SFCMP to Continue 54th Season in About a Month

Eric Dudley conducting the SFCMP ensemble (from its City Box Office Web page)

Yesterday the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players finalized (as of now) plans for the second program in its 54th concert season. The title of the program, as announced this past summer, will be Tracing Paths. Selections for the first half were made in honor of Black History Month, while the second half will see the return of former Artistic Director Steven Schick in his capacity as percussionist.

The evening will begin with a work by Jonathan Bingham composed in 2015 and deliberately given the title “Untitled.” He composed this piece in tribute to a tradition of untitled works by visual artists from Pablo Picasso to Jean-Michel Basquiat, who eschewed titles to allow viewers to form their own interpretations. This will be coupled with “No More,” an anti-apartheid vocal work by Olly Wilson, with tenor Frederick A. Peterbark joining the SFCMP instrumentalists. The second half will begin with the return of percussionist Steven Schick performing the West Coast premiere of “Touch/Trace” by Zosha Di Castri. The program will then conclude with Thomas Adès’ Opus 2 chamber symphony, which will be given a side-by-side performance of SFCMP members performing with students of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM).

This performance will take place in the 50 Oak Street SFCM Building. It will begin at 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 1. As usual, there will be a pre-performance panel discussion moderated by Artistic Director Eric Dudley. The participants will be Bingham, Di Castri, and Schick. Tickets will be $45 for general admission with an $18 rate for students. They may be purchased online through a City Box Office Web page, which also includes hyperlinks for the remaining concerts on April 12 and May 10.