May 30: Two Overlapping (contrasting) Events

As of this writing, the last Saturday of this month, May 30, will see (at least) two overlapping performances, both beginning at 7:30 p.m. My guess is that making a choice will not be too difficult for many readers, since the performing organizations are decidedly different. One of these will be the final program in the current season of the San Francisco Philharmonic, while the other will be the penultimate performance by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC). Specifics are as follows:

Anne Richardson and Jessica Bejarano on the poster design for the next San Francisco Philharmonic concert

The guest soloist for the San Francisco Philharmonic will be cellist Anne Richardson, Associate Principal Cello of the San Francisco Symphony. Music Director Jessica Bejarano will lead the performance of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Opus 33, “Variations on a Rococo Theme.” This will be followed by an equally imaginative approach to variations by Edward Elgar. Each of the movements in his “Enigma Variations” is a character sketch of one of the composer’s acquaintances. Taken as a whole, the duration of the program will be approximately 90 minutes. The performance will take place in Herbst Theatre, which is located in the Veterans Building on the southwest corner of Van Ness Avenue and McAllister Street. All tickets are being sold for $30 and may be purchased through a City Box Office Web page.

The full title of the SFGMC program is Shine On: An Ensemble Showcase. As many readers probably know, there are smaller ensembles embedded in the full chorus. Two of them will be featured on the program: HomoPhonics and The Lollipop Guild. There will also be guest performers visiting from both the north and the south. Cascade is one of the smaller groups in the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, while the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles will send its own embedded Aftershock group. The venue will be the Chan National Queer Arts Center, which is located in the Mission at 170 Valencia Street. Premium seating is now sold out, but general admission tickets are still available for $35. SFGMC has created its own Web page for purchasing these tickets.