Thursday, November 30, 2017

Choices for December 16, 2017

Having reviewed the choices for December 15 this past Sunday, it is now time to consider the alternatives for Saturday, December 16. One of those alternatives is the second day of the CREATE festival organized around the visit to The Lab by adventurous trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith. However, for those who would prefer not to venture quite so far out on the “bleeding edge,” there are two alternatives likely to prove more palatable:

[added 12/1, 12:20 p.m.:

It did not take long for the number of alternatives to grow with a new addition to the list:

7:30 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran Church: The title of the next program prepared by the International Orange Chorale of San Francisco (IOCSF), the only ensemble to have named itself after the color of the Golden Gate Bridge, is Past Perfect: New Takes on our Favorite Choral Music. This will be a program of works that IOCSF has premiered in past seasons. The composers of those works will include Jake Heggie, David Conte, Nico Muhly, Marielle Jakobsons, Mari Valverde, Elizabeth Kimble, and Nilo Alcala. In addition IOCSF will present the world premiere of "Dream Triptych," written by 2017 Composer-in-Residence Elliott Encarnaión. St. Mark’s is located at 1111 O’Farrell Street, just west of the corner of Franklin Street. Admission is free, but donations are always welcome.]

8 p.m., Red Poppy Art House: Plans for the remainder of the month of December at the Poppy do not yet appear to have been finalized, but the performance by members of Caminos Flamencos and Barrio Manouche on Friday, December 15, will be followed by a concert entitled Sephardic Soul & Balkan Music. Violinist and vocalist Michelle Alany will lead a group called The Mystics. The members of this ensemble are Gregory Masaki Jenkins on clarinet, Misha Khalikulov on cello, Travis Hendrix on bass, and an accordionist to be announced. The backgrounds of these musicians are situated in the Middle East, the Balkans, and those Eastern European Jewish communities that supported active klezmorim. Past training also includes the jazz and/or classical repertoires.

The Red Poppy is located in the Mission at 2698 Folsom Street. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. Because the Poppy is a small space, it is almost always a good idea to be there when the doors open. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $15 and $20, and tickets will be sold only at the door.

8 p.m., Old First Presbyterian Church: At exactly the same time Kitka will be taking its annual Wintersongs tour to the Old First Concerts (O1C) series. This year the tour is being held in conjunction with the group’s new holiday music CD entitled Evening Star. Kitka shares with The Mystics a focus on Eastern Europe, but they pursue that interest primarily through a cappella singing.

The Old First Presbyterian Church is located at 1751 Sacramento Street on the southeast corner of Van Ness Avenue. If purchased in advance online from an O1C event page, general admission will be $23 with a discounted rate of $18 for seniors aged 65 or older. Tickets for full-time students showing valid identification will be $5; and children aged twelve and under will be admitted for free. There is also a discount available for those parking at the Old First Parking Garage at 1725 Sacramento Street, just up the street from the church.

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