Sasha Cooke to Premiere Seventeen Songs

Mezzo Sasha Cooke (courtesy of the San Francisco Symphony)

At the end of next month, mezzo Sasha Cooke will visit Davies Symphony Hall for her contribution to the Great Performers Series of recitals presented by the San Francisco Symphony. Her program will consist entirely of seventeen world premiere performances of songs written specifically for her during the pandemic. All of these songs have been recorded, with Kirill Kuzmin accompanying her on piano, for a Pentatone album, which will be released two days before her performance, entitled how do I find you.

All of the composers that Cooke commissioned are currently in their 40s or younger. In “order of appearance” on her Davies program, those composers are as follows:

1. Caroline Shaw
2. Kamala Sankaram
3. Matt Boehler
4. Missy Mazzoli
5. John Glover
6. Rene Orth
7. Christopher Cerrone
8. Gabriel Kahane
9. Andrew Marshall
10. Huang Ruo
11. Timo Andres
12. Nico Muhly
13. Hilary Purrington
14. Lembit Beecher
15. Frances Pollock
16. Joel Thompson
17. Jimmy López

With only one exception all of the songs involve new creative partnerships. (The exception is Muhly, since Cooke sang the title role in his Marnie opera.)

The performance in Davies will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 30. Ticket prices range from $25 to $50, and an event page has been created for online sales. They may also be purchased by calling 415-864-6000 or by visiting the Davies Box Office, whose entrance is on the south side of Grove Street between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street. The Box Office is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday.