As producer of the Berkeley Festival & Exhibition, The San Francisco Early Music Society is dedicated to fostering the missions and promoting the events of partner early music organizations.
EARLY MUSIC AMERICA: YOUNG PERFORMERS FESTIVAL
SFEMS welcomes the return of Early Music America’s (EMA) Young Performers Festival to the Berkeley Festival & Exhibition since its last appearance in 2016. Come see the future of early music in action!
Ensembles
Juilliard415, The Juilliard School, New York, NY
San Francisco Conservatory of Music Baroque Ensemble, San Francisco, CA
University of California Los Angeles Early Music Ensemble, Los Angeles, CA
University of Southern California Thornton Baroque Sinfonia, Los Angeles, CA
Wednesday, June 8 at 10:00 a.m. – UCLA Early Music Ensemble
Wednesday, June 8 at 1:00 p.m. – USC Thornton Baroque Sinfonia
Thursday, June 9 at 1:00 p.m. – San Francisco Conservatory Baroque Ensemble
Thursday, June 9 at 4:00 p.m. – Juilliard415
Hume Hall, San Francisco Conservatory of Music (50 Oak Street, San Francisco, CA)
WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER JAMBOREE: CELEBRATING 300 YEARS!
Join us for a special celebration on Wednesday, June 8 at Hertz Hall for the 300th anniversary of the compilation of the first book of Johann Sebastian Bach’s beloved Well-Tempered Clavier.
This event is generously co-sponsored by the Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies.
Ensemble
Matthew Dirst, harpsichord & fortepiano
Janine Johnson, harpsichord
Caroline Jou Armitage, harpsichord
Caitlyn Koester, harpsichord
Charlotte Mattax Moersch, harpsichord
Kathy Perl, harpsichord
Eugene Petrushansky , harpsichord & clavichord
Derek Tam, fortepiano
Yuko Tanaka, harpsichord
David Yearsley, clavichord
Agnieszka Zick , harpsichord
Wednesday, June 8 at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Hertz Hall (101 Cross-Sproul Path, UC Berkeley Campus)
SPEM IN ALIUM
Local early music choirs Gallimaufry and Tactus form the core of three community-driven, pop-up performances, of Thomas Tallis’ frequently-cited, but not-often-performed 40-part motet Spem in Alium, which has its 452th birthday this year. This spectacular composition, originally slated to be conducted by Phoebe Rosquist, will now be conducted by David Morris, and performed at the following times:
- Friday, June 10 at 5:30 p.m. (outdoors in front of Lions Hall [Exhibition site], St. Mark’s Episcopal Church)
- Friday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m. (before the Chanticleer concert; outside at First Church Berkeley UCC)
- Saturday, June 11 at 9:30 p.m. (after the ARTEK concert; outside at First Church Berkeley UCC)
- Saturday, June 11 at 9:45 p.m. (before the Fire & Grace & Ash concert; outside at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church)
BERKELEY-BUCKNELL CHAMBER MUSIC COLLECTIVE
This year’s Festival also features a collaboration with the new Berkeley-Bucknell Chamber Music Collective, a five-day intensive chamber music program that will happen on the University of California, Berkeley, campus from June 1 through June 5.
LECTURE: THE LIFE AND WORK OF CLARA SCHUMANN
WITH MUSICOLOGIST FRANCES FALLING
FREE PRE-CONCERT LECTURE
SFEMS welcomes musicologist Frances Falling for a free pre-concert lecture about the life and work of Clara Schumann. This lecture will be held on Monday, June 6, at 6 p.m. in Hertz Hall, Berkeley. The lecture will be followed by a performance of Dark Dreams—Lieder of Franz Schubert, Clara Schumann, & Robert Schumann, featuring soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon and fortepianist Nicholas Mathew.