Music Articles

Every week, our writers take an in‐depth look at an artist, program or topic of interest to us. Spend some time with this week's classical music feature, or scroll through the extensive SFCV archive for insights in many music topics.

Feature Article
A Recipe for Creative Breakthroughs With The Cookers
February 18, 2020
A Recipe for Creative Breakthroughs With The Cookers
BY Andrew Gilbert

The ensemble of jazz all-stars brings its post-bop magic to California.

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Feature Article
The Industry Prepares Another “Open” Opera
February 17, 2020
The Industry Prepares Another “Open” Opera
BY Victoria Looseleaf

The experimental opera company that scored big with Hopscotch works with composers Du Yun and Raven Chacon on Sweet Land.

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Feature Article
Jane Bunnett and Maqueque Make Space for Female Jazz Musicians
February 17, 2020
Jane Bunnett and Maqueque Make Space for Female Jazz Musicians
BY Andrew Gilbert

Bunnett’s all-female Afro-Cuban jazz group plays multiple gigs around the Bay Area this season.

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Feature Article
Are Musicians Better Than They Were 30 Years Ago?
February 8, 2020
Are Musicians Better Than They Were 30 Years Ago?
BY Jeremy Reynolds

Better pedagogy and online resources have resulted in a bounty of young virtuosos, but performance and employment opportunities haven’t kept pace.

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Feature Article
Charles Chip Mc Neal Helps SF Opera Open Its Doors a Little Wider
February 4, 2020
Charles Chip Mc Neal Helps SF Opera Open Its Doors a Little Wider
BY Emily Wilson

As head of a new SFO department tackling diversity and inclusion issues, Mc Neal helps administrators recognize and confront their own biases.

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Feature Article
Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Weimar Republic Festival
February 3, 2020
Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Weimar Republic Festival
BY Victoria Looseleaf

Are there parallels today with Germany and its vibrant cultural scene during the period between WWI and the rise of Nazism?

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Feature Article
Conductor Jessica Bejarano Makes Her Own Magic Happen
February 1, 2020
Conductor Jessica Bejarano Makes Her Own Magic Happen
BY Jeff Kaliss

She wanted to conduct her own orchestra, so she built the San Francisco Philharmonic, which debuts Feb. 3.

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Feature Article
Alasdair Fraser: Reeling in the Years
January 27, 2020
Alasdair Fraser: Reeling in the Years
BY Andrew Gilbert

The master fiddler has been spearheading a global revival in traditional Scottish music for decades from the Sierra foothills.

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Feature Article
Growing New Music With Other Minds
January 21, 2020
Growing New Music With Other Minds
BY Lou Fancher

Cofounder Charles Amirkhanian talks about a lifetime of expanding and reshaping the definition of “serious music.”

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Feature Article
Johnny O’Neal’s Jazz Message
January 19, 2020
Johnny O’Neal’s Jazz Message
BY Andrew Gilbert

The legendary jazz pianist makes a rare West-Coast appearance at San Francisco’s Black Cat starting Jan. 23.

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