Michael Zwiebach

Michael Zwiebach is the senior editor/content manager for SFCV. He assigns all articles and content, manages the writing staff, and does editing. A member of SFCV from the beginning, Michael holds a Ph.D. in music history from the University of California, Berkeley.

Articles By This Author

Feature

Joint Interview With Berkeley Symphony'sNew Director and Its Creative Advisor

Michael Zwiebach - August 18, 2009

The Berkeley Symphony Orchestra was confident it had hit the jackpot when it appointed rising-star conductor Joana Carneiro as its third musical director, after Kent Nagano’s masterful work during 30 years at the helm. Now it appears it’s doubled its winnings with the announcement that native Berkeleyan Gabriela Lena Frank has been appointed Creative Advisor to the orchestra.

Preview

Music in the Vineyards

Michael Zwiebach - August 5, 2009

Music in the Vineyards, a three-week chamber music festival staged in and around Napa's famous wineries, is not in danger of competing with its higher-profile, heavily promoted, festival neighbors. And that's the way they like it.

"We've learned a lot of lessons from seeing how other festivals operate," says Michael Adams, who founded and co-directs Music in the Vineyards with his wife, Daria.

UC Summer Symphony

Michael Zwiebach - August 4, 2009

Though many members of college orchestras spend the summer months at their parents' homes or bicycling through Europe, enough young musicians live in the Bay Area to cobble together a respectable orchestra. This is the premise behind the UC Berkeley Summer Symphony, a collection of fine musicians from the region's many youth orchestras.

Preview

To the Devil With Faust

Michael Zwiebach - July 28, 2009

After the epic lavishness of Turandot, Festival Opera isn’t looking to bowl you over with its upcoming production of Gounod’s Faust. But while the physical design of Faust takes the opposite tack from Puccini’s blockbuster, the end result promises to be just as impressive.

Preview

Sarah Cahill

Michael Zwiebach - July 21, 2009

Sarah Cahill presents another in a series of concerts of music from her commissioning project, A Sweeter Music, on the theme of peace.

Carmel Bach Becomes Carmel Beethoven

Michael Zwiebach - July 21, 2009

Festival-goers may not mind that, for one night, Carmel Bach becomes Carmel Beethoven. David Breitman, who is on the faculty of Oberlin Conservatory and is an expert on historical performance techniques, plays Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto (on a modern piano). And the orchestra, under Bruno Weil, finishes up with one of the composer's most popular symphonies, the “Eroica.”

Opening With Mozart in Mendocino

Michael Zwiebach - July 21, 2009

The Mendocino Music Festival closes with a performance of Mozart's Requiem Mass. Completed by his pupil, Francis Xavier Süssmayer, it is still one of the two most popular Requiems in the classical repertory. But even Mozart would have forked over some cash to be able to hear it in a tent overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with a fine team of professional soloists.

Midsummer Mozart Program I

Michael Zwiebach - July 14, 2009

The Midsummer Mozart Festival is coming to a concert venue near you. First up is the absolutely delightful Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365, a flute concerto, and the exciting "Haffner" Symphony, No. 35. As always the orchestra travels so you don't have to — from Santa Clara to San Francisco to Sonoma.

The Creation at Carmel Bach

Michael Zwiebach - July 14, 2009

The opening program of the Carmel Bach Festival is a performance of Joseph Haydn's magnificent oratorio, The Creation. From its famous depiction of Chaos through to the uplifting final chorus, "The heavens are telling the glory of God," this is a worthy successor to Handel's great English oratorios.