Dawn Upshaw to Launch SFP Art of Song Series

Soprano Dawn Upshaw (left) with the members of the Brentano String Quartet: Misha Amory (viola), Serena Canin (violin), Nina Lee (cello), and Mark Steinberg (violin) (courtesy of SFP)

The first San Francisco Performances (SFP) concert of the new year will be the program that launches this season’s Art of Song Series. The featured vocalist will be soprano Dawn Upshaw. She will be accompanied by the members of the Brentano String Quartet, violinists Serena Canin and Mark Steinberg, violist Misha Amory, and cellist Nina Lee, rather than by a pianist. This program will not follow the usual vocal recital format. Rather, it is being called a “performance project,” given the title Dido Reimagined, which is also the title of the final work to be presented.

That work was composed by Melinda Wagner, and it will account for the entire second half of the program. The first half of the program will set context with both instrumental and vocal works by English composers Matthew Locke, John Dowland, Thomas Tomkins, William Byrd, and Robert Johnson, culminating in a set of pieces by Henry Purcell, the last of which will be “Dido’s Lament,” the final aria in the three-act opera Dido and Aeneas. Working with librettist Stephanie Fleischmann, Wagner composed “Dido Reimagined” to breathe new life into the character of Dido, imagining a different outcome for her. Wagner released a statement that her composition focuses on “the emotional journey of a powerful woman who has, in spite of her strength of character, been broken by love. Through the lens of the seasons, Dido discovers, confronts, and ultimately makes peace with her fate and with her place in the world.”

This program will be performed in Herbst Theatre on Thursday, January 12, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The entrance to Herbst Theatre is the main entrance to the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue, located on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. The venue is excellent for public transportation, since that corner has Muni bus stops for both north-south and east-west travel. Ticket prices are $65 (premium Orchestra and front and center Dress Circle), $55 (remainder of Orchestra, all Side Boxes, and center rear Dress Circle), and $45 (remaining Dress Circle and Balcony); and they may be purchased through an SFP secure Web page. Single tickets can also be purchased at the door as available with a 50% discount for students and a 20% discount for seniors.