Lisa Hirsch

Just below the level of international stardom, performers forge their own paths and hone their management skills.

Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Before we fall positively overwhelms in a performance from cellist Johannes Moser and conductor Dalia Stasevska.

Large, colorful works by Kaija Saariaho, Igor Stravinsky, and Ottorino Respighi bring out the best from the ensemble and its solo players.

In one of his last appearances with the orchestra, Music Director Joseph Young leads a program of works inspired by the season.

In a performance at UC Berkeley, the chamber chorus takes on the challenges of Gérard Grisey’s Les Chants de l’Amour.

Opera Parallèle’s The Pigeon Keeper is a production for everyone, with a strong moral and moving performances.

A solid cast makes this a winning production of Mozart’s masterpiece.

Esa-Pekka Salonen and the orchestra shake up The Rite of Spring, plus Daniil Trifonov delivers a dazzling romp through Prokofiev.

Strong singing and direction give Béla Bartók’s one-act chiller plenty of thrills in this production from OSJ’s Shawna Lucey.

Davidsen, one of the Metropolitan Opera’s reigning divas, shows complete mastery in a varied recital at Cal Performances.