Features

Bay Area kids are getting their hands on some seriously old music, and loving it.

Following the San Francisco Symphony’s annual fall gala on Sept. 7, the musicians packed their instruments and headed overseas with Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas for a five-concert tour of Switzerland and Italy. Here's a report back from the musicians.

A formerly internal rift between several California Symphony board members and Music Director Barry Jekowsky opened wide enough this week to swallow up the 24-year-long relationship between the orchestra and its founding maestro, the man who put the organization on the country's musical map.

Her voice was ineffably moving, her appearances were the stuff of legend. She gave nearly 600 performances over an 18-year span. In one appearance, she received 27 curtain calls in an outpouring of adoration lasting more than 40 minutes. For many opera lovers, there is and always will be only one true diva: Maria Callas, known to her legions of fans simply as “La Divina.” A special exhibition devoted to Callas arrives in S.F. this month.

It’s not just about the big names. When the 53rd Monterey Jazz Festival swings into action on Friday, Sept. 17, ten gifted high school–age ensembles will feature prominently on the grounds and main arena stages. Their appearances constitute but one aspect of a comprehensive jazz education program.

Ask enough of your neighbors, and you’ll find one or two at least who are involved in a chorus somewhere. There are hundreds of local groups, if you count church choirs, and a goodly number even if you don’t. Bay Area choral aficionados have a lot to choose from, but the concerts listed here are hugely appealing, even if you don’t sing in the shower yourself.

Chamber music is everything from traditional string quartets to So Percussion to small orchestras. You would need an entire iPhone app linked to the Classical Voice calendar to keep track of all the chamber music events in the Bay Area. Instead of an app, we have an op: Michelle Dulak Thomson, SFCV’s longtime string quartet maven, who gives you the inside scoop on five hot small ensembles playing here this fall.