We come to the end of another calendar year, & what can I even say? The recent election hangs like a poisonous miasma over our broken world, promising only further breaking. There have been some unexpected personal results: I find myself unable to read Whitman these days; his essentially optimistic & glowing view of human & specifically American possibilities just seems too bitterly ironic right now. Perhaps it's time to pick up Beckett or Primo Levi.
Here's an unclassifiable event that may be the best way to exorcise this year: the 39th Annual Japanese New Year Bell-Ringing Ceremony on 29 December at the Asian Art Museum: "Ring in the New Year by taking a swing at a 2,100-pound, 16th-century Japanese temple bell. Led by Reverend Gengo Akiba, this inspiring ceremony will include a purification ritual and chanting of the Buddhist Heart Sutra. Visitors will have an opportunity to ring the bell to leave behind any unfortunate experiences, regrettable deeds, or ill luck from the year. The bell will be struck 108 times to usher in the New Year and curb the 108 mortal desires (bonno) that, according to Buddhist belief, torment humankind."
You do have to make reservations to ring the bell, but even if you just go & sit in the room for a while, as I did last year it's a stirring experience. We should cherish whatever hope we can find, wherever we can find it, these days.
Merry Happy Whatever You Celebrate to You. . . .
Theatrical
A Whynot Christmas Carol by Craig Lucas, directed by Pam MacKinnon, about a small-town theater troupe trying to stage a new version of A Christmas Carol, continues at ACT through 24 December.
BroadwaySF brings back Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton from 27 November to 5 January 2025. It would be interesting to see how this show, a modern classic, lands in a world very different from the one it premiered in nearly 10 years ago.
The Presidio Theater continues its annual holiday Panto in the Presidio series with a new version of Peter Pan, running 3 - 29 December.
Theater of Yugen presents A Noh Christmas Carol, directed by Nick Ishimaru, from 4 - 29 December; I saw earlier iterations of this show, & it's wonderful – Dickens' ghost story translates with great ease into the traditional Japanese form.
The New Conservatory Theater Center presents Deep Inside Tonight, by & starring The Kinsey Sicks ("America’s Favorite Dragapella® Beautyshop Quartet"), from 4 December to 5 January 2025.
BroadwaySF presents The Golden Girls Live: The Christmas Episodes at the Curran Theater from 5 to 22 December; directed by D’Arcy Drollinger, the show is a "drag send-up and heartfelt tribute" to the popular sitcom, featuring two parody Christmas episodes.
Oakland Theater Project will be presenting the world premiere of A Thousand Ships by Marcus Gardley, about the"friendship between two Black women and their families, from their wartime work in the Oakland shipyards to the fulfillment of a dream: their own hair salon", directed by Michael Socrates Moran, from 13 December to 5 January.
BroadwaySF presents Shrek The Musical at the Golden Gate Theater from 6 to 8 December.
The Jewelry Box: A Genuine Christmas Story, written & performed by Brian Copeland & directed by David Ford, about six-year-old Brian's attempts to earn enough money to buy his Mom a jewelry box as a Christmas gift, plays at The Marsh Berkeley on 8 December & The Marsh San Francisco on 21 December.
On 10 December, Theater Rhinoceros presents Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory.
On 10 December at the Golden Gate Theater, BroadwaySF presents A Drag Queen Christmas, hosted by Nina West, & these days supporting your local drag queen seems like a vital political act.
BroadwaySF presents Cirque Dreams Holidaze, a modern-circus Christmas extravaganza, on 13 - 15 December at the Golden Gate Theater.
The San Francisco Mime Troupe presents A Red Carol, "[w]ith music, joy, and plenty of harsh truths about his time and ours, A Red Carol is the demand for economic and social justice Dickens wanted then, and we need now" (in short, they are faithful to the message of Dickens' original), & that's at Z Space's Steindler Stage from 14 to 29 December.
BroadwaySF brings the musical Mean Girls back to the Golden Gate Theater on 19 - 22 December.
Eve. combining "dance, aerial, and a body of music written and composed by Andrea Densmore with her son, Tony Owen" that "shines a light on the cycle of domestic violence", plays at the ODC Theater on 20 - 22 December.
The African-American Shakespeare Company gives us its annual holiday production of Cinderella at Herbst Theater on 20 - 22 December.
Lorraine Hansberry Theater presents Soulful Christmas, with musical direction by Yvonne Cobbs & stage direction by Margo Hall, from 20 to 22 December at the Magic Theater at Fort Mason.
Talking
As part of its Unscripted series, on 4 December at the Golden Gate Theater BroadwaySF presents A Conversation with Cher, moderated by Joel Selvin, in which Cher will discuss her new book, Cher: The Memoir, Part One; attendees will receive "an unsigned copy of the book, included in the price of tickets", & apparently it will remain unsigned, as they note that "No Meet & Greet opportunities are available for this event".
Choral
Sacred & Profane gives us Norden: A Scandinavian Holiday Celebration, featuring traditional songs & festive choral works from Scandinavia by Grieg, Sibelius, Otto Olsson, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Jón Leifs, Frida Johansson, & others; & that's 6 December at the Noe Valley Ministry in San Francisco & 7 December at Saint Mark's Episcopal in Berkeley.
Former director of Pacific Edge Voices Lynne Morrow returns to the ensemble for Return to the Heart: The Promise of Peace, a program including works by Bernstein, Barber, Brubeck, & Meredith Monk, as well as African-American spirituals & traditional Afro-Cuban music, & that's 6 December at Saint Mark's Lutheran in San Francisco & 8 December at First Congregational Church of Oakland
On 7 December in Hertz Hall, Wei Cheng leads the UC Berkeley University Chorus in Britten's Saint Nicolas & Bernstein's Chichester Psalms.
The Young Women’s Chorus of San Francisco, led by Matthew Otto & joined by harpist Molly Langr, performs Carols by Candlelight, featuring Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols as well as traditional carols set for chorus & harp, at Old First Concerts on 7 December.
The SF Bach Choir joins with the Velocity Handbell Quartet in A Candlelit Christmas: Under Moon & Stars, offering "both joyful and contemplative music from around the world, the traditional-with-a-twist Boar’s Head procession, our beloved candle-lit carols, and much more"; & that's 7 - 8 December at Calvary Presbyterian in San Francisco.
The Golden Gate Men's Chorus (Joseph Piazza, Music Director) presents Gloria!, its annual holiday concert, on 12 - 17 December at Saint Matthew's Lutheran in San Francisco (near Mission Dolores).
Ragazzi Boys Chorus, led by Kent Jue, performs Sing, Choirs of Angels!, a program featuring holiday pieces by Erick Lichte, Schütz, Bach/Gounod, Sy Gorieb, Tim Hosman & Tim Sarsany, Stanley Thurston, Mendelssohn, Howard Helvey, & Dan Forrest (some of the names may be unfamiliar, but their titles are beloved), at Old First Concerts on 15 December.
Chanticleer brings us A Chanticleer Christmas, featuring "joy and transcendence through beautifully sung music of all centuries, from classical to carols", & the Bay Area performances are 13 December at Saint Vincent de Paul in Petaluma, 15 December at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, 16 December at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento, 19 December at Mount Tamalpais United Methodist in Mill Valley, 20 December at Mission Santa Clara, 21 December at First Church in Berkeley, 22 December at Saint Ignatius in San Francisco, & 23 December at Carmel Mission.
Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble brings us its latest version of Wintersongs, this year following "the arc of the supra, a traditional Georgian ritual feast in which all present are encouraged to contemplate the things in life that uplift and connect us", & you can hear it all on 7 December at Saint Stephen's in Belvedere, 8 December at Saint Bede's in Menlo Park, 14 December at the Davis Community Church in Davis, 15 December at Peace United Church in Santa Cruz, 20 - 21 December at Saint Paul's Episcopal in Oakland, & 22 December at Old First Concerts in San Francisco.
Robert Geary leads the San Francisco Choral Society in the Festival of Carols, featuring Kirke Mechem's Befana, on 21 December at Trinity + St. Peter's Episcopal in San Francisco & 22 December at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley.
On 21 December in Zellerbach Hall, Cal Performances presents the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus Holiday Spectacular! (their exclamation point).
The San Francisco Girls Chorus gives us A Celtic Winter, with guests Edwin Huizinga on violin & Ashley Hoyer on mandolin, on 23 December at Davies Hall in San Francisco.
Vocalists
The SF Jazz Center invites you to spend An Evening With Gregory Porter at the Paramount Theater on 8 December.
Broadway SF brings Leslie Odom Jr. & The Christmas Tour to the Golden Gate Theater on 29 November.
On 15 December in Hertz Hall, Cal Performances presents soperano Asmik Grigorian with pianist Lukas Geniušas performing songs by Tchaikovsky & Rachmaninoff.
Holiday Concerts
The San Francisco Symphony is devoting most of the month to its annual holiday programming: on 1 December, Mariachi Sol de México® de José Hernández gives us A Merry-Achi Christmas (the Symphony hosts this show but does not perform); on 2 December, Ming Luke leads the orchestra as Troupe Vertigo performs dazzling feats; on 3 - 4 December, Gail Deadrick leads The Colors of Christmas, featuring vocalists Peabo Bryson, Jackie Evancho, Jennifer Holliday, BeBe Winans, & the Bay Area Super Choir (Jeffrey Williams, Director); on 8 December, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser leads the Symphony, joined by the Young Women’s Choral Projects of San Francisco (Matthew Otto, Director), the San Francisco Boys Chorus (Ian Robertson, Director), the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (Terrance Kelly, Director), the San Francisco Ballet Training Program, the Kugelplex Klezmer Ensemble, & members of Troupe Vertigo in Deck the Halls, a family-oriented concert of holiday classics & sing-alongs; on 11 December, Edwin Outwater leads members of the Symphony in Holiday Brass; on 13 December, Outwater is back with Holiday Gaiety, featuring, as co-emcee, Peaches Christ, joined by performers Alex Newell, Latrice Royale, Lady Camden, Kylie Minono, Sister Roma, mezzo-soprano & aerialist Nikola Printz, & the SF Gay Men’s Chorus (Jacob Stensberg, Director & Conductor); on 15 December, Radu Paponiu leads the SF Symphony Youth Orchestra in Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, as well as other seasonal classics; & on 17 - 18 December, Outwater leads the Symphony, joined by Boyz II Men, in a concert of their hits & Christmas classics.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, joined by singer Ekep Nkwelle & singer/pianist Robbie Lee, bring their holiday program to the SF Jazz Center on 7 December.
The effervescent Pink Martini, featuring vocalist China Forbes, celebrates the holidays at the SF Jazz Center from 10 to 15 December.
At Old First Concerts on 13 December, Golden Bough (Margie Butler, Paul Espinoza, & Kathy Sierra) perform their annual celebration, Christmas in a Celtic Land.
On 15 December at the Paramount, Kedrick Armstrong leads the Oakland Symphony in their annual holiday concert, Let Us Break Bread Together, which this year is A Tribute to the Legends of Disco!; featured artists include vocalists Tiffany Austin, Maiya Sykes, & ChristoPHER Turner, the Oakland Symphony Chorus, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, The Best Intentions, the Napa High School Chamber Choir, as well as Kev Choice on keyboards, Dame Drummer on drums, Uriah Duffy on bass, & Kelyn Crapp on guitar.
On 11 December at Saint Joseph's Arts Society in San Francisco, One Found Sound presents its annual Holiday Pop Rox!, featuring "classical arrangements of your favorite holiday pop songs sung by oboist and charismatic singer Jesse Barrett, along with performances by nationally renowned, award winning drag queen Nicki Jizz. The show is a parody mash-up of "A Christmas Carol" and "Rocky Horror Picture Show", featuring a visual experience that interacts with the audience as part of the show, designed by visual director Max Savage" (that "interacts with the audience as part of the show": don't say I didn't warn you!)
Jung-Ho Pak leads the Bay Philharmonic in their Holiday Spectacular, featuring dancers, singers, & seasonal hijinks, on 14 - 15 December at Chabot College Center for the Performing Arts in Hayward.
Cyrus Chestnut plays A Charlie Brown Christmas at the SF Jazz Center on 20 December.
George Cole plays Nat King Cole's The Magic of Christmas at the SF Jazz Center on 20 - 22 December.
The Spanish Harlem Orchestra brings Salsa Navidad to the SF Jazz Center on 20 - 21 December.
The Marcus Shelby New Orchestra plays the Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker Suite, featuring vocalist Tiffany Austin, at the SF Jazz Center on 22 December.
Orchestral
David Milnes leads the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra in Perú Negro by Jimmy López, the Daphnis and Chloe Suite #2 by Ravel, & music from Studio Ghibli films by Joe Hisaishi, & that's 12 - 14 December at Hertz Hall.
Jessica Bejarano leads the San Francisco Philharmonic in the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto (with soloist Wyatt Underhill) & the Tchaikovsky 6 at the Taube Atrium Theater on 14 December.
Jory Fankuchen leads the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra in Grażyna Bacewicz's Concerto for String Orchestra, the Saint-Saëns Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Opus 28 & his Havanaise in E major, Opus 83 (featuring Hiro Yoshimura on violin) & the Haydn 103, the Drumroll, & that's 30 December at the Taube Atrium Theater at the War Memorial Complex in San Francisco, 31December at First Congregational in Berkeley, & 1 January 2025 at First United Methodist in Palo Alto (these concerts are free but it is appreciated if you RSVP).
Chamber Music
On 1 December at the Gunn Theater at the Legion of Honor, a chamber group of San Francisco Symphony musicians will perform an all-Beethoven program: the Violin Sonata #1 in D major, Opus 12, #1, the Cello Sonata #1 in F major, Opus 5, #1, & the Piano Trio in E-flat major, Opus 70, #2.
The Chamber Music Society of San Francisco (Natasha Makhijani & Jory Fankuchen, violins; Clio Tilton, viola; Samsun van Loon, cello) perform Mozart's String Quartet in D Major, K575 & Beethoven's String Quartet in E-flat Major, opus 127 at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley on 2 December.
Noontime Concerts at Old Saint Mary's in San Francisco presents the Magritte Trio (Elektra Schmidt, piano; Sarah Elert, violin; Lewis Patzner, Cello) in Beethoven's Piano Trio in C Minor, Opus 1, #3 & his Piano Trio in D Major, Opus 70, #1, the "Ghost" on 3 December.
On 3 December at Herbst Theater, San Francisco Performances presents the Pacifica Quartet (Simin Ganatra & Austin Hartman, violins; Mark Holloway, viola; Brandon Vamos, cello), joined by clarinetist Anthony McGill, to perform Dvořák's String Quartet Opus 96, the “American”; Ben Shirley's High Sierra Sonata for Clarinet and Quartet; & the Brahms Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Opus 115.
On 3 December, Berkeley Chamber Performances presents San Francisco Chamber Musicians at the Berkeley City Club, performing Schubert's D 471 Trio, William Grant Still's Lyric Quartette, & Schubert D 803 Octet.
A chamber group of Berkeley Symphony musicians (Dan Flanagan, violin; Evan Kahn, cello; Rufus David Olivier, bassoon; Elizabeth Dorman, piano; & Roman Fukshansky, clarinet) perform Tradition, a program curated by Fukshansky, featuring the Brahms Clarinet Trio in A minor, Opus 114, Glinka's Trio Pathétique in D minor, & Srul Irving Glick's The Klezmer’s Wedding; & that's 8 December at the Piedmont Center for the Arts & 9 December at Freight & Salvage.
The Friction Quartet (Otis Harriel & Kevin Rogers, violins; Mitso Floor, viola; Doug Machiz, cello) perform John's Book of Alleged Dances by John Adams, Canções da America by Clarice Assad, & Family Group with Aliens (a Friction commission) by Piers Hellawell on 12 December at the Noe Valley Ministry in San Francisco & 13 December at Saint Mark's Episcopal in Palo Alto.
Early / Baroque Music
Voices of Music presents virtuoso concertos by Corelli, Sammartini, & Vivaldi along with dance music by Telemann, Praetorius, & Purcell, with soloists Manami Mizumoto, Isabelle Seula Lee, William Skeen and Hanneke van Proosdij, & that's 6 December at First Congregational in Berkelely, 7 December at the Taube Atrium Theater in San Francisco, & 8 December at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Palo Alto.
On 8 December at UC Berkeley's Hertz Hall, David H Miller leads the University Baroque Ensemble in In spite of cold weather, a program featuring 17th & 18th century music for winter from England, France, & Italy.
Guest conductor Ruben Valenzuela leads Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale in A Bach Christmas, featuring soprano Sherezade Panthaki in the cantatas Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 62 & Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147a, along with Christopher Craupner's Reiner Geist, lass doch mein Herz, GWV 1138/11 & his Overture in F Major, GWV 445, & you can hear it all on 11 December at Bing Concert Hall at Stanford, 12 December at Herbst Theater in San Francisco, & 13 December at First Congregational in Berkeley.
On 12 December at Grace Cathedral, Jeffrey Thomas leads the American Bach Soloists in A Baroque Christmas, with soloists soprano Mary Wilson, countertenor Eric Jurenas, tenor Jon Lee Keenan, & baritone Jesse Blumberg in Part 1 of Bach's Christmas Oratorio & his Gloria in excelsis Deo & the Christmas section of Handel's Messiah as well as the Hallelujah Chorus.
Guest conductor Derek Tam leads the California Bach Society in Gaudete: A Christmas Dialogue Across Centuries, featuring nativity texts from Praetorius, Victoria, Clemens non Papa, Schütz, Britten, Poulenc, Thad Jones, & Francis Melville; the concert is "framed by two Ave Marias, one a medieval chant, the other a ravishing setting by the 20th-century German choral master Franz Biebl", & you can hear it all on 13 December at Saint Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal in San Francisco, 14 December at First Presbyterian in Palo Alto, & 15 December at First Congregational in Berkeley.
On 15 December the Cantata Collective continues its traversal of Bach's cantatas, presented for free at Saint Mary Magdalen's in Berkeley, with Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt, BWV 68 & Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80, with soloists Jennifer Paulino (soprano), Heidi Waterman (alto), Brian Giebler (tenor), & Harrison Hintzsche (bass).
On 31 December at Herbst Theater, Jeffrey Thomas leads the American Bach Soloists, with guest vocalists Maya Kherani (soprano) & Eric Jurenas (countertenor), in A Baroque New Year's Eve at the Opera, featuring arias, duets, & overtures from Handel (Riccardo primo, Partenope, Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, Flavio, Rinaldo, Ariodante, & Giulio Cesare), Rameau (Naïs, Platée, & Les indes galantes), & Graun (Cesare e Cleopatra).
Messiahs
On 6 - 7 December at Davies Hall, Stephen Stubbs leads the San Francisco Symphony in Messiah, with soloists Amanda Forsythe (soprano), John Holiday (countertenor), Aaron Sheehan (tenor), & Douglas Williams (baritone).
Urs Leonhardt Steiner leads the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra & Chorus & you in their annual Sing It Yourself Messiah!, on 8 December at Herbst Theater in San Francisco & 15 December at the Benicia Clock Tower in Benecia.
On 13 December at Grace Cathedral, Jeffrey Thomas leads the American Bach Soloists in Messiah, with featured soloists soprano Mary Wilson, countertenor Eric Jurenas, tenor Jon Lee Keenan, & baritone Jesse Blumberg.
Nutcrackers
San Francisco Ballet, the big powerhouse among Bay Area Nutcrackers, presents its version (choreography by Helgi Tomasson), at the Opera House from 6 to 29 December.
On 14 - 15 December in Zellerbach Hall, Cal Performances presents tap-dancing Dorrance Dance in The Nutcracker Suite, a contemporary version of the ballet using the Ellington / Strayhorn version of Tchaikovsky's score.
If you can't sit still while the sugarplums are waltzing, the San Francisco Pride Band gives you the Dance-Along Nutcracker, "Part comedy musical, part dance-it-yourself ballet, and part symphonic concert", on 7 - 8 December at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco.
The Oakland Ballet presents Graham Lustig's production of The Nutcracker, with Tchaikovsky's score performed by the Oakland Symphony & the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir, on 21 - 22 December at the Paramount.
Dance
ODC/Dance gives us its annual holiday performances of The Velveteen Rabbit, choreographed by KT Nelson, at the Yerba Buena Center from 30 November to 8 December.
Smuin Ballet continues its run of The Christmas Ballet on 5 - 8 December at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, & 13 - 24 December at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco (20 December is LGBTQ+ Night with special guest Lady Camden).
Art Means Painting
In a year full of bad news, here's some more: the CJM (Contemporary Jewish Museum) has announced that it will be closing for at least a year, beginning on 15 December (admission is free until then, & they have some interesting exhibits on view). You can read the whole message here. It's not unprecedented for a local museum to close for an extended period – both SFMOMA & the Asian Art Museum have done so – but that was during renovations or while moving to a new facility. Here's hoping the CJM will come through in good shape.
Qi Baishi: Inspiration in Ink, an exhibit of the 20th century painter "whose work revitalized traditional Chinese ink painting", opens at the Asian Art Museum on 12 December.
A couple of new shows are opening at SFMOMA: on 14 December, the 2024 SECA [Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art] Art Award Exhibition features Rose D’Amato, Angela Hennessy, & Rupy C Tut; & on 21 December, New Work: Samson Young features Intentness and songs, a multimedia installation.
Cinematic
On 11 December, the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco screens a restored version of the 1937 classic The Dybbuk, with live music by Yenne Velt & an introduction by Nathaniel Deutsch.
As part of its holiday programming, the San Francisco Symphony is performing a live score to a couple of films: Susie Benchasil Seiter leads Miles Goodman's score to The Muppet Christmas Carol (starring Michael Caine &, of course, the Muppets) on 12 & 14 December, & John Debney leads his own score to Elf (starring Will Farrell), a movie many people liked a lot more than I did, on 19 - 21 December.
BAM/PFA has its usual enticing line-up of film series launching this month (please note that the museum will have modified hours starting on the 14th, closing at 5:00 rather than 7:00, & will be closed entirely from 23 December through 5 January 2025):
* G. W. Pabst: Selected Films, 1925–38 opens 7 December & runs through 28 February 2025; if you need a reminder of why you'd want to see his films, here are some titles: Pandora's Box, Diary of a Lost Girl (both with Louise Brooks, of course), The Threepenny Opera. . . .;
* To Exalt the Ephemeral: Artists on Screen, in conjunction with the museum's current exhibit To Exalt the Ephemeral: The (Im)permanent Collection, showcases films by & about artists like Joan Mitchell, Agnes Martin, Jay DeFeo, & Eva Hesse, & that runs 8 to 22 December;
* Marcello Mastroianni at 100, which is self-describing & self-recommending, runs from 15 December to 27 February 2025.
Find some joy where you can, & to all a good night.
