Younis Raza

Resilience and depth at Zellerbach Under the gentle ministrations of a top conductor, the Berkeley Symphony pulled off an entirely satisfying concert last Thursday with a performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 that would have been the envy of any major orchestra, along with a provocative premier and a surprisingly tender Wagner. ...

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A conductor and educator for young and old. In ramping up for the Berkeley Symphony’s new season, which opens Thursday, October 3, it is timely to highlight one of the Symphony’s less profiled programs, but one that has a life-changing impact on many lives. That is, their award-winning Music in the Schools program. Led by Education Director Ming Luke, this program brings stellar musicians into every classroom, and then takes those students through to...

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A bountiful fall harvest... After a summer of gadding about at music festivals, Bay Area musicians are returning to their home symphonies in time for an...

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Peasants at play in San Francisco The San Francisco Choral Society and the SF Chamber Orchestra combined forces for Joseph Haydn’s mighty Die Jahreszeiten (The Seasons). Led by Robert Geary in the Fillmore district’s Calvary Presbyterian Church, this two-and-a-half-hour work is seldom performed in its entirety. As tight as the chorus was—and they flexed their muscles in the fugues—and as expressive as the musicians were,...

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Creative duo opens a window to the past—and doors to education The peninsula’s Music@Menlo chamber festival, now in the middle of its eleventh season, has proved itself a world-class institution over the last decade. Garnering both critical acclaim and a strong fan base, the festival’s eight main concerts and many recitals and lectures, held at three venues in Menlo Park and Palo Alto, are often sold out.  ...

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