Monday, August 10
American Bach Soloists, Jeffrey Thomas, Conductor
Academy-In-Action I. The Academy-In-Action concerts showcase the talents of ABS Academy participants—the next generation of early music virtuosi—in cantatas, arias, and chamber music by masters of the Baroque. The first sessions of the “Baroque Marathon” will feature music by J.S. Bach, Mouliné, Clérambault, Buxtehude, Schmierer, Zelenka, Fasch, Graun, Telemann, and others.
3 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Tickets online $10
415-921-7900, [email protected]
American Bach Soloists, Jeffrey Thomas, Conductor
Academy-In-Action II. The Academy-In-Action concerts showcase the talents of ABS Academy participants—the next generation of early music virtuosi—in cantatas, arias, and chamber music by masters of the Baroque. The first sessions of the “Baroque Marathon” will feature music by J.S. Bach, Mouliné, Clérambault, Buxtehude, Schmierer, Zelenka, Fasch, Graun, Telemann, and others.
8 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Tickets online $10
415-921-7900, [email protected]
Tuesday, August 11
American Bach Soloists
Master class in harpsichord. The ABS Academy opens its doors to the public to witness the artistic transformations that make Master Classes so tremendously exciting, as performers and their master teachers share their knowledge and insights.
3 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Free
415-921-7900, [email protected]
American Bach Soloists
Lecture Series. Join the members of the American Bach Soloists Academy for an enlightening and informative public lecture by American Bach Soloists Academy faculty member Kenneth Slowik, who will discuss the musical institutions of the Grand Siecle.
5 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Free
415-921-7900, [email protected]
American Bach Soloists, Jeffrey Thomas, Conductor
Academy-In-Action III. The Academy-In-Action concerts showcase the talents of ABS Academy participants—the next generation of early music virtuosi—in cantatas, arias, and chamber music by masters of the Baroque. At this concluding session of the “Baroque Marathon,” ABS Music Director Jeffrey Thomas will conduct the ABS Academy ensemble in a performance of J.S. Bach’s cantata Aus der Tiefen rufe it, Herr, zu dir, BWV 131. Other selections to be performed include vocal music by J.S. Bach and a suite of dances from Marin Marais’ opera Sémélé.
8 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Tickets online $10
415-921-7900, [email protected]
Wednesday, August 12
American Bach Soloists
Master class in violin and viola. The ABS Academy opens its doors to the public to witness the artistic transformations that make Master Classes so tremendously exciting, as performers and their master teachers share their knowledge and insights.
3 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Free
415-921-7900, [email protected]
American Bach Soloists
Lecture Series. Join the members of the American Bach Soloists Academy for an enlightening and informative public lecture by American Bach Soloists Academy faculty member Robert Mealy, who will discuss “Le Parnasse Français: what makes French music so French?”
5 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Free
415-921-7900, [email protected]
Thursday, August 13
American Bach Soloists
Master class in violoncello, viola da gamba, violone, and contrabass. The ABS Academy opens its doors to the public to witness the artistic transformations that make Master Classes so tremendously exciting, as performers and their master teachers share their knowledge and insights.
3 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Free
415-921-7900, [email protected]
American Bach Soloists
Lecture Series. Join the members of the American Bach Soloists Academy for an enlightening and informative public lecture by American Bach Soloists Academy faculty member Corey Jamason, who will discuss “The Fabulous Would of the Clavencinistes.”
5 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Free
415-921-7900, [email protected]
American Bach Soloists, Jeffrey Thomas, Conductor
Marin Marais, Sémélé Drawn from the same mythological source that would inspire Handel over three decades later, Marin Marais’ 1709 opera Sémélé is an amorous tale of desire and ambition. The mortal woman Sémélé wins the devotion of Jupiter, king of the gods. Inflamed by her husband’s wandering eye, Juno devises a plan to ruin the pairing that ends in tragedy and a wondrous new beginning. Utilizing a cast of musicians from the ABS Academy and Festival Orchestra, joined by the American Bach Choir, Jeffrey Thomas conducts the first complete concert performances outside of Europe of this gem from the golden era of musical Paris.
8 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Tickets online $20–$75
415-921-7900, [email protected]
Friday August 14
American Bach Soloists
Master class in winds and brass. The ABS Academy opens its doors to the public to witness the artistic transformations that make Master Classes so tremendously exciting, as performers and their master teachers share their knowledge and insights.
3 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Free
415-921-7900, [email protected]
American Bach Soloists
Lecture Series. Join the members of the American Bach Soloists Academy for an enlightening and informative public lecture by American Bach Soloists Academy faculty member Judith Malafronte, who will discuss “Trillo or tremblement? Italian and French vocal style.”
5 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Free
415-921-7900, [email protected]
American Bach Soloists, Jeffrey Thomas, Conductor
Marin Marais, Sémélé Drawn from the same mythological source that would inspire Handel over three decades later, Marin Marais’ 1709 opera Sémélé is an amorous tale of desire and ambition. The mortal woman Sémélé wins the devotion of Jupiter, king of the gods. Inflamed by her husband’s wandering eye, Juno devises a plan to ruin the pairing that ends in tragedy and a wondrous new beginning. Utilizing a cast of musicians from the ABS Academy and Festival Orchestra, joined by the American Bach Choir, Jeffrey Thomas conducts the first complete concert performances outside of Europe of this gem from the golden era of musical Paris.
8 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Tickets online $20–$75
415-921-7900, [email protected]
Saturday, August 15
American Bach Soloists
Master class in voice. The ABS Academy opens its doors to the public to witness the artistic transformations that make Master Classes so tremendously exciting, as performers and their master teachers share their knowledge and insights.
3 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Free
415-921-7900, [email protected]
American Bach Soloists
Lecture Series. Join the members of the American Bach Soloists Academy for an enlightening and informative public lecture by American Bach Soloists Academy faculty member Debra Nagy, who will discuss “Arts Entrepreneurship & Le Concert Spiritual.”
5 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Free
415-921-7900, [email protected]
American Bach Soloists, Jeffrey Thomas, Conductor
Distinguished Artist Series: John Thiessen, Baroque trumpet. Performing a diverse program of Italian chamber music and cantatas, English music for the theater, and oratorio, trumpeter John Thiessen will demonstrate his instrumental mastery in an astonishing variety of styles and settings in music by Corelli, Jeremiah Clarke, Handel, and Alessandro Scarlatti. For this special recital, members of ABS and guest soloists, including soprano Kathryn Mueller, will join Thiessen.
8 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Tickets online $20–$66
415-921-7900, [email protected]
Project Zefiro
“Splendori Veneziani” Final concert culminating a week-long wind workshop sponsored by Alta Sonora, a SFEMS affiliate. This year’s theme will focus on the splendors of Venice and feature the music of St. Mark’s most famous organist, Giovanni Gabrieli. His sumptuous polychoral motets and grand instrumental canzonas made him the leading musician in Venice during the 1580s and 90s. Works by Cipriano de Rore and Adrian Willaert, earlier composers at St. Mark’s who were better known as madrigalists, will provide a contrast in styles. Wind players from around the country will bring to all these pieces a glorious mixture of instrumental timbres, with cornetti, sackbuts, shawms, dulcians and recorders. St. Alban’s is hosting this event for the third year, and once again the concert will be a benefit for the church, always known as a venue friendly to the early music community.
8 PM
St. Alban’s Episcopal Church
1501 Washington Ave., Albany
Tickets at the door: $20 general, $15 seniors/SFEMS/St. Alban’s parishioners.
Sunday, August 16
American Bach Soloists, Jeffrey Thomas, Conductor
Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Bach’s Mass in B Minor is the pinnacle of the Baroque repertory and ABS’s annual performances draw Bach pilgrims to San Francisco from around the world. Jeffrey Thomas and the ABS Festival Orchestra, with vocal and instrumental soloists from the ABS Academy, perform this masterwork on each Festival Sunday.
2 PM
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St., San Francisco
Tickets online $20–$75
415-921-7900, [email protected]
Continue reading next week’s calendar . . .
