Thursday, March 4

Other Minds 10 new music festival, Charles Amirkhanian director, opens with composer-pianist Tigran Mansurian (Armenia) and violist Kim Kashkashian, Hanna Kulenty’s (Poland) microtonal Flute Concerto No. 1 performed by the Parall?le Ensemble, the world premiere of Jon Raskin’s The “Hear” and Now with the ROVA Saxophone Quartet (US), and Asian guest superstars. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater San Francisco 8 pm composer panel 7 pm in the Forum $35/27/18 student discount and series pass available (415) 978-2787.

Friday, March 5

Other Minds 10 new music festival, Charles Amirkhanian director, continues with Amelia Cuni, Werner Durand, Uli Sigg (Germany) in Ashtayama; composer Mark Grey (US) and cellist Joan Jeanrenaud; and Canadian Francis Dhomont’s 12-channel surround sound extravaganza. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater San Francisco 8 pm composer panel 7 pm in the Forum $35/27/18 student discount and series pass available (415) 978-2787.

Saturday, March 6

Other Minds 10 new music festival, Charles Amirkhanian director, winds up with an all-day affair featuring the Women’s Philharmonic lectures on Women in Music, 9 am-noon, in the Forum, free; an Avant-Accordion Demonstration with Stefan Hussong (Germany), 1:30 pm, Forum, free; Khachaturian, a documentary film, 3 pm, Forum, $10/8 students; composer panel, 7 pm, Forum, free; and an 8 pm concert featuring the world premiere of a work by Joan Jeanrenaud, accordion virtuoso Stefan Hussong playing John Cage’s Dream, with dancer Pamela Wunderlich, and jazz bassist Alex Blake and his New York-based quintet. Concert—Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater San Francisco 8 pm $35/27/18 student discount and series pass available (415) 978-2787.

San Francisco Performances presents the Lindsay String Quartet in a performance of native San Franciscan Nathaniel Stookey’s Quartet No. 1 and works by Haydn and Beethoven. Herbst Theatre 401 Van Ness at McAllister San Francisco 8 pm $48/26 student/senior rush half-price as available (415) 392-4400.

Sunday, March 7

Empyrean Ensemble presents An Evening with Pianist Amy Dissanayake. Program includes Quartet for Clarinet and String Trio by Krzysztof Penderecki, Hidden Boundaries by Marjorie Merryman, transpiration by Yu-Hui Chang, selected Piano Etudes by György Ligeti, and piano works by John Adams. Studio Theater of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts UC Davis 8 pm $16/8 (530)752-4492 (530)752-9684 http://music.ucdavis.edu/empyrean.

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, conducted by George Thomson, presents Under Construction No. 14, showcasing two commissions in progress by Bay Area composers. Program includes Kurt Rohde’s semi-staged oratorio Bitter Harvest (a love story), libretto by Amanda Moody, a piece scheduled for its world premiere during the 2005-06 season; a preview of a segment composed by Music Alive! Composer-in-Residence Naomi Sekiya of Manzanar, a multimedia work about the Japanese-American experience relative to the World War II internment camps; local composer Steven Clark’s Three Serious Pieces for Orchestra (part III); and, as part of its commitment to music education, Their Darkest Longing by 14-year-old Matthew Cmiel of the Crowden School, a composition student of John Adams. St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Avenue Berkeley 8 pm Free (510) 841-2800.

Stanford Music Department presents Wet Ink and [sic] Winter Concert, new works by student composers in collaboration with the Stanford Improvisation Collective [sic]. Campbell Recital Hall 541 Lasuen Mall Stanford 8 pm Free (650) 723-2720 music.stanford.edu.

Monday, March 8

Stanford Music Department, as part of its strictly Ballroom series, presents Sebastian Berweck piano performing an overview of the contemporary German musical landscape, including works by Lang, Maierhof, Parkinson, and others. Campbell Recital Hall 541 Lasuen Mall Stanford 8 pm Free (650) 723-2720 music.stanford.edu.

Thursday–Sunday, March 11–14

New Century Chamber Orchestra, Krista Bennion Feeney music director, presents Divertimento for Strings. Program includes Felix Mendelssohn’s String Symphony No. 12, William Walton’s String Sonata, and Bella Bartok’s Divertimento for Strings. 3/11: St John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave Berkeley 8 pm (415) 392-4400 3/12: St Marks Episcopalian Church 600 Colorado Ave Palo Alto 8 pm (415) 392-4400 3/13: Herbst Theatre 401 Van Ness Ave San Francisco 8 pm (415) 392-4400 3/14: Osher Marin JCC 200 N San Pedro Rd San Rafael 5 pm (415) 444-8000 $39/28 www.ncco.org.

Saturday, March 13

The Oakland Metro presents an evening with Amy X. Neuburg, celebrating the release of her CD Residue, and Herb Heinz, celebrating the release of his latest CD Another. Oakland Metro 201 Broadway Oakland 9 pm $10 (510) 763-1146 www.oaklandmetro.org.

Sunday–Tuesday, March 14–16

California Symphony, Barry Jekowsky music director, presents ABC 7 News Anchor Dan Ashley narrating Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat (The Soldier’s Tale) with members of Center REPertory Company and Diablo Ballet. Program also includes Barber’s Adagio for Strings and Sir William Walton’s Fa?ade, with members of Center REPertory Company. Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek 7:30 pm (3/14) 8 pm (3/16) $59/49/39/20 students (925) 280-2490 (925) 943-7469 tickets.

Monday, March 15

San Francisco Conservatory of Music, as part of BluePrint—A New Music Project, performs Lyric Sets from Coast to Coast, conducted by artistic director Nicole Paiement. Program features works by composers in San Francisco and Boston including Harbison’s Mirabai Songs. Hellman Hall 1201 Ortega Street San Francisco 8 pm Free (415) 759-3475 www.sfcm.edu.

Tuesday, March 16

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, Kent Nagano conductor, presents a concert honoring eminent cellist Laszlo Varga. Program includes Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, Matt Haimovitz soloist; the world premiere of Karen Tanaka’s Urban Prayer, Joan Jeanrenaud soloist; and Elliott Carter’s Cello Concerto, with George Thomson conductor and Judiyaba cello. Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley campus 8 pm $45/32/21/10 students (510) 841-2800 www.berkeleysymphony.org.

San Francisco Performances presents Vadim Gluzman violin in the world premiere of Lera Auerbach’s Lonely Suite (Ballet for solo violinist). Program also includes Alfred Schnittke’s Suite in the Old Style, with pianist Jonathan Feldman, and works by Beethoven, Grieg and Ravel. Herbst Theatre 401 Van Ness at McAllister San Francisco 8 pm $44/26 student/senior rush half-price as available (415) 392-4400.

Thursday, March 18

San Francisco Performances presents violinist Vadim Gluzman and composer/pianist Lera Auerbach in a performance of Auerbach’s 24 Preludes for Violin and Piano. Rex Hotel 562 Sutter Street near Powell San Francisco 6:30 pm $15 (415) 392-4400.

Tuesday, March 23

Berkeley Chamber Performances presents the Empyrean Ensemble with featured pianist Amy Dissanayake. Program includes Quartet for Clarinet and String Trio by Krzysztof Penderecki, Hidden Boundaries by Marjorie Merryman, transpiration by Yu-Hui Chang, selected Piano Etudes by György Ligeti, and piano works by John Adams. The Ballroom at the Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Avenue between Dana and Ellsworth Berkeley 8 pm $20/15 www.berkeleychamberperform.org.

Friday, March 26

Joan Jeanrenaud cello, Miya Masaoka koto/electronics, and Larry Ochs saxophones perform music composed by Larry Ochs for improvising musicians, in the only Bay Area concert by this trio in 2004. Noe Valley Music Series at the Noe Valley Ministry 1021 Sanchez Street San Francisco 8:15 pm (415) 454-5238 www.noevalleymusicseries.com.

Saturday, March 27

Community School for Music and Arts presents 2003 Grammy Award nominee David Holzman piano in a concert featuring the music of Griffes, Wolpe, Stravinsky, Susman, Martino, Peterson, and Gershwin. Community School for Music and Arts 230 San Antonio Circle Mountain View 7 pm (650) 917-6800 www.arts4all.org.

Sunday, March 28

Noe Valley Chamber Music presents Wandering through the Desert, a program of music with a Jewish or Middle Eastern connection. Citywinds performs wind quintets by Jewish composer Pavel Haas, Israeli composer Lior Navok, Egyptian composer Gamal Abdel-Rahim, and a klezmer & Arabic-inspired work by American Derek Bermel. Noe Valley Ministry 1021 Sanchez Street San Francisco 4 pm $15/12 students/seniors (415)648-5236 www.nvcm.org.

Old First Concerts presents 2003 Grammy Award nominee David Holzman piano in a concert featuring the music of Bloch, Feinsmith, Wolpe, Schoenberg, Susman, Davidovsky, and Itor Kahn. Old First Church 1751 Sacramento Street at Van Ness San Francisco 4 pm (415) 474-1608 www.oldfirstconcerts.org.

Monday, March 29

Left Coast Chamber Ensemble performs Dissonance: Mozart and Beyond. Program includes Mozart’s “Dissonant” Quartet in C, K. 465; 16th. Century Madrigals by William Byrd; the west coast premiere of 2003 LCCE Composition Contest winner Moritz Eggart’s Pong for small ensemble; and Ligeti’s String Quartet #1, “Metamorphoses Nocturnes.” The Green Room 401 Van Ness on the 2d floor above Herbst Theater San Francisco 8 pm $19/14 (415) 642-8054 www.ChamberMusicPartn.org no reservations or presales.

Sunday, April 4

Stanford Music Department, as part of its strictly Ballroom series, presents David Bithell in a concert of works for trumpet, electronics, and performance art. Campbell Recital Hall 541 Lasuen Mall Stanford 8 pm Free (650) 723-2720 music.stanford.edu.

Wednesday, April 7

Stanford Music Department presents ALEA II, works by Stanford graduate composers. Program includes Erasing de Kooning by Christopher Jones, performed by the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Wild Thing by Hans Thomalla, and other works. Campbell Recital Hall 541 Lasuen Mall Stanford 8 pm Free (650) 723-2720 music.stanford.edu.

Saturday, April 10

New Langton Arts presents bassist Tetsu Saitoh with koto players Shoko Hikage, Brett Larner, and Ryuko Mizutani performing original compositions and free improvisations. New Langton Arts 1246 Folsom Street San Francisco 8 pm $8/6 Langton members/students/seniors (415) 626-5416.

Tuesday, April 13

Composers, Inc. presents an all-choral new American music program featuring composers from New

York and California.f The Pacific Mozart Ensemble performs music by Anne Callaway, Kurt Erickson, Vivian Fung, Philip Glass, David Lang, Frank La Rocca, Jeffrey Miller, and Meredith Monk. Green Room 2nd Floor of the War Memorial Building 401 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco 8 pm $20/14 student/senior/disabled (415) 512-0641 mail@composersinc.org.

Wednesday, April 14

Stanford Music Department presents the St. Lawrence String Quartet with Anton Nel piano in a performance of Shostakovich’s Quartet #8, the U.S. premiere of 20 by professor Mark Applebaum, and Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet. Dinkelspiel Auditorium 471 Lasuen Mall Stanford 8 pm $20/10 (650) 723-2720 music.stanford.edu.

Thursday–Friday, April 15–16

The Jazz House presents the Rova Saxophone Quartet—Jon Raskin, Larry Ochs, Bruce Ackley, and Steve Adams. Jazz House 3192 Adeline at MLK Berkeley 8 pm $10 donation (415) 846-9432 www.rova.org.

Saturday, April 17

New Music Works Ensemble, Phil Collins artistic director and conductor, presents Endangered, “a ritual mingling of music, dance, spoken word, and projected imagery in honor of earth’s imperiled species of flora and fauna.” Program includes Duets and Choruses, Cecak Rawa bird recorded in Sumatra by Jack Body; Child of Tree for amplified cactus quills by John Cage; Requies Ranarum (frog requiem) by Phil Collins; the world premiere of Endangered Species by David Cope; the world premiere of Poseidon’s Tears for cello and interactive media by Peter Elsea; Songs in the Forest for speaker and mixed quartet by Lou Harrison; To the Earth by Frederic Rzewski, and Son in the Dusk I for clarinet solo by Geon-Yong Lee. UCSC Music Center Recital Hall UC Santa Cruz 8 pm $10/8 seniors/6 students.

Sunday–Tuesday, April 18–20

California Symphony, Barry Jekowsky music director, presents Copland’s Music for the Theatre, Janáček’s Suite for Strings, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 in A Major. Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek 7:30 pm (4/18) 8 pm (4/20) $59/49/39/20 students (925) 280-2490 (925) 943-7469 tickets.

Tuesday, April 20

San Francisco Conservatory of Music presents its New Music Ensemble in a student composition concert. Hellman Hall 1201 Ortega Street San Francisco 8 pm Free (415) 759-3475 www.sfcm.edu.

Wednesday, April 21

Stanford Music Department presents flutist and Manhattan School of Music faculty member Patti Monson flute in a concert featuring contemporary works for flute with electronics. Campbell Recital Hall 541 Lasuen Mall Stanford 8 pm Free (650) 723-2720 music.stanford.edu.

Friday–Saturday, April 23–24

Volti presents its 25th Anniversary Concert. Program features Kirke Mechem’s kinetic Winging Wildly, Alexander Post’s pastoral This is the Garden, and the world premiere of Volti commission A Choral Symphony by Mark Winges. April 24th concert includes a champagne/dessert reception and silent auction. 4/23: St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Avenue Berkeley 8 pm 4/24: First Unitarian Church 1187 Franklin Street at Geary San Francisco 7 pm $25 (415) 771-3352 www.voltisf.org.

Saturday, April 24

Pacifica Performances—Concerts by the Sea presents the Del Sol String Quartet in a performance of the world premiere of a string quartet by George Antheil and music by Piazzolla and Dvorak. Sanchez Concert Hall 1220A Linda Mar Boulevard Pacifica 7:30 pm $12-20 (650) 355-1882 www.pacificaperformances.org.

Thursday–Sunday, April 29–May 2

New Century Chamber Orchestra, Krista Bennion Feeney music director, presents Shostakovich and Grieg. Program includes Felix Mendelssohn’s String Symphony No. 12, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No.1, Gilles Vonsattel piano, and Edvard Grieg’s Holberg Suite. 4/29: St John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave Berkeley 8 pm (415) 392-4400 4/30: St Marks Episcopalian Church 600 Colorado Ave Palo Alto 8 pm (415) 392-4400 5/1: Herbst Theatre 401 Van Ness Ave San Francisco 8 pm (415) 392-4400 5/2: Osher Marin JCC 200 N San Pedro Rd San Rafael 5 pm (415) 444-8000 $39/28 www.ncco.org.

Friday, April 30

Stanford Music Department presents a student recital featuring composer Justin Yang’s Present-Day Oratorio—vocal music with instrumental accompaniment. Campbell Recital Hall 541 Lasuen Mall Stanford 8 pm Free (650) 723-2720 music.stanford.edu.

Sunday, May 9

Noe Valley Ministry presents violinist Jorja Fleezanis and pianist Karl Paulnack. Program includes Ernest Bloch’s Sonata, Olivier Messiaen’s Theme and Variations, Peter Mennin’s Sonata Concertante, Mario Davidovsky’s Synchronisms No. 6, and John Tavener’s My Gaze is Ever Upon You. Noe Valley Ministry 1021 Sanchez Street San Francisco 4 pm $15/12 students/seniors (415)648-5236 www.nvcm.org.

Monday, May 10

Left Coast Chamber Ensemble performs Variations on Variations. Program includes Prokofiev’s Quintet for Oboe, Clarinet, Violin, Viola, and Bass; a new work by Beth Custer; Ellen Ruth Harrison’s Masques et Visages; and Debussy’s Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp. The Green Room 401 Van Ness on the 2d floor above Herbst Theater San Francisco 8 pm $19/14 (415) 642-8054 www.ChamberMusicPartn.org no reservations or presales.

Sunday, May 16

Stanford Music Department presents the Wet Ink Spring Concert, new compositions by undergraduate composers. Campbell Recital Hall 541 Lasuen Mall Stanford 2:30 pm Free (650) 723-2720 music.stanford.edu.

Sunday–Tuesday, May 16–18

California Symphony, Barry Jekowsky music director, presents a world premiere by Kevin Beavers, the California Symphony’s Young American Composer-in-Residence. Program also includes Mozart’s Overture to The Magic Flute and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, op. 125, D minor “Choral” featuring Courtenay Budd soprano, Wendy Hillhouse mezzo-soprano, Kevin Gibbs tenor, Anton Belov baritone, and Baroque Choral Guild, Sanford Dole chorus director. 5/16, 18: Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek 7:30 pm (5/16) 8 pm (5/20) 5/17: San Mateo Performing Arts Center 600 N. Delaware Street San Mateo 8 pm $59/49/39/20 students (925) 280-2490 (925) 943-7469 tickets.

Monday, May 17

Earplay, Mary Chun conductor, ends its 2003-04 season with Earplay Prizes and Premieres. Program includes the winner of Earplay’s 2003 international competition—the Donald Aird Memorial Composers Competition—Iris by Portuguese composer João Pedro Oliveira; the winner of the Wayne Peterson Prize, Moldovan Igor Iachimciuc’s Ar Trebui (We Should), a poem for flute, clarinet, piano, violin, cello, and percussion; the world premiere of Bruce Christian Bennett’s Return from the Ashes, an Earplay commission supported by an award from Harvard University’s Fromm Music Foundation; and the west coast premiere of Chen Yi’s lively Chinese New Years in Kansas City for string quartet. Guest artists include Lisa Weiss, Dan Reiter, and Daniel Kennedy. Composers at the pre-concert talk include João Pedro Oliveira, Igor Iachimciuc, and Bruce Christian Bennett. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum 701 Mission Street San Francisco 8 pm $18/12 seniors/students/members www.earplay-sf.org.

Friday–Saturday, May 21–22

San Francisco Performances presents the Kronos Quartet celebrating its 30th anniversary with a concert entitled Visual Music. Program includes works by Steve Reich, John Zorn, Scott Johnson, Mark Grey, Bernard Herrmann, Conlon Nancarrow, Krzysztof Penderecki, Terry Riley, and Sigur Rós. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater 700 Howard Street at Third San Francisco 8 pm $44/26 student/senior rush half-price as available (415) 392‑4400.

Saturday, May 22

Stanford Music Department presents the Stanford Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Akiko Fujimoto and Jindong Cai, in a concert welcoming new conductor Cai. Program features the premiere of Martian Anthropology, composed in Cai’s honor by professor Mark Applebaum, Brahms’s Second Piano Concerto with Brian Hsieh, winner of the Stanford Concerto Competition, and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloë. Dinkelspiel Auditorium 471 Lasuen Mall Stanford 8 pm $10/5 (650) 723-2720 music.stanford.edu.

Trinity Chamber Concerts presents the Del Sol String Quartet in The Complete String Quartets of George Antheil. Program includes one world premiere. Trinity Chapel 2320 Dana Street between Bancroft & Durant Berkeley 8 pm $8-12 (510) 549-3864 TrinityConcerts@aol.com.

Monday, May 24

Stanford Music Department presents visiting scholar and pianist Chryssie Nanou piano in a concert of works for piano and electronics. Campbell Recital Hall 541 Lasuen Mall Stanford 8 pm Free (650) 723-2720 music.stanford.edu.

Thursday, May 27

Stanford Music Department presents Stanford Chamber Chorale, Stephen M. Sano conductor, in a concert featuring Au-Young’s TzuCho for 24 voices and 48 pieces of paper, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and Brahms’s Neue Liebeslieder Walzer. Memorial Church 450 Serra Mall Stanford 8 pm $10/5 (650) 723-2720 music.stanford.edu.

Friday, May 28

New Century Chamber Orchestra, Krista Bennion Feeney music director, presents Rendezvous with Schubert. Program includes Alan Shulman’s Rendezvous for Clarinet and String Quartet, Charles Niedich clarinet, Osvaldo Golijov’s Last Round for Double String Quartet and Bass, and Franz Schubert’s Octet in F for Strings and Winds. Florence Gould Theatre California Palace of the Legion of Honor 34th Ave and Clement St San Francisco 8 pm $29/20 (415) 392-4400 www.ncco.org.

Stanford Music Department presents Alea II, an evening of new works from graduate composers. Campbell Recital Hall 541 Lasuen Mall Stanford 8 pm Free (650) 723-2720 music.stanford.edu.