Choices for April 26, 2019

It would appear that this month will conclude with a very busy Friday. Two concert series have already been singled out for their offerings on this evening:

1. The Artists On The Rise series organized by SFJAZZ will present the versatile drummer and gifted vibraphone player Sasha Berliner at the Joe Henderson Lab with sets at both 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
2. Old First Concerts will present the debut of the Meráki Quartet with internationally diverse programming.

Those who have not yet made a decision will have two other alternatives to consider as follows:

[updated 4/12, 12:10 p.m.:

7:30 p.m., Glen Park: Pianist Ian Scarfe has announced a series of groupmuse concerts that he has organized throughout the Bay Area. The first of these will feature a performance of Franz Schubert’s D. 965 song “Der Hirt auf dem Felsen” (the shepherd on the rock). This will require that he accompany both soprano Jane Spencer Mills and clarinetist Matthew Boyles.

This groupmuse concert will be hosted by Michael Kreutzer. Admission will require a $10 minimum donation for the performers and a $3 registration fee. Specifics are maintained on the groupmuse Web page through which reservations must be made. Those who attend will be invited to bring a bottle of wine or snacks to share with other guests. Note that this venue is not wheelchair-accessible.]

7:30 p.m., Herbst Theatre: The San Francisco Chamber Orchestra (SFCO) will conclude  its Mainstage Concerts series with a program entitled Crossover. The ensemble will perform a new composition by its own violist, Darcy Rindt. In addition, the group will be joined by the Catalyst String Quartet in a performance of Edward Elgar’s “Introduction and Allegro,” scored for a string ensemble with an embedded string quartet. Rindt will also take a short solo in Evan Price’s “Felipe;” and the program will include covers of tunes by Dave Brubeck, Britney Spears, and Muse.

Herbst Theatre, is located at 401 Van Ness Avenue on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. As is always the case, there is no admission charge for all SFCO Main Stage Concerts. Seating for members will begin at 6:30 p.m. Doors will then open for everyone at 7:15 p.m., at which time member seating cannot be guaranteed. Early arrival is highly recommended.

8 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran Church: Paul Flight, Artistic Director of the California Bach Society has prepared a program entitled I Maestri Italiani a Vienna (Italian masters in Vienna). The program will be divided between two of those masters, both of whom will probably be unfamiliar to most listeners, Giovanni Valentini and Antonio Bertali. Both of them served as Kapellmeister for Holy Roman Emperors Ferdinand II and Ferdinand III, respectively, during the seventeenth century. Valentini was a student of Giovanni Gabrieli, and he was succeed at the Hapsburg court by Bertali. The program will offer both sacred and secular music, and Bertali’s Mass setting will be given its United States premiere. Like the SFCO offering, this will be the final concert of the season.

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 (seniors), and $10 (those under the age of 30), respectively. A Brown Paper Tickets event page has been created for all online purchase.