September, for what it's worth, is the start of the traditional performance calendar, though as my phrasing suggests, that's increasingly a distinction that doesn't make much difference, as events are now pretty much year-round, & the standard "season" ends only to give way to summer "festivals". We live in a year-round world now. Many years ago, when I first moved to Boston, someone I knew who had stayed in California said she hoped I could "get out of the city & go to the Cape for August", a remark which struck me even then as entitled & clueless (intentionally so), as I was not a character in an Edith Wharton novel but someone who had to grind it through in an office day after day. Anyway, I'm going to take advantage of this semi-official "beginning" of the performance year by pleading for respect for the arts, only this time I'm not talking about the Fascists & philistines currently running parts of our government, but audience members: yes, you! (And even me, though I already try to follow these rules.) Please show respect to the arts, the artists, & your fellow audience members. Put your goddamn phones away! Live performance is a privilege. Be in the transitory moment! Do not talk during the show – you will have plenty of time afterwards to say what you think. Do not step on the moment for everyone else. Do not wait until the music/acting starts to root through your bag looking for lozenges in crinkly cellophane. The program books are pretty much always set up in the same way: no need to wait until the performance starts to begin flipping through them (who knew a few sheets of paper could make so much noise?) looking for bios or lyrics or folding origami cranes out of the pages or whatever the hell it is people are doing. Watch your legs! Many theaters have limited leg room. Do not invade the space or kick the seat of anyone near you (pro tip: if your foot is touching something that isn't the floor, you're likely to be annoying someone else!). And keep your shoes on! (Yes, even in the Opera House.) Oh, there's more, much more, as people's ingenuity in inconveniencing others in the service of their own specialness is endless, but perhaps I should save all that for a separate post, so you have that to look forward to, my darlings, but in the meantime, here's some stuff to buy tickets to:
Theatrical
The Oakland Theater Project stages Hamlet, directed by Michael Socrates Moran, from 5 to 21 September; instead of their usual venue in Oakland, this show will be at the Marin Shakespeare Company in San Rafael.
Ray of Light Theater presents 9 to 5: The Musical, with music & lyrics by Dolly Parton, from 5 to 27 September at the Victoria Theater.
SFBATCO & Z Space present the world premiere of The Day the Sky Turned Orange, an "R&B and Hip-Hop musical from Julius Ernesto Rea, Olivia Kuper Harris, and David Michael Ott" about living through 2020 (& the day when wildfire smoke caused the sky to turn a peculiar & memorable shade of orange), & that's at Z Space's Steindler Stage from 5 September through 5 October.
The San Francisco Neo-Futurists present HOLE, a new full-length (one hour) "experimental theater piece by Amy Langer and Bahaar Taj in collaboration with the SF Neo-Futurists"; this is a site-specific work that will "run the first three Sundays in September, at 2:00 PM & 5:00 PM each date, at a MUNI-accessible outdoor SF location. Exact site will be shared with RSVP—a few days before the event, you will receive an email with further instructions about location and what to bring to the show"; & if that sounds interesting you can RSVP here.
The Berkeley Playhouse presents The Addams Family musical from 5 September to 5 October.
Berkeley Rep presents The Reservoir by Jake Brasch, directed by Mike Donahue, about a "hot mess of a queer twenty-something" whose strategy for getting his life under control involves his four grandparents, & it runs from 5 September to 12 October.
At the Marsh Berkeley Cabaret on Sundays from 7 September to 12 October, you can see Lesbo Solo: My Gay History Play, written & performed by Terry Baum, directed by Sarah Albertson & Bill Peters, a personal history of the changing experiences of gays & lesbians over the past half century,/
BroadwaySF presents Shucked, a musical comedy with book by Robert Horn (Tootsie), score by Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally, & direction by Jack O’Brien, & that plays 9 September to 5 October at the Curran.
The Lorraine Hansberry Theater presents Sunset Baby by Dominique Morisseau, directed by Margo Hall, about a contemporary woman in Brooklyn whose estranged father, a former Black Panther, re-appears in her life, & that's at the Magic Theater in Fort Mason, San Francisco, from 11 to 28 September.
Crowded Fire Theater presents limp wrist on the lever by Preston Choi, directed by Becca Wolff, a comedy about a trio of queer teens escaping from conversion camp, from 11 September to 4 October at the Potrero Stage.
Shotgun Players present The Motion by Christopher Chen, directed by Patrick Dooley, from 13 September to 12 October; the drama starts with a debate on animal testing, & since this is a Christopher Chen play, I'm sure it spirals out from there into unexpected & interesting directions.
ACT presents Kim's Convenience by Ins Choi & directed by Weyni Mengesha, about a Korean immigrant's corner store in Canada, from 18 September to 19 October at the Toni Rembe Theater.
The Hot Wing King by Katori Hall, directed by ShawnJ West, plays at the New Conservatory Theater Center from 19 September to 19 October.
At the Marsh Berkeley Mainstage from 20 September to 25 October, you can see Oy, What They Said About Love, written & performed by Steve Budd & directed by Mark Kenward & Kenny Yun, & the title neatly sums up the show.
At the Marsh San Francisco Mainstage from 20 September to 25 October, you can see Batt and Bass on the Road, written by Brian Thorstenson, devised with Brad Anderson-Smith, directed by Tracy Ward, & performed by Thorstenson & Anderson-Smith, about two old friends who hit the road & decide to keep on hitting it.
On 24 September at The Marsh San Francisco, you can see You’ve Been Served, written & performed by Noemi Zeigler & directed by David Ford, about Zeigler's attempt to become a professional singer, a circuitous path that involves an ayahuasca trip, a cult, perimenopause, & jail.
BroadwaySF presents Les Misérables at the Orpheum Theater from 24 September to 5 October.
Michael Frayn's beloved backstage farce, Noises Off, directed by Bill English, holds the stage at the San Francisco Playhouse from 25 September to 8 November.
Talking
City Arts & Lectures presents Samin Nosrat, author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, discusses her new cookbook, Good Things, as part of a conversation with Hrishikesh Hirway; the 13 September discussion is sold out, but tickets are available for 12 September, & that's at the Sydney Goldstein Theater.
On 15 September at the Sydney Goldstein Theater, City Arts & Lectures presents environmentalist Bill McKibben in conversation with Lauren Markham about his new book, Here Comes the Sun, & other matters.
On 19 September at the Sydney Goldstein Theater, City Arts & Lectures presents Arundhati Roy discussing her new memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me, as well as other topics, with Deepa Fernandes.
Operatic
The San Francisco Opera opens its season with Verdi's Rigoletto, conducted by Music Director Eun Sun Kim & staged by Jose Maria Condemi, with Amartuvshin Enkhbat in the title role, Adela Zaharia as Gilda, Yongzhao Yu as the Duke, Aleksey Bogdanov as Monterone, J’Nai Bridges as Maddalena, & Peixin Chen as Sparafucile, with performances on 5, 10, 13, 16, 19, 21, 24, & 27 September (please note that the performance on the 5th is Opening Night; you will know if that's something you would enjoy or not).
Next up at SF Opera is Dead Man Walking, with music by Jake Heggie & a libretto by Terrence McNally based on Sister Helen Prejean's memoir, which had its world premiere in San Francisco 25 years ago, & is being revived with Patrick Summers conducting, Leonard Foglio directing, & Jamie Barton as Sister Helen, Ryan McKinny as Joseph DeRocher, & Susan Graham as his mother, & performances are on 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, & 28 September. The Opera has panel discussions, lectures, & other presentations related to this season's operas, & you can find them listed on their calendar.
San Francisco Opera's annual Opera in the Park concert will take place on 7 September; as with Opening Night, you will know if this is the kind of thing you would enjoy or not.
Opera San José presents Mozart's & da Ponte's Così fan tutte, conducted by Joseph Marcheso & directed by Alek Shrader, featuring Emily Michiko Jensen as Fiordiligi, Joanne Evans as Dorabella, Ricardo Garcia (on 14, 19, & 21 September) & Benjamin Ruiz as Ferrando (on 26 & 28 September), Ricardo José Rivera as Guglielmo, Nicole Koh as Despina, & Dale Travis as Don Alfonso, & you can hear them on 14, 19, 21, 26, & 28 September.
Livermore Valley Opera presents Verdi's La Traviata, conducted by Alexander Katsman & directed by Candace Evans, with Avery Boettcher as Violetta, Brad Bickhardt as Alfredo, & Krassen Karagiozov as Father Germont, & that's 27 - 28 September & 4 - 5 October at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore.
For the conclusion of its salon series, Festival Opera presents Bel Canto Forever! Famous Duets for Virtuosic Voices, featuring soprano Shawnette Sulker & contralto Sara Couden, with Zachary Gordin on piano, performing works by Rossini, Bellini, Delibes, & Meyerbeer, & that's 28 September at the Piedmont Center for the Arts.
Choral
The Golden Gate Men's Chorus presents All You Need Is Love (specific contents unspecified) on 6 - 7 September at Saint Matthew's Lutheran in San Francisco (near Mission Dolores).
Chanticleer celebrates the diversity of American voices with Our American Journey, a program featuring a premiere from Trevor Weston, "demonstrating the link between traditional American hymnody and African American spirituals"; other pieces will explore "the progression of the American choral tradition from Black gospel quartets to shape-note singing to barbershop quartets and vocal jazz" as well as traditional bluegrass & folk songs & some contemporary classics, & you can join the journey on 20 September at First Church in Berkeley, 21 September at Saint John's Lutheran in Sacramento, 23 September at Mount Tamalpais UMC in Mill Valley, 25 September at Mission Santa Clara, & 28 September at Hume Hall at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Vocalists
Broadway leading man Brian Stokes Mitchell performs at the Presidio Theater on 20 - 21 September.
On 26 September at Herbst Theater, San Francisco Performances presents tenor Mark Padmore & pianist Paul Lewis in an all-Schumann program, featuring Hans Christian Anderson Lieder, Opus 40 (Märzveilchen, Muttertraum, Der Soldat, & Der Spielmann); Eichendorff Liederkreiss, Opus 39; & Dichterliebe (16 Song Version), Opus 48.
On 27 September in Hertz Hall, Cal Performances presents countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen with pianist John Churchwell performing Uncharted, a program featuring Oh Children: Three Poems by Margaret Atwood by Jake Heggie (a west coast premiere of a Cal Perf co-commission) as well as songs by Korngold, Harrison Leslie Adams, Florence Price, Handel, Clara Schumann, Brahms, Max Janowski, Ravel, & Robert Schumann.
Orchestral
The San Francisco Symphony opens its season on 12 September with Jaap van Zweden conducting Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams, Pines of Rome by Respighi, & Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto #1 (Yuja Wang, soloist); be warned that the Symphony uses surge pricing, so expect "gala"-level prices.
On 14 September at First Congregational in Berkeley, Dina Gilbert leads the Berkeley Symphony in Visions of Elysium, a program including Samy Moussa’s Elysium, Alyssa Weinberg’s Caligo & Tchaikovsky’s Pezzo capriccioso (both with cello soloist Gabriel Cabezas), & the Beethoven 3, the Eroica.
On 18 - 20 September, James Gaffigan leads the San Francisco Symphony in Carlos Simon's The Block, Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F (with soloist Hélène Grimaud) & his An American in Paris, & Duke Ellington's Harlem.
On 26 September at Hertz Hall, David Milnes leads the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra in Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, Takemitsu's A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden (which is the best title in this month's orchestral listings), Khachaturian's Flute Concerto (with soloist Nathan Haghgoo), & Copland's Symphony #3.
On 26 - 28 September, Donald Runnicles leads the San Francisco Symphony in Berg's Seven Early Songs (with mezzo-soprano Irene Roberts) & the Mahler 1.
On 27 September at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music's Hume Concert Hall, Edwin Outwater will lead the SFCM Orchestra in David Conte's Sinfonietta for Classical Orchestra, Debussy's Iberia & his Prélude à l’après-midi d’une faune (the latter led by student conductor Chih-Yao Chang), & Lutosławski's Concerto for Orchestra.
On 27 - 28 September at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, Donato Cabrera leads the California Symphony in Ravel's Boléro, Gershwin's An American in Paris, & Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (in Ravel's orchestration).
Chamber Music
On 9 September at Old Saint Mary's in San Francisco, Noontime Concerts presents the Berkelium Quartet (violinists Dan Flanagan & Karen Shinozaki Sor, violist Jacob Hansen-Joseph, cellist Michael Graham); the program has not been announced.
Lieder Alive! presents pianists John Parr & Peter Grünberg performing works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Brahms, & Richard Strauss at Old First Concerts on 14 September; on 21 September at the Maybeck First Church of Christ Scientist in Berkeley they will perform a similar program, with the addition of special guest tenor Thomas Kinch.
The Sixth Station Trio (Katelyn Tan, piano; Anju Goto, violin; Federico Strand Ramirez, cello) return to Old First Concerts on 20 - 21 September to perform Joe Hisaishi’s score for the Studio Ghibli classic Howl’s Moving Castle.
San Francisco Performances continues its popular Saturday morning Herbst Hall lecture / concert series, with returning host / lecturer Robert Greenberg & the Esmé Quartet (Wonhee Bae & Yuna Ha, violins; Dimitri Murrath, viola; Yeeun Heo, cello) replacing the now-retired Alexander String Quartet; the theme this time around is Schubert, & the series launches 27 September with the String Quartet #14 in D Minor, Death and the Maiden.
On 30 September at Old Saint Mary's in San Francisco, Noontime Concerts presents the NCCO Quartet, featuring players from New Century Chamber Orchestra (violinists Iris Stone & Stephanie Bibbo, violist Jenny Douglas, cellist Evan Kahn) performing works by Fanny Hensel Mendelssohn, Dobrinka Tabakova, Mozart, Britten, Tchaikovsky, & Piazzola:.
Instrumental
On 2 September at Old Saint Mary's in San Francisco, Noontime Concerts presents pianist Mira T Sundara Rajan, whose "pursuit of music is informed by the Indian aesthetic concept of “rasa”: the quest for the “essence, juice, taste, water, blood, elixir, beauty, [or] sentiment”, performing works by Scriabin.
From 12 - 14 September, the Presidio Theater hosts ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro.
On 16 September at Old Saint Mary's in San Francisco, Noontime Concerts presents guitarist Mak Grgić, playing as-yet unspecified works, though he is a big proponent of new music, so I'd expect some of that.
On 20 - 21 September at the Great Star Theater in San Francisco's Chinatown, you can hear Over the Moon: A Piano & Guzheng Concert, a "celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival through the poetic dialogue between piano and guzheng . . . From Debussy’s Clair de Lune to Chinese classics like 彩云追月 and 酒狂, each piece evokes the serenity, romance, and mystery of moonlight"; Fang Yi plays the guzheng & the pianist is Irene Long.
On 23 September at Old Saint Mary's in San Francisco, Noontime Concerts presents violinist Patrick Galvin, performing as-yet unspecified repertory.
On 28 September in Zellerbach Hall, Cal Performances presents pianist Daniil Trifonov playing Taneyev's Prelude and Fugue in G-sharp minor, Opus 29, Prokofiev's Visions Fugitives, Opus 22, Myaskovsky's Piano Sonata #2 in F-sharp minor, Opus 13, & Schumann's Piano Sonata #1 in F-sharp minor, Opus 11.
The San Francisco Symphony presents TwoSet Violin (violinists Brett Yang & Eddy Chen) on 29 - 30 September at Davies Hall (the Symphony does not appear); the program has not yet been announced.
Early / Baroque Music
On 16 September at The Conservatory at One Sansome in downtown San Francisco, Philharmonia Baroque is offering the third & final concert in a new series, Coffee Concerts, this time featuring Bach Before Noon, a program including Schein's Canzon á6 in A minor, Schelle's Nun komm der Heiden Heiland (instrumental), Bach's Ricercar á6 from The Musical Offering, CPE Bach's Symphony in B minor, Clara Schumann's Prelude and Fugue in E minor, & the Finale of Mendelssohn's Octet in E-flat major, Opus. 20; the concert runs from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, is free & open to the public, & includes free coffee & pastries.
On 21 September at Saint Mary Magdalen in Berkeley, the Cantata Collective continues its traversal of the Bach cantatas, this time featuring Herr, wie du willt, so schicks mit mir, BWV 73; Der Friede sei mit dir, BWV 158; & Tue Rechnung! Donnerwort, BWV 168, with soloists Tonia D’Amelio (soprano), Heidi Waterman (alto), Brian Giebler (tenor), & Harrison Hintzsche (bass); as usual, the performance is free.
Modern / Contemporary Music
The next concert in the collaboration between the ARTZenter Institute Emerging Composer Program & the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players will take place 5 September at Herbst Theater, featuring new works for chamber orchestra by Viskamol Chaiwanichsiri, Pablo Martinez Teutli, Jaebong Rho, & David Vess; as usual the concert is free & open to the public.
On 7 September at the Littlefield Concert Hall at Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, as part of its PastForward series, Other Minds presents Blue + Bob, featuring pianists Sarah Cahill & Joseph Kubera performing works by “Blue” Gene Tyranny & Robert Ashley, including Tyranny’s two-piano Decertified Highway of Dreams & Letters from Home & Ashley’s Viva’s Boy & Details (2b), along with solo pieces; "Kubera and Cahill worked on these scores with both composers, and will perform pieces that Tyranny dedicated to each of them, including The Drifter and Spirit".
Here's what's currently listed at the Center for New Music, & it's good to see more bookings than they've had in recent months: on 7 September, Harold Carr (bass, compositions, poetry), Bruce Ackley (sax), Andrew Voigt, Flavia Cervino-Wood (violin), & Derek Coombs (piano) will improvise music together; on 14 September, flutist Meerenai Shim will give a show based on her forthcoming album, The Audacity, including works by Brent Miller & Janice Misurell-Mitchell, along with performances of Whispers on the Wind by Elizabeth A Baker & Vermont Counterpoint by Steve Reich; on 20 September, Alex Heigl presents California Gold, original compositions "augmented by historical images and recordings drawn from the Library of Congress’ collection “California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties"; & on 28 September you can hear Motoko Honda’s wonderfully named Simple Excesses Quartet, featuring Honda (pianist-composer), Cory Wright (multi-woodwinds), Jordan Glenn (drums), & Matt Small (bass), performing a "blend of classical chamber music, jazz, free jazz, and experimental sound".
Collaborations / Jazz / Bluegrass / Gospel / American Songbook
On 30 August at the Greek Theater, Cal Performances presents Sarabande Africaine with Angélique Kidjo & Yo-Yo Ma, with Thierry Vaton & David Donatien & special guest Sinkane, all making music together.
The Blind Boys of Alabama will perform music from their album Echoes of the South at the SF Jazz Center on 6 - 7 September; keyboardist Cory Henry will open the show for them.
On 7 September at Old First Concerts, pianist Mike Greensill & some of his friends will hold their annual celebration of the American Songbook.
On 13 September at Davies Hall, Lyle Lovett & his Acoustic Group join with the San Francisco Symphony to celebrate the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.
The Ron Carter Quartet (Ron Carter on bass, Jimmy Green on tenor saxophone, Renee Rosnes on piano, Payton Crossley on drums) will play the SF Jazz Center on 18 - 20 September.
Dance
Mia J Chong's Eight/Moves will perform its second season of works on 12 - 14 September at the ODC Theater, including the world premiere of Wasteland by Mia J Chong, THE END, a new duet by Tsai-Hsi Hung, & an expanded restaging of Steam, an ensemble work from Season 1 by by KT Nelson, Chong, & the dancers.
Alonzo King Lines Ballet presents Deep River, to a score by Jason Moran, at the Yerba Buena Center on 18 - 21 September.
Monsoon Dance Company presents Finding My Dha, a combination of kathak (a style of Indian classical dance) with contemporary dance, with concept & choreography by Karishma Sharma in collaboration with her dancers, & that's at the ODC Theater on 19 - 21 September.
Smuin Ballet starts its season with three company premieres: Partita (choreography by Justin Peck, music by Caroline Shaw), A Long Night (a take on A Midsummer Night's Dream with choreography by Amy Seiwert & music by Patsy Cline, Pink Martini, & Tom Waits), & Extremely Close (choreography by Alejandro Cerrudo, music by Philip Glass & Dustin O'Halloran); & you can see them on 12 - 14 September at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 19 - 20 September at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek, & 26 September to 5 October at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco.
Art Means Painting
The Ruth Asawa retrospective at SFMOMA closes on 2 September, before heading to MOMA in New York.
On 26 August, the de Young Museum opens its new installation, the first refresh in 20 years, of its Indigenous American Art galleries, centered on the theme Relationship to Place; as part of the re-installation, there will be a special exhibit running until 6 December, Rooted in Place: California Native Art, featuring works from the Karuk, Yurok, Hupa, Tolowa, & Wiyot peoples of northwestern California.
Object Oriented: Abstraction and Design in the BAMPFA Collection opens on 10 September, at, obviously, BAMPFA; on 11 September, there will be an Artists’ Conversation with four of the artists in the show – Tyler Cross & Kyle Lypka, Vincent Fecteau, & Léonie Guyer – moderated by Senior Curator Anthony Graham.
The Art of Manga, the first "large-scale exhibition in the Americas to explore manga as an art form, features artists Akatsuka Fujio, Araki Hirohiko, Chiba Tetsuya, Oda Eiichiro, Tagame Gengoroh, Takahashi Rumiko, Tanaami Keiichi, Taniguchi Jiro, Yamashita Kazumi, Yamazaki Mari, and Yoshinaga Fumi", including rarely seen original drawings, opens at the de Young Museum on 27 September & runs until 25 January 2026.
Cinematic
On 26 August at the Roxie in San Francisco, San Francisco Film Preserve (formerly part of the SF Silent Film Festival) will present the silent short The Love Fighter featuring Fearless the Dog along with the premiere screening of their new restoration of Black Lightning, with Thunder the Marvel Dog & Clara Bow; both films will have live piano accompaniment by Wayne Barker & the films are hosted by Rob Byrne & will be introduced by David Stenn, author of Clara Bow: Runnin’ Wild.
At the Orinda Movie Theater on 6 September, you can see the silent stop-motion adventure classic The Lost World with live musical accompaniment by the Grand Feature Film Orchestra.
Here's what's happening this month at the Pacific Film Archive part of BAMPFA: starting 3 September, you can see Alternative Visions, the Archive's annual series of experimental films both old & new, with a reach this year across a century of cinema; starting 6 September, you can see The Signature Cinema of Roy Andersson, highlighting the Swedish director who was been compared to Jacques Tati, Monty Python, a "slapstick Ingmar Bergman", & Andrei Tarkovsky; starting 13 September, you can see Cities & Cinema: Shanghai, a series exploring the tumultuous & significant history of the Chinese port; starting 18 September, you can see Cheryl Dunye Selects!, a series featuring not only works by Dunye, including her classic The Watermelon Woman, but films that she admires.
There's a lot going on at the Roxie in San Francisco this month, including the first ZYZZYVA Movie Matinee with Ingrid Rojas Contreras, in which an author (this month, Alexander Chee) chooses a film & discusses it briefly afterwards, & Chee's choice is Max Ophul's The Earrings of Madame de …, & that's on 6 September; there is a terrific series of Hong Kong Cinema Classics starting on 5 September with John Woo's A Better Tomorrow; there are movies from the Kurosawa Restored series that started last month; & Don Hertzfeldt’s Animation Mixtape plays on 23 September.
The Bay Area International Children's Film Festival plays at the Roxie in San Francisco on 21 September.
The Orinda Movie Theater's Classic Movie Matinee for this month is John Huston's The African Queen, starring Humphrey Bogart & Katharine Hepburn, & as usual that's on the last Tuesday of the month: 30 September.
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