From a wide-ranging look at Korean music, art, TV and dance to a new production of an acclaimed Olivier Messiaen song-cycle to an outspoken political comedy, there is a lot to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend and beyond.
Here is a partial roundup.
Spotlight on Korean culture
Are you the type of person who’s psyched about the next season of “Squid Game”? Can you never get enough of pop groups like Blackpink and Katseye? (Not to be conflated as pinkeye.) Even if not, anybody should have a blast soaking in white-hot Korean culture at the Asian Art Museum’s new show, “Hallyu! The Korean Wave.”
The globe-traveling exhibition presents almost 200 objects and artworks from South Korean life, including music, film, art, fashion, food and fandom. Taken together, these things are known as “Hallyu” and, if you haven’t noticed, they’ve spread over the world like an experiential tsunami. The show has production sets where you can pretend to be in a K-drama, and a virtual dance instructor who teaches you bouncy K-pop choreography. There are costume artifacts from Psy’s “Gangnam Style” video and Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” movie, as well as samples of saekdongot, Korea’s bright, stripey traditional garb.
A mirrored optical illusion allows you to take selfies atop a Seoul skyscraper, and there’s even a playlist of essential K-pop hits to listen to on your phone, for fans who want to continue the fun after the show.
Details: Friday through Jan. 6; Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St., San Francisco; tickets are $30 (includes general admission); asianart.org.
— John Metcalfe, Staff
Classical picks: ‘Harawi’; Other Minds festival
New music always plays a significant role on the Bay Area’s classical music scene, and this week demonstrates just how central it can be. Here are three upcoming events featuring new and recent works composed and performed by a range of artists.
“Harawi” in Berkeley: The superb American soprano Julia Bullock is featured in the late French composer Olivier Messiaen’s hour-long song cycle for voice and piano, presented by Cal Performances in a new interpretation expanding its original musical duet to a quartet with dancers. The American Modern Opera Company production explores the connection between movement and music in this new look at another of Messiaen’s always-transcendent works.
Details: 8 p.m. Friday; Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley; $36-$78; calperformances.org.
A New Concerto: Composer Nico Muhly, taking his inspiration from French Baroque composers such as François Couperin and Jean-Philippe Rameau, has written a new piano concerto; it makes its debut on this week’s San Francisco Symphony concert, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, with French pianist Alexandre Tharaud as soloist. Works by Hindemith and J.S. Bach complete the program. Note, the striking Symphony Chorus is not part of this concert, but ticketholders should check before going nonetheless.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Sept. Friday and Saturday; $30-$149; sfsymphony.org.
Other Minds returns: The Bay Area’s own festival of new and experimental music, now in its 28th season, is up and running in San Francisco this week; the focus, as always, is on composers, and this year’s lineup includes music — and appearances — by Trimpin, Lori Goldston, Annea Lockwood, and others. Performances, panel discussions and more are on the calendar.
Details: Through Saturday; Brava Theater, San Francisco; $23 single tickets, $56 passes; otherminds.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
Time for more ‘Sh*t’
Four years ago, popular Bay Area writer, actor and monologuist Brian Copeland created the “Great American Sh*t Show,” intended as part comedy show and part therapy session for those of us who were suffering from recent political history and cowering at the possibility that more of the same could be on the way.
Well, here we are again. With another impending presidential election matchup that’s too close to call, it’s hardly too early to start stressing again. And Copeland — creator of such thought-provoking shows as “Not a Genuine Black Man” and “The Waiting Period” — is here to help with a revival of “Sh*t Show.” Many of the segments of the original show — such as a discussion of whether you can truly be friends with someone who is on the opposite side of Grand Canyon-sized political divide as you — as well a couple of new segments to update the production.
A word of warning — if one is truly necessary here — Copeland’s show is not even close to impartial. As the publicity notes put it: “If you love Trump, you will hate this show.” If that doesn’t scare you off, know that Copeland is performing the one-hour “Sh*t Show” today through Oct. 24 in Berkeley, San Francisco, Alameda, Mill Valley and San Rafael.
Details: Tickets and more information are available at briancopeland.com.
— Randy McMullen, Staff
Freebie of the week at OMCA
Lovers of Latin jazz should head to the Oakland Museum of California on Friday night. From 5-9 p.m., the museum hosts another of its free Friday Nights events featuring live music, art activities, and more fun stuff. Performing on the museum’s Garden Stage will be the Cabanijazz Project, a seven-piece band led by Grammy-winning composer, conga player and bandleader Javier Cabanillas, who has seen an enviable career trajectory. Not too long ago, he was busking on the streets of Tijuana, Mexico. Just a few years later, he was walking the red carpet at the Grammy Awards as a member of the Pacific Mambo Orchestra, which won a surprise victory in the Tropical Latin Album category, besting Marc Anthony in the process. Now he and Cabanijazz Project are mainstays in the Bay Area music scene, performing a unique and often danceable take on jazz and Afro-Caribbean sounds, with funk, rock, and other strains of Latin and roots music mixed in. Also on the itinerary is a DJ set from Bay Area musician La Femme Papi, a supervised “Sketchboard Live” figure drawing event, and Gallery Chat. It’s bound to be a fun lively scene. You can dance and chat to your heart’s content or grab grub and drink from nearby food trucks and just take it all in. You can also get after-hours access to the museum and its exhibits if you have an admission ticket. More information is at museumca.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
A star-studded jazz show
Pianist Bill Charlap is such a revered musician and performer that catching just him in concert is well worth your time. But the SFJAZZ Center has a whole lot more in store for music fans this weekend. The Grammy-winning Charlap will be performing with his renowned Trio – consisting of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington (no relation) – and two dazzling guest stars: singer Dee Dee Bridgewater and trumpeter Nicholas Payton. The ever-adventuresome Charlap is no stranger to high-profile collaborations. His 2016 album with the legendary crooner Tony Bennett, “The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern,” won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album that year. He has also worked with Barbara Streisand, Gery Mulligan, Ron Carter and engaged in a musical project with acclaimed musicians from Mali. He also has a rich history with the Grammy- and Tony-winning Bridgewater, with whom he teamed in 2022-23 on a tour that stopped at SFJAZZ. As for Payton, a founding member of the SFJAZZ Collective, he is simply one of the best trumpeters going, not to mention a much-admired songwriter and bandleader. Performances are 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday at the Jazz Center’s Miner Auditorium. Tickets are $40-$125; go to www.sfjazz.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
Take a gander at Goose
The Bay Area has a long and storied love affair with the jam band movement, and one of the best current acts in the genre is headed to Stanford this weekend. The Connecticut outfit Goose, formed in 2014, has quickly risen to the top of the field thanks to the superior musicianship of members Rick Mitarotonda (guitar), Trevor Weekz (bass), Peter Anspach (guitars and keyboards), Jeff Arevalo (percussion) and Cotter Ellis (drums), as well as a burgeoning relationship with such giants in the field as Dead & Company, guitar god Trey Anastasio of Phish and Vampire Weekend, whose singer Ezra Koenig is such a fan he convinced Goose members to record an extended version of VW’s hit “2021.” Like all good jam bands, Goose can hold a tight groove to advance a song and then bust out into an impressive shot of improvisational fun. To be fair, Goose feels more comfortable referring to itself as an indie-rock band with traces of trance in its sound, with Mitarotonda noting that there are more than a few “cheesy” jam bands out there these days. Labels aside, Goose lands at Stanford Frost Amphitheatre at 6:30 Saturday p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are $74.73 (general admission); go to live.stanford.edu.
— Bay City News Foundation
One plucky orphan girl
They call her “La Fille du Régiment,” the little girl found abandoned on a battlefield and adopted, dubbed Marie and raised by an entire doting regiment of the French army, and her story forms the basis of one of composer Gaetano Donizetti’s most beloved comic operas. This weekend in the Bankhead Theater, the Livermore Valley Opera launches a four-performance run of “The Daughter of the Regiment,” starring French American soprano Véronique Filloux in the title role. Singing alongside her as her lovestruck suitor Tonio (who joins the regiment to pursue her) is American tenor Chris Mosz, who will be required to navigate the perilous “Ah mes amis” aria with the infamous nine high C’s that made both Luciano Pavarotti and Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez famous. Longtime LVO favorite Baritone Eugene Brancoveanu steps into the role of Marie’s foster father Sulpice, and Lisa Chavez makes her LVO debut as the Marquise of Berkenfield. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday with repeats at 2 p.m. Oct. 5 and 6. Find tickets. $25-$110, at LVOpera.com or 925-373-6800.
— Bay City News Foundation
Swinging with gypsy jazz
San Francisco Performances opens its new season Saturday night in a new venue for them, the Presidio Theatre on the grounds of the San Francisco Presidio, where they will present a total of six concerts during the course of the season. Leading off the new series is the Hot Club of San Francisco, a five-man band that for more than three decades has been keeping alive the memory and the style of the swinging Quintette du Hot Club de France, co-founded 90 years ago by Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt. The program, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, will be announced from the stage, but rest assured it will be both very cool and hot, hot, hot. Find tickets, $45-$60, at sfperformances.org
— Bay City News Foundation