Artist Spotlights

Jeff Kaliss - January 29, 2014

New Grammy-winner Osmo Vänskä, no longer with the Minnesota Orchestra, prepares a varied Finnish/Russian concert with the S.F. Symphony.

Jason Victor Serinus - January 28, 2014

Canadian baritone Gerald Finley, set to perform the art-defining song cycle Die Winterreise in Berkeley, discusses its many soul-shaking challenges.

Lisa Houston - January 24, 2014

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein discusses her penchant for performing Bach, which she has played since a child, and comparing her style to that of other interpreters.

Lisa Houston - January 13, 2014

Past-mistress of that ancient Chinese stringed instrument the pipa, Wu Man reflects on her unconventional start in music and her long road to the world’s concert stages.

Jason Victor Serinus - January 7, 2014

New songs, classic songs, collaborations — Anne Sofie von Otter craves doing it all, and does so with class.

Jeff Kaliss - December 4, 2013

The Kronos Quartet’s longtime violist reflects on his decades with that distinguished quartet, and on its 40th anniversary performance Sunday in Berkeley.

Jason Victor Serinus - December 3, 2013

Taking advantage of all sorts of singing gigs, from recitals and CDs to dance concerts and opera, is Mischa Bouvier’s main strategy for building a successful career.

Jason Victor Serinus - November 24, 2013

A profoundly moving masterwork is revisited, with fresh eyes and ears and heart, by a revered conductor, in performances in San Francisco.

Tom Jacobs - November 19, 2013

Finding inspiration in history and pop culture, composer Michael Daugherty launches a new work for strings, provoked by Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural style.

Niels Swinkels - November 11, 2013

Marc-André Hamelin is in a series of residencies and starts a tour with the Pacifica Quartet in S.F. Here, he talks about music and the mystery and miracle that is human creativity.