www.clerestory.org. (M.B.)

"Magic Strings," Magic Voices
Even if nothing prepares you for sitting in a crowded hall as a choir of preteens and teens singing worldly, sophisticated music, prepare to be transported. The San Francisco Girls Chorus kicks off its 18th season with a concert that combines treble voices and stringed instruments for ethereal music. Hear the Chorus with the Chinese pipa, accompanied by period instruments in rich Venetian Baroque music, and in a lush string quartet setting of Faure's Ave verum and Eric Whitacre's Five Hebrew Songs. This program also includes newly commissioned arrangements of American folk songs accompanied by country fiddle. Oct. 20, 8 p.m., $12-$24, Calvary Presbyterian Church, San Francisco, (415) 392-4400, www.sfgirlschorus.org. (C.G.)

Office of the Dead The choral group San Francisco Renaissance Voices celebrates Halloween with a pair of Requiem Masses by Johannes Ockeghem and Pierre de la Rue. The concert is an installation in Seventh Avenue Performances' Polyphonic Project. Oct. 28, Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church, San Francisco; Oct. 29, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Belvedere; 7:30 p.m., $12-$15, (415) 664-2543, www.sfrv.org. (L.H.)

California Symphony
The California Symphony's season opens with an assortment of old and new: Brahms' First Symphony and the Mozart Double Piano Concerto, K. 365 (performed by Conrad Tao, 13, and Peng Peng, 11); John Williams's Happy Birthday Variations; and the first movement, by Kevin Beavers, of a projected collaborative orchestral suite to be composed by several alumni of the Young American Composer-in-Residence program. Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m., Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, $39-$59, (925) 943-7469, www.californiasymphony.org. (L.H.)

Golijov and Stalin
Osvaldo Golijov (pronounced GO-lee-hoff) is "one of the few composers today whose works are profoundly shifting the geography of the classical music world," according to the New York Times. Named Composer of the Year for 2005 by Musical America, the Argentine-born Golijov infuses Latin and multicultural influences into a heady, audience-energizing brew. Last Round, Golijov's string orchestra tribute to Astor Piazzolla and his hand-organ bandoneon, opens the concert. Following the favorite Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2, performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet, conductor Semyon Bychkov concludes with the Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10. The second movement of this powerful work, probably the most blistering in the literature, purportedly depicts Stalin as an all-encompassing whirlwind. Oct. 18-21, 8 p.m., Davies Hall, San Francisco, $25-$110, (415) 864-6000, www.sfsymphony.org. (J.D.)

Midori Meets Britten and Petrassi
Late October at the Symphony features the wonderful violinist Midori with conductor Roberto Abbado in Britten's Violin Concerto plus Petrassi's Concerto for Orchestra No. 2. (Petrassi wrote orchestral concertos rather than symphonies — eight of them.) Oct. 25, 27-28, 8 p.m.; Oct. 26, 29, 2 p.m.; Davies Hall, San Francisco, (415) 864-6000, www.sfsymphony.org. (H.T.)

San Francisco Liszt Society Gala Piano Concert
Seventeen first-class musicians join to celebrate Franz Liszt's birthday by performing the 19th century pianist-composer's music. Hear a selection of his transcriptions, excepts from Années de Pèlerinage, and works on Hungarian themes. There will be songs and, of course, lots and lots of piano music. A reception follows. Oct. 22, 2 p.m., Old First Church, San Francisco, $15-$20, (415) 474-1608, www.oldfirstconcerts.org. (L.H.)

"A Hideous Ghost:" Bach and the Violin
Legendary Baroque violinist John Holloway has been an integral figure in the global early music revival. So it's fitting that he opens the 30th concert season of the San Francisco Early Music Society. The works he has chosen for his program — Bach's unaccompanied violin sonatas and partitas — are among the violin's central repertoire as well as its most profound. Oct. 20, 8 p.m., First Lutheran Church, Palo Alto; Oct. 21, 8 p.m., St. John's Presbyterian Church, Berkeley; Oct. 22, 3:30 p.m., St. Gregory's Episcopal Church, San Francisco; $10-$25, (510) 528-1725, www.sfems.org. (C.G.)

The English Concert
The English Concert and director Andrew Manze present a program of Mozart violin music, his 40th Symphony, and C.P.E. Bach's Symphony No. 3. Manze is a wizard on the violin, and a virtuoso of line and improvisation; the concert is likely to be spectacular. Oct. 29, 3 p.m., Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley; $30-$52, (510) 642-9988, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/presents. (L.H.)

Del Sol Quartet
The Del Sol Quartet is all over the calendar this fall with ambitious performances of contemporary music. Catch them first on Oct. 22 in the Music on the Hill series in San Francisco. They'll be playing with cellist Joan Jeanrenaud and presenting Marc Blitzstein's Quartet for Strings along with Schubert's Quintet in C Major, D. 956. But don't forget to check their Web site for many other fascinating offerings this fall. Oct. 22, 7 p.m., Saint Kevin's Church, San Francisco, $12-$17, (415) 820-1429, www.delsolquartet.com. (M.V.C.)

Composers Inc.
Often hardly dry on the paper, the new works featured on Composers Inc. concerts are not only fresh, but they're played by some of the finest musicians around. Be ready for some razzamatazz with Anthony Joseph Lanman's Il Dolce Stile Nuovo for strings and piano and Michael Torke's July for saxophone quartet. Also on the program is music by Joan Tower, Allen Shearer, Susan Burkey, and Jeffrey Miller. Oct. 24, 8 p.m., Green Room, War Memorial Veterans Building, San Francisco, (415) 512-0641, www.composersinc.org. (M.V.C.)

Tristan und Isolde
Thomas Moser and Christine Brewer star as Wagner's death-haunted lovers in David Hockney's primary-colors production. Brewer, with a voice of astonishing warmth, beauty, and power, has the makings of a great Isolde. Kristinn Sigmundsson is King Marke; Jane Irwin and Boaz Daniel debut as the lovers' confidantes Brangaene and Kurwenal. Donald Runnicles conducts; he was impetuously brilliant in the 1998 run of Tristan. October 18, 22, 27, times vary, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, $25-$245, (415) 864-3330, www.sfopera.com. (L.H.)

Two Wagnerian Events
The Northern California Wagner Society sponsors an informative series of lectures and other events throughout the year. On Thursday, Oct. 19, you can catch a tribute to the late Birgit Nilsson by the erudite Paul Thomason. He'll talk about the soprano, play recordings, and show video excerpts. On Saturday, Oct. 21, there's a symposium on Tristan und Isolde (now playing at San Francisco Opera). Speakers include Arthur Coleman, Pilar Montero, Thomas May, Clifford "Kip" Cranna, Evan Baker, and Paul Thomason. They'll talk about many subjects, including a Jungian approach to the opera, producing and rehearsing Tristan at SFO, and the Gustav Mahler-Alfred Roller production at the Vienna Court Theater. Nisson Tribute: Oct. 19, 7 p.m., UCSF Laurel Heights Conference Center, S.F., $25; Tristan und Isolde Symposium: Oct. 21, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., UCSF Laurel Heights Conference Center Main Auditorium, $25-$70; (415) 421-4412, www.wagnersf.org. (L.H.)

Verdi's Macbeth
Witches, ghosts, king-killers, and assassins: West Bay Opera presents Macbeth, the first of Verdi's many Shakespeare operas. This fine bel canto score is a tour de force for both the baritone in the title role and the evil Lady MacBeth. Sara Jobin, an assistant conductor at San Francisco Opera, conducts. The costume sketches on the company's Web site look like something Edward Gorey might have come up with, not a bad thing in this bloody version of the Scottish play. Oct. 20-21, 8 p.m.; Oct. 22, 2 p.m.; Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto, $25-$50, (650) 424-9999, www.wbopera.org. (L.H.)

Oakland Opera's Les Enfants Terribles
Oakland Opera Theater kicks off its season with Philip Glass' Les Enfants Terribles, based on the film by Jean Cocteau (see review). If the group's Malcolm X of last season is any indication, it's likely to be an innovative performance. Oct. 20-21, 8 p.m.; Oct. 22, 2 p.m.; Oakland Metro, Oakland, $28-$36, (510) 763-1146, www.oaklandopera.org. (M.V.C.)

Rigoletto
Verdi's great masterpiece returns in Michael Yeargan's striking, Chirico-esque production. The vivid and moving Paolo Gavanelli shares the title role with Valeri Alexejev, Mary Dunleavy is Rigoletto's besotted daughter Gilda, and Giuseppi Gripali is the Duke of Mantua. Stephen Lord conducts. Oct. 21, 24, 29, times vary, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco; $25-245, (415) 864-3330, www.sfopera.com. (L.H.)

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble
The famous Academy of St. Martin in the Fields has not only an orchestra, but a chamber ensemble drawn from the orchestra's members. In this concert, eight players perform string ensembles from Eastern Europe: Dvorák's early String Sextet in A Major, Op. 20, Martinu's Sextet for Strings, and Enesco's Octet. Oct. 18, 8 p.m., Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford, $22-$38, (650) 725-2787, www.liveleyarts.stanford.edu. (L.H.)

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Emanuel Ax
The award-winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and star pianist Emanuel Ax join forces in commemoration of Mozart's 250th this month, with the ballet music from Idomeneo; the Piano Concerto in B-Flat Major, K. 595; and the E-Flat Major Concerto, K. 482. Oct. 22, 3 p.m., Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, $34-$58, (510) 642-9988, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. (H.T.)

Chamber Music Sundaes
Chamber Music Sundaes presents trios for clarinet, cello, and piano by Brahms and Beethoven, plus selected tangos by Piazzola. It's impossible to tell who the musicians will be from the series Web site, but Chamber Music Sundaes features players from the San Francisco Symphony, so the quality is bound to be terrific. Oct, 22, 3 p.m., St. John's Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, $10-$22, (415) 753-2792, www.chambermusicsundaes.org. (L.H.)

Music at Kohl Mansion
In the intimate setting of Kohl Mansion, Trio Con Brio Copenhagen will perform Haydn's Trio in C Major, Shostakovich's Trio No. 2 in E Minor, and Dvorák's "Dumky." Last September, the trio — formed by the Korean sisters Soo-Jin Hong and Soo-Kyung Hong plus the Danish pianist Jens Elvekjaer, received the prestigious Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award. Oct. 22, 7 p.m., $19-$39, Kohl Mansion, Burlingame, (650) 343-1130, www.musicatkohl.org. (C.G.)

S.F. Chamber Music Series
For the ninth year, San Francisco Symphony musicians carry on their SFS Chamber Music Series in Davies Hall on Sunday afternoons, offering unusual and varied programs. The first of five concerts this season includes Mozart’s String Quartet in D Major, Doppler’s Fantasy on Hungarian Themes, and Schubert’s String Quartet in D Minor, Death and the Maiden. The other four performances are on November 12, January 28, April 1, and May 6. Oct. 22, 2 p.m., $30, Davies Hall, San Francisco, (415) 864-6000, www.sfsymphony.org. (C.G.)

Left Coast Chamber Ensemble
It's a sad fact that plenty of musical organizations will play a new work in one season, then do nothing more to help that work become part of the standard repertory. The Left Coast Chamber Ensemble does things differently— this year, its first concert revives two works it commissioned. John Schott’s Among of green stiff old bright branch and Martin Rokeach’s Sleepless Night are on the program, with the world premiere of Mark Winges’ San Francisco Stopover. They'll also play Eric Zivian’s Suite for Solo Cello with Baroque Bow and Charles Loeffler's Two Rhapsodies. Oct. 26, 8 p.m., 142 Throckmorton Theater, Mill Valley; Oct. 30, 8 p.m., Green Room, 401 Van Ness, San Francisco, $15-$20, (415) 642-8054, www.chambermusicpartn.org. (L.H.)

Imani Winds Family Matinee
I'm a fan of San Francisco Performances' Family Matinees (see earlier review), and the first of the season promised to be a winner, with the Grammy-nominated Imani Winds quintet. Jeff Rosenfeld called their last S.F. performance "genre-bending." Oct. 28, 11 a.m., Herbst Theatre, San Francisco, $8-$15, (415) 392-2545, www.performances.org. (M.B.)