Soundbox: a Place for People Who Love Music
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High resolution photos of SoundBox are available for download from the SoundBox online press kit. SOUNDBOX: A PLACE FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE MUSIC “SoundBox succeeds on every level, both demographically and artistically… And yes, it’s the coolest thing on the block” - KQED SoundBox is the San Francisco Symphony’s experimental performance venue and late-night live music series taking place backstage at Davies Symphony Hall in Hayes Valley, San Francisco. Embarking on its third season in December 2016, SoundBox welcomes culturally-adventurous listeners to evenings of eclectic musical exploration and discovery in an out-of-the-box setting. Each SoundBox performance is a unique sensory experience encompassing shifting stage settings, art installations, projection screens, and unexpected surprises. SoundBox performances invite audiences to enjoy music an intimate and casual environment while enjoying hand-crafted cocktails and gourmet snacks from the in- house bar, for a ticket price of only $45. “SoundBox is an experimental space for all kinds of music,” SFS Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas explains. “Part of the experience of being in this space is to hear music of many diverse musical eras, from the earliest Gregorian chants, going back to the ninth century, to the most recent music, which is being written as we speak! The concerts are programmed by different musicians of different generations and very different priorities. To have a space in which the audience and musicians can explore this huge swath of music together is something I’ve always dreamed of, and now we have it.” SoundBox launched in December 2014, and both of its first two seasons witnessed ten sold-out shows and overwhelming critical acclaim. “San Francisco has a superb new performance venue for music…[the] tremendous opening event of SoundBox…was as exciting for what it offered as for what it promised,” wrote Joshua Kosman in the San Francisco Chronicle. Georgia Rowe, reviewer for the Bay Area News Group called it a “thrilling debut,” writing, “the classical music establishment has been wringing its hands for years, trying to figure out how to attract younger audiences. They can stop now. Michael Tilson Thomas has found the solution.” SoundBox has subsequently made the “Best of San Francisco” lists of both San Francisco Magazine and 7x7.com. One of the keystone elements of SoundBox has been the acoustic transformation of a 7,600 square foot rehearsal space adjacent to Davies Symphony Hall into an imaginative performance venue through use of the Meyer Sound Constellation system. With Constellation, composers and conductors select from different acoustic environments for each musical piece—and can custom program a completely new environment if desired. The use of this acoustic sound system provides ultimate versatility and accommodates a variety of musical styles and ensembles within one performance evening. During its first two seasons, SoundBox shows have featured a wide mix of SFS musicians and have been curated by a variety of artists, including Michael Tilson Thomas, the SF Symphony percussion section, the SF Symphony Chorus and Director Ragnar Bohlin, composers Nathaniel Stookey and Samuel Adams, conductor Edwin Outwater, performance artist Meow Meow, and the LA-based artist collective CHROMATIC. Themes have included the French avant-garde, 1960s California counter-culture, technology in new music, cabaret culture of the Weimar era, and more. SoundBox is located at 300 Franklin Street at Hayes Street, and accommodates approximately 500 people, some seated and some standing. The venue offers an alternative to that of the traditional concert hall experience. The space is designed for general admission seating with banquettes, ottomans, barstools, café tables, and high top cocktail tables. SoundBox has a full bar serving specialty cocktails and gourmet bar bites for enjoyment during the performances. Audience members can access more information on the works performed during each concert on the SoundBox App, available on iPhone and Android. The doors open at 8pm for each event, with the music beginning at 9pm. SoundBox images are available in the online press kit. Television segments on SoundBox have also been aired by PBS NewsHour, Associated Press, and CBS This Morning. 2016–17 SOUNDBOX DATES SoundBox is located at 300 Franklin Street at Hayes All shows begin at 9pm | Doors open 8pm General Admission | Limited Seating | Tickets: $45 MTT Curates and Hosts Pacific Harmonies: a Lou Harrison Centennial Celebration Friday, December 9, 2016 Saturday, December 10, 2016 Michael Tilson Thomas conductor and curator Eva Soltes music consultant and filmmaker Adam Larsen video designer Luke Kritzeck lighting designer Members of the San Francisco Symphony Members of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus Throughout the program, selections from the documentary film LOU HARRISON: A World of Music by Eva Soltes will be screened to contextualize and enhance the live musical performance. Eva SOLTES Selections from LOU HARRISON: A World of Music HARRISON Kyrie from Mass to St. Anthony [original 1939 version] SOLTES Selections from LOU HARRISON: A World of Music HARRISON Concerto No. 1 for Flute and Percussion I. Earnest, fresh and fastish II. Slow and poignant III. Strong, swinging and fastish HARRISON Canticle No. 3 INTERMISSION I Eva SOLTES Selections from LOU HARRISON: A World of Music HARRISON Selections from Suite for Cello and Harp I. Chorale IV. Aria V. Chorale (Reprise) Eva SOLTES Selections from LOU HARRISON: A World of Music HARRISON Selections from Pacifika Rondo I. The Family of the Court IV. In Sequoia’s Shade VI. A Hatred of the Filthy Bomb VII. From the Dragon Pool INTERMISSION II Eva SOLTES Selections from LOU HARRISON: A World of Music HARRISON & DEE Selections from Suite for Violin and American Gamelan I. Threnody II. Estampie V. Chaconne Eva SOLTES Selections from LOU HARRISON: A World of Music HARRISON Selections from Concerto for Organ with Percussion Orchestra IV. Canons and Choruses (Moderato) VI. Allegro (Finale) DJ and Composer Mason Bates and Conductor Edwin Outwater Co-Curate Macro/Micro Friday, January 20, 2017 Saturday, January 21, 2017 Mason Bates and Edwin Outwater co-curators Luke Kritzeck lighting designer Adam Larsen video designer Part I – Horizons All works in this act share a common “horizon line” on the video screens, which will evolve between: a bleak Alaskan tundra, a sunrise in the Age of Enlightenment, an English meadow at midday, and a Hawaiian sunset. HAYDN Adagio-Allegro from Symphony No. 6, “Le Matin” Edwin Outwater, conductor Members of the San Francisco Symphony [chamber orchestra] VAUGHAN WILLIAMS “Bredon Hill” from On Wenlock Edge Edwin Outwater, conductor William Ferguson, tenor Members of the San Francisco Symphony [strings and piano] Christopher ROUSE Ku-Ka-Ilimoku Members of the San Francisco Symphony [percussion ensemble] INTERMISSION I Part II – South America The works in this act depict different treatments of South American environments, contrasting between folk scenes and mythology. Gabriela Lena FRANK Selections from Milagros IV. Milagrito—Danza de Tingo María V. Milagrito—Sombras de Amantaní Members of the San Francisco Symphony [string quartet] GOLIJOV “Lúa descolorida” Edwin Outwater, conductor Marnie Breckenridge, soprano Members of the San Francisco Symphony [String orchestra] Gabriela Lena FRANK Selections from Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout IV. Chasqui VI. Coqueteos Members of the San Francisco Symphony [string quartet] INTERMISSION II Part III – Technology and Biology During the intermission prior to the third act, we will move from the earth into space, with field recordings of “techno” insect sounds and sounds of the Voyager I satellite leaving Earth. Part III begins with works by Bach featured on the Golden Record aboard Voyager I, followed by “Greetings to the Universe” from the children of Earth. This evolves into Mason Bates’ Rise of Exotic Computing, which depicts the development of computer circuitry based on the architecture of the human brain. J.S. BACH Gavotte en rondeau from Partita No. 3 in E Major for solo violin, BWV 1006 J.S. BACH Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C major from Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2, BWV 870 Robin Sutherland, keyboard [Recorded Interlude: Greetings from the Children of Earth from Voyager I] Mason BATES The Rise of Exotic Computing Edwin Outwater, conductor Mason Bates, laptop Members of the San Francisco Symphony [chamber orchestra] John Adams Curates: Emergent *presented in conjunction with SFS celebrations of John Adams’s 70th Birthday Friday, February 10, 2017 Saturday, February 11, 2017 John Adams curator and host Christopher Rountree conductor Seth Reiser lighting designer Adam Larsen video designer Mark Grey sound designer Members of the San Francisco Symphony Additional artists to be announced John ADAMS Hallelujah Junction Orli Shaham and Molly Morkoski, pianos Andrew NORMAN Try For chamber orchestra Christopher Roundtree, conductor Members of the San Francisco Symphony INTERMISSION I John ADAMS Selections from John’s Book of Alleged Dances For string quartet and pre-recorded audio Rag the Bone Dogjam Pavane: She’s So Fine Toot Nipple Judah to Ocean Members of the San Francisco Symphony Jacob COOPER Ripple the Sky For voice, string octet, and live sound augmentation Christopher Rountree, conductor Jonathan Woody, vocalist Mark Grey, live sound Members of the San Francisco Symphony INTERMISSION II Ashley FURE Shiver Lung For amplified vocalists and instrumental ensemble