Old First Concerts: January, 2025

The year may not yet be over, but plans for the next one are already in the works. Yesterday, I received my first notification from Old First Concerts. There will be only two concerts in January, and one has not yet been finalized. Nevertheless, the date and time information are sufficient for those that like to make their plans in advance.

It will continue to be the case that events will remain “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. However, there will be more variation in ticket prices than usual. Those interested in attending should consult the event pages (which include hyperlinks for streaming) for specific price information. At present a hyperlink is only available for the second concert of the month, but information about the first is likely to interest many readers:

Sunday, January 5, 2 p.m.: This will be the next piano recital by Sarah Cahill, who has not yet provided any further details. [added 9:55 a.m.: Cahill has now provided me with those details. Her program will be devoted to compositions by James Cleghorn, who was Music Librarian for the San Francisco Public Library. Her program will include his earliest composition, a set of variations, and his final work a Tarantella entitled “Fear and Trembling” from his treatise entitled Ludus Arbitralis.) Cleghorn’s son Peter will be attending the performance.]

Samantha Cho playing Debussy at Old First in January of 2021 (from the Old First Concerts Web page for her coming recital)

Friday, January 17, 8 p.m.: This will be another piano recital, this time by Samantha Cho, who is currently on the faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Full details have not yet provided, the program will have a “past and present” structure. The “past” will be represented by two significantly contrasting composers: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Claude Debussy. Serving somewhat as a “bridge” to the “immediate present” will be the Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu, who died in February of 1996. The contemporary composers will be Jean Ahn and Monika Chew, who is based in Oakland and will be contributing music for its world premiere.