SFP to Present “Physical” Sanctuary Series

Bass-baritone Dashon Burton (courtesy of San Francisco Performances)

In June of 2020, when we were all doing our best to adjust to shelter-in-place conditions in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, San Francisco Performances (SFP) launched a series of four streamed performances under the overall title Sanctuary Series. In a little less than a month’s time, that series will “migrate” from the “virtual” to the “physical” with a series of three weekend concerts taking place over the course of the month of February. In the spirit of the series title, these will be presented at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church at 7:30 p.m., two on Saturday and one on Friday.

The series will be launched by bass-baritone Dashon Burton, who will be accompanied by pianist Robert Mollicone. Burton is currently SFP Vocal Artist-in-Residence. All the composers on the program will be American, either by birth or through immigration. With one exception, all of the songs will be sung in English. The contributing composers will be (in order of appearance) John Jacob Niles, Kurt Weill, Paul Bowles, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Margaret Bonds, William Grant Still, and Marques L. A. Garrett. The program will then conclude with a selection of traditional spirituals arranged by Moses Hogan.

This concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 5. St. Mark’s is located at 1111 O’Farrell Street, just west of the corner of Franklin Street. The eastbound Geary Bus (number 38) stops within a block of the church after it leaves Geary Boulevard to proceed along O’Farrell. There are also nearby stops for buses on Van Ness Avenue.

Ticket prices are $60 for the main floor and $45 for the balcony. All seating will be general admission. All tickets may be purchased through an SFP secure Web page. As available, single tickets will be sold at the door with a 50% discount for students and a 20% discount for seniors. Single tickets may also be purchased by calling 415-392-2545.

Finally, because this is the first program of the series, subscriptions for all three concerts are still on sale for $165 and $120. Subscriptions may also be purchased online in advance through a different SFP Web page. Orders may also be placed by calling the SFP subscriber hotline at 415-677-0325 (also different from the number for single tickets).