The Lab: November, 2022

Because The Lab offers an eclectic diversity of events (not all of which take place at The Lab itself), I try my best to filter that diversity down to the concert/recital category. This is not always easy, since The Lab does not shy away from what I would call “borderline” offerings. That said, I feel as if I can account for two performances this month that will pass through my personal filter. One of them will be another recital on the pipe organ at Grace Cathedral, which is located at the top of Nob Hill at 1100 California Street. The other program will take place on the familiar turf of The Lab itself, located in the Mission at 2948 16th Street. Mask and proof of vaccination will be required at both venues.

For those unfamiliar with the venue, The Lab is a short walk from the corner of Mission Street. The location is particularly good for those using public transportation, since that corner provides bus stops for both north-south and east-west travel as well as a BART station. Doors open one hour before the concert is scheduled to begin; and, back before the pandemic, it was usually the case that a long line had accumulated prior to the opening. (This will also be the case for the performance at Grace.) Specific information, including when the performance begins and a hyperlink to the event page that provides both background material and hyperlinks for ticket purchases, is as follows:

Saturday, November 19, 8 p.m.: This will be the organ recital at Grace. The organist, Kara-Lis Coverdale, is better known for her work in electronics. However, she has served as a church organist for over a decade. Over the course of that experience, she has cultivated techniques for drawing sounds out of the organ that re-frame the instrument and its repertoire with distinctive approaches to tactility, register, and shadow form. Her program for Grace will premiere her composition entitled “State, Form, Interconnectivity.”

Saturday, November 26, 10 p.m.: This will also be a solo recital, performed this time by Nkisi. She is a percussionist working with “metallic hectic percussions” as well as kick drums that she plays at 160 beats per minute. Her performance will be supplementing the Drum Listens to Heart exhibition at California College of the Arts Wattis Institute, which is located at 380 Kansas Street, between 16th Street and 17th Street, a short walk from the Jackson Playground.