The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (photograph by Stefan Mager, courtesy of SFP)
This is the time of year when San Francisco Performances (SFP) announces its new season; and, sure enough, that announcement arrived in my electronic mail yesterday. This will be the 46th season; and, hopefully as in the past, this site will, prior to the beginning of the season, give a series-by-series account of the programs that have been planned. This year’s Gala will be on October 10 and will be held in conjunction with the first piano recital of the season, which will be performed by pianists Jeffrey and Gabriel Kahane. The season will again conclude at the beginning of May with the return of The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.
Once again, Historian-in-Residence Robert Greenberg will curate a Saturday morning series, beginning at 10 a.m. Those familiar with SFP probably know that, in the past, music was provided by the members of the Alexander String Quartet; but, now that they have disbanded, they will be replaced by the Esmé Quartet. This year the series will focus on Franz Schubert; and, in the final program, the quartet members will be joined by cellist Paul Wiancko for the D. 956 string quintet in C major.
The PIVOT Festival will again return at the end of January with performances on January 30 and 31 and February 1. The curator will be Andy Meyerson, the percussionist of The Living Earth Show. He will perform with his The Living Earth Show duo partner, guitarist Travis Andrews. The final program will present a contemporary take on classical ballet with San Francisco Ballet choreographer and dancer Myles Thatcher. As usual, the other series will be familiar to SFP audiences:
- Art of Song
- Piano
- Contemporary Chamber (featuring the Attacca Quartet)
- The Robert and Ruth Dell Guitar Series
- Chamber Series
- Here Now and Then
- The Shenson Great Artists and Ensembles Series
As in the past, the Guitar Series will be presented in association with the OMNI Foundation for the Performing Arts.
Subscriptions will go on sale on April 9. Presumably, the usual booklet that summarizes all of the coming programs, supplemented with color photographs, will be sent in the mail to current subscribers. The benefits of subscribing include savings on single ticket prices, priority seating, free ticket exchange privileges, and invitations to the annual Gift Concert. This season that event will be a recital by the Arod Quartet, which has not yet announced program details. Subscribers may select individual series or create their own packages. They may be ordered by calling the Ticket Office at 415-677-0325, and presumably a Web page for online orders will be made available on April 9. Single tickets will go on sale on August 27.
