San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall, May 17, 2022

San Francisco Symphony presents History’s Persistent Voice, featuring Julia Bullock
Davies Symphony Hall
201 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA
7:30 PM, Tuesday, May 17, 2022

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• Camille Norment: New Work [San Francisco Symphony Commission, World Premiere];
• Cécile McLorin Salvant: New Work [San Francisco Symphony Commission, World Premiere];
• Carolyn Yarnell: New Work [West Coast Premiere];
• Pamela Z: New Work [San Francisco Symphony Commission, West Coast Premiere];
• Tania León: Green Pastures [West Coast Premiere];
• Allison Loggins-Hull: Mama's Little Precious Things [West Coast Premiere];
• Jessie Montgomery: Five Freedom Songs [West Coast Premiere]

• Jessie Montgomery (b.1981): Freedom Songs (2020) [San Francisco Symphony Co-commission];
• Carolyn Yarnell (b. 1961): I Come Up the Hard Way (2022) [World Premiere];
• Carolyn Yarnell (b. 1961): Ain’t My Home (2022) [World Premiere];
• Allison Loggins-Hull (b. 1982): Mama's Little Precious Thing (2018) [West Coast Premiere];
• Pamela Z (b. 1956): Quilt (2022) [San Francisco Symphony Commission, World Premiere];
• Tania León (b. 1943): Green Pastures (2018) [West Coast Premiere]

[7:28 PM] {seated and ready to go! symphony onstage already}
[7:34 PM] {enter CR; enter JB; pre-recorded announcement; JB: “cool!”; concert tuning; JB talks about the program}

Jessie Montgomery (b.1981): Freedom Songs (2020) [San Francisco Symphony Co-commission]

1. [7:39 PM] My Lord What a Morning
   [7:43 PM] {applause}
2. [7:43 PM] I Want to Go Home
   [7:48 PM] {JB reads “the Words Would Not Come” by Craig Anthony Ross}
3. [7:52 PM] Lay This Body Down
   [7:56 PM] {JB reads annotation on the performance, history, and social context of My Father How Long (from 1867 anthology)}
4. [7:57 PM] My Father How Long
   [7:59 PM] {JB reads “the Storm” by Joe Sullivan}
5. [8:00 PM] the Day of Judgement
   
   Carolyn Yarnell (b. 1961): I Come Up the Hard Way (2022) [World Premiere] [8:03 PM] {JB reads from an interview of Sue Willie Seltzer (1921–2010) (inspiration for the next work)}
6. [8:04 PM] I Come Up the Hard Way
   
   Carolyn Yarnell (b. 1961): ain't my home (2022) [World Premiere] [8:12 PM] {JB reads the text of the next work}
7. [8:14 PM] ain't my home
   
   Allison Loggins-Hull (b. 1982): Mama's Little Precious Thing (2018) [West Coast Premiere]
   [8:20 PM] {JB reads from an interview of Nellie Mae Rowe (1900–1982)}
8. [8:22 PM] Mama's Little Precious Thing
   
   Pamela Z (b. 1956): Quilt (2022) [San Francisco Symphony Commission, World Premiere]
   [8:33 PM] {JB introduction to Pamela Z's work}
9. [8:34 PM] Quilt
   
   Tania León (b. 1943): Green Pastures (2018) [West Coast Premiere]
   [8:43 PM] {JB introduction to the last work}
10. [8:48 PM] Green Pastures
    [8:59 PM] {show ends}
    
    [9:02 PM] {all off for brief break while the stage hands rearrange things for the post-show Q&A session}
    [9:14 PM] {Post-show Q&A led by Sarah Cahill: moderator; panel: Christian Reif; Julia Bullock; Hana Kim; Allison Loggins-Hull; Carolyn Yarnell; Pamela Z}
    [9:48 PM] {talk ends; all done!}

San Francisco Symphony

• Christian Reif: conductor;
• Esa-Pekka Salonen: music director;
• symphony members vary by program; see the current list.

• Julia Bullock: soprano vox, curator;
• Hana Sooyeon Kim: visual artist;
• Patricia Luna: animation;
• Katerina Pagsolingan: animation.

Wow, what a great show this was! I was expecting something a bit dry and academic, given the program description of all-new works, but what we got was full of life and variety. Double-plus good!

Program Notes or program notes

SFS Promo article

Lisa Hirsch posted a glowing review of the show with SFCV.

Big thanks to Ting for the photo gallery!

Whoa! This section is incomplete for now, sorry!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2022 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2022 event list! ☸ On to the next event!