Tuesday, October 18
First Church Berkeley Fire Benefit Concert
Join First Church Berkeley for a benefit concert as it recovers from a major fire on September 30, 2016. The fire caused severe damage to Pilgrim Hall (the site of the offices and assembly halls) as well as moderate damage to the Sanctuary, displacing the congregation for months to come. First Church Berkeley has long served as a home for many of the Bay Area’s professional musical ensembles, especially those involved in early music. Many of those groups are demonstrating their support for First Church Berkeley through their involvement in the concert, including American Bach Soloists, Ars Minerva, MUSA, Music for A Viol, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Valley of the Moon Festival, Voices of Music, and the First Church Benefit Concert Choir, consisting of professional singers from across the Bay Area. All proceeds will go toward the rebuilding of First Church Berkeley.
7:30 PM
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
2300 Bancroft Way, Berkeley
$50 general admission, $25 students
Tickets online
510-848-3696, [email protected]
Noontime Concerts
“Celestial Solace for the Soul” Calextone (Allison Zelles Lloyd, voice and medieval harp; Frances Blaker, recorders and hackbrett; Letitia Berlin, recorders and doucaine; and Shira Kammen, vielle and rebec) perform medieval and Renaissance music relating to the sun, moon, and stars.
12:30 PM
Old St. Mary’s Cathedral
660 California St., San Francisco
Free
415-777-3211, www.noontimeconcerts.org
Wednesday, October 19
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Nicholas McGegan, Conductor
“All Beethoven with Robert Levin” Beethoven’s enduring masterworks emerge new and fresh when played upon the instruments for which they were conceived. Hear Harvard professor of musicology and fortepianist, Robert Levin, interpret the Concerto for Fortepiano No. 3 with the orchestra. Then experience the kaleidoscopic view of Beethoven’s musical landscape inspired by his country strolls in the “Pastoral” Symphony.
7:30 PM
Bing Concert Hall
327 Lasuen St., Stanford
$30–$95
650-724-2464
Friday, October 21
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Nicholas McGegan, Conductor
“All Beethoven with Robert Levin” Beethoven’s enduring masterworks emerge new and fresh when played upon the instruments for which they were conceived. Hear Harvard professor of musicology and fortepianist, Robert Levin, interpret the Concerto for Fortepiano No. 3 with the orchestra. Then experience the kaleidoscopic view of Beethoven’s musical landscape inspired by his country strolls in the “Pastoral” Symphony.
8 PM
Herbst Theater
401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco
$35–$85
Tickets online or 415-295-1900
Saturday, October 22
East Bay Recorder Society
“It’s not Math! (Or Is It?) Exploring rhythm through the centuries,” a workshop with Tish Berlin or recorders, early winds and brass, soft reeds, strings and singers. Do you tap your feet to the beat of a song on the radio? Do you sway to the sound of the samba? Twitch at the hint of a tango? Then you’ve got rhythm! The fall EBRS workshop with Tish Berlin will mine centuries of music for snappy, languid, pulsating, and syncopating rhythms. 4/4, 2/2, 3/4, 5/4, 7/8, 12/8 – our repertoire will come from estampies, Machaut ballades, 15th century English sacred music, Dufay rondeaus, Spanish villancicos, Florentine Carnival songs, Playford dance tunes, Scottish ballads and strathspeys, Bach fugues, Piazzolla tangos, Balkan and Roumanian folk dances, and Ragtime. Come prepared to tap your feet! Bring instruments (pitch: A=440), music stand, and bag lunch. Music is included in workshop fee; PDFs will be sent beforehand upon request. Snacks and beverages will be provided for breaks.
10 AM to 3:45 PM (registration at 9:30; ready to play at 10)
Montclair Presbyterian Church
5701 Thornhill Drive, Oakland
$35–$55 half and full-day registration, depending on space.
Download flyer.
For more info, contact Cindy Keune, 925-518-6613
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Nicholas McGegan, Conductor
“All Beethoven with Robert Levin” Beethoven’s enduring masterworks emerge new and fresh when played upon the instruments for which they were conceived. Hear Harvard professor of musicology and fortepianist, Robert Levin, interpret the Concerto for Fortepiano No. 3 with the orchestra. Then experience the kaleidoscopic view of Beethoven’s musical landscape inspired by his country strolls in the “Pastoral” Symphony.
8 PM
First Presbyterian Church
2407 Dana St., Berkeley
$35–$85
Tickets online or 415-295-1900
Sunday, October 23
The Handel Opera Project
The Handel Opera Project presents Elizabeth Baker in recital, performing music by George Frideric Handel, Antonio Vivaldi, Christoph Willibald Gluck, and Gioachino Rossini. Chamber ensemble conducted by William G. Ludtke.
2 PM
First Church of Christ, Scientist
2619 Dwight Way, Berkeley
General Admission $20
http://thehandeloperaproject.webs.com/
St. Bede’s Episcopal Church
Candlelight Evensong & Organ Recital. Guest organist Jin Kyung Lim and the choir of St. Bede’s, directed by Katherine McKee, will offer a sublime evening of worship and music featuring works by Thomas Tallis and John Mundy. Evensong will be followed by a recital of dance-influenced organ music from many nations, including works by Bach, Pachelbel, Byrd, Couperin, Hyslop and Reger, performed by internationally renowned organ recitalist Jin Kyung Lim. A free-will offering will be received to benefit Los Ayudantes, which provides in-class tutoring and after-school book clubs to help Redwood City students build English literacy.
4 PM
St. Bede’s Episcopal Church
2650 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park
Free
650-854-6555
Stanford University Department of Music
“New Instrument Showcase” Department of Music faculty Robert Huw Morgan, organ, and Elaine Thornburgh, harpsichord, perform on Bing Concert Hall’s newly-acquired instruments. The makers of these instruments will also be present to provide their unique perspectives on recreating historical designs. The Hupalo & Repasky Continuo Pipe organ was inspired by 17th-century English and German Chamber organs. The six stop (sets of pipes) divide treble and bass for additional flexibility on a one-keyboard instrument that can play at either 415 pitch (used by many Baroque instruments) or 440 pitch by shifting the key action one half step. There are two unison pitched sets of pipes, two sets pitched an octave higher, one set pitched two octaves higher, and a solo stop of two sets of pipes, one pitched two octaves and a fifth higher, and one pitched three octaves and a third higher. There are three wooden sets of pipes and four metal sets of pipes. The display pipes, from the 4′ Principal stop, are high tin content. The case work and pipe shade carvings are of koa, koa veneered wood, and iroko wood. The John Phillips harpsichord made for the Bing Concert Hall in 2013 is based on a Parisian instrument by Nicolas Dumont in 1707. Nicholas Dumont was an important Parisian harpsichord maker; his instruments occasionally appear in 18th century inventories. In addition to the 1707 instrument, three other Dumont harpsichords are also known to survive. The musical qualities of this early 18th century Parisian harpsichord make it perfect for the contemporary French “Classical” repertoire of François Couperin, Louis Marchand, and the young Jean-Philippe Rameau. There is a certain clarity to the sound in all registers and the extra richness found in later 18th century Parisian instruments, which makes it suitable for a wide variety of solo repertoire as well as for accompaniment.
2:30 PM
Bing Concert Hall
327 Lasuen St., Stanford
Admission is free; however, tickets are required for entry and will be available at the door one hour prior to the performance.
Women’s Antique Vocal Ensemble (WAVE), Cindy Beitmen, Director
“Mission Project” The Womens Antique Vocal Ensemble (WAVE) will present a concert of Renaissance and baroque music from archival sources in Latin America, particularly the Cathedral at Guatemala City. Featured composers will include Cristóbal de Morales, Tomás Luis de Victoria, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Sebastian Durón, José de Torres, Hernando Franco, Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla, Juan García Zéspedes, and Juan de Araujo.
4 PM
Littlefield Concert Hall, Mills College
5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland
$15 general/$10 seniors, non-Mills students, and Mills alums
Tickets online or at the door. (Mills Alums may purchase the student tickets at Box Office Tickets.)
Continue reading next week’s calendar . . .
