Robert P. Commanday, Editor

San Francisco Classical Voice celebrates its first anniversary with this issue, ironically an issue with no review of a Bay Area event, owing to the musical somnolence here in late August. We can summarize this year in good spirits for, thanks to the efforts of our good and willing cast of reviewers, the journal is fulfilling its aims.

We have published some 245 reviews of musical events, all but a few occurring in the Bay Area. Our intentions to cover a wide range of performances, frequently extending to the outlying regions, have been met, and we have given an equitable hearing to the regional orchestras and opera companies in proportion to the attention always given the major institutions.

Pardon our pride, but here are the numbers:
* 57 symphony programs, of which 25 were by regional orchestras, 24 by the San Francisco Symphony,
*54 recitals, and 39 opera performances of which 23 were by regional companies
*28 contemporary music and 26 chamber music concerts,
*18 music festival events and 8 early music concerts,
*8 musical theater/film events and 7 chamber orchestra concerts.

In addition, there have been feature articles and the weekly editorials. he most recent of these editorials, last week's "Trouble In River City" (Click on "Last Week" at the bottom of the page) has touched a responsive nerve in the city in question, Sacramento. For reader comments, see today's "Listener's Box."

So far so good. Because of our policy of drawing on musicians to do the reviewing--composers, musicologists, performers--we have of necessity introduced most of them to the craft and presented many debuts, almost weekly. It has been worth the effort, we think, enabling us to assign reviewers according to their musical specialties and experience. We hope that this change from the conventional newspaper practice of relying upon a fixed staff of one, two or three reviewers, has been refreshing and stimulating to you.

The change in the newspaper picture in San Francisco, anticipated with some foreboding for at least two years, will now almost certainly take place within a matter of months. While we cannot presume to take the place of a newspaper, at least we will happily provide the readership with alternative voices, San Francisco Classical Voices. Now we are visited by readers from more than 17 countries and enjoy a good circulation in the United States.

If we could make one wish, it would be for more feedback from you readers. A second and obvious wish, for an increased readership, is partially up to you. If you enjoy this journal, tell a friend. Pass it on. Thanks to a grant that underwrites the operation through the coming year, the cost to the readers is free. Then, should we meet the challenge of a matching grant during the coming year, we will be firmly in business at this stand for two more years after that.