We had a rough few weeks there at the beginning of the year, as the omicron variant of the coronavirus led to one more sputtering burst of cancellations on the music front.
Since then, though, concert life seems to have resumed the comforting purr of steady activity, leaving us free to look ahead with guarded optimism at some of the tantalizing delights coming our way.
Here’s a list of 10 musical events that promise to be worth your time and attention.
Mahler Chamber Orchestra with Mitsuko Uchida
Pianist Mitsuko Uchida is renowned for the shimmery eloquence of her playing, especially in the music of the classical masters. Cal Performances offers the rare chance to hear Uchida on tour, performing two Mozart concertos back-to-back, those in A Major (K. 488) and C Minor (K. 491).
The Mahler Chamber Orchestra, led by concertmaster Mark Steinberg, will also step to the fore with string arrangements of music by Purcell.
Mahler Chamber Orchestra with Mitsuko Uchida: 3 p.m. March 27. $50-$175. Masks and proof of vaccination required. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley. 510-642-9988.https://calperformances.org
Jamie Barton
The inventive mezzo-soprano, who dazzled during the San Francisco Opera’s“Homecoming”concert last year, comes to Cal Performances for a recital with composer-pianist Jake Heggie. Heggie’s music features prominently, including the West Coast premiere of the song cycle “What I Miss the Most ….” The pair plans to also collaborate on songs by Florence Price, Brahms and Schubert.
Jamie Barton and Jake Heggie: 3 p.m. April 3. $63-$68. Masks and proof of vaccination required. Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley. 510-642-9988.https://calperformances.org
John Corigliano’s Saxophone Concerto
Nearly 200 years after its invention, the saxophone has still never found a secure and consistent place in the classical landscape. But if it’s a guest, it’s always a welcome one, and John Corigliano’s new Saxophone Concerto promises to exploit the instrument’s sound world to the fullest.
Giancarlo Guerrero conducts the commissioned world premiere with soloist Timothy McAllister, on a program that also features music by Adolphus Hailstork, Antonio Estévez and Astor Piazzolla.
San Francisco Symphony: April 7-9. $20-$135. Masks and proof of vaccination required. Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., S.F. 415-864-6000.www.sfsymphony.org
yMusic
This charismatic contemporary music sextet from New York City divides its time between traditionally created scores by actual composers and group creations that seem to be an amalgam of written and improvised material.
The ensemble’s forthcoming appearance with Cal Performances includes music by Gabriella Smith, Missy Mazzoli, Judd Greenstein and Andrew Norman, as well as several collaborative efforts.
yMusic: 8 p.m. April 8. $43-$48. Masks and proof of vaccination required. Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley. 510-642-9988.https://calperformances.org
‘West Side Story’
The burst of excitement around Steven Spielberg’s recent film version of“West Side Story”has died down. Now it’s time to revisit the piece live, in Opera San José’s production conducted by Christopher James Ray and staged by director Crystal Manich.
“West Side Story”: Opera San José. April 16-May 1. Masks and proof of vaccination required. $55-$195. California Theatre, 345 S. First St., San Jose. 408-437-4450.www.operasj.org
‘Radamisto’
Handel’s operas, with their flashy vocal virtuosity and lurid plots, have long been catnip for audiences, and the musicians of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale are masters of this style.
With British countertenorIestyn Daviesin the title role and music director Richard Egarr conducting, the group presents “Radamisto” in a new production staged by director Christophe Gayral.
“Radamisto”: Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale. April 20-24. $25-$120. Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University. 650-724-2464.https://live.stanford.edu
Women conduct the San Francisco Symphony
For far too long, women have been almost completely absent from the podium in Davies Symphony Hall. Now things are finally beginning to change, and the month of May promises a torrent of visits by female guest conductors.
Look for Xian Zhang conducting Florence Price’s Piano Concerto alongside music by Nokuthula Ngwenyama and Dvorák (May 5-8); Karina Canellakis with music by Richard Strauss, Lili Boulanger and Witold Lutoslawski (May 13-15); andNathalie Stutzmann leading a program of Brahms and Tchaikovsky (May 26-28).
San Francisco Symphony: May 5-28. $35-$165. Masks and proof of vaccination required. Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., S.F. 415-864-6000.www.sfsymphony.org
California Symphony
For the final program of California Symphony’s 2021-22 season, Music Director Donato Cabrera and the orchestra plan to introduce the new composer in residence, Viet Cuong, who teaches at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Along with Cuong’s still-unannounced premiere, Cabrera is slated to conduct music by Elgar and Tchaikovsky.
California Symphony: May 14-15. Masks and proof of vaccination required. $20-$74. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. 925-943-7469.www.californiasymphony.org
Julia Bullock: ‘History’s Persistent Voice’
SopranoJulia Bullockhas established herself not only as one of the leading vocal artists of her time, but also as a programmer and curator of considerable imagination. For the San Francisco Symphony, where she is one of eightCollaborative Partners, Bullock unveils an evening of new and recent work by female composers, includingCécile McLorin Salvant, Carolyn Yarnell, Jessie Montgomery and Pamela Z.
“History’s Persistent Voice”: 7:30 p.m. May 17. $35-$165. Masks and proof of vaccination required. Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., S.F. 415-864-6000.www.sfsymphony.org
Oakland Symphony
As the orchestra finishes out the season that was to have been conducted by the lateMichael Morgan, Leonard Slatkin, music director laureate of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, arrives to conduct a program buoyed by “A Child of Our Time,” Michael Tippett’s oratorio grafting the African American spiritual tradition onto the practices of the Baroque.
Music by Cindy McTee and Alan Hovhaness rounds out the program.
奥克兰交响曲:5月20日。面具和vacci的证据nation required. $25-$90. Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. 510-444-0801.www.oaklandsymphony.org