Old First Concerts: November 2022

This month has been very busy at the Old First Presbyterian Church, and it is likely to be just as busy with “seasonal” concerts during the month of December. As a result, it probably is not surprising that November offerings for Old First Concerts (O1C) are very modest. As of this writing, only three concerts have been planned; but they all promise to offer interesting content.

All of the offerings will continue to be “hybrid,” allowing both live streaming and seating in the Old First Presbyterian Church at 1751 Sacramento Street on the southwest corner of Van Ness Avenue. All tickets will still be sold for $25 (no reduced rate for seniors or students). Hyperlinks to the event pages (which include hyperlinks for streaming) will be attached to the date and time of the performances as follows:

Friday, November 4, 8 p.m.: Joyce Todd McBride is Director of Conspiracy of Venus, a San Francisco-based women’s vocal ensemble founded in 2007 that has gained a reputation for its varied and exciting repertoire. In addition to leading her group, McBride also creates arrangements for many of the repertoire selections. As of this writing, the program has not yet been announced; but it is almost certainly going to be an eclectic one.

Sunday, November 13, 4 p.m.: Pianist Péter Tóth made his O1C debut in 2007. This was followed by recitals in both 2012 and 2016. Next month he will make his first post-pandemic appearance in the series. Here, again, program details have not yet been provided; but he is planning to feature works by Clara Schumann and Amy Beach.

Sunday, November 20, 2 p.m.: Many readers may recall that Jennifer Kloetzel was the cellist in the Cypress String Quartet, which disbanded in 2016. That same year she was invited to join the faculty at the University of California at Santa Barbara. She is Professor of Cello and serves as the head of both the String and Performance Areas. For this visit back to San Francisco, she will perform a recital with pianist Allegra Chapman as her accompanist. [3/11, 1 p.m.: Aileen Chanco will replace Allegra Chapman as pianist.] The program will feature the world premiere of a duo sonata by Richard Aldag, which will be paired with a recent composition by Fazil Say entitled “Four Cities.” The program will also include duo sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven (the first of the Opus 102 set in the key of C major) and Frédéric Chopin (his Opus 65 in G minor). The program will begin with the “Meditation Hébraïques” by Ernest Bloch, former Director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.