5/6 Shakespeare

Fête Concerts celebrates the Bard with works by 20th and 21st Century composers. Intimate pieces by Christian Jost, Hans Werner Henze, and Madeleine Dring and a Shakespeare inspired monologue by Ted Zoldan.

Performers:
Paul Dab, piano
Chelsea Hollow, soprano
Anne Hepburn Smith, soprano
Patrick Smith, guitar
Erica Zappia, viola

William Shakespeare, through his collected plays and poetry, has inspired artists for centuries. Painters, writers, composers, and film-makers have all turned to these timeless stories as a source for new work. Fête Concerts is proud to celebrate Shakespeare and the composers who have responded to his wealth of emotional and narrative material.

Hans Werner Henze wrote Royal Winter Music for solo guitar in the 1970s as two sonatas based on Shakespearean characters. The title comes from Richard IIIs opening monologue Now is the Winter of our discontent.

Madeleine Dring was an English composer and actress who had a large output of instrumental, vocal, and stage works. Her Seven Shakespeare Songs include Take O take those lips away from Measure for Measure and Come away, death from Twelfth Night.

Christian Jost composed his opera Hamlet in 2008 and portrays the existential quest of the title character by dividing him into a Soprano role and a choir. Hamlet Echoes for viola, soprano, and piano captures the essence of this opera in an intimate chamber work.
As always we will serve cheese, wine, and cake before, during intermission, and after the performance…let’s celebrate!

Tickets available at brownpapertickets.com.
$20 and $10 for students/seniors/C4NM members

May 6th at 8pm
Pre Concert Reception begins at 7:30pm
Center for New Music
55 Taylor Street, SF

3/4 Weill

Weill poster

On March 4 Fête Concerts celebrates the Birthday of Kurt Weill!

Weill began his career in the early 1920’s, after a musical childhood and several years of study in Berlin. After establishing his young career in Germany, his early musical theatre works with Bertolt Brecht made him famous all over Europe. He fled the new Nazi leadership in March 1933 and continued his indefatigable efforts, first in Paris (1933-35), then in the U.S. until his death. Weill collaborated with highly-regarded playwrights and lyricists throughout his career. Their work adapted to audience’s tastes around the world with a strong message of social justice.

Selections from Threepenny Opera, Seven Deadly Sins, Knickerbocker Holiday, Lost in the Stars and more, performed by Chelsea Hollow, Carolyn Bacon, Jordan Amann, Sergey Khalikulov, and Paul Dab. And a specially arranged “Happy Birthday” by local composer Joseph Colombo.

March 4th at 8pm
SF Community Music Center (544 Capp St.)
Pre-concert reception begins at 7:30
$15 General Admission
$10 students and seniors
As always, your ticket includes wine, snacks and party hats!
Tickets available at the door or online at brownpapertickets.com.

11/18 Rodrigo

A Rockin Rodrigo Birthday Concert

Join Fête Concerts as we celebrate the birthday of Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999). Born in Spain and trained in Paris, Rodrigo’s music incorporates traditional Moorish and Gypsy melodies, and Spanish dance rhythms in settings of song, ensemble, and solo instrumental. We will be performing a variety of songs and instrumental works including the Canciones de dos épocas which is comprised of three songs he wrote in the late 1920s and two songs from 1987.

As always, your ticket includes wine, snacks, and desserts…don’t forget the party hats!

Reserve tickets online at: BrownPaperTickets.com

A Rockin’ Rodrigo Birthday Concert
November 18th, 2016 at 7:30pm
55 Taylor Street, SF

9/11 Amy Beach

Amy's Music Beach Party

Don’t put away your bikinis and board shorts just yet! We are throwing Amy Beach a PARTAY for her birthday (which is actually 9/5, but we figured you guys wanted to do your own thing for Labor Day). We’ve got lots of great vocal, piano, and flute music. Oh yeah, and some awesome food and wine and party hats (as always).

Don’t forget your sunscreen and shades!

Here’s what we’ve got for you:
Sonata for Flute and Piano
Various songs for Soprano and Piano
Chelsea Hollow, Soprano
Katie Nix, Soprano
Victoria Hauk, Flute
Magdalena Shumanova, Piano
Paul Dab, Piano

with a specially prepared Amy Beach-y version of “Happy Birthday” by Joseph M. Colombo

Ticket link is below, there you will find General Admission tickets (for one concert) AND season tickets! See you there, party animals!
BrownPaperTickets.com

4/10 Living Women Composers

living women header

Our second of a two concert series celebrating women composers, this recital will feature the works of living and local San Francisco Bay area composers! We will perform selected works by established artists, Elinor Armer and Belinda Reynolds, as well as works of up and coming artists, Emma Logan and Rebecca Larkin. As always, appetizers, desserts, and wine is included with admission.

Sunday, April 10th at 2:00pm
The Center for New Music
55 Taylor Street (map below)
$10 (CNM Members); $20 (general admission)
Tickets available online at Brown Paper Tickets.

Performers:
Paul Dab, piano
Chelsea Hollow, soprano
Victoria Hauk, flute
Anne Hepburn Smith, soprano

This is the second in a two concert series celebrating women composers. In March, we’ll be celebrating women in music history. For more information on that concert, click here: Women in Music History

3/11 Women in Music History

women in m history header

In a deviation from our standard programming, we’ve decided to celebrate Women’s History Month with a two part recital series. First, we are going to celebrate women whose contributions were important to the course of music history. Join us to celebrate composers Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, Clara Schumann, Nadia Boulanger, Florence Price, and Kaija Saariaho. Admission is FREE due to The Shenson Foundation Faculty Grant. As always, expect wine, cheese, dessert and party hats to be included!

March 11th at 7:30pm
FREE Admission
544 Capp Street, SF (map below)

Performers:
Paul Dab, piano
Chelsea Hollow, soprano
Abigail Shiman, violin
Anne Hepburn Smith, soprano

The second concert in this series will be on April 10, celebrating living women composers (focused on those living in the Bay Area) at the Center for New Music. More information on this concert here: Living Women Composers Recital

1/30 Mozart

MOZART web image

Have some Mozart to share? Join the Fête Concert Series in their annual “Open Crook Night!” Bring your instruments, voices, and sheet music. (Make sure to bring enough copies for the full ensemble.) Join the conversation on our facebook event to find ensembles!

Suggested donation of $10 at the door.

Light appetizers and birthday cake will be provided! BYOB

11/22 Britten

Britten poster image
Come join us for our second concert of the season for Benjamin Britten’s birthday.

Britten’s Birthday Bash
Sat., November 22 at 7:30pm
544 Capp Street in SF (see map below)

Known for his wide variety of musical compositions and orchestral color and texture, Benjamin Britten was the leading British composer of the mid-20th century. From art song to instrumental ensembles, Britten had an innovative ear giving his works moments of grandeur as well as whimsy. His operas are the first British operas considered to stand up to the work of Henry Purcell in the 17th century and ranged from dark thematic material of death, abuse, and insanity to the bright world of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Performers:
Chelsea Hollow, Soprano
Yemonja Stanley, Soprano
Nicholas Harmantzis, Tenor
Johanna Bronk, Mezzo-soprano
Victoria Hauk, Flute
Paul Dab, Piano

Works to be discussed and performed include Holiday Diary for solo piano, Gemini Variations for flute and piano. Vocal works include selections from On this Island, Charm of Lullabies and his folk song arrangements, as well as scenes from Turn of the Screw, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

As always a unique Happy Birthday in the style of Britten by Resident Composer Eric Choate!

Tickets are available online at Brown Paper Tickets.
Admission includes food, wine, and party hat!

9/20 Boulanger

A Boulanger Birthday

The Fête Concert Series is proud to present a concert in celebration of Nadia and Lili Boulanger. This dynamic sister duo has had quite the impact on modern musical composition educating and influencing composers from around the globe. Join us for a fun night of music, short lecture by David Conte (local San Francisco composer and former student of Nadia Boulanger), and, of course, a delicious birthday reception of wine, small savory & sweet treats, and BIRTHDAY CAKE!

Sunday, September 20th at 7:30pm
The SF Community Music Center
544 Capp Street, San Francisco
see map below

$15-40 (Student/Senior-General Admission)
Tickets available at door

Performers include:
Paul Dab
Anne Smith
Katie Nix
Lacey Harms
Victoria Hauk
and special guest lecturer, David Conte

Ticket includes concert, food, birthday cake, wine, and party hat!

4/11 Sondheim

Sondheim Poster Image

Join us in celebrating Sondheim’s 85th birthday in our next concert: A Little Birthday Music!
Selections from: A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, Company, Sweeney Todd, A Funny Thing Happened on The Way to the Forum, and Into The Woods

Saturday, April 11th at 7:30pm
The Hollow Home
24 Northam Avenue, NP, CA, 91320 (see map below)

$15-40 (Student/Senior-General Admission)
Tickets available at door or in advance at brownpapertickets.com!

Performers include:
Anne Smith
Chelsea Hollow
Melissa Costa
Thomas Hollow
Sergey Khalikulov
Paul Dab, piano
with direction by Katie Nix

Ticket includes food, birthday cake, wine, and party hat!