From piano dazzler Juja Wang’s return to Davies Hall for the S.F. Symphony season opener to a revival of “Dead Man Walking” to Smuin Ballet’s new program, there is a lot to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend and beyond.
Here’s a partial rundown.
Classical picks: SF Symphony opener, Flower Piano, more
Here are three events, including San Francisco Symphony’s season-opening concert, that classical music fans should know about.
“Opening Night” at the Symphony: It’s always a celebration when Yuja Wang is at the San Francisco Symphony, and this week the brilliant pianist returns to help launch the orchestra’s 2025-26 season. “Opening Night with Yuja Wang,” led by conductor Jaap Van Zweden, has Wang scheduled to play Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1; the program also includes John Adams’ high-octane “Short Ride in a Fast Machine,” and Respighi’s “Pines of Rome.” Pre-and Post events round out the evening.
Details: 7 p.m. Friday; Davies Symphony Hall; $209-$499; sfsymphony.org.
Flower Piano celebrates a decade: Pianists Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers join forces to mark Flower Piano’s 10th anniversary season. Presented by Sunset Piano and Gardens of Golden Gate Park, the outdoor concert features music by Eleanor Alberga, Amy Beach, Terry Riley and others.
Details: 11 a.m. Sept. 13; San Francisco Botanical Gardens of the Great Meadow of Golden Gate Park; free with park general admission, but advanced tickets recommended; gggp.org/flowerpiano.org.
Berkeley Symphony opener: Launching its fall season, Berkeley Symphony welcomes Quebec-based conductor Dina Gilbert leading a program featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, “Eroica.” Also featured are cellist Gabriel Cabezas, serving as soloist for Alyssa Weinberg’s “Caligo,” and Tchaikovsky’s “Pezzo Capriccioso.” Samy Moussa’s “Elysium” completes the program.
Details: 4 p.m. Sunday; First Congregational Church of Berkeley; tickets $15-up; berkeleysymphony.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
Dead Man Walking marks big revival
A full quarter century after the premiere of “Dead Man Walking” here on the War Memorial Opera stage, it’s hard to overstate the impact that Jake Heggie’s first major offering has had, both on his career and on the opera world itself. Heggie was just an employee in San Francisco Opera’s publicity department in 1997 when then general director Lotfi Mansouri, recognizing talent from the songs the young man had written for opera singers, elevated him to composer-in-residence so he could create the work that launched his career. Following its 2000 debut, “Dead Man,” with some 70-80 productions worldwide, has become the most frequently performed contemporary opera, and Heggie, with at least nine other such full-blown works to his credit, was inducted into the OPERA America Hall of Fame in March and named the 2025 Composer of the Year by Musical America.
Inspired by the 1993 bestselling memoir by Sister Helen Prejean about her time ministering to a killer awaiting his execution (and made into a movie starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn), the opera, with a libretto by the renowned playwright Terrence McNally, returns to the War Memorial stage at 2 p.m. Sunday for a six-performance run, in a production directed by Leonard Foglia and conducted by the returning Patrick Summers, a veteran from the world premiere. American mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton stars as Sister Helen, a role created by Susan Graham; bass-baritone Ryan McKinny assumes the role of death-row inmate Joseph De Rocher; and Graham, the first Sister Helen, returns as the tortured mother of the doomed man, Mrs. Patrick De Rocher, the role first made famous here by the legendary Frederica von Stade.
Details: The production runs through Sept. 28; find tickets, $29-$447, at sfopera.com.
— Bay City News Foundation
Historical re-enactments come to Mare Island
There’s probably only one place in the Bay Area that played critical roles in both World Wars, ran a secret nuclear-sub operation against the Russkis and now is a fantastic place to wine and dine. That would be Mare Island, a decommissioned Navy shipbuilding base in Vallejo, which this month is inviting visitors to celebrate its stories with walking tours of “living history.”
On Sunday, the island will host multiple live re-enactments to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. Put on by the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation, the event will give visitors a taste of shipyard operations during the war, delivered by costumed reenactors well-versed in naval affairs.
The three-hour guided tour introduces Wendy the Welders — like Rosie the Riveters, but for welding — as well as shipbuilders who hammered together war machines and even a sailor who survived the USS Indianapolis, sunk on the last day of the war. And afterward, attendees are welcome to grab food and drink at Mare Island Brewing Co. or Redwood Empire Whiskey’s new tasting room.
Details: Event takes place 1:30-4:30 p.m. Sunday; 1065 Walnut Ave., Vallejo; $12-$35; reservations required; mihpf.org/events
— John Metcalfe, Staff
Smuin launches new season
Under the artistic direction of choreographer Amy Seiwert, Smuin Ballet appears headed into an exhilarating new era as the company’s Season 32 kicks off with three Bay Area premieres.
Key among them is “Partita,” by triple-Tony-Award-winner Justin Peck and set to Caroline Shaw’s Pulitzer Prize-winning score for eight voices. The work is making its first appearance outside of New York City Ballet. The program also includes Alejandro Cerrudo’s “Extremely Close” and Seiwert’s “A Long Night,” which is set to a medley of songs by Patsy Cline, Pink Martini, and Tom Waits.
The season kicks off with a three-day stand at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, running Sept. 12-13. The program moves to the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek for performances Sept. 19-20; then settles into Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco for eight performances Sept. 26 through Oct. 5.
Details: For tickets ($25-$95) and more information, go to smuinballet.org.
— Andrew Gilbert, Correspondent
Tuneful freebie of the week
Back in the day, quite a few pop acts were making hay off the tune “I Think We’re Alone Now,” a romantic nugget credited to songwriters Ritchie Cordell (music) and Bo Gentry (lyrics), who later noted that he had penned his portion of the hit for his girlfriend. Tommy James recorded the most famous version, which was credited with helping create the “bubblegum” music genre. The song was also covered in 1987 by mall-pop crooner Tiffany, who went on to such career highlights as appearing in the films “Mega Piranha” and its sequel “Mega Python vs. Gatoroid,” as well as a guest appearance on “Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling.” The song was also covered in 1978 by new wave singer Lene Lovich, as well as in 2007 by pop vocal group Girls Aloud. But our favorite version of the tune was recorded in 1977 by East Bay power-pop band The Rubinoos, which reportedly formed in 1970 to play a high school dance. The band also scored a hit in 1979 with “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” (which led to a brief legal tussle with Avril Lavigne) and 1984 with the theme song to “Revenge of the Nerds.” After a lengthy hiatus beginning in the ‘80s, the Rubinoos reformed in 2006 and are still at it today. You can catch them (and maybe hear and or all three of the above-mentioned pop classics) when the band performs as part of the free Point Richmond Music concert series on Sept. 12.
Details: Rubinoos perform at 5:30 p.m., followed by The Lemonhammer at 6:45 p.m.; Park Place and Washington Avenue in downtown Point Richmond; free; pointrichmondmusic.org.
Floyd guitarist drops tour album, film
David Gilmour’s 2024 Luck and Strange Concerts tour was definitely one of the most memorable classic rock treks of recent years, showcasing one of the greatest guitarists of all time performing from both the Pink Floyd songbook and his own mighty solo catalog.
Unfortunately, the tour’s only U.S. stops were in the Los Angeles area (for four shows) and New York City (for five gigs). (Yeah, we were personally hoping for a 19-night stand in The Bay Area, but — alas — it did not come to pass.)
The good news, however, is that fans living in the Bay Area and other parts of the country can now experience this thrilling live production — in support of Gilmour’s fifth solo album, “Luck and Strange” — in two tantalizing ways.
The first occurs when the concert film “Live at the Circus Maximus, Rome” is released to big screens — including those epic IMAX numbers — on Sept. 17. The film captures Gilmour and his terrific backing band in concert at Rome’s historic Circus Maximus near the start of the Luck and Strange tour. The film will only be in theaters for a limited time. For tickets and other details (such as a list of participating theaters), visit www.davidgilmour.film.
If you miss it in the theaters, or simply want your own copy to watch over and over again, “Live at the Circus Maximus” will be released both on Blu-ray and DVD on Oct. 17.
Also, Gilmour fans will definitely want to check out “The Luck and Strange Concerts” audio release, which offers up 23 tracks (via four LPS or two CDs) recorded at select shows on the tour. We greatly anticipate dropping the needle on the vinyl set — and, in particular, hearing this tour’s glorious rendition of Pink Floyd’s “Fat Old Sun” — when it’s released on Oct. 17.
Details: For more details, visit davidgilmour.com.
— Jim Harrington, Staff