2020 always used to sound so distant and futuristic, but now it’s upon us – and artificial intelligence is still an oxymoron (hey Siri); phones sound worse than in the 1980s; and aliens are still avoiding Earth for a party on some other planet. But on the bright side, computers are now so powerful that my entire music studio can travel in my carry-on; an explosion of new platforms has expanded the possibilities of storytelling; and delivery has become so instantaneous, an ounce of saffron can be droned to your kitchen for an impromptu paella. The best developments, from my perspective, integrate animal warmth and new tech – or, in short, both analog and digital. That intersection continues to fascinate me artistically, and you can hear it this spring in premieres at both SF Symphony and SF Opera, as well as as events I’m curating at the Kennedy Center and Mercury Soul:
KC Jukebox
Serving as composer-in-residence of the Kennedy Center for the past five years has brought so many great moments, meeting everyone from President Obama to Herbie Hancock. The most inspiring part has been KC Jukebox, my new music in new formats series. We’ve transformed spaces all over the Center with shows featuring leading lights in contemporary music, and starting this month we get to inhabit a new one: the REACH extension, three new buildings that opened just this year.
In January we present DJ Juan Atkins, the ‘godfather of techno,’ in a show that complements his raw Detroit energy with a string ensemble. Atkins is of royal blood in the world of electronic music, and his touring often takes him beyond our shores – so don’t miss this rare opportunity! In March we’re visited by fiddler virtuoso Jeremy Kittel, who combines bluegrass and classical string playing in the most virtuosic ways (think Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer, David Grisman). Then we have two separate visits from the leaders of the Thievery Corporation, the hit psychedelic band that performed on Jukebox’s second season. Eric Hilton’s Ekodohm project is a deep dive into the world of analog synthesizers, while Rob Garza’s Dissolve is a stunning collision of house beats and a string ensemble. Alongside these cross-genre artists we’ll be presenting classical offerings from old to new, allowing each to shine a light on the other.
Mercury Soul
My classical/club show continues offerings thumping good times around San Francisco, with shows integrating classical musicians into a variety of new venues for us. On January 25, we present DJ Dave Aju in a program featuring the music of JS Bach, John Adams, and Johann Johansson. The amazing Friction Quartet performs, along with popup solos from cellist Johan Kim and violinist Kevin Rogers, and we’ll be improvising some live electronic elements into the Johansson quartets.
Later this season, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs comes to the heart of the tech world with performances at San Francisco Opera in June/July 2020. This is a major event in the life of this opera. It’s been thrilling to see audiences embrace the work from Santa Fe to Seattle to Indiana, but there’s nothing like bringing an opera to the locale of its setting. My initial inspiration for the piece was the Bay Area’s legion of creative technologists, whose work is changing the way we interact, create, and live. Jobs remains a fascination for techies and non-technics alike, someone whose personal challenges and contradictions are the stuff of opera. San Francisco Opera has been a phenomenal partner from the start of the commissioning process, and they’re bringing back the original cast that won the 2019 Grammy for Best Opera, led by baritone Edward Parks and mezzo Sasha Cooke. Also onstage this season are several ballets, from Aszure Barton’s stunning work at the Houston Ballet to a work by Joffrey Ballet’s Nicholas Blanc, who reprises a work he recently created for NYC Ballet.
In February, Mercury Soul heads to the Arguyous Center in Sun Valley, Idaho, transforming this new performing arts space into a club just in time for Ski Week. And back in San Francisco later this spring, we will be presenting one of our most exciting offerings to date: the music of Stranger Things at August Hal featuring composers Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein. They are heirs to the organ symphonies of Messiaen and Saint-Saens, as well of course to the ’80s soundtracks of John Carpenter.
Symphonic: Philharmonia Fantastique & beyond
Years in the making, my animated film about the “making of the orchestra” births in two places this spring: the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (March 26-28) and the San Francisco Symphony (April 16-18). This has been a joy to work on with director Gary Rydstrom of Lucasfilm and animation director Jim Capobianco of Aerial Contrivance Workshop. The three of us have created a 21st-century guide to the orchestra that flies inside instruments to explore the age-old connection between creativity and technology. With support from the Sakana Foundation and the John & Marcia Goldman Foundation, the project has been in development for over two years, and next season it goes to the Dallas, National, and Pittsburgh Symphonies. More info can be found here. Other notable symphonic performances this spring include my creation oratorio Children of Adam at the Colorado Symphony under Brett Mitchell and the Memphis Symphony under Robert Moody, and Resurrexit at the National Symphony Orchestra under Manfred Honeck.
Opera: The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs
How special is it to share a story in the hometown of the protagonist? We’ll find out this June and July when The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs comes to San Francisco Opera. The story of Steve Jobs is the stuff of opera – love, obsession, betrayal, death – yet I still get comments along the lines of “Steve Jobs in an opera?” That element of surprise has helped the work in the variety of cities where it’s appeared, leaving audiences unprepared for the emotional depths the work explores. SF Opera’s Matthew Shilvock was one of the earliest supporters of this project, and it is a huge honor to have this work brought to the Center of Tech by such a legendary opera house. Expect all manner of San Francisco insanity at some of these performances!