Choices for November 30–December 2 (and beyond)

The transition from November to December will be another busy weekend. Once again it will also mark the beginning of December’s series of concerts at a few venues. As a result, this will be another one of those “and beyond” preview articles. As usual, the monthly summaries are often subject to change. That means that there are good chances that this page will be updated; and, as usual, notification of those updates will appear on the Facebook “mirror” page for this site. So, without further ado (as everyone seems to insist on saying), let’s get down to business:

Friday, November 30, and Saturday, December 1, 7:30 p.m., ODC Theater: Ars Minerva will return to the ODC Theater to give two performances of another forgotten opera from the Baroque period. Last year the group presented Pietro Andrea Ziani’s La Circe, first performed in 1665. This year’s offering comes from the first half of the eighteenth century, Giovanni Porta’s Ifigenia in Aulide, premiered in 1738 as part of the Munich Carnival. In all likelihood, this will be the first staging of the opera since its premiere.

The libretto by Apostolo Zeno serves as a “prequel” to the tales of the Trojan War. The Greek fleet is waiting at Aulis to sail for Troy but the goddess Artemis, who has been offended by Agamemnon, is withholding the winds. He is informed that Artemis will only unleash the winds after he has sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia. In Euripides’ play based on this story, this leads to a major conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles. Nevertheless, Iphigenia is sacrificed; and, as those who know the full canon of Greek mythology are aware, Agamemnon’s action will have consequences that extend beyond the fall of Troy.

Ars Minerva Executive Director and mezzo Céline Ricci has prepared the staging for the revival of Porta’s opera. She will also sing the role of Achille. Other vocalists will include Matheus Coura (countertenor) in the role of Teucro, Spencer Dodd (baritone) in the role of Arcade, Cara Gabrielson (soprano) in the role of Elisena, Kevin Gino (tenor) in the role of Ulisse, Nikola Printz (mezzo) in the role of Agamennone, Shawnette Sulker (soprano) in the role of Clitennestra, and Aura Veruni (soprano) in the role of Ifigenia. Derek Tam will conduct from the harpsichord, leading an instrumental ensemble whose members are concertmaster Cynthia Black, violinists Erik Andersen, Natalie Carducci, Laura Rubinstein-Salzedo, Anna Washburn and Aaron Westman, cellist Gretchen Claassen, and Paul Psarras on theorbo.

The ODC Theater is located in the Mission at 3153 17th Street on the southwest corner of Shotwell Street. Ticket prices are the “Gold” rate of $89 and the “Silver” rate of $59. Students will be admitted for $25, and there is a special VIP rate of $250 that includes a post-performance reception with the artists and a tax-deductible contribution of $130. Tickets may be purchased through separate event pages for the Friday and Saturday performances.

Friday, November 30, 7:30 p.m., Herbst Theatre: San Francisco Performances will continue its “The Art of Song” series by hosting a return visit by jazz vocalist Luciana Souza. The program will be based on her new album, The Book Of Longing. Drawing upon texts from a wide diversity of sources including Leonard Cohen, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Emily Dickinson, the selections will explore the influences, inter-relationships, and interpretations of poets and music. All of the music was written and arranged by Souza, who will be accompanied only by Chico Pinheiro on guitar and Scott Colley on bass.

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. Ticket prices will be $70, $55, and $45. Tickets may be purchased in advance online through a City Box Office event page.

Friday, November 30, 8 p.m., Noe Valley Ministry: Many readers may know that Nomad Session is an octet consisting of four woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon) and four brass instruments (horn, trumpet, trombone, and tuba), which is the first ensemble of its kind in the Bay Area. Last season they presented a movement-by-movement introduction to Nicolas Benavides’ Cool Grey City as a series of concerts. The title of their second season is The Eight, referring only to the size of the group.

Programs will include premiere performances of commissioned works as well as arrangements of familiar works for the available resources. The new work on the first program of the season, entitled Crazy Eights, will be “Shedding Game” by Emily Shisko. Arrangements will be of Gustav Holst’s first suite for wind ensemble, George Gershwin’s three piano preludes, and Eric Whitacre’s “October.”

The Noe Valley Ministry is located at 3021 Sanchez Street, a short walk from the 24th Street stop on the Muni J trolley line. General admission for all concerts in the season will be $25. However, because this will be the opening concert of the season, subscriptions are still available for $60 for all three of the concerts. Students with appropriate identification will be admitted to all concerts for $5. A single Web page has been created for both subscriptions and tickets for all three individual concerts.

The remaining two concerts in the series will also be held at 8 p.m. on Fridays. Programming specifics are as follows:

1. March 15, Tales for Eight: The new work will be Benavides’ “Ocho Cuentos;” and the arrangements will be of Malcolm Arnold’s collection of four Scottish dances, Johannes Brahms’ fifth Hungarian rhapsody, and Roger Zare’s “Mare Tranquillitatis.”
2. May 31, Infinity: The new work will be Mario Godoy’s “Figure Eight;” and the arrangements will be of Arvo Pärt’s Magnificat setting and Percy Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy suite.

Friday, November 30, 7:30 p.m., Taube Atrium Theater: San Francisco Opera (SFO) will present a special concert by the SFO Chorus led by Director Ian Robertson. The program will include both a cappella choral music and accompanied works with instrumental support from Associate Chorus Master Fabrizio Corona at the piano and members of the SFO Orchestra. Operatic selections will include choruses from George Frideric Handel’s HWV 34 Alcina, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fidelio, and two operas by Richard Wagner, The Flying Dutchman and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. There will also be selections by living composers, including Morten Lauridsen, Gabriela Lena Frank, Frode Fjellheim, Mårten Jansson and Whitacre. The program will also include staging by Aria Umezawa.

The Taube Atrium Theater is located on the fourth floor of the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue, on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. All tickets will be sold for $35. Tickets may be purchased in advance online through an SFO event page.

The concert itself is expected to run for about 90 minutes. An abbreviated 45-minute version will be presented the following Tuesday as part of Noontime Concerts’ celebration of its 30th anniversary. This performance will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 2. The venue will be Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral, located at 660 California Street, on the northeast corner of Grant Street in Chinatown. There is no charge for admission, but this concert series relies heavily on donations to continue offering its weekly programs.

Friday, November 30, 8 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran Church: For the second program in 2018–2019 season of the California Bach Society, Artistic Director Paul Flight has prepared a program entitled Buon Natale: 500 years of Italian Christmas music. The program will cover music from the 16th century (Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina’s motet “Hodie Christus natus est”) to the 20th (“Lauda per la Nativitá del Signore by Ottorino Respighi). St. Mark’s is located at 1111 O’Farrell Street, just west of the corner of Franklin Street. Tickets are on sale for $30, $25, and $10, respectively. A Brown Paper Tickets event page has been created for all online purchase.

Saturday, December 1, 4 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran Church: The New Esterházy Quartet (NEQ) will present another program of an arrangement for string quartet of music not originally composed for those resources. This time the selection will be Franz Schubert’s D. 911 song cycle Winterreise (winter’s journey). The vocalist will be baritone Paul Max Tipton, and bassist Kristin Zoernig will join the NEQ players (violinists Lisa Weiss and Kati Kyme, violist Anthony Martin, and cellist William Skeen). General admission is $30. Seniors, the disabled, and members of the San Francisco Early Music Society will be admitted for $25; and there is a $10 rate for students with valid identification. A Brown Paper Tickets event page has been set up for all online ticket purchases.

[added 11/18, 1:15 p.m.:

Saturday, December 1, 7 p.m., Center for New Music (C4NM): The will be a two-set evening opening with a solo set taken by flutist and video artist Maggi Payne. She will be followed by Quark Matters, a quintet of five “quarks” bring five different backgrounds to a shared act of performance. The participating quarks will be violinist Thea Farhadian, compose Amy Reed, electronic musician Tim Perkis, saxophonist Biggi Vinkeloe, and drummer Donald Robinson. C4NM is located at 55 Taylor Street, half a block north of the intersection of Market Street and Golden Gate Avenue. Admission will be $15 with a $10 rate for members and those with low income. Tickets may be purchased in advance through a Vendini event page.]

Saturday, December 1, 7:30 p.m., San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), Recital Hall: Pianist Gilbert Kalish has prepared a special program in celebration of John Harbison’s 80th birthday. He will gather four of his friends to present a performance of Harbison’s piano quintet. SFCM is located at 50 Oak Street. This is about halfway between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street. It is also a short walk from the Van Ness Muni station. This concert will be free, but reservations are recommended and may be arranged through a Google Forms Web page. Because the end of the calendar year marks the end of the first semester, only a few other events of note will be taking place in December. They will be as follows:

• Thursday, December 6, and Friday, December 7, 8 p.m., Recital Hall: The Opera and Musical Theatre Departments will present a production of Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera. Staging will be by Michael Mohammed, Director of the Musical Theatre Workshop. The Music Director will be Lauren Mayer. Reservations are recommended for this free performance, and there are separate Google Forms Web pages for Thursday and Friday.
• Saturday, December 8, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, December 9, 2 p.m.: Christopher Rountree will conduct the final performance of the semester by the SFCM Orchestra. The program will feature Ashley Fure’s “Bound to the Bow.” The program will also include Ralph Vaughan Williams’ fantasia for string based on a hymn by Thomas Tallis and Maurice Ravel’s orchestration of Modest Mussorgsky’s piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition. Tickets will be $20 for general admission and $15 for seniors, students, and SFCM members. Tickets may be purchased online through separate Web pages for Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday, December 1, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, December 2, 4 p.m., Calvary Presbyterian Church: As in the past, the San Francisco Bach Choir, directed by Magen Solomon, will give two performances of its annual traditional Christmas concert. The title of the program will be Joyeux Noël! A (Mostly) French Candlelight Christmas. Selections will span from the sixteenth century to the immediate present with a world premiere of music by Bay Area composer Brian Holmes. Once again The Whole Noyse will perform on a selection of Renaissance instruments. They will be joined by John Walko at the organ, Peter Maund on historically-informed percussion, and Steven Bailey on other keyboards.

Tickets purchased in advance will be $35 for general admission and $30 for seniors age 62 or older. These constitute a savings of $5 off of the price paid at the door. Patrons under 30 and students with identification will be admitted for $10 and youth under the age of nineteen will be admitted for free. Tickets may be purchased online through a Brown Paper Tickets event page will a pull-down menu for date selection. This page also include an option to donate $25 to purchase a seat for a singing senior.

Sunday, December 2, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., Center for New Music (C4NM): Crown of Eternity is an ensemble of over 50 overtone-rich instruments including gongs, bells, hammered dulcimer, and tuned metal instruments. Performances are planned and implemented to Mike Tamburo, who calls his events “sound experiences,” rather than concerts. Those who attend will be able to choose between sitting and lying on the floor. Those who choose the latter should bring a yoga mat, blanket, or cushion. Tickets for floor seating will be $25 with a $20 rate for C4NM members. The price for chair seating will be $20 with a $15 rate for members. Tickets for both concerts may be purchased through a single BrightStar Live Events Web page. C4NM is located at 55 Taylor Street, about half a block north of the Golden Gate Theater, where Golden Gate Avenue meets Market Street.

[updated 11/18, 1:20 p.m.:

As of this writing there will be only two other December concerts at C4NM. The first will be a solo percussion recital by Andy Meyerson entitled Ritual & Resonance. The program will consist entirely of works written for Meyerson composed by Adrian Knight, Sarah Hennies, Samuel Adams, Amadeus Regucera, and Christopher Cerrone. It will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 7. Admission will be $15 with a $10 rate for members. Tickets may be purchased in advance through a Vendini event page.

The second is entitled Plant Life. It will begin at 7 p.m. on Wedneday, December 12, with a plant meditation session led by Michael Dooley. At 8 p.m.Sarah Cahill will play selected compositions by Mamoru Fujieda as part of his Patterns of Plants project. At 9 p.m. Pet the Tiger will take the final set with a performance of “Psychobotanikon.” Admission will be $15 with a $10 rate for members. Tickets may be purchased in advance through a Vendini event page.]

[updated 11/22, 9 a.m.:

Another C4NM concert has been announced. This will be the next installment in the Latitudes series curated by Blaine Todd, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 20. It will be a two-set program. The first set will feature the Western-tinged ambient music of Chuck Johnson playing on pedal steel guitar. He will be followed by vocalist and trumpeter Leila Abdul-Rauf, who also works with electronics and field recordings. Many of the selection will be drawn from her latest album, Diminution. She will be joined by long-time collaborators, Nathan A. Verrill and Ryan Honaker, who will be accompanying her set with multiple instruments, live sound captures, and visual projections designed by Verrill. Admission will be $15 with a $10 rate for members. Tickets may be purchased in advance through a Vendini event page.]

Sunday, December 2, 3 p.m., McKenna Theatre: The third concert in the 2018–2019 season of the Morrison Artists Series, presented by the College of Liberal and Creative Arts at San Francisco State University (SFSU), will be given by a local ensemble, the Thalea String Quartet. As part of its Morrison debut, the group will present the world premiere of “A History of the String Quartet in its Natural Habitat," composed for string quartet and electronics by Vincent Calianno. The program will also include Joseph Haydn’s Hoboken III/33, the third (in G minor) of his six Opus 20 “sun” quartets. Thalia will conclude with Dmitri Shostakovich’s Opus 73 (third) quartet in F major.

The McKenna Theatre is in the Creative Arts Building at SFSU, a short walk from the SFSU Muni stop at the corner of 19th Avenue and Holloway Avenue. Tickets are free but advance registration is highly desirable. Reservations may be made, beginning on November 11, through the event page for this concert. As usual, there will be a pre-concert lecture, which will begin 2 p.m. in Knuth Hall. Also as usual, all of the Ensemble members will give a collective Master Class, which will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 28. This two-hour session will take place in the Creative Arts Building in Room FA 348 and will be open to the general public at no charge and with no requirements for tickets.

Sunday, December 2, 4 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran Church: The San Francisco Early Music Society will host a performances by Cappella SF, the a cappella ensemble led by Artistic Director Ragnar Bohlin. The program will consist of sacred music composed between the early sixteenth century and the early eighteenth century. The change in style will be most evident through performances of two different settings of “Miserere mei, Deus,” the earlier by Josquin des Prez and the later by Gregorio Allegri. The program will also include the third of François Couperin’s Trois Leçons de Ténèbres, composer for Holy Wednesday prior to Good Friday. Finally, there will be two compositions by Heinrich Schütz, the motets collected in his Musikalische Exequien and his SWV 494 setting of the Magnificat text in German.

Single ticket prices will range between $45 and $12. In addition, there are membership and subscription options for attending three or more concerts with discounts of up to 25%. All information about ticketing options has been summarized on a single Web page.

Sunday, December 2, 4 p.m., Noe Valley Ministry: The next Noe Valley Chamber Music program will concluded a visit to San Francisco by Decoda, the affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall in New York. The group has a “resident composer,” Evan Premo, who also plays bass. The other string players are violinist Owen Dalby and violist Meena Bhasin. The group also includes oboist James Austin Smith and clarinetist Alicia Lee. The program will include two of Premo’s compositions and two of his arrangements. Other composers to be featured will be Benjamin Britten, Morton Gould, and Sergei Prokofiev.

Tickets are $40 at the door with a $35 rate for seniors and a $15 rate for students aged thirteen or older. NVCM has created a Web page for online purchase. Tickets may also be purchased in advance by calling NVCM at 415-648-5236.

[added 11/21, 9 a.m.:

Sunday, December 2, 6 p.m., Church of the Advent of Christ the King: As has already been observed, this is the first day of Advent. It therefore seems fitting that the first musical acknowledgement of this occasion will involve Schola Adventus, the resident choir at the Church of the Advent, led by Music Director Paul Ellison. The Advent Liturgy will be celebrated by a Procession with Lessons and Carols. Composers whose music will be performed will be Johann Sebastian Bach, Orlando Gibbons, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Philip Ledger, and Edgar Pettman.

Since this is a religious service, no admission will be charged; but a collection will be taken. The Church of the Advent of Christ the King is located at 261 Fell Street, between Franklin Street and Gough Street. The entry is diagonally across the street from the SFJAZZ Center.]

Sunday, December 2, 8 p.m., Davies Symphony Hall: The Great Performers Series organized by the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) will present a “dynamic duo” performance by cellist Gautier Capuçon accompanied by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. The program will consist of three major duo sonatas in the cello repertoire, Claude Debussy’s sonata in D minor, Johannes Brahms’ Opus 38 (first) sonata in E minor, and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s sonata in G minor.

Davies Symphony Hall is located at 201 Van Ness Avenue and fills an entire city block. The other boundaries are Grove Street (north), Hayes Street (south), and Franklin Street (west). The main entrance (which is also the entrance to the Box Office) is on Grove Street, roughly halfway down the block. Concert ticket prices are priced from $35 to $105. Tickets may be selected and purchased through an event page on the SFS Web site. Flash must be installed for interactive seat selection. Tickets may also be purchased at the Box Office or by calling 415-864-6000.