VoM to Conclude Season with Eclectic Program

Those with long memories may recall that, in February of 2013, Voices of Music (VoM) presented a program entitled Let’s Dance. Four of the selections on the program featured choreography by Carlos Fittante, three of which were original and one a reconstruction from the early eighteenth century. Fittante is now the Director of the Balinese American Dance Theatre (BALAM), which is based in New York City. However, he will return to the Bay Area towards the end of this month, for the last performance in the current VoM season. He will be one of several guest artists contributing to a program that will go beyond the usual boundaries of the Baroque period.

Pipa virtuoso Yihan Chen (right) and two of the BALAM dancers (from the event page for this performance)

That program will present the world premiere performance of Wu Song and the Tiger, composed jointly by VoM Codirector Hanneke van Proosdij and pipa virtuoso Yihan Chen, who will join the VoM musicians in playing the score. Those instruments will be recorder (Proosdij), four violins, one viola, one cello, one violone, and one archlute (Codirector David Taylor). Fittante will provide the choreography, working with Kaili Chen, who will also be dancing the title role. Fittante will also perform as both tiger and bartender, and Robin Gilbert will dance the role of the Goddess of the Lake. The result will be a fusion of Chinese, Balinese, and European cultures to present a narrative that addresses the conflict between human and wildlife sharing the same habitat.

The San Francisco performance of this program will begin at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 1. As always, the venue will be St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, located at 1111 O’Farrell Street, just west of the corner of Franklin Street. General admission will be $58, and the reduced rate, which applies to seniors and members of SFEMS, EMA, or ARS, will be $53. Full-time students with valid identification will be admitted for $5. A single Arts People event page has been created for purchasing tickets online. Tickets may also be purchased by calling 415-377-4444.