On July 16, spend some time with Lucia Micarelli. Audience members begged us to bring her back after her stunning concert in 2018. She is an unbelievably talented, eclectic musician whose creativity seems almost limitless. A singer, a violinist, an explorer of styles, her musical life will fascinate you. Her fresh youthfulness spills over into ...
Saturday, July 18 is Big Band night! Allan Pollack, Kim Nalley, and the Festival Big Band rhythm section will all get together to talk about Jazz, pop, and the lives that all the players have led. They have played with some famous musicians, and stories of their experiences will be something you won’t want to ...
Saturday, July 25, is Closing Night. This night has traditionally featured a large choral work, so we have asked Jenny Matteucci and Daniel Lockert to join us to talk about a singer’s life as well as what is entailed in preparing the chorus for performance. Conductor Mary Chun and Stage Director Elly Lichtenstein will also ...
Mondays, 4:00-5:30 PM, June 8-July 27. This class is designed for the beginning singer who is ready to spread their wings. Music will be assigned based on voice type. New genres and styles will be introduced. Singers will be scheduled to sing for the class and work on songs in a nurturing, encouraging environment. Focus will be on vocal technique and presentation, to bring the shyest of singers out of their shell. Register as full Participant, or choose "View-only" at a reduced fee.
Eight Wednesdays at noon, June 10-July 29. An eight-week series of weekly Wednesday noontime talks curated by Jenny Matteucci and Daniel Lockert. Topics range from the art of accompaniment to talks with composers, recitalists and more. Buy individually or as an eight-week series. Virtual; attend from anywhere. Missed the first one or two? For a limited time, buy the remaining (7 or 6) lectures at the series price ($80), still a savings.
A one-time, free introduction to Lieder. What is German Lieder? Lieder is literally the German word for songs, though the term is usually used in reference to German songs of the Romantic Period (19th Century) written for voice and piano. What makes Lieder unique is that the piano does more than merely accompany; it has ...
Pianist Spencer Myer has wowed, inspired and touched Festival audiences many times, and is a warm-hearted and engaging conversationalist. Live from his living room in New York, he’ll give you a glimpse into his insights and process, including the nitty-gritty of practice, and he’ll be glad to answer any questions you might have. You’ll see ...
How do composers choose their texts? What draws them to a particular poem, poet, or poetic theme? Most composers of art songs have a strong love of literature and keen knowledge about what sort of texts attract them as a composer. When composers set poems to music, the words take on a level of their ...
Mondays, 10: AM-11:30 AM Pacific, September 14-November 2. Come join a small group of seasoned singers who want to hone their skills and become better at their craft. If you have sung in a local chorus, at church, at events, or even privately, this class will help you find better vocal technique and artistry, and will help you refine your voice and performance skills. (Choose AM or PM, not both.)
Mondays, 4:00 PM-5:30 PM Pacific, September 14-November 2. Come join a small group of seasoned singers who want to hone their skills and become better at their craft. If you have sung in a local chorus, at church, at events, or even privately, this class will help you find better vocal technique and artistry, and will help you refine your voice and performance skills. (Choose AM or PM, not both.)
Wednesdays, 10:00 AM-11:30 AM Pacific, September 16-November 4. A new option for Masterclass students; a course in German Lieder. Students will be assigned music by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Franz, Brahms, Wolf, Mahler and R. Strauss. The class will also cover German diction. Learn to love this beautiful art form and appreciate the marriage of poetry and masterfully composed music. Best for more advanced singers, or singers who have taken the Masterclass, and/or have had experience with the German language.
Wednesdays, 4:00-5:00 PM Pacific, September 16-November 4 (eight weeks). Unravel the mysteries of vocal technique with this course on the basics of singing. Cover everything from breathing, to resonance, to vocal health and more. Keep your voice in shape while sheltering in place, and learn some new skills to further your singing and build your voice. Good for beginners and seasoned veterans who want to brush up their skills.
Wednesdays, 4:00 PM-5:00 PM Pacific, September 16-November 4. For those who attended Beginning Sight-Singing or have some sight-singing experience. Daniel will enhance the class with tricks and hacks to make sight-singing easier. Sharpen your skills as sight readers and musicians. Class is progressive, so attendance is crucial. Don’t miss this chance to become more proficient at this basic skill. Prerequisite: Beginning Sight Singing (or permission of the teacher).
Wednesdays, 5:15 PM-6:15 PM Pacific, September 16-November 4. Can’t tell the difference between a B♭ and a flat tire? Have you sung in a choir for years and still don’t know what all the “hashtags” (#) mean? Let us unravel the not-so-secret code of good musicianship and sight-reading. We’ll help make your singing experience more enriching and fun by giving you the tools you need to not only help your whole choral experience but enlighten your musicianship skills as well. Each class will progressively cover different aspects of musicianship and sight-singing.
Treat your ears and eyes to an in-depth exploration of Debussy’s colorful and captivating Préludes for Piano, Book One, written in 1909-10. Susan Waterfall has assembled memorable historic and current performances. She’ll guide you through the visual and literary images that inspired Debussy to create sound worlds that had never before been imagined. You can ...
Hip. Imaginative. Fun. Fresh. Funky. Side Note is a group of seven twentysomethings, from wildly different musical backgrounds, who draw on their diversity to create an all-new sound. It's contemporary a cappella—pushed to the limits of pop, R&B, funk, rock, musical theater and jazz. Side Note will be giving a breakdown of how the group ...
This is the second part of Susan Waterfall’s opportunity to treat your ears and eyes to an in-depth exploration of Debussy’s colorful and captivating Préludes for Piano, Book One, written in 1909-10. She has assembled memorable historic and current performances, and will guide you through the visual and literary images that inspired Debussy to create ...
Kim Nalley’s interesting view of American music and her relationship to it will be supplemented by her insights into what made some of the singers from the past so great. There will be musical examples and, hopefully, fun will abound! GET FREE TICKET (required)
Two-day workshop, Sat-Sun December 12-13, 1:00-2:30 PM PST. The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a set of symbols that linguists, singers and actors use to describe the sounds of spoken and sung languages. It will enable truer foreign language diction, as well as help with English diction. Understanding the IPA will help you learn how to pronounce with ease and understanding. Join Jenny and Daniel in a two-day workshop to enhance your singing, your foreign language accent or learn a new skill!
Two-day workshop, Sat-Sun January 16-17, 1:00-2:30 PM PST. Do you struggle with what to do with the words, your face, or your hands when you sing? Do you want to understand how to communicate better to an audience, to convey the meaning and depth or humor of your song? This two-day workshop will give you tools and help you work through your songs with deeper understanding. Bring a memorized musical theater song, aria (in any language), pop or art song to this class in acting styles for singers.
Rescheduled to January 22; originally scheduled for October 30. A discussion with baritone Christòpheren Nomura about his journey from the San Francisco Boys Choir to appearing on Broadway, and the various fascinating stops along the way. You might remember Christòpheren from his extraordinary and powerful performances at the 2018 Mendocino Music Festival, of the Brahms ...
Fridays, February 26 and March 5, 12:00-1:15 PM PST. Are you longing for world travel? Do you need a bit of Belle Époque Paris? Maybe you’re curious about musical modernism? Susan Waterfall is back, with Book Two of Debussy’s Préludes for Piano, which will provide you with all of the above. Armchair travel is a necessity during the pandemic. Historic and current performances along with fascinating art and photographs will bring to life Debussy’s final twelve preludes, written before the outbreak of World War One. Here’s another opportunity for lifelong learners to find out more about Debussy and deepen their appreciation of these gems of the piano repertoire.
Mondays, 4:00 PM-5:30 PM Pacific, January 25-March 15. Join us as we explore the great legacy of American songs spanning the 1920s through the 1960s. Singers will be assigned music that will enhance their sense of style while working on vocal and performance technique; and perform their selections in front of the class in collaboration with Daniel, creating their own unique performance.
Wednesdays, 4:00 PM-5:00 PM Pacific, January 27-March 17. Sight-Singing continues from the fall session and is designed to help you sharpen your skills as sight readers and musicians. Daniel will also enhance the class with the tricks and hacks to make sight singing easier. Two equal sessions (same level) are offered to keep the classes intimate.
Jenny Matteucci and Daniel Lockert never fail to delight viewers with their lively, informative and fun interview style; drawing out the personality of the guest artist while creating an engaging musical conversation. Hope Briggs, a native of New Jersey, drew a rave review from Opera News for her San Francisco Opera debut as the Duchess of ...
Mondays, 10:00 AM-11:30 AM Pacific, April 19-June 7. Learn to love this beautiful art form and appreciate the marriage of poetry and masterfully composed music. This session will delve deeper into the concept of the song cycle, as well as specific poets and themes.
Wednesdays, 4:00-5:30 PM Pacific, April 21-June 9. A class for those who want to learn to sight sing, or brush up their skills from previous classes. Learn the basics of sight singing and good musicianship and be ready when all our choirs and singing groups meet again. Class is progressive, so attendance is crucial.
Another of Susan Waterfall’s fascinating virtual presentations, this time about Kurt Weill. This gives you an opportunity to learn more before you attend the July 18 Weill concert in Cotton Auditorium. What happens when an impeccably trained young German composer decides he wants a new audience? When a nice Jewish boy starts hanging out with ...
Eight Mondays, 10 AM-11:30 AM Pacific, October 4-November 22. Come join a small group of seasoned singers who want to hone their skills and become better at their craft. If you sing in a local chorus, at church, at events, or even privately, this class will help you find better vocal technique and artistry, and will help you refine your voice and performance skills.
Eight Mondays, 4:00-5:30 PM Pacific, October 4-November 22. Love musical theatre? Sing everything from songs of the early Golden Age to present-day musicals. Learn “monologuing,” a technique essential to creating a character and putting a song across.
Eight Tuesdays, 10:00-11:30 AM Pacific, October 5-November 23. Love to sing in French, or need to brush up your French? Explore songs for voice and piano from composers such as Berlioz, Fauré, Duparc, Hahn, Debussy and Poulenc, and perfect your singing pronunciation.
Join us for the virtual world premier of Susan Waterfall's Understanding Schubert—an 85-minute video biography, with art and portraits from Schubert’s era as well as 16 recorded musical excerpts, including nine lieder—wherein Waterfall explores the cultural context of Schubert’s life and music, his relationship with Romantic lyric poetry, and his position in the middle-class homes ...
Eight Mondays, 4:00 PM-5:00 PM PST (except April 18; May 16 session is at 12:00 PM Pacific). Due to the popularity of the German lieder and French melodie classes, we have decided to expand the class to art songs of many languages. Singing beautiful songs in German, French, Italian, Spanish, and English (British and American), we’ll delve into the poetry and the composers, addressing diction, style and presentation, and collaboration between voice and piano.
Join us for the exciting premiere of Susan Waterfall’s new film The Life and Art of Claude Debussy. Immerse yourself in the composer’s world, and enhance your experience of the many Debussy offerings in this summer’s Festival: the Festival Orchestra’s Afternoon of a Faun, the Calder’s performance of the String Quartet, Spencer Myer’s Pour le Piano, and the two narrated chamber music concerts Breakfast with Chou-Chou and Sounds and Perfumes of Evening.
The Masterclass returns with a once-a-month “open mic” concept. Class participants can bring in music to sing in front of class with a live pianist. Jenny and Daniel will provide feedback and suggestions in musicality, performance techniques, repertoire, and more. Classical, Musical Theater, and Standards are encouraged for this class. Previous masterclass students can bring ...
In-person film premier with Susan Waterfall. You’ve heard music by Ravel and probably loved it. You’ve heard random gossip about this secretive composer. Now’s your chance to experience Ravel’s life and music in its historic context. With contemporary art and photographs, and 26 musical excerpts...
