This year’s free Concert with Conversation series sponsored by San Francisco Performances features Grammy Award-winning artists, musicians of critical acclaim, and raising stars who are quickly becoming legends in their genres. San Francisco Performances, celebrating their 40th anniversary season, is providing five unforgettable concerts for the CMC community. Each short concert is followed by a Q & A session where the audience can learn more about the music and lives of the performers.
Friday, October 25, 2019 from 6:00-7:00pm
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Grammy Award-winner Jason Vieaux, “among the elite of today’s classical guitarists” (Gramophone), is the guitarist that goes beyond the classical. His most recent solo album, Play, won the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. Jason Vieaux has performed as soloist with over 100 orchestras in the U.S. and abroad.
Friday, November 22, 2019 from 6:00-7:00pm
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
The Grammy Award-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet is one of the most multifaceted groups in any genre. The LAGQ is comprised of four uniquely accomplished musicians bringing a new energy to the concert stage with programs ranging from Bluegrass to Bach. They consistently play to sold-out houses worldwide. Their inventive, critically acclaimed transcriptions of concert masterworks provide a fresh look at the music of the past, while their interpretations of works from the contemporary and world-music realms continually break new ground.
Friday, Friday, February 7, 2020 from 6:00-7:00pm
Dashon Burton, baritone
Praised for his rich tone and powerfully thrilling voice, bass-baritone Dashon Burton has proven himself to be a voice to be reckoned with, winning international competitions and performing with opera companies and orchestras across the country and in Europe. His talents make him equally at home performing Bach and Mozart to Stockhausen, as well as touring with the Grammy Award-winning contemporary vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth. Burton’s repertoire includes classical and sacred music as well as programming with deeper political meaning.
Friday, March 27, 2020 from 6:00-7:00pm
Alfredo Rodríguez, piano
Cuban pianist and composer Alfredo Rodríguez has become a globally recognized Grammy nominee with multiple critically acclaimed releases on Mack Avenue Records since being discovered and produced by the great Quincy Jones. Rodríguez is leading the way for the new wave of Cuban musicians, including past collaborators Ibeyi and Pedrito Martinez, and exposing the rich musical history of Cuba to a wider audience.
Friday, April 24, 2020 from 6:00-7:00pm
Nicholas Phan, tenor & Gabriel Kahane, piano
Described by the Boston Globe as “one of the world’s most remarkable singers,” American tenor Nicholas Phan is increasingly recognized as an artist of distinction. Praised for his keen intelligence, captivating stage presence and natural musicianship, he performs regularly with the world’s leading orchestras and opera companies.
Over the last decade, Gabriel Kahane has quietly established himself as a songwriter all his own, grafting a deep interest in storytelling to a keen sense of harmony and rhythm. His major label debut, The Ambassador, a study of Los Angeles seen through the lens of ten street addresses, was hailed by Rolling Stone as “one of the year’s very best albums”.