Upcoming Concerts
Utsav Lal – Raga Pianist – Friday, October 6 at 8 pm
*** LIVE STREAM LINK HERE ***
with guests Nilan Chaudhuri, tabla & George Brooks, saxophone
Indian Pianist/composer Utsav Lal presents a genre colliding concert of Indian Classical Ragas and beyond through his distinctive voice on the piano. His concert features both traditional presentations, as well as new avenues of exploration drawing from raga music.Zachary Donaldson – Sunday, October 8 at 4 pm
*** LIVE STREAM LINK HERE ***
A tour of the lute in renaissance Europe, from the by the free-flowing improvisatory style of 16th century Spanish composer Luís Milán to the fiery and stunning toccatas of early 17th century Italian composers such as Alessandro Piccinini and Giovanni Kapsberger, including hidden gems rarely performed and well-known favorites by John Dowland and Josquin des Pres.
Monica Chew – Best Friends – Sunday, October 15 at 4 pm
*** LIVE STREAM LINK HERE ***
Oakland composer and pianist presents a program of pairs of pieces she enjoys hearing side-by-side by Joshua Uzoigwe, Ali Osman, Stacy Fahrion, Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, Lucrecia Kasilag, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Ulvi Cemal Erkin, which make delightfully simpatico companions.
Amateur Music Network presents Sarah Cahill’s Backstage Pass – Monday, October 16 at 7 pm
How does a jazz pianist create a unique arrangement of a standard? Why do notation and improvisation seem like such separate worlds? How does an experimental bassist compose? We’ll explore these questions and more in this new series, moderated by Sarah Cahill, with guest artists demonstrating and revealing the secret processes behind their music.
Cornelius Boots and The Wood Prophets – Sunday, October 22 at 4 pm
*** LIVE STREAM LINK HERE ***
Playing low-pitched variants of the root-end bamboo shakuhachi flute, the group evolves this Japanese Zen Buddhist music tradition, drawing heavily and creatively upon sensibilities of nature communion and breath cultivation.
Kevin Lee Sun – Sunday, November 5 at 4 pm
*** LIVE STREAM LINK HERE ***
Kevin Lee Sun, whose program features songs from around the world about youth, hope, and solidarity, interprets music from a wide span of centuries and cultures “with probing seriousness” (Performing Arts Monterey Bay) and “a stunningly beautiful palette of colors” (Peninsula Reviews).
Matthew Bengtson – Friday, November 10 at 8 pm
*** LIVE STREAM LINK HERE ***
Pianist Matthew Bengtson performs the World Premiere of Roberto Sierra's Piano Sonata no. 13, alongside West Coast Premieres of works by Ingrid Arauco, Curt Cacioppo, and Luke Carlson. Bengtson's recent recording of Sierra’s piano works was called “among the most thrilling piano recordings I’ve heard in recent years” by Fanfare.
nato performs solo violin works by Bartók, Bacewicz, Prokofiev and Ysaÿe – Sunday, November 12 at 4 pm
*** LIVE STREAM LINK HERE ***
Presenting the emotion, poetry, and heart of the solo violin, Canadian-born violinist nato brings four masterworks to Old First Concerts to inspire Bay Area music lovers. With a barn-burner program uniting the best 20th century solo violin works (Bartók, Bacewicz, Prokofiev, Ysaÿe), come share in nato’s particular excitement for this special repertoire; a program that captures the spirit of modern music.
Amateur Music Network presents Sarah Cahill’s Backstage Pass – Monday, November 20 at 7 pm
How does a jazz pianist create a unique arrangement of a standard? Why do notation and improvisation seem like such separate worlds? How does an experimental bassist compose? We’ll explore these questions and more in this new series, moderated by Sarah Cahill, with guest artists demonstrating and revealing the secret processes behind their music.
Donate to Old First Concerts
Invest in the arts! Become our partner in presenting approximately 60 amazing concerts each year - featuring new music and music by women and BIPOC composers played by the best performers from the Bay Area and beyond - in a historic venue at affordable prices!