From a legendary jazz pianist to a competition dedicated to whales, there’s a lot to see and do within the Bay Space this weekend.
Right here’s a partial rundown.
A jazz icon hits city
Bay Space Kenny Barron followers are in for a deal with.
Truly, they’re in for various completely different treats, because the legendary jazz pianist visits SFJAZZ Middle to carry out 4 very completely different exhibits in 4 nights.
First up, Barron — whose expertise has graced actually 100s of recordings since he obtained his begin within the late Fifties — leads his quintet into the San Francisco venue tonight 10 to carry out music from his newest album, “Beyond This Place,” in addition to different items. In addition to Barron, this terrific group additionally consists of bassist Christian McBride, saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, drummer Johnathan Blake and trumpeter Mike Rodriguez.
He follows up that opener with a solo piano present on Friday after which performs with a chamber orchestra on Saturday. Barron closes the SFJAZZ Middle run on Sunday with the West Coast premiere of latest chamber work with harmonica participant Grégoire Maret, flutist Elena Pinderhughes and cellist Noah Johnson.
Particulars: Present instances are 7:30 p.m. immediately by Saturday 7 p.m. Sunday; tickets begin at $35; sfjazz.org. Barron additionally performs a sold-out present Monday at Kuumbwa Jazz Middle, Santa Cruz; kuumbwajazz.org.
— Jim Harrington, Workers
A whale of a competition (actually)
For whale fans, there’s one must-attend occasion in Northern California yearly: Whalefest Monterey, happening over two days with extra enjoyable stuff than you possibly can shake a barnacle-covered flipper at.
The fifteenth annual Whalefest on Monterey’s historic waterfront this weekend has one thing for critical marine buffs, different issues for foodies after which plain goofy occasions just like the Racing of the Stay Abalones. A weekend symposium gathers world-renowned scientists to debate whale migration, the issues of entanglement, shark conduct and plankton. There’s a calamari cooking demonstration — squid being a favourite whale meals supply — and wharf walks the place individuals get the possibility to identify otters and dolphins.
Then there’s dwell music, interactive marine reveals, sea-themed crafts like scrimshaw and gyotaku — the normal Japanese technique of “printing fish” — and the chance to tour analysis and rescue vessels. Additionally this yr is a 30-foot, actual whale skeleton attendees can assemble, and a life-sized inflatable humpback whale mannequin you possibly can stroll inside. Now that’s a whale of a very good time.
Particulars: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Customized Home Plaza and Previous Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey; free; whalefest.org.
— John Metcalfe, Workers
Classical Picks: Out of doors “Bohème,” opera recitals, Baroque faves
Spring brings per week of alternatives to expertise opera in Bay Space parks, hear recitals and new works in an intimate venue, and revel in Baroque music designed for dancing.
“Bohème Out of the Box”: San Francisco Opera’s family-friendly “La Bohème” affords Puccini’s enduring masterwork in hour-long performances at 4 parks starting this weekend. Directed by Jose Maria Condemi and carried out by a solid that includes visitor artists and firm Adler Fellows with piano accompaniment, this “Bohème” is sung in Italian with English translations on viewers smartphones.
Particulars: Sunday by June 29, with performances in Sausalito, San Ramon, Los Altos Hills and Hayward; free with registration; sfopera.com.
Schwabacher Recitals: Offered within the Atrium Theater subsequent door to the Warfare Memorial Opera Home, these recitals current high opera artists in an intimate environment; Thursday affords a program by the powerhouse soprano Leah Crocetto, accompanied by pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson.
Particulars: 7:30 p.m. immediately; Atrium Theater, San Francisco; $30; sfopera.com.
New and up to date works by Saariaho, others: S.F. Opera isn’t the one group to make use of the Atrium Theater; on Saturday, the San Francisco Modern Music Gamers current “Northern Lights,” that includes “Lichtbogen” by the late Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. New and up to date music by Jesper Nordin, Magnus Lindberg, and Mika Pelo are additionally on this system.
Particulars: 7:30 p.m. April 12, Atrium Theater; $18-$45; sfcmp.org.
Really feel Like Dancing: The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra presents “Tout de Suite,” with Baroque dance music by J.S. Bach and Handel alongside items by French composers Jean-Féry Insurgent and Jean-Philippe Rameau. Conductor Avi Stein leads three performances of this system, spanning works from poised to vivacious.
Particulars: 7:30 p.m. immediately at Herbst Theatre, San Francisco; 7:30 p.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church, Palo Alto, and a couple of:30 p.m. Saturday at First Congregational Church, Berkeley; $20-$132; philharmonia.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
Plenty of laughs within the Bay Space
We might all use a giggle or a guffaw as of late, no? Listed here are a number of noteworthy comedy exhibits to catch within the Bay Space.
Second Metropolis: The famed Chicago troupe that has birthed the careers of such chuckle icons as Tina Fey, Keegan-Michael Key, Steven Colbert, Tim Meadows and Invoice Murray — amongst numerous others — brings its tour to the Bankhead Theater in Livermore on Friday.
Particulars: 8 p.m.; $25-$80; livermorearts.org.
Atsuko Okatsuka: The Taiwan-born comic has been burning up the stand-up circuit and late-night TV panorama of late, with Selection dubbing her in 2022 one of many “Top 10 Comics to Watch.” She was additionally solely the second Asian American feminine comic to land a standup particular on HBO. She’s bringing her newest work, “Atsuko Okatsuka Writes a New Show” to San Jose Improv for 5 performances Friday by Sunday.
Particulars: $37.17 per present; improv.com/sanjose
Tommy T’s: The Pleasanton membership hosts Jessica Singleton, whose exhibits are described as “excessive vitality, overly sincere, all the time foolish, and sometimes darkish and soiled,’ for 2 exhibits on Friday, and Justin Silva, who dumped a profession as an electrician (these individuals make some huge cash, ) after killing it at an open mic occasion, for 2 exhibits on Saturday.
Particulars: 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday; 7 and 9:45 p.m. Saturday; $25-$40; tommyts.com
— Randy McMullen, Workers
Sneak peak at R-Evolution
Public artwork installations are hit-or-miss affairs. Some are so easy and elegant – and match so properly of their environment – you possibly can’t imagine that they haven’t been there eternally. However for each San Francisco Hearts set up or beloved work like Ruth Asawa’s hyper-detailed San Francisco Fountain on Stockton Road, there’s the arresting crimson Pax Jerusalem sculpture exterior the Legion of Honor, which it appears has all the time been controversial. And though they ‘ve been gone almost a quarter century, the subject of Concord’s Spirit Poles nonetheless prompts some to gnash their enamel. Who is aware of what sort of response the town of San Francisco will draw with its newest artwork work? Titled “R-Evolution,” the 45-foot-tall statue of a feminine determine was created by Venice-born, Berkeley-raised artist Marco Cochran from 55,000 welds of metal rod and tubing, says the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Division. On April 10, you possibly can watch the disclosing of the statue in its new residence, the Embarcadero Plaza, at Market and Steuart streets. The free occasion takes place from 5 to eight p.m. and can function dwell music and DJs, an evening market, pictures ops with Ms. R-Evolution herself, and many to eat and drink. The brand new statue is a part of the town’s drive so as to add spice to its downtown scene and is an try and even the rating a bit in the case of the gender mixture of public artwork works. Based on Recreation and Parks officers, girls are the topics in solely 8 p.c of the general public statues within the U.S. “R-Evolution,” created in 2015 for the Burning Man competition and displayed beforehand in Miami, is the ultimate work in Cochran’s “Bliss Project” collection. Particulars: Extra info on the occasion and the statue is accessible at sfrecpark.org/CivicAlerts in addition to at building180.com/r-evolution
All that jazz in Walnut Creek
The Lesher Middle for the Arts in Walnut Creek hasn’t fairly resurrected its spectacular jazz live performance collection from years previous, however this week the venue is internet hosting two of the style’s hottest and acclaimed musicians in back-to-back exhibits. On Thursday evening, the Lesher Middle welcomes one in every of jazz’s most interesting and most versatile musicians and composers, trumpeter Terence Blanchard. The New Orleans native has gained 5 Grammy Awards, composed two operas and a few 80 movie and tv scores (together with the acclaimed one for Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman”) recorded or collaborated greater than 30 albums, and is presently govt inventive director for the SFJAZZ Middle in addition to Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles. Blanchard, touring on the twentieth anniversary of his acclaimed album “FLOW,” performs along with his E-Collective band on the Lesher Middle 7:30 p.m. April 10; tickets are $68-$115. In the meantime, Miguel Zenon, a Puerto Rican-born saxophonist and composer who’s gained a Grammy and a MacArthur “Genius” Grant, brings his Quartet to the Lesher Middle at 7:30 p.m. Friday ($40-$65). Zenon and his band additionally carry out at 7 p.m. April 10 at Kuumbwa Jazz Middle, Santa Cruz; ($21-$42; www.kuumbwajazz.org) and seven & 9 p.m. April 12 at Keys Jazz Bistro, San Francisco ( $50; keysjazzbistro.com). Tickets and extra info on the Lesher Middle exhibits are at www.lesherartscenter.org.
— Bay Metropolis Information Basis
A double dose of Mozart
There might be a heady inflow of a sure youthful vitality as Pocket Opera, San Francisco’s plucky little little theater firm, brings its spring manufacturing to the Legion of Honor this Sunday, a two-pronged program that encompasses each an animated movie and the efficiency of a dwell opera. That’s as a result of the movie, “A Pocket Magic Flute,” was designed, staged and filmed by Pocket Opera final yr in live performance with a number of collaborators, together with the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, to introduce schoolchildren to the delights of the Mozart traditional. It went on to win a number of honors, most notably the Award for Digital Excellence from Opera America. Each singers and actors have been engaged for the manufacturing, with the vocal roles taken by Orson Van Homosexual as Prince Tamino, Rabibah Dunn as Pamina and Shawnette Sulker because the Queen of the Night time. The second half of this system is a efficiency of somewhat opera that Mozart composed at 12 (one, amazingly, of three he produced by that tender age). Bastien and Bastienne, starring Camryn Finn and Sidney Ragland, tells the story of a younger shepherdess, distraught over the constancy of her shepherd swain, who consults a magician to assist carry him again into her embraces. Particulars: Efficiency time is 2 p.m.; $35-$89; pocketopera.org.
— Bay Metropolis Information Basis
See, hear and really feel at Soundbox
The reverberations are certain to be spectacular and all-encompassing at this weekend’s version of SoundBox, the progressive and groundbreaking efficiency area developed by the San Francisco Symphony within the cavernous rehearsal area geared up with an incredible state-of-the-art sound system at 300 Franklin St. Percussionist and composer Andy Akiho, nominated for Grammy awards consecutively for greatest modern classical composition from 2022-24, is bringing his “Sculptures” program, a sound world he has created in collaboration with the larger-than-life works of sculptor Jun Kaneko, to the nightclub-like environs, with the participation of some S.F. Symphony musicians. Particulars: The doorways — and the cocktail bar — open at 8 p.m., and the present begins a half-hour in a while Friday and Saturday nights. Normal admission is $80, and tickets are going quick at sfsymphony.org.
— Bay Metropolis Information Basis
