By Lina Broydo
A Paris Love Story Unfolds in Mountain View
April 3 through May 5
Claude Debussy, Paris and Hershey Felder – a dream come true. TheatreWorks Silicon Valley continues its 2018/19 season with the World Premiere of Hershey Felder: A Paris Love Story, written and performed by piano virtuoso Hershey Felder, who shattered box office records at TheatreWorks with his acclaimed portrayals of Irving Berlin, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky.
Now, Felder captures the life and music of Impressionist composer Claude Debussy, a visionary who proclaimed nature his religion, creating music of ravishing beauty, color, and compassion, from the sweeping “La mer” to the evocative “L’apres-midi d’un faune” and the mystical “Clair de lune.” Intertwined with Debussy’s story, Felder for the first time shares his own deeply personal connection to the City of Light.
TheatreWorks will also present a special one-night-only musical event: Hershey Felder’s Great American Songbook Sing-Along 7:30pm April 22, 2019 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, inviting audiences to belt out their favorites accompanied by Felder’s signature piano styling.
Hershey Felder is an actor, pianist, writer, director, composer, conductor, and producer who has conjured the spirits of George Gershwin, Frederic Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, Leonard Bernstein, Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and Irving Berlin.
Described by American Theatre Magazine as “a seductive portraitist, compelling storyteller, and superb concert pianist,” Felder’s work was named one of TIME Magazine’s 2016 Top Plays and Musicals. An absolutely must see performance.
Tickets and Information
Prices range from $40 to $120
650-463-1960
theatreworks.org
Mountain View Center for Performing Arts
500 Castro Street in Mountain View
Photos: Courtesy of Christopher Ash and Hershey Felder
Emanuel Ax Plays Brahms’s Piano Concerto #2
April 11, 12, 14
It is always a priceless gift for the lovers of classic music when Emanuel Ax performs in the Bay Area. Arguably “the most distinguished American pianist alive” (The Telegraph), Emanuel Ax adds an almost improvisational fluidity to Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto, a piece that combines harrowing pianism with symphonic muscle.
Also on the program, the masterful Russian conductor Andrey Boreyko brings his own brand of passion and nuance as he leads the SF Symphony in Zemlinsky’s lush symphonic fairy tale based on the Hans Christian Andersen tragedy The Little Mermaid.
Tickets and Information
Prices range from $35 to $156
415-864-6000
sfsymphony.org
Davies Symphony Hall
201, Van Ness Street in San Francisco
Photo courtesy of SF Symphony
Splendor in the Glass
This summer the Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI) will be offering the Summer Youth Glass Camps in Fusing Arts, Jewelry, Flameworking and Glassblowing.
As a non-profit organization BAGI is striving to provide the local community an access to this exciting and beautiful form of art and crafts.
Whether it is blowing molten glass at 2300 degrees or designing jewelry in their fusing studio, there is a class for all levels of interest and ability.
Students will learn traditional techniques and be able to artistically express themselves through the magic that is glass.
Just imagine the sparkling and original gifts you will create for your special friends for the special occasions.
Information
Reply to studio@bagi.org
BAGI
635 Phelan Avenue in San Jose
Photos courtesy of BAGI
San Francisco Opera Celebrates Placido Domingo
October 6 at 2 p.m.
For one performance only the legendary Placido Domingo returns for a concert with the Opera Orchestra in celebration of his 50th anniversary with San Francisco Opera.
With over 150 stage roles, 11 Grammy Awards, multiple Emmy Awards, and more than 25 productions with San Francisco Opera, Plácido Domingo continues to astound audiences with a vocal talent unmatched in power.
This fall, join the opera devotees in celebrating one of the most influential singing actors in the history of opera and his 50th anniversary with the Company in a special grand event with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. Just remember: I gave you an early notice to purchase tickets to this unforgettable concert.
Tickets and Information
Tickets start at $117
415-864-3330
sfopera.com
War Memorial Opera House
301 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco
Photo courtesy of SF Opera