Features

Brett Campbell - August 15, 2011

Read an account of the Gamelan and its Balinese roots in excerpt from Music of the Peoples of the World by Bill Alves.

Brett Campbell - August 15, 2011

Read more about the Gamelan influence on Western music and composers such as Claude Debussy and Benjamin Britten.

Brett Campbell - August 15, 2011

Gamelan holds surprisingly wide appeal in America, which has more than 200 ensembles. SFCV profiles Gamelan Sekar Jaya, easily the best-known gamelan orchestra in the Bay Area, as it continues to reach a fascinating cross-section of music lovers.

Brett Campbell - August 9, 2011

Ensemble Parallèle stages a vivid reimagining of Gertrude Stein’s and Virgil Thomson’s masterwork; Luciano Chessa adds his imaginative response, called A Heavenly Act.

Janos Gereben - August 9, 2011

Gertude Stein, Alas?

While very much appreciating Gertrude Stein’s role in promoting modern art (“The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde” is terrific; closes on Sept. 6!), I am not a fan of her writing.
Jonathan Rhodes Lee - August 8, 2011

With reverence for the past and a lot of detective work, the “pluck-o-philiac” John Phillips restores and builds harpsichords in his Berkeley shop.

Janos Gereben - August 2, 2011

As the 49th season of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music opens this week, musicians and audiences are arriving from all over the world.

Edward Ortiz - August 2, 2011

After canceling part of its 2010–2011 season, the Sacramento Opera ponders its future, including a possible merger with the Sacramento Philharmonic.