You usually need to go to the San Francisco Opera House to hear soprano Sondra Radvanovsky and mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick hold forth with Verdian passion, but in late October audiences at Davies Symphony Hall had the rare pleasure of hearing these two together in the composer's rarely performed Requiem.
Teatro ZinZanni will be moving from its current waterfront location at Pier 29 along the Embarcadero to make way for Americafs Cup facilities at Piers 27 and 29. Photo courtesy of Teatro ZinZanni
By Paul Duclos
Published: November, 2011
You usually need to go to the San Francisco Opera House to hear soprano Sondra Radvanovsky and mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick hold forth with Verdian passion, but in late October audiences at Davies Symphony Hall had the rare pleasure of hearing these two together in the composer’s rarely performed Requiem.
Opera goers will recall with fondness Radvanovsky’s superb singing in Verdi’s Il Tavatore a couple of years ago, and the diva again filled Davies with the same powerful vocal shadings and resonance. Conductor James Conlon and Ragnar Bohlin’s Symphony Chorus are also to be celebrated for making these performances a huge commercial and artistic success.
Before pushing off for the next SFS concert, Bay Crossings readers may wish enjoy this engaging read on the ferry: Music for a City, Music for the World: 100 Years with the San Francisco Symphony. When the San Francisco Symphony presented its first concert just five years after the 1906 earthquake, its founders intended it to revitalize Bay Area cultural life. Little did they know what they’d started. In Music for a City, Music for the World, Larry Rothe tells the story of the people behind the scenes in an orchestra’s century-long journey through hard times and good times. Published to celebrate the San Francisco Symphony’s 100th anniversary, this comprehensive history, filled with hundreds of archival photos and images, gives readers a glimpse into the inner workings of one of the world’s foremost orchestras, and in doing so it illuminates the cultural life of a city. www.sfsymphony.org
New Venue to be Announced for Fabled ZinZanni
Teatro ZinZanni, that crazed and beloved cabaret/cirque, will be relocating its home on the waterfront next year as America’s Cup moves in to expand its footprint at Piers 27 and 29. Until then though, there’s plenty of time to catch their current offering, "On the Air."
This is a walk through the past featuring comedy, cirque, and the Blues. Jeff Hoyle—a local talent who has gone on to win international fame as an actor and comedian—joins blues singer Duffy Bishop in this rollicking narrative of a radio station on the ropes. The Teatro ZinZanni Orchestra will be at full strength, along with the company’s acrobatic ensemble.
The group’s final performance will be on New Year’s Eve at the storied Spiegeltent. According to Norm Langill, president and artistic director, a new home will be found and announced in the coming months. love.zinzanni.org
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U.S. Open Night at the Presidio Golf Club
Bay Crossings readers have been given a glimpse of the inner workings of America’s Cup preparations over the past several months, and we will continue to keep you up to date as the event approaches. Meanwhile, let’s not lose sight of the fact that another major sporting contest will take place at water’s edge next year: the U.S. Open Golf Tournament, coming in June to the Olympic Club.
OK, so it’s not as immediately accessible to ferry traffic, but nonetheless, it does take place near Lake Merced, the Pacific Ocean, and even a few water hazards. A short cross-city commute is all that is needed to participate in a preview of this highly anticipated show.
The Presidio Golf Club—the city’s oldest, and most revered—will host U.S. Open Night on Thursday, November 3 from 6:30 to 9 p.m., adjacent to the Presidio Golf Course. The evening will feature a presentation by Danny Sink, the USGA Championship director responsible for coordinating local/on-site arrangements for the 2012 U.S. Open. Danny’s presentation will include a history of U.S. Open tournaments at the Olympic Club and a preview of what it takes to produce the upcoming contest.
The event will include a no-host bar and appetizers. Reservations for the event can be made by calling (415) 379-2520. Admission is $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Proceeds for the event will support the USF Golf program. The club is located at 8 Presidio Terrace, just across the parking lot from the Presidio Golf Course.
In addition to the U.S. Open presentation, the club’s special guest, Lawson Little III, will show up for a ribbon cutting and dedication of the Lawson Little Lounge, which honors his father, a former PGC member and professional golfer. Lawson Little Jr. was the only golfer to win the British Amateur and U.S. Amateur event for two consecutive years before going on to win the 1940 U.S. Open as a professional. PGC honorary member and host of "Hooked on Golf" John Abendroth will serve as emcee for the evening’s festivities. www.presidiogolfclub.com
