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ART BOUTIKI San Jose | artboutiki.com
Ben Wendel Band: Seasons
Feb 5
Saxophonist and composer Ben Wendel admired the heck out of a project by Tchaikovsky back in 1876, which consisted of 12 piano pieces released every month for a year. So, he’s echoing the great Russian with his own Seasons project. Wendel created 12 jazz chamber duets with a handful of jazz luminaries and released them on YouTube (sadly, not available to Mr. Tchaikovsky). Now, he’s put all the pieces together for a show.
BING CONCERT HALL Stanford | live.stanford.edu
Lamentations
Brentano String Quartet
Feb 8
This straight-outta-Juilliard quartet takes its audience on a musical journey through grief. The concert features a series of musical expressions of bereavement,but the aim is to find catharsis and resolution. Selections from Purcell, Bartok, Haydn and Shostakovich.
To Love Another
Cut Circle
Feb 10
The eight-voice ensemble Cut Circle specializes in vocal music from the late-medieval and Renaissance periods. On Feb. 10, they’ll present music on the subject of loveboth spiritual and secularfrom the late 15th and early 16th centuries, from composers Du Fay, Ockeghem and Josquin.
Well Met
Feb 15
Eric Brownlee brings the bel canto tenor and Lawrence Owens counters with the bass-baritone in this duet performance by two Metropolitan Opera alumni. Together, they will take on favorite arias from Verdi, Mozart and Bizet, along with a few surprises from the American canon of spirituals.
Dreamers
Philharmonia Orchestra London
Mar 18
Under the direction of conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, London’s Philharmonia Orchestra jumps feet first into the immigration debate with a moving piece by Cuban-American playwright Nilo Cruz and Peruvian composer Jimmy Lopez. Dreamers explores the experience of its namesake, the undocumented Americans brought to the U.S. as children.
Tale of Two Cities
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra
Mar 8
Bing Concert Hall
Canada’s celebrated orchestra and chamber choir Tafelmusik is playing with a high concept in this new concert. The two cities in the show’s title are Leipzig (the hometown of J.S. Bach) and Damascus, telling a story of cultural exchange taking place in two 18th-century coffeehouses. It features the work of Bach, Telemann and Handel, as well as a generous selection of period Arabic classical music.
CITY NATIONAL CIVIC San Jose | sanjosetheaters.org
Sarah Brightman
Mar 13
British superstar Sarah Brightman has marked out and conquered a unique space between musical theater, operetta and contemporary pop, thanks to a bright, clear soprano, which she has used to charm audiences for close to four decades. The former Mrs. Andrew Lloyd Webber remains one of the world’s best-known and beloved voices.
McAFEE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Saratoga | steinwaysociety.com
Benjamin Grosvenor
Mar 12
The youngest British musician ever signed by Decca Classics, Benjamin Grosvenor has been featured in two BBC documentaries. The pianist will perform works by Schumann and Prokofiev.
MONTALVO ARTS CENTER Saratoga | montalvoarts.org
The Saint Michael Trio
Feb 10
The trio colloquially known as Saint Mike (violin, cello, piano) turns its attention to child prodigies in a concert featuring music from composers who got an early start. They include some classical music brand names, such as Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Chopin, as well as a piece from a contemporary member of that august club: 13-year-old British pianist and wunderkind Alma Deutscher.
SCHULTZ CULTURAL ARTS HALL Palo Alto | paloaltojcc.org
Black Violin
Jan 27
The concert hall meets the street with the Florida-based duo known as Black Violin, featuring Kev Marcus on violin and Wil B on viola. BV combines classical strings with hip-hop rhythms (as well as R&B and jazz) in an intriguing mix likely to appeal to open-minded classical (and hip-hop) fans.
TRIANON THEATRE San Jose | trianontheatre.com
Vyacheslav Gryaznov
Feb 10
The Steinway Society presents the Russian pianist, composer and transcriptionist in concert. The program includes two transcriptions of Rachmaninoff by Gryaznov.
San Jose Chamber Orchestra
Mar 24
As winter gives way to spring, the San Jose Chamber Orchestra will celebrate the changing of the season with a concert featuring the Amy Beach String Quartet.
