Features

Sign of the times: The Berkeley Festival and Exhibition is going mostly local this year. That’s in response to the depressed funding cycle that coincided with the serious recession of the past two years. Questions linger about the festival’s stability and long-term organization, but fortunately they stop at the concert hall doors.

Matías Tarnopolsky is understandably pleased. Less than a year after being appointed director of Cal Performances, he’s unveiled the first season entirely of his own programming, and it’s a knockout.

SFCV’s annual gala celebration was held at the home of Ann and Gordon Getty last Wednesday night. The fortunate guests were treated to a superb dinner in the formal dining room, and a look at the brilliant art collection that the Gettys have on display; the evening’s entertainment was provided by violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg.

Berkeley-born Gabriela Lena Frank is on a roll, with her compositions being performed widely, even as she serves the Berkeley Symphony as its creative advisor. Her upcoming first violin concerto, Hailli Lírico, is drawn from poem-prayers uttered by Inca kings.