Previews

Ever-curious and adventurous, violinist Rachel Barton Pine reunites with Michael Morgan, her former mentor, and the Sacramento Philharmonic to showcase a suite by African-American classical composer William Grant Still and a concerto by Sergei Prokofiev.

The Irene Dalis Vocal Competition may not ring bells of recognition in your head, but young singers are way ahead of you. That’s because the four-year-old competition, which kicks into gear May 22 at the California Theatre in San José, puts a lot of cash in singers’ pockets.

Chora Nova performs one of Rossini’s greatest works, the Petite Messe solennelle — neither little, solemn, nor even really a Mass — on May 29, under the direction of Paul Flight, providing an opportunity to hear this Mass in something close to its original version.

Many of the pieces Earplay performs have Bay Area roots, part of conductor Mary Chun’s stated emphasis on giving voice to local composers. For its May 24 concert, “Ports and Portals,” held at Herbst Theatre in partnership with the S.F. International Arts Festival, the ensemble adds two more world premieres and two West Coast premieres to the tally.

The Young People's Symphony Orchestra concludes their season with the always-surprising concerto competition winners.

Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus champion the “new” once again. In concerts May 19-23, they tackle a monumental, relatively obscure choral work by Stravinsky, while introducing the brilliant talents of EXAUDI, guest vocal soloists from the U.K.

Andrew McKenna Lee has always been drawn to the sort of "rolling polyphony" of the classical guitar. For his Old First Concerts recital here on May 21, Lee will span the guitar repertoire, from Scarlatti to Milhaud, and he’ll showcase his own physically demanding and aurally dynamic Five Refractions of a Prelude by Bach. 

Pamela Z's Baggage Allowance is a sonically and visually layered work that explores baggage in all its literal and metaphorical permutations. With the world premiere on Friday, the composer once again promises to bend genres and defy categorization.

Cantare Con Vivo Music Director David Morales takes the title of his ensemble quite literally. In 23 years of conducting this conglomerate of large, small, and children’s groups, he has developed an unwavering commitment to using singers’ own life experiences to enhance their performance.