Reviews

The Merola Grand Finale 2014 offered magic that comes from vocal strength and expert projection, musicality, beauty of tone, clear diction, and convincing acting in a variety of operatic roles.

Music derived from burning lands, sounds of sea and bird, and sax riffs make for an evocative program at the Cabrillo Festival.

The Bay Area was served a generous helping of Russian vocal music last week during the West Coast’s first Russian Choral Festival.

A Music in the Vineyards concert at Silverado Vineyards showcases the viola to great effect.

Hydrogen Jukebox, the dizzying psychological opera that Allen Ginsberg created with Philip Glass is courageously performed by Berkeley's West Edge Opera.

Piano duos cruise the Baltic to provide intriguing, even enthralling works at the biannual Salkind Festival.

The West Edge Opera’s creative team managed to create a functional, and most of all intimate performance space for its three operas this season, notably in Jake Heggie’s The End of the Affair.

Gilles Vonsattel takes listeners through revolutions, oppression, and fantasy in his innovative Music@Menlo recital.

Composers featured at the Cabrillo festival seemed to know what joy was, and splendidly communicated it to a riotously appreciative audience.

The impressive National Youth Orchestra rings out with joy and conviction in Weill Hall.