A New Name for the SFP Vocal Series

For the 2018–2019 season, San Francisco Performances (SFP) has decided to change the name of its annual Vocal Series. The new name is “The Art of Song.” One objective is to expand the scope of the programming beyond traditional “art song.” The “new territory” will include jazz (with non-traditional accompaniment), songs from both Europe and America, and British comic relief (which, hopefully, will resonate with many of my generation).

All of the concerts will take place in Herbst Theatre. The entrance to Herbst is the main entrance to the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue, located on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. The specific dates and their related performers are as follows:

Tuesday, November 13, 7:30 p.m.: The first recital will see the return of English baritone Christopher Maltman, accompanied by French pianist Audrey Saint-Gil. The title of the program will be Carnival of the Animals; and this will account for the “European song” category. Almost the entire program will be devoted to songs about animals with texts in both German and French. The “comic relief” will come at the end with the English texts of Michael Flanders set to tunes by Donald Swann, songs about the armadillo, the warthog, and the gnu. (Those, like myself, familiar with the Flanders/Swann bestiary will probably be very disappointed if the hippopotamus does not show up as an encore, particularly since many of us have already memorized the chorus!)

Friday, November 30, 7:30 p.m.: The jazz with non-familiar accompaniment will be provided by vocalist Luciana Souza. She will accompanied only by Chico Pinheiro on guitar and Scott Colley on bass. The title of her program will be The Book of Longing. The selections will explore the influence, inter-relationships, and interpretation of poets and music.

Sunday, January 13, 7 p.m.:  This will be the traditional liederabend of the series. Tenor Mark Padmore will be accompanied by pianist Paul Lewis. The program will be a survey of the German/Austrian art song tradition. The composers will be presented in roughly chronological order: Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, and Robert Schumann.

Thursday, May 2, 7:30 p.m.: The series will conclude with a heavy focus on American songs presented by soprano Deborah Voigt. The composers she has selected will include Amy Beach, Ben Moore, William Bolcom, and Leonard Bernstein. The program will also include songs by Richard Strauss and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Her accompanist has not yet been announced.

Subscriptions are still on sale for $260 for premium seating in the Orchestra and the front and center of the Dress Circle, $200 for the Side Boxes, the center rear of the Dress Circle, and the remainder of the Orchestra, and $160 for the remainder of the Dress Circle and the Balcony. Subscriptions may be purchased online in advance through a City Box Office event page. Orders may also be placed by calling the SFP subscriber hotline at 415-677-0325, which is open for receiving calls between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Single tickets are also on sale for $70, $55, and $45, accordingly. Each concert has its own City Box Office event page, and these may be accessed through the hyperlinks attached to the above dates.