Previews

Symphony Silicon Valley's chorale is one of its best features, so the opportunity to hear them led by the renowned choral conductor Vance George, retired San Francisco Symphony choirmaster, should be a local highlight — especially when the program features the elegant and airy Requiem of Gabriel Fauré. This concert is not part of the regular Symphony Silicon Valley season.

The last two decades have not been easy for Murray Perahia. Complications from the much-publicized cut to his right thumb, followed by surgery for a bone spur, have continued to haunt him, causing at least rounds of cancellations. But Perahia has reacted to his misfortune by embracing his challenges as opportunities for growth. He initially devoted his hiatus to deep study of the works of J.S.

Our very own internationally renowned male a cappella ensemble Chanticleer celebrates the close of its 30th anniversary season with three commissions by composers of the same age. The program, titled "Composers/Our Age," showcases new works by Tarik O'Regan, Shawn Crouch, and Mason Bates.

In a concert titled "Ye Sacred Muses — Music of the Chapel Royal" the choral group Clerestory gets back to its cathedral roots and music that inspired the ensemble's name. On the program are lesser-known a cappella works by Purcell, Byrd, Tallis, and Handel, side by side with a few compliations devoted to great Queens, and more familiar works by other greats (composers, that is).

For a "modern-dance company," ODC feels like an old friend. Actually, it's more than just a matter of sentiment. Known as the Oberlin Dance Collective when Brenda Way formed the troupe in Ohio in 1971, the now-geographics-free ODC took an old yellow bus to San Francisco in 1976, and became a vital part of the city's cultural fabric.

The upcoming performance of two works by British composer Ralph (pronounced "Rafe") Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) has Marin Symphony musicians lavishing superlatives as if they were CEO bankers planning year-end parties during the housing boom.

If there is any man who wants you to participate in Thomas Jefferson's "true secret, the grand recipe for felicity," it must be Charles Amirkhanian, the executive and artistic director of the Other Minds Festival.

Walking into Paul Dresher’s studio, a casual observer might think it was a rehearsal space, an experimental sound lab, or an inventor’s workshop. It’s actually all those things, and Dresher, the award-winning composer, musician, instrument maker, and founder of the acclaimed Paul Dresher Ensemble, presides over each aspect with the eyes and ears of a Renaissance master.

Now in her absolute prime, Cecilia Bartoli has established herself as one of the greatest singers of this or any age. It’s not just her phenomenal technique and unique, rapid-fire coloratura, both of which will be amply demonstrated in her presentation of María Malibrán’s Salon Romantique. Nor is it simply a matter of vocal beauty, which she supplies in abundance.