San Francisco Classical Voice

Del Sol Quartet and Melody of China
The ever-adventurous Del Sol String Quartet performs Antheil's Quartet No. 3 and joins Melody of China to perform world premieres by local composers Kui Dong and Duo Hang, with the participation of percussionist Chris Froh. April 28, 8 p.m., Carriage House Theater, Montalvo, $30/$35, (408) 961-5858, www.delsolquartet.com. (J.G.)

FerryMusic to Sail
New York has its BargeMusic, described as an "unlikely combination of first-rate classical music, small-town setting, and spectacular views of Manhattan, the best place for chamber music in New York." Now, San Francisco will have its FerryMusic, aiming at the same standard. Some of the Bay Area's top chamber musicians, organized by the Philharmonia Baroque's Tanya Tomkins, are due to perform, while on-board amenities unfold on Hornblower Cruises' Ferryboat Santa Rosa, permanently docked at Pier 3, at the Embarcadero. The first program offers performances by the San Francisco String Trio (Bettina Mussumeli, Jodi Levitz, Tanya Tomkins); the second by the Ives Quartet (Mussumeli, Susan Freier, Scott Woolweaver, Stephen Harrison). April 30, 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Santa Rosa ferryboat, Pier 3, San Francisco, $30-$50 (the latter includes hors d'oeuvres), (415) 392-4400, www.ferrymusic.org. (J.G.)

Show Me the Way to That Cad in San Jose
Don Giovanni will rampage through the boudoirs and hearts of ladies when Opera San José presents Mozart's opera. George Cleve and Anthony Quartuccio share conducting duties, Lorna Haywood is stage director, and Giulio Cesare Perrone is responsible for the sets. The double-cast performances will feature a number of young, talented singers, including Joseph Wright and Jason Detwiler in the title role, Lori Decter and Deborah Berioli as Donna Anna, Janelle Laurenti and Janelle Laurenti as Donna Elvira, and Christopher Bengochea and Adam Flowers as Don Ottavio. April 25, 27, and 29 and May 5, 8 p.m.; matinee on April 30 and May 7 at 3 p.m., California Theatre, San Jose, $65-$85, (408) 437-4450, www.operasj.org. (J.G.)

Berkeley's Cosmetic Surgery Opera
Berkeley Opera presents the world premiere of Clark Suprynowicz's Chrysalis, to a libretto by John O'Keefe, about — and we quote here — "cosmetic surgery and genetic manipulation." There is a strong production team in place, with musical direction by Jonathan Khuner and Sara Jobin,and stage direction and design by Mark Streshinsky. Mezzo-soprano Buffy Baggott, soprano Marnie Breckenridge, and baritones Igor Vieira and John Minágro sing the lead roles. The 20-piece San Francisco Chamber Orchestra will be in the pit. April 26, 28, and 30, 8 p.m., Julia Morgan Theatre, Berkeley, $10-$40, (925) 798-1300, www.berkeleyopera.org. (J.G.)

Tracing Nero's Rise to Mommy Dearest
Donald Pippin's Pocket Opera presents Handel's rarely performed Agrippina, with Marcelle Dronkers, Sara Ganz, Elspeth Franks, and Lisa Van Der Ploeg in the cast. Pippin's introduction to the work explains, "In the imperial palace of ancient Rome, Agrippina has just received the exciting news that her husband Claudio, the emperor, has drowned at sea. Owing to the sudden, unexpected nature of his demise, he was unable to name a successor: the field is wide open. Agrippina, an alert mother, sees this as a golden opportunity for her own son by a previous marriage, young Nero. The result — a lively chapter from the palmy days when the path to power was seldom cluttered by scruple." April 29, 2 p.m., Florence Gould Theater, Legion of Honor, San Francisco, $18-$32, (415) 972-8934, www.pocketopera.org. (J.G.)

Dancing to Strauss, Ligeti, and Mendelssohn
San Francisco Ballet's last series of the season's eight programs opens April 25, featuring the local premiere of Lar Lubovitch's Elemental Brubeck, Christopher Wheeldon's Continuum, and Yuri Possokhov's Reflections. Continuum is to the music of György Ligeti, last performed on tour in London in 2004. Possokhov's Reflections uses Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 1. April 25 and 28 and May 4 and 6, 8 p.m.; April 26, 7:30 p.m.; April 30, 2 p.m.; May 6, 1 p.m., War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, $10 (students, seniors, standing room) to $199, (415) 865-2000, www.sfballet.org. (J.G.)

Corps de Ballet in the
Wheeldon-Ligeti Continuum

Photo by Erik Tomasson

Delibes à la Mark Morris
Léo Delibes' claim to musical fame rests mostly with Lakmé, but his ballet scores for Coppélia and Sylvia are also fine examples of shamelessly romantic 19th century French euphony. A fortuitous conjunction of score and choreographer genius is Mark Morris' version of Sylvia, which returns to the San Francisco Ballet this month. April 27 and 29 and May 2-3 and 7, 8 p.m., War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, $10 (students, seniors, standing room) to $199, (415) 865-2000, www.sfballet.org. (J.G.)

Yuan Yuan Tan in Sylvia

Photo by Chris Hardy

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EARLY MUSIC

El Mundo
Come out to support the season's last concert of the seven-year-old Music on the Hill, a top-notch — and affordable — chamber music series in San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood. Coming up: a program of 17th and 18th century Spanish and Italian music by early music specialists El Mundo, with Richard Savino, guitar/lute; Jennifer Ellis, soprano; Adam LaMotte, violin; and William Skeen, viola da gamba. April 30, 7 p.m., St. Kevin's Church, San Francisco, $7-$12, (415) 820-1429, www.musiconthehill.org. (M.B.)

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WORLD MUSIC

Pansori at the Asian
Among the Asian Art Museum's ongoing exhibits and events highlighting the culture of Korea (in conjuction with the museum's Contemporary Korean Ceramics exhibit), the next concert of interest is a pansori event, in the storytelling tradition of Korea. Pansori literally means "songs at a place of entertainment": "pan" is the place, "sori" means the sound. Pansori is usually performed by two people, one playing a drum while the other chants a song in a folk style, resembling an epic or a narrative. Some run up to six hours. The event at the Asian will last only an hour, featuring music by renowned Korean composer Chanhae Lee. April 27, 7 p.m., Asian Art Museum, Samsung Hall, free with $10 museum admission ($5 after 5 p.m.), (415) 581-3500, www.asianart.org. (J.G.)

KITKA's Spirit Voices
KITKA (meaning "bouquet" in Bulgarian, but with additional rich symbolic meaning in the world of Balkan women's folk music) is Oakland's 27-year-old, world-famous ensemble, performing music rooted in East European vocal traditions. The group is now presenting four prerecording concerts in various Northern California chapels. Called Spirit Voices, the performances feature a special guest, Bulgarian folkloric soprano Tzvetanka Varimezova. April 27, 8 p.m., First Unitarian Church, Oakland; April 28, 8:15 p.m., Noe Valley Ministry, San Francisco; April 29, 7:30 p.m., Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Sacramento; April 30, 3 p.m., St. Joseph's Cultural Center, Grass Valley, $12-$22, (510) 444-0323, www.kitka.org/calendar. (J.G.)

The women of KITKA

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CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

TrioMetric
What on earth is "NuRoque," short for Neo-Baroque? According to the avant-garde TrioMetric, it is inspired by the "musical revolution that new instruments and esthetics caused in Europe in the 1600s." How does it work? "Based on the concept of enhanced instruments coupled through an intelligent network, NuRoque is the sophisticated integration of live instruments that are extended beyond their original function with MACIAS, an intelligent system that receives, interprets, and operates on the sounds, notes, gestures, and intentions of the musicians." You can find out what all this sounds like at the group's Web site, and at their concert. April 28-29, 8 p.m., ODC Theater, San Francisco, $10, www.triometrik.org. (M.B.)

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EVENTS

Community Music Day
This all-day event features performances from professional and student musicians of the Crowden School, the popular "Instrument Petting Zoo," and the Instrument Workshop, where kids can make their own simple instruments. April 29, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Crowden Center for Music in the Community, Berkeley, free, (510) 559-2941, www.crowden.org. (M.B.)

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Many more events are listed in the SFCV Calendar.

(Janos Gereben is a regular contributor to San Francisco Classical Voice. His e-mail address is janosg@gmail.com. Mickey Butts is executive director, editor, and publisher of San Francisco Classical Voice. His writing has appeared in Salon, Food & Wine, The Industry Standard, The Financial Times, Wired, The Nation, and The San Francisco Chronicle. Michelle Dulak Thomson is a violinist and violist who has written about music for Strings, Stagebill, Early Music America, and The New York Times. )

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