On Tuesday evening, there were close to 40 different performing groups scattered throughout the columbariam, ranging from a young man accompanying French songs on an accordion...
...to a long, improvisational duet between cellist Theresa Wong and winds player Cornelius Boots above.
I write "winds" because Cornelius kept changing instruments, from one exotic instrument such as a shakuhachi to another...
...finally ending up with a bass clarinet.
The two musicians also occasionally sang, in droning tones that suited the instrumental music and the high-ceilinged chamber space perfectly.
Amy X. Neuberg is usually a solo artist, singing over loops of her own virtuosic voice and sampled sounds, but in the last couple of years she has decided to make music with others and her solo set on Tuesday was an adaptation of a few of these collaborative works.
They were wonderful, and then she ran to the third floor to join the Del Sol String Quartet in one of those collaborations.
Because there is so much going on at the same time, the music can bleed from one performance space to another, which isn't a problem with some music but is trickier for others, such as the very soft and delicate violin solos composed by Adam Fong (above with volunteer Katina Conn).
He was in the tiny "Meditation Chapel" which bordered the central entrance area so that his music was competing with conversations, other performances, chimes, and crying babies. This didn't matter so much when he performed his percussion pieces with friends (left to right above) Brent Miller, Jacqueline Goldgorin, and Eric km Clark.
The solstice concert was well worth the effort involved in getting ourselves to the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland. (And thank you, Axel, for playing chauffeur for a passenger seemingly suffering from dementia.) The only thing that's missing is an outdoor rooftop Biergarten like the San Francisco Opera is featuring this month at their "Ring" cycles, although maybe it should be a Vino Garden since one of the rooftop bands, Orchestra Nostalgico, specialize in the music of Nino Rota.
The pianist Sarah Cahill (above with guitar legend David Tanenbaum) was not only playing cheerful and resourceful organizer, but she also performed a Terry Riley piano duet with Regina Schaffler throughout the evening. She and her crew of volunteers pulled off an amazing event.
Very cool pictures. I'm glad you caught that woman with the long hair listening to Cornelius. I crossed paths with her several times. She is an appreciative listener, & there was something a bit other-worldly about her presence.
ReplyDeleteI had fun being your chauffeur, even though neither of us has any navigational sense!