Tuesday February 9, 2010
San Francisco's firefighters are offering you a rare opportunity: to clean out your closet and help Haitians at the same time.
Through Friday, Feb. 12, you're invited to take children's clothing (new or in good condition) to any San Francisco firehouse--and you can pick up a charitable deduction form to submit with your taxes. The clothes will be shipped to Haiti and distributed to kids in the quake-hit areas.
The clothing collection is a collaborative effort of the firefighters' union, the SF Fire Commission and the SF Fire Department, which also has a handy list and map of fire station locations.
More questions about the clothing drive? Call the SF Firefighters Union Local 798 at (415) 621-7103.
Wednesday February 3, 2010
A standing ovation to the San Francisco Symphony, the top winner in the classical divisions of the just-announced Grammy Awards. Our orchestra scored three Grammys for its recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 8 and the Adagio from Mahler's unfinished Symphony No. 10, including Best Classical Album.
At the Jan. 31 Grammy ceremony in LA, the SFS recording also was named Best Choral Performance for conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and choir directors Ragnar Bohlin, Kevin Fox & Susan McMane, who led the Pacific Boychoir, San Francisco Girls Chorus and San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Its third Grammy was Best Engineered Classical Album, for engineer Peter Laenger.
The two-disc, live concert recording is the latest in SFS and MTT's continuing series of Mahler symphony recordings, which began in 2001. For the project, SFS established its own in-house label, SFS Media--the first orchestra in the country to do so. Thus far, the orchestra has recorded all of Mahler's symphonies, the Adagio from the uncompleted No. 10 and other songs. Still to be recorded are a few of Mahler's works for voice and orchestra, which is to be finished this year.
MTT is considered one of the world's most distinguished interpreters of Mahler. The Mahler project has racked up seven Grammys total (including this year's three). In addition, SFS has been awarded seven Grammys for non-Mahler recordings.
The SFS website has more information about the Mahler Project
and about the production of the triple-Grammy Symphony No. 8 and Adagio from No. 10 recording, including an audiovisual clip.
Tuesday January 26, 2010
Bay Area musicians will pump out Latin, jazz, R&B, hip-hop, funk and other music in a concert Wednesday night to benefit Haiti earthquake victims.
San Francisco Hearts Haiti features more than a dozen bands, soloists or DJs, including Kalbass Kreyol, which comprises several Haiti natives who have family and friends still there. The Afro-Caribbean band's energetic and addictive dance melodies blend Haitian music styles with salsa, rock, reggae and funk.
The line-up at the Independent also includes DJ Jeremiah and the Afrobeat Nation, SILA and Ethiopian songwriter Meklit Hadero.
Tickets are a modest $10, though bigger donations are of course welcome. All of the door proceeds will go to the Doctors Without Borders nonprofit organization.
San Francisco Hearts Haiti starts at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 27, at the Independent, 628 Divisadero (near Hayes). For more information, check the Independent's website.
Wednesday January 20, 2010
San Francisco loves a party, especially one that involves dressing up. That's why the 10th Annual Edwardian Ball, a costume party-cabaret-circus-burlesque revue happening this weekend, is such a popular affair.
"Edwardian" here refers more to macabre American writer and illustrator Edward Gorey than to the Edwardian era. Gorey, an aficionado of cats, fur, ballet, Batman and soap operas, produced creepy children's tales, including an ABC book, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, in which the alphabetical children are doomed ("H is for Hector smothered under a rug").
At the Edwardian Ball Saturday night, expect goth-pale faces, corseted velvet gowns, fur coats (on both men and women), top hats and tails. Embodiments of bats, dandies, barons, murderers and Death will be sipping absinthe.
While the people-watching promises to be sublime, there will be plenty of other entertainment, including purring chanteuses, contortionists, acrobats, can-can dancers, trapeze artists and waltz and polka dancing. Performers will re-enact Gorey stories on stage.
The Gorey weekend opens Friday night with The Edwardian World's Faire, a spread of fine art, demonstrations of turn-of-the-century machines, stage acts, curios, topiary gardens, circus performers and a croquet garden.
Edwardian Ball Weekend 2010
At The Regency Ballroom, 1300 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco.
Friday, Jan. 22, 8 p.m.: Edwardian World's Faire. All ages welcome. Tickets $26 and up.
Saturday, Jan. 23, 8 p.m.: 10th Annual Edwardian Ball. All ages welcome. Tickets $36 and up.
