Features

The venues may range from hither to yon, but the early-music concerts on offer this season around the Bay Area will field a dazzling array of stars and novel musical experiences.

More than a few operatic and other vocal diversions may beckon you in the coming spring. Here are just a few of the surprises.

The most prestigious classical music competition in the U.S. isn’t the Van Cliburn Piano Competition, it’s the Naumburg Foundation Competition. As S.F. Performances prepares to host this year’s piano winner, Soyeon Lee, here’s what musicians think of the organization’s enviable track record.

Every season, a few concerts and recitals with “wow” factor come along: rare events that create a sense of occasion, partly because they rarely happen. You know that if you miss them, you’ll probably end up feeling sorry later. Here are a few top recommendations.

Almost every music fan knows that the December holiday season is high tide for choral concerts. But what do about the rest of the year? Only SFCV tracks the winter and spring doings of the Bay Area’s plenitude of choral groups.

The coming months promise orchestra aficionados all around the Bay Area a wide array of music. In this list, “classic” scores. Whatever your taste or locale, there’s something intriguing beckoning you in the near future. Here are some of the many highlights ahead.

Actually, this list, by two of SFCV’s top critics only covers the second half of the year. But just 10 picks for the entire year? That would be impossible.

Since the 1930s, the city of Saint Francis has hosted a burgeoning Mexican music scene. SFCV's Jesse Hamlin introduces you to the rich panoply spreading forth from the Mission District and elsewhere in the Bay Area.