The Bay Area is a center of artistic expression, attracting artists, writers and musicians from around the world to live, work and create. We present some of the offers here.

Christmas dances (with boa): One of the Bay Area's most beloved holiday dance traditions returns this week for a five-week run at multiple venues across the region. We're talking about Smuin Contemporary Ballet's annual “Christmas Ballet” program, a joyful mix of works that range from elegant to sassy and silly, touching on styles such as traditional and contemporary ballet, jazz, tap, swing and more. This year's show includes world premieres by Amy Seiwert, the company's artistic director, and former Smuin choreographer Nicole Haskins. Also on the program are classic dance favorites by the company's late founder Michael Smuin, including “Bach Magnificat,” “Gloucestershire Wassail” and “Licht bensh'n,” as well as some of Michael Smuin's more playful works, including “Christmas Island,” “Droopy Little Christmas Tree.” and of course “Santa Baby,” a work that features the company’s “longest feather boa in the world.” The program lands at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek with performances Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Future performances include Dec. 1 and 2 at the Sunset Center in Carmel; 7th–10th December at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts; and 14-24. December at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. An LGBTQ+ Night performance on December 19th at the YBCA will feature popular San Francisco drag queen Lady Camden (a star of Season 14 of RuPaul's Drag Race). Tickets are $25-$119. For a complete schedule, tickets and more information, visit www.smuinballet.org.

Charming, goofy chimney sweep Jim Chimney is among the many characters who populate the Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party, taking place Saturday through December 17 at the Cow Palace in Daly City. (Courtesy of Zoart Photography/Great Dickens Christmas Fair)

The Dickens, they say: We have a hunch that living in a Dickens novel probably wouldn't be nearly as fun as hanging out at the annual holiday event in Daly City that the legendary author inspired. The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party, as the event's full name is, returns to the Cow Palace this weekend with its large and bustling recreation of Victorian London. It is packed with attractions for adults and children. The older group can enjoy port and chocolate tastings, enjoy afternoon tea, tackle a Sherlock Holmes Experience mystery, have a pint or two at the Jekyll and Hyde pub or the slightly cheekier Mad Sal's Dockside Ale House and admire the Grand Spectrum of performances on seven stages, from Irish singers to Bedouin belly dancers, comedians and jugglers to actors portraying numerous Dickens characters. For little ones, there's a self-guided children's tour of London, as well as the chance to meet Santa Claus and the popular Punch and Judy puppet shows. Most of the entertainment and interactive content is suitable for both children and adults. Of course there are all sorts of British delicacies to sample, from fish and chips and bangers and mash to meat pies and all sorts of biscuits, chocolate and other sweet treats, as well as a wide range of liquid refreshments. And yes, there are knick-knacks and other items for sale for holiday shoppers. The fair opens Saturday and runs Saturdays and Sundays (and the Friday after Thanksgiving) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Dec. 17 at the Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave., Daly City. Day passes are $25-45 ($18-30 after 3 p.m.), with children under 5 admitted free. A full pass costs $160. Go to dickensfair.com.

Los Cenzontles recently released “Son Con Son, En el Suelo Americano,” a collaboration with Grupo Mono Blanco. (Courtesy of Los Cenzontles)

Freebie of the week: Los Cenzontles, the nationally known East Bay band that specializes in performing and recording traditional and original Mexican roots music, has been busy lately. (Of course, this is nothing new for the group, which is affiliated with the San Pablo Cultural Arts Center and the school of the same name.) You can stream the fruits of their labor online. Last month, a new album was released that marked a reunion with Grupo Mono Blanco, the famous band from Veracruz, Mexico. The two began working together in the late 1980s, when Los Cenzontles (“cenzontles” means “mockingbirds”) started out as a youth band made up of cultural academy students. Their findings helped spark a revival of Mexican folk music called son jarocho. Earlier this year, Los Cenzontles, which has forged musical connections with iconic artists from Linda Ronstadt to Los Lobos and many others, teamed up again with Grupo Mono Blanco and hired acclaimed Cuban musician Kika Valera, a master of the cuatro, a guitar, which the band uses a variety of Latin music styles. The result was the album “Son Con Son, En el Suelo Americano,” which is streaming on Spotify, YouTube and other sites. If you'd like to purchase it (we're sure Los Cenzontles would appreciate it), it's selling for $12 on the group's website. Meanwhile, Los Cenzontles continues to release songs, music videos and musical films that you can enjoy for free on its website as well as on YouTube and Vimeo. Go to www.loscenzontles.com.

The Silkwood Ensemble, including artistic director Rhiannon Giddens, brings the tour of its “American Railroad” project to Berkeley on Friday evening. (Courtesy of Adam Gurczak)

To the west, ho! – in music: What an outstanding convergence of musical forces is taking place on the stage of Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley on Friday evening! As part of its “Illuminations: 'Individual and Community'” series, Cal Performances presents the Grammy-winning Silkroad Ensemble and its current artistic director, Pulitzer Prize-winning singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens, now touring with their project “American Railroad”. The program is designed to illuminate the diverse communities and cultures that contributed to westward expansion with the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. It includes African American, Chinese, Native American, American folk and Irish traditional music, including a piece commissioned by Grammy-award winning composer and singer Cécile McLorin Savant. Participating members of the Silkroad Ensemble include Giddens on banjo and vocals; Mazz Swift, violin and vocals; Wu Man on pipa, Sandeep Das on tabla; Haruka Fujii, drums; Shawn Conley on bass; Karen Ouzounian, cello and vocals; Kaoru Watanabe on Japanese flutes and percussion and Michi Wiancko on violin. They will be joined by guest artists Francesco Turrisi, frame drum and accordion; Niwel Tsumbu on guitar; Pura Fé Crescioni, lap steel guitar and vocals and Yazhi Guo on Suona. Performance time is 8:00 p.m., with a panel discussion taking place first on the mezzanine at 6:30 p.m. and a community conversation following the program. For tickets, $38-$90, go to calperformances.org and (510) 642-9988.

The Jupiter String Quartet plays music reminiscent of major civil unrest at a concert Sunday evening at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame. (Courtesy of Todd Rosenberg)

Turmoil in the strings: “Upheaval” is the theme the Illinois-based Jupiter String Quartet chose for Sunday night's concert at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame because most of the pieces to be played were composed during times of great unrest. Beethoven's powerful Quartet No. 8 in E minor, one of the famous “Rasumovsky” quartets, forms the core of the program, and is preceded by Irish-English composer Elizabeth Maconchy's Quartet No. 3, inspired by her support of the struggling Republicans Francisco Franco's forces in 1930s Spain. Guggenheim fellow Nathan Shields' new quartet “Medusa” follows, with references to Caravaggio's disturbing paintings that evoke themes of social and political violence. Carlos Simon's “Elegy” is a tribute to black American victims of police violence, and the first half of the program ends with William Bolcom's wistful piece “The Graceful Ghost,” originally written for piano in the 1970s in memory of the composer's father became. Show time is 7:00 p.m. at 2750 Adeline Drive in Burlingame. Find tickets. $25-$58, at musicatkohl.org.

The post Finest Bets: Smuin’s ‘Christmas Ballet,’ Dickens Honest, Los Cenzontles, Silkroad Ensemble, Jupiter String Quartet   appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The Bay Area is a hub of artistic expression, attracting artists, writers and musicians from around the globe to live, work and create. We highlight some of the offerings here.

Christmas dances (with boa): One of the Bay Area’s most beloved Christmas dance traditions returns this week for a five-week run at several area venues. We’re talking about Smuin Contemporary Ballet’s annual “Christmas Ballet” program, a joyous mix of works ranging from elegant to sassy and silly and touching on styles including traditional and contemporary ballet, jazz, tap, swing and more. This year’s show includes world premiere numbers by company artistic director Amy Seiwert and former Smuin choreographer Nicole Haskins. Also in the program are classical dance favorites by company founder, the late Michael Smuin, including “Bach Magnificat,” “Gloucestershire Wassail,” and “Licht bensh’n,” as well as some of Michael Smuin more playful works, including “Christmas Island,” “Droopy Little Christmas Tree” and, of course, “Santa Baby,” a work that features what the company bills as the “world’s longest feather boa.” The program lands at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts for performances at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Future performances include Dec. 1-2 at the Sunset Center in Carmel; Dec. 7-10 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts; and Dec. 14-24 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. A LGBTQ+ Night performance on Dec. 19 at YBCA features popular San Francisco drag queen Lady Camden (a star of Season 14 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”). Tickets are $25-$119. Find a complete schedule, tickets and more information at www.smuinballet.org.

The charmingly silly chimney sweep, Jim Chimney, is among the large cast of characters populating The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party running Saturday through Dec. 17 at the Cow Palace in Daly City. (Courtesy Zoart Photography/Great Dickens Christmas Fair)

The Dickens, you say: We have a hunch that living in a Dickens novel would probably be nowhere near as fun as hanging out at the annual Daly City holiday event the legendary author has inspired. The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party, to use the event’s proper full name, returns to the Cow Palace this weekend, with its large and bustling re-creation of Victorian-era London. It’s chock full of attractions for adults and kids. The older set can enjoy port and chocolate tastings, sip their way through a high tea, tackle a Sherlock Holmes Experience mystery, knock back a pint or two at the Jekyll and Hyde Pub or somewhat naughtier Mad Sal’s Dockside Ale House, and marvel at the wide array of performances on seven stages, from Irish singers to Bedouin belly dancers to comedians and jugglers to actors portraying scores of Dickens’ characters. For the young ‘uns, there is a self-guided Children’s Tour of London, as well as opportunities to meet Father Christmas and the popular Punch and Judy puppet shows. Most of the entertainment and interactive stuff, for that matter, is suitable for both kids and adults. Of course, there are all kinds of British delicacies to sample, from fish and chips and bangers and mash to meat pies and all manner of cookies, chocolate and other sweet treats, as well as a full range of liquid refreshments. And, yes, there are knickknacks and other items for sale for holiday shoppers. The fair opens Saturday and runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays (plus the Friday after Thanksgiving) through Dec. 17 at the Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave., Daly City. Daily tickets run $25-$45 ($18-$30 after 3 p.m.), with kids under 5 admitted free. A full-run pass runs $160. Go to dickensfair.com.

Los Cenzontles recently released “Son Con Son, En el Suelo Americano,” a collaboration with Grupo Mono Blanco. (Courtesy Los Cenzontles) 

Freebie of the week: Los Cenzontles, the nationally renowned East Bay band that specializes in performing and recording traditional and original Mexican roots music, has been busy of late. (Of course, that’s nothing new for the group associated with the San Pablo cultural arts center and school of the same name.) You can enjoy the fruits of their labor streaming online. Last month, it released a new album that marked a reunion with Grupo Mono Blanco, the famed band from Veracruz, Mexico. The two began collaborating in the late 1980s when Los Cenzontles (“cenzontles” translates to mockingbirds) was getting its start as a youth band composed of students at the cultural academy. Their results helped spark a revival of the Mexican folkloric music known as son Jarocho. Earlier this year, Los Cenzontles, which has forged musical bonds with iconic artists ranging from Linda Ronstadt to Los Lobos and many more, reunited with Grupo Mono Blanco and brought in acclaimed Cuban musician Kika Valera, a master of the cuatro, a guitar used in a variety of Latin music styles. The result was the album “Son Con Son, En el Suelo Americano,” which is streaming on Spotify, YouTube and other sites. If you want to buy it (we’re sure Los Cenzontles would appreciate it), it sells for $12 on the group’s website. Meanwhile, Los Cenzontles continues to post songs, music videos and music films that you can enjoy for free on its site, as well as on YouTube and Vimeo. Go to www.loscenzontles.com.

Silkwood Ensemble, including artistic director Rhiannon Giddens, brings the tour of its “American Railroad” project to Berkeley on Friday night. (Courtesy Adam Gurczak)

Westward, ho! – in music: What a stellar convergence of musical forces is taking place Friday night on stage at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley!  Cal Performances, as part of its series “Illuminations: ‘Individual and Community,’” is presenting the Grammy-winning Silkroad Ensemble and its current artistic director, the Pulitzer Prize-winning singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens, now on tour with their “American Railroad” project. Conceived as a way to illuminate the multiple communities and cultures that contributed to the westward expansion with the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, the program features African-American, Chinese, American Indian, American folk and Irish traditional music, including a piece commissioned from Grammy-winning composer and vocalist Cécile McLorin Savant. Participating Silkroad Ensemble members are Giddens, on banjo and voice; Mazz Swift, violin and vocals; Wu Man on pipa, Sandeep Das on tabla;  Haruka Fujii, percussion; Shawn Conley on bass; Karen Ouzounian, cello and vocals; Kaoru Watanabe, on Japanese flutes and percussion and Michi Wiancko on violin. Joining them are guest artists Francesco Turrisi, frame drums and accordion; Niwel Tsumbu on guitar; Pura Fé Crescioni, lap-steel guitar and vocals and Yazhi Guo on suona. Performance time is 8 p.m., with a panel discussion taking place in the mezzanine lobby first at 6:30 p.m. and a community conversation following the program. Find tickets, $38-$90, at calperformances.org and (510) 642-9988.

The Jupiter String Quartet plays music reminiscent of great unrest at a recital Sunday evening at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame. (Courtesy Todd Rosenberg)

Turmoil in the strings: “Upheaval” is the theme the Illinois-based Jupiter String Quartet has chosen for Sunday night’s recital at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame, as most of the pieces to be played were composed in times of great unrest. Beethoven’s powerful Quartet No. 8 in E minor, one of the famed “Razumovsky” quartets, anchors the program, and it will be preceded by the Quartet No. 3 by Irish-English composer Elizabeth Maconchy, inspired by her support of the Republicans fighting off Francisco Franco’s forces in 1930s Spain. Guggenheim Fellow Nathan Shields’ new quartet, “Medusa,” follows, with references to the unsettling paintings by Caravaggio that evoke themes of social and political violence. Carlos Simon’s “Elegy” pays homage to the Black American victims of police violence, and the first half of the program concludes with William Bolcom’s wistful rag, “The Graceful Ghost,” originally written for piano in the 1970s in memory of the composer’s father. Performance time is 7 p.m. at 2750 Adeline Drive in Burlingame. Find tickets. $25-$58, at musicatkohl.org.

The post Best Bets: Smuin’s ‘Christmas Ballet,’ Dickens Fair, Los Cenzontles, Silkroad Ensemble, Jupiter String Quartet   appeared first on Local News Matters.

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Kronos Quartet, a staple of the San Francisco music scene since 1978, is returning to Rancho Nicasio on Sunday, July 24 for the venue’s BBQ on the Lawn series. The night promises to be clement, with plentiful brews flowing freely and eclectic music emanating from the Kronos Quartet’s strings.

Kronos Quartet is decidedly not the traditional string quartet experience. Those concerned about a sleepy performance featuring snoring seatmates need not worry. Not only is Rancho Nicasio a lively and refreshing outdoor venue; the group is known for taking audiences along for an often unexpected, always exciting, classical thrill ride. According to its website, the quartet exists “to create, perform and promote music from a global perspective that responds to the world we share and expand the understanding of music’s role as a powerful force in society.”

Think of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,” which for those unfamiliar features live cannon fire, chimes and brass fanfare, for a general sense—minus the cannons—of Kronos’ adventurous, explorative and invigorating productions. This musical institution, including a nonprofit branch dedicated to developing the musical capacities of future generation artists and listeners, honors the profundity of music that only music can convey.

Kronos Quartet was first founded in 1973 in Seattle, WA, by violinist David Harrington and moved to its now home of San Francisco in 1978. Made up of four members, the quartet currently consists of Harrington on violin, John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola and Sunny Yang—the newest member—on cello.

The group has performed worldwide, recorded over 40 albums and is considered by many to be the most famous contemporary classical music group in the world. Their repertoire is expansive, with over 1,000 pieces commissioned over their nearly 50 years of performing. The group plays a strikingly diverse range of music, from work by minimalist composers such as John Adams, Arvo Pärt and Philip Glass, to pieces composed for them by Frank Zappa, to adaptations of works by Prince and Sigur Ros.

Kronos Quartet has performed alongside Allen Ginsberg, Björk, the National, Tom Waits and David Bowie. They have received over 40 musical awards, including two Grammy awards, the Polar Music Prize, the 2018 WOMEX Artist Award, and the Rolf Schock Prize and the Avery Fisher Prize, among others. They are constantly revolutionizing the quartet music experience and pushing the boundaries of classical music. The quartet tours five months of each year, appearing in the world’s most prestigious music venues,

The Kronos Performing Arts Association gives back to the music community in myriad ways, both in the Bay Area and internationally. Photo by Lenny Gonzalez.

Says founder Harrington of the group’s ethos, “I’ve always wanted the string quartet to be vital, and energetic, and alive, and cool, and not afraid to kick ass and be absolutely beautiful and ugly if it has to be. But it has to be expressive of life. To tell the story with grace and humor and depth. And to tell the whole story, if possible.”

Along with their illustrious and lengthy career transforming the landscape of classical music, their nonprofit arm, the Kronos Performing Arts Association (KPAA), has also built and sustained programs for mentoring emerging musicians and composers, both in the United States and abroad.

“There are certain experiences in life that set the bar higher,” says Harrington. “One of them for me was when in 1974 Rostislav Dubinsky, the Borodin Quartet’s first violinist, spent three hours going over with me every question I had about Shostakovich’s 8th Quartet. This lesson set the bar for me as to what an elder musician ought to do for a younger musician. Each member of Kronos has received this kind of generous guidance from many people over the years. We have been given a wealth of spirit and knowledge that we hope to share.”

In 2015, Kronos Quartet and KPAA, which manages all aspects of the Kronos Quartet, launched 50 For the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire. This project is commissioning and freely distributing 50 new works for string quartets, designed specifically to educate and train new to mid-career string musicians and quartets. These commissioned pieces of music play many roles, including being used as remixable samples in KPAA’s collaboration with Sunset Youth Services, which supports young music producers, engineers and hip-hop artists. These remixes will be released by Sunset Youth Services’ in-house record label, Upstar Records.

Their ongoing dedication to keeping the history of classical music alive, contemporary and valuable to the community has made Kronos Quartet a musical institution and a gem in the crown of the Bay Area arts scene.

Check out Kronos Quartet this Sunday, July 24 at Rancho Nicasio, playing a set including works by Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, Mazz Swift, Peni Candra Rini, Philip Glass and Michael Gordon.

For information and tickets to BBQ on the Lawn, visit www.ranchonicasio.com. More information about the quartet can be found at www.kronosquartet.org.

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guitarist/composer George Cotsirilos reconvenes the same wonderfully interactive quartet featured on his acclaimed 2018 release “Mostly in Blue” for his new album, “Refuge.” A superb showcase for his taut, blues-informed, harmonically challenging approach, “Refuge” finds Cotsirilos, pianist Keith Saundersbassist Robb Fisherand drums Ron Marabuto tackling the leader’s new compositions, all created during the pockets of pandemic isolation.

RICHMOND, Calif., April 18, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — George Cotsirilos pushes into new frontiers with the May 20th release of “Refuge” (OA2). The guitarist and composer’s follow-up to his acclaimed 2018 album “Mostly in Blue” again features his quartet—pianist Keith Saundersbassist Robb Fisherand drummer Ron Marabuto—but repositions them both in pursuit of new challenges and, if anything, even more “in blue.”

Cotsirilos added piano to his longtime trio in 2018, hoping to express the denser harmonies he was hearing in his writing. The success of the experiment encouraged him to keep moving forward, creating a group of compositions that are more complex and more seasoned in the blues. (He comes by that seasoning honestly: Though based in the San Francisco Bay AreaCotsirilos was born and raised in Chicago.)

The lockdowns and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic gave him opportunities to explore a variety of music and assimilate it into his own work. However, it also hampered his ability to workshop the new tunes with the band. “It became more and more difficult to try out the pieces, so it took a while to get them to a point where we were all happy with them,” Cotsirilos says. “But I was confident … that everything would come together.”

Indeed, come together it did. From the sumptuous melody and harmonies of “Refuge,” to the sly, sexy Latin groove of “Igualmente,” to the alluring intricacies of “Aftermath” and “Let’s Make a Break for It,” Refuge is every inch the work of an adept and highly attuned ensemble. It’s clear that the players are intimately familiar with not just the compositions, but the possibilities they offer.

While Cotsirilos is the album’s leader and composer, the quartet functions very much on a level playing field. The pieces require close interaction among all four musicians—the entirety of “A Faint Light” hinges on the pocket they create—and even the solos achieve their high caliber through the full band’s chemistry. Cotsirilos’s Byzantine line on “Planet Roxoid” succeeds by virtue of Saunders’s anticipating his every step, and the guitarist pays it forward with an equally empathic accompaniment of Fisher’s bass solo on “The Three Doves.”

Cotsirilos claims to receive inspiration from recordings of Beethoven’s cello sonatas—because, he says, they were written with an aim “for instruments to enhance each other.” His work with his quartet on “Refuge” leaves no doubt that this is so.

George Cotsirilos was born in Chicago in 1951. His passion for music was stimulated by an aunt and an uncle—the former was a classical music lover who encouraged him to play the violin; the latter was an early drummer who took him to hear Louis Armstrong. The renaissance of Chicago blues during his teenage years ensured that George grew devoted to the electric guitar.

In 1969, Cotsirilos enrolled at UC Berkeley. A sociology major, he briefly left school halfway through his studies to play guitar in a blues band. When he re-enrolled at Berkeleyhe separately became a student of Warren Nunes, a legendary guitarist in East Bay musical circles. Nunes brought Cotsirilos under the sway of jazz, learning about the great guitarists as well as the ideas and techniques of other instrumentalists like Miles Davis, John Coltraneand Chick Corea.

Even as he studied music more seriously—training on classical guitar through the San Francisco Conservatory of Music—Cotsirilos completed his sociology degree, then attained a law degree. He maintained a dual career for years working as a criminal defender and lecturer at Berkeley’s prestigious School of Law, while also performing alongside Pharoah Sanders, Etta Jamesrenowned drummer Eddie Marshalland Bay Area stalwarts Mel Martin other Mark Levin. He released his first solo album, “Silenciosa,” in 2003, followed by three trio albums with Fisher and Marabuto.

In 2017, around the same time he expanded his trio to a quartet (with Saunders on piano), Cotsirilos retired from the law profession and devoted himself full-time to music. “Refuge” is one of the beneficiaries of that decision—and so is the jazz audience.

The George Cotsirilos Quartet will be performing CD release shows on Sat. 5/21 at Bird & Beckett, san francisco (7:30pm); Sat. 5/28 at Mr. Tipple’s Recording Studio, san francisco (6:00pm); and Sat. 6/4 at The Backroom, Berkeley (8:00pm).

Media Contact

Terri RearTerri Hinte Public Relations, 510-234-8781, hudba@sbcglobal.net

SOURCE George Cotsirilos

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