Lisa Petrie

It sounds like the same old story: Budget cuts have forced reductions in the Mount Diablo Unified School District’s music program. But it may not happen that way. Meet the determined parents, students, and teachers who are working to write a different ending to the script.

Kids like movies, and San Francisco Opera's Education department brings us the perfect film to introduce children to the magic of opera: The Elixir of Love for Families.

Did you ever want to take your really young kids to a concert but were afraid they couldn't sit still, or stay quiet? The Crowden School and S.F Chamber Orchestra have teamed up to bring you a special series of musical exploration for kids, and it's free.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet, one of the world’s foremost concert pianists, is celebrated for his sensitive and dazzling interpretations of his native French music, and other extensive repertoire. But his stage pizzazz sets him apart: He often dresses in couture outfits by Vivian Westwood, has model good-looks, plus a youthful spirit and enthusiasm that is contagious. He'll perform an an all-Liszt program with Cal Performances on Jan. 26.

SFCV catches up with pianist Yefim Bronfman, loved by audiences as one of the more virtuosic and commanding soloists on the concert hall stage. Emanuel Ax calls him a “complete pianist,” and Esa-Pekka Salonen says, he “can play better than most other people on the planet.”

The Berkeley Repertory Theatre is adding another dimension to The Composer is Dead, with an original theatrical adaptation of this wildly popular marriage between Lemony Snicket’s story and Nathaniel Stookey’s musical score. The work comes to the stage Dec. 2.

Robert McDuffie is the quintessential American violinist, despite having performed with most major European and American orchestras and founding the Rome Chamber Music Festival. His love affair with American repertoire began with Samuel Barber and is currently manifest in a new piece, commissioned from Philip Glass, which he will perform on Nov. 2 at Herbst Theatre. McDuffie spoke to SFCV, in his soft, southern accent, about his life and work.

Community music schools in the Bay Area and across the nation are finding innovative ways to supply and fund music education for underserved children.

Following the San Francisco Symphony’s annual fall gala on Sept. 7, the musicians packed their instruments and headed overseas with Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas for a five-concert tour of Switzerland and Italy. Here's a report back from the musicians.

Robert Levin is a leading keyboard artist, active in early music and historically informed performance, most notably for his expertise in the works of Mozart. His improvisational skills in this idiom are legendary — an approach not many dare to take, yet one he considers essential to the interpretation of this music. Here he talks with SFCV about finding Mozart fragments, the art of improvisation, and the importance of playing on the original instrument.