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Symphony concerts are good places to bring friends. There’s excitement, variety, time to talk at intermission, a focal point to the evening, and a chance to do something together afterward. The fall season in the Bay Area is crammed with goodies everyone can love.
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Critics' Picks
Superb violinist Ian Swensen may be more self-effacing than his better-known contemporaries, but that's all to the advantage of San Francisco Conservatory students, who will get to play with him in a rare performance of the French Romantic Ernst Chausson's Concerto.
More about San Francisco Conservatory of Music »Critics' Picks
Terry Riley, one of the most inspiring of the so-called minimalist composers, will be playing piano at the Berkeley Art Museum, lighting up the museum's late night hours, with an informal concert. At 75, this pioneer has still got plenty of gas left in the tank.
More about Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive »
For years now it’s been obvious that the classical orchestral concert is in need of some rethinking for modern audiences. And no one has been more out in front of this issue than the S.F. Chamber Orchestra, which began its popularizing mission by giving all its concerts away for free. Its current music director, Ben Simon, has gone the full monty, trying out a variety of new ideas. Simon’s new venture, “You Gotta Hear This” at the Rrazz Room in S.F. is an expansion on his original ideas.
More "S.F. Chamber Orchestra: Teaching an Audience How to Listen" »Upcoming Concert
Chamber Music Day, Live + Free, 2010 — the fourth annual festival of the compositional and performance form with the intimate yet elastic definition of music that fits between four walls, with a single musician playing each part — will take place all afternoon on Sunday, Sept. 12.
More about San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music »
Known for presenting the classics and nurturing emerging singers, Opera San José generally steers clear of contemporary works. Undaunted by audience reaction to modern pieces, General Director Irene Dalis decided to roll the dice and mount a $1 million production of Anna Karenina.
More "Opera San José Set to Soar With a Lush Anna Karenina" »
Lovers of early music have it made in the shade in the Bay Area. There are more offerings every year than you can possibly get to. And all the great musicians who specialize in this music play in several groups, so that keeping them straight can make your head spin. To make things easier, here are five concerts to put on your calendar.
More "Baroque and Beyond: Five Fantastic Early Music Concerts" »
A sample of genre-bending, new-music concerts that will expand your horizons — innovative works at the S.F. Electronic Music Festival, a hot new commission at the Berkeley Symphony, and John Adams double-your-pleasure at the S.F. Symphony.
More "Six Eye and Ear Opening New-Music Concerts" »
Musical genres are concepts that may be crawling toward extinction in the new millennium, or so pianist Billy Childs believes. Looking to a more integrated era, he’s positioning his jazz quartet alongside the classically trained Kronos Quartet for the premiere of his commissioned composition, on Sept. 18 at the Monterey Jazz Festival.
More "Childs Leads Kronos to Monterey Jazz" »
As San Francisco Opera prepares to open its star-studded fall season on Sept. 10, several smaller companies are trumpeting that this is far from a one-house region. Indeed, the risks that regional companies are taking at a time of economic contraction — I’m being euphemistic here — are cause for rejoicing.
More "The Voice Rules: Six Fall Opera Picks" »
A preview of must-see artists and special events for the upcoming season, by Georgia Rowe.
More "Starstruck: 10 Big Events and Recitals For the Fall" »
Choosing a concert geared for the entire family can be tricky, yet local ensembles and presenters are going out of their way this fall to design the tastiest classical kid’s-menu possible. Here are a few that are sure to be of interest to both the younger and older sets, introducing music, soft serve.
More "Best Fall Family-Friendly Concerts" »
Symphony concerts are good places to bring friends. There’s excitement, variety, time to talk at intermission, a focal point to the evening, and a chance to do something together afterward. The fall season in the Bay Area is crammed with goodies everyone can love.
More "Six Orchestra Concerts for Casual Listeners and Experienced Fans" »Upcoming Concert
Tickets for the performing arts can be expensive, though Cal Performances’ “Fall Free for All” is a day of gratis performances open to the public.
More about Cal Performances »
My criteria for selecting these events for recommendation are that they fall, more or less, in the narrow band between mainstream and the self-consciously “out there,” they are at the low end of the price spectrum, and they have some kind of personal connection or appeal to me.
More "A Few of My Favorite Things" »Recent Artist Spotlights
Recent CD Reviews
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Mahler: Songs With Orchestra
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Rhys Chatham: A Crimson Grail
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So Percussion, Matmos: Treasure State
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Imani Winds: Terra Incognita
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Sondra Radvanovsky: Verdi Arias
Recent Composers
SFCV Previews
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