Arts & Entertainment
Musicians scheduled to perform locally this season include, from left: twin bluegrass musicians Greg and Jere Canote on Oct. 26; the California Bach Society in October, December, February and May; and violinist Joshua Bell on Feb. 8.
Other highlights of the 2013-14 music season include: The Aurora Singers The annual winter concert for this community chorus is planned for 4 p.m. Dec. 22 at the Unitarian Universalist Church, where it rehearses. 505 E. Charleston Road, Palo Alto, aurorasingers.net Bay Choral Guild The concert season in Palo Alto features a festival of Mozart’s choral works in February and March, along with “Poet’s Corner” performances in June: contemporary settings of poetry by writers such as Rainer Maria Rilke, Omar Khayy·m and Shakespeare. First Baptist Church, 305 N. California Ave., Palo Alto, baychoralguild. org California Bach Society First up for this Palo Alto choral group: a “Monteverdi Vespers of 1610” concert on Oct. 11-13, followed by “Christmas with Peter Warlock and Henry VIII” in December and “German Cantatas circa 1700” in February and March. All Saints Episcopal Church, 555 Waverley St., Palo Alto. 650-4851097, calbach.org California Pops Orchestra The swinging Palo Alto-based orchestra kicks off its season Sept. 22 with a variety show of Big Band music, show tunes and jazz and pop songs, featuring pianist Chin Beckmann and theater singer Carly Honfi. Smithwick Theatre, Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills. 650-8568432, calpops.org Chamber Music San Francisco The February-May series in Palo Alto kicks off with the Eroica Trio on Feb. 10, followed by violinist James Ehnes on March 10 and the
Vogler Quartet on April 7. Oshman Family Jewish Community Center, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. Organization contact: 415-759-1756, chambermusicsf.org Fortnightly Music Club This 100-plus-year-old organization hosts free concerts every two weeks, often featuring local musicians and composers. The season starts Oct. 6 at the Lucie Stern Center, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. fortnightlymusicclub. org Ives Quartet A new string quartet by jazz artist and composer Julian Waterfall Pollack will be premiered by the Palo Alto-based Ives Quartet on April 25 and 27. He’s a fan of both standards and minimalism. Before that, the season begins with a program of Britten, Puccini and Verdi on Nov. 1. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto. 650-224-7849, ivesquartet. org Master Sinfonia In April, the Midpeninsula community orchestra will premiere the fifth movement of Jeremy Cavaterra’s “Monterey Suite.” Each segment is dedicated to a spot in or near the county, including “The Aquarium” and “Steinbeck Country.” Concerts are planned for 8 p.m. April 26 at Valley Presbyterian Church, 945 Portola Road, Portola Valley; and 2:30 p.m. April 27 at Los Altos United Methodist Church, 655 Magdalena Ave. mastersinfonia.org Music@Menlo Not just for summer anymore, the Music@Menlo chamber-music festival now regularly holds concerts in other months. Coming up: the Emerson String Quartet on Oct. 13, “Pianists in Paris” on Feb. 9, and pianist Alessio Bax on May 11. Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton High School, 555
Middlefield Road, Atherton. 650330-2030, musicatmenlo.org New Century Chamber Orchestra The University of Michigan’s Michael Daugherty is the orchestra’s featured composer this year, weaving music replete with American cultural references. The Sept. 26 concert, “Daugherty Perspectives,” includes “Viola Zombie” (for two violas) and “Elvis Everywhere” (for string quartet and tape). At 8 p.m. at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St. 415-357-1111, ncco.org New Esterhazy Quartet The quartet’s season of local concerts at All Saints Episcopal Church in Palo Alto kicks off this weekend, with a program called “The Cellist King: Music for Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia” offering up Haydn, Boccherini and Mozart on Sept. 15. 555 Waverley St. 415-520-0611, newesterhazy.org Palo Alto Philharmonic The first full orchestra concert of the season serves up ample dishes of Wagner and Verdi on Oct. 19, with soloists including soprano Juyeon Song and tenor Ben Bongers. Cubberley Theatre, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. paphil.org Peninsula Symphony The Los Altos symphony explores works by Ernest Bloch in its concerts with the Stanford Symphonic Chorus on Nov. 22 and 24. Baritone/cantor Stephen Saxon is also along for the ride. At Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University. 650-941-5291, peninsulasymphony.org Peninsula Women’s Chorus Besides presenting a regular season of concerts on the Peninsula and in the South Bay, the group hosts a New Music for Treble
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Orchestra (pacomusic.org) and the iSing Girlchoir (isingsv.com).
Voices Festival each spring and invites other choruses to join in. Next year’s festival performance is set for March 22 at All Saints Episcopal Church, 555 Waverley St., Palo Alto. 650-327-3095, pwchorus.org
Hamilton Ave.; and the Galax Quartet with contralto Karen Clark playing “avant-garde from the 16th century and early music from today,” on Jan. 31 at First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Ave. 510-5281725, sfems.org
Philharmonia Baroque At the season opener on Oct. 2, the period-instrument orchestra features countertenor David Daniels and soprano Carolyn Sampson in Pergolesi’s bittersweet “Stabat Mater.” Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton High School, 555 Middlefield Road, Atherton. The orchestra also performs several times at Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall as part of the Stanford Live season. philharmoniabaroque.org
Soli Deo Gloria Something new for this choral group: traditional Christmas carols freshly arranged by Bob Chilcott, Michele Weir and Allen H. Simon, the group’s artistic director. The holiday concert is Dec. 7 at the First Baptist Church of Palo Alto, 305 N. California Ave. 888-SDGSONG, sdgloria.org
Saint Michael Trio “Europe’s Master Impressionist: The Genius of Claude Debussy” is the trio’s Oct. 4 concert, which the musicians dub an “informance,” complete with commentary and slides. Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford University. saintmichaeltrio.com San Francisco Early Music Society Palo Alto concerts include “Venetian Christmas Mass” by the choral and instrumental group Magnificat, on Dec. 20 at the First United Methodist Church at 625
Stanford Jazz Festival This annual array of performances, workshops, classes and jam sessions takes place on campus every summer, with many shows in Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Campbell Recital Hall and Bing Concert Hall. 650-736-0324, stanfordjazz.org Stanford Music Department The Now Hear Ensemble, a new-music quintet, is touring California music schools to work with local composers and perform their work — and then recording the whole process as a documentary film. On Oct. 12, they’ll be V Ì Õi`Ê Ê iÝÌÊ«>}i®
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