Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale reveals a groundbreaking new work by Scottish composer Sally Beamish with libretto by David Harsent. The Passion According to Judas, loosely based on the Gnostic texts, offers a different perspective on the Last Supper and Jesus’ betrayer: from Judas’ sin to forgiveness and redemption.

Two-time Grammy Award winner Mads Tolling is celebrating the music of the 1960s “Mad Men” era with his own distinctive style and innovative flair. It was listening to Miles Davis that first introduced the young violinist to the ‘60s sounds of jazz, soul, and early R&B. Inspired to explore his own creative voice, the result is an exhilarating and thrilling musical adventure. Also joining Mads is guest vocalist Kenny Washington.

As a touring band member with the legendary Leonard Cohen, Perla Batalla knew there was much of Cohen’s body of work she still wanted to perform and record. And it was his passing in November 2016 that reaffirmed Batalla’s mission of sharing the lesser-known songs of Canada’s poet laureate. At the Bing, she’ll reveal the timelessness of Cohen’s art, to convey her sincere respect and deep love for the music, the poetry, and most of all for her dear friend,…

The revered and longtime Stanford University-resident St. Lawrence String Quartet joins Rob Kapilow to explore and appreciate Antonín Dvořák’s American Quartet, perhaps his most popular work. Formally titled Quartet No. 12 in F, it was written in 1893, when the composer was summering in Spillville, Iowa, an emigrant Czech community. It was the second piece he wrote in America; his first was the New World Symphony. This event is part of What Makes it Great?, a three performance series that includes Kapilow’s…

Created in 1970, the venerable quintet hailed by Newsweek as “the high priests of brass” pays its first visit to the Bing with a program devoted to the early days of the American republic. The quintet has dedicated itself to music originally written for brass, also commissioning new chamber works. American Brass is in residence at the Juilliard School and the Aspen Music Festival. 

Dubbed a “one-man orchestra of the imagination” by TED, Chicago-born Andrew Bird is a multi-instrumentalist who pays equal attention to his violin and guitar onstage, and an arcane lyricist who whistles full solos with blithe, perfect clarity. His recent collaborations include artists like St. Vincent, Fiona Apple, Blake Mills, and more. Before he became the indie-folk star he is today, Bird studied classical violin at Northwestern University’s prestigious school of music. Since releasing his first album in 1996, he has…

Founded in 2004 in San Francisco, this award-winning octet celebrates legendary jazz artists by performing their masterworks and by creating new music expanding on those influences. This year it’s Miles Davis’ turn. The octet—Miguel Zenón, alto sax; David Sánchez, tenor sax; Warren Wolf, vibraphone; Sean Jones, trumpet; Robin Eubanks, trombone; Edward Simon, piano; Matt Penman, bass; and Obed Calvaire, drums—explores the Miles of myth and reality and his blues/jazz connections.

Three friends, three talents, one music. Mariza returns to the Bing with friends Jorge Fernando and Custódio Castelo to transform the studio into a Portuguese tavern with her latest project “Raizes” (“roots”). Of both Portuguese and African descent, Mariza has come to be known as the embodiment of modern fado, Lisbon’s emotion-filled folk music. Her soulful voice expresses the essence of this melancholy art form, a song style dating back to the early 19th century and imbued with themes of…

The Mariinsky Orchestra’s Stradivarius Ensemble, an elite group of string musicians led by conductor extraordinaire Valery Gergiev, plays on priceless period instruments (like the one played by the famous cellist Pablo Casals). Young virtuoso Behzod Abduraimov, acclaimed for the precision, tenderness, and fire of his interpretations, will play Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Also on the bill: Grieg’s Holberg Suite, Richard Strauss’ Metamorphosen, and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.

The quartet, which has in the past featured immersive encounters with the music of Franz Joseph Haydn, holds an all-Haydn “Bing-fest” with all six of his Opus 20 string quartets—quite a feat. 

Take four musicians, ninety-three string quartets, and the genius of Franz Josef Haydn: Stir vigorously and applaud wildly. San Francisco Chamber Orchestra All-Stars Ben Simon, Robin Sharp, Julie Kim, and Hannah Addario-Berry are the Haydn Project, launched in September 2013 to boldly go where few quartets have gone before—a journey of exploration into the mostly brilliant, always inventive, enormously engaging ninety-plus string quartets of “Papa” Haydn. This special event will include a short presentation about Haydn by San Francisco Chamber…

Dr. Robert Huw Morgan, university organist, presents his annual holiday recital.