According to my records, the Nomad Session octet gave its last performance on the evening of March 6, 2020, the same time that San Francisco Ballet was giving the first performance in its revival of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, George Balanchine’s choreographed interpretation of William Shakespeare’s play of the same name. That was the same evening when Mayor London N. Breed ordered that all public performances, events, and gatherings at the San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center would be cancelled to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus (coronavirus). Needless to say, it did not take long before smaller performance groups, such as Nomad Session, followed in obeying the Mayor’s constraints.
Over two years have passed since then, and yesterday I saw my first announcement of a performance by Nomad Session since the beginning of lockdown conditions. For those unfamiliar with the name, the ensemble is an octet. Four of its members each play a different wind instrument. They are Christy Kim (flute), Jesse Barrett (oboe), Jonathan Szin (clarinet), and Kris King (bassoon). The other four play four respective brass instruments: Stephanie Stroud (French horn), Ian Cochran (trumpet), Matt Carr (trombone), and Jonathan Seiberlich (tuba).
As might be guessed, much of their repertoire involves arrangements of familiar compositions to accommodate the instrumentation. However, the season that was cancelled in 2020 was to include three new works composed on commissions. Tomorrow, July 21, Nomad will be featured in one of the programs presented by the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. Like all of the other programs, this will be held in the outdoor space of Yerba Buena Gardens; and there will be no charge for attendance.
Yerba Buena Gardens is a guest on traditional, unceded Ramaytush Ohlone Land. The performance will take place outdoors in the space south of Mission Street between Third Street and Fourth Street. The duration of the performance will be one hour, lasting between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.
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