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!