Amazing SF Music Day is a huge smorgasbord — and the feasting is free
Classical, contemporary, jazz and new music is on tap at the free SF Music Day at Herbst Theatre Oct. 6.
Bay Area classical music lovers rarely get the opportunity to hear a dozen or more of their favorite artists in one place over a single day, but a unique event coming up this weekend offers just that — and more.
San Francisco Music Day is an all-day extravaganza featuring multiple performances, panel discussions and educational and special events, all under one roof.
And did we mention it’s free?
Presented by the nonprofit organization InterMusicSF, this year’s SF Music Day — the group’s 12th annual — is titled “Rebels and Renegades.” Running noon to 7:45 p.m. Sunday at the War Memorial Veterans Building in San Francisco, this classical Lollapalooza boasts an amazingly full schedule, with more than 30 ensembles and 100 musicians from the Bay Area’s chamber, classical, jazz, early music and contemporary music realms. Performance spaces include Herbst Theatre, the Taube Atrium Theatre and the Green Room, all housed in the same building adjacent to the War Memorial Opera House.
The list of participating artists includes audience favorites such as pianist Sarah Cahill, new music pioneer Paul Dresher and soprano Sara LeMesh, whose brilliant performance as Bess McNeill in Missy Mazzoli’s “Breaking the Waves” was the hit of West Edge Opera’s season in Oakland this summer.
Other acts scheduled to appear include the Astraeus Quartet, the Friction Quartet, Trance Mission, the Living Earth Show, Melody of China and Terrence Brewer’s Acoustic Jazz Quartet. The Richard Howell Quartet will play John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme,” and Ensemble for These Times will introduce selections from their upcoming concert program, “Dracula Rising: Ghosts of Hollywood Past.”
One of the best aspects of SF Music Day is the way it allows audiences to curate their own programs and schedules, choosing from an all-day, music-packed menu of events.
Just browsing through the day’s lineup can be a little overwhelming, so here are our top 10 picks for a day of amazing musical variety.
Brass Over Bridges: The brass quintet plays music for their instruments by composers Joan Tower, Victor Ewald and Paquito D’Rivera. Noon, Green Room.
Quinteto Latino: Contemporary classical works are on the program, which includes works by Latin American composers Astor Piazzolla and Gabriela Ortiz. 12:30 p.m., Taube Atrium Theatre.
Fervida Trio: Still in their teens, this award-winning Bay Area-based threesome will play excerpts from piano trios by Beethoven, Mendelssohn and contemporary composer Pierre Jalbert. 12:45 p.m., Green Room.
Stenberg-Cahill Duo: One of the Bay Area’s most dynamic duos, pianist Sarah Cahill and violinist Kate Stenberg will play Lou Harrison’s gorgeous “Grand Duo” and Debussy’s Sonata for Violin and Piano. 1:30 p.m., Herbst Theatre.
“Equity and Opportunity”: A panel discussion featuring women leaders from the Bay Area music community, with Susan Muscarella, Dee Spencer, Rebeca Mauleón, Myra Melford and Ila Cantor. 2 p.m., Education Studio.
The Dresher-Davel Invented Instrument Duo: A multimedia performance by visionary composer and instrument builder Paul Dresher, joined by percussionist extraordinaire Joel Davel in “Three for Two” for invented instruments, with video projections by Naomie Kremer. 2:30 p.m., Herbst Theatre.
Sara LeMesh and Allegra Chapman: Rising star soprano LeMesh and pianist Chapman perform songs by Grazyna Bacewicz, George Crumb, Igor Stravinsky and others. 3 p.m., Green Room.
Telegraph Quartet: The San Francisco-based foursome plays Alban Berg’s Op. 3 “String Quartet,” 5:30 p.m., Herbst Theatre.
Meráki Quartet: The all-woman string quartet plays music from quartets by Haydn, Beethoven and Prokofiev. 6:45 p.m., Green Room.
Nash Baroque and the San Francisco Baroque Dancers: Audiences can learn a Baroque dance in this interactive program of music and dance from the ballet-operas of Rameau and other French composers. 7:15 p.m., Taube Atrium Theatre.
Contact Georgia Rowe at growe@pacbell.net
SF MUSIC DAY
When: Noon to 7:45 p.m. Oct. 6
Where: War Memorial Veterans Building, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco
Tickets: None required, reservations recommended at www.intermusicsf.org