A CELEBRATION OF THE YEAR OF THE DOG: THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY PRESENTS CHINESE NEW YEAR CONCERT AND IMPERIAL DINNER SATURDAY, FEB. 24 AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL. San Francisco Symphony welcomes the Year of the Dog with its annual Chinese New Year Concert and Imperial Dinner on Feb. 24 at Davies Symphony Hall. The 3 p.m. concert opens with the popular neon dragon dance and features a combination of traditional music, alongside orchestral works by Asian and European composers. Concert highlights include pianist Zhang Zuo performing Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” with the San Francisco Symphony, as well as a performance of “Tan Dun’s The Triple Resurrection” in which she is joined by SFS violinist Yun Chu and cellist Amos Yang. A triple concerto from the composer’s “Martial Arts Cycle”, Dun’s 2013 composition is inspired by the romantic martial arts films “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”; “Hero”; and “The Banquet” — all films for which he composed the score. The SFS will also perform Huanzhi Li’s “Spring Festival Overture” and Huang Ruo’s “Folk Songs for Orchestra,” and close with the traditional tune “Gong Xi, Gong Xi,” during which the audience will be invited to sing along.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS. Born in Dandong, China, Conductor Xian Zhang made her professional debut conducting Le nozze di Figaro at the Central Opera House in Beijing at the age of 20. This season, she conducts Chen Yi’s Ge Xu (Antiphony) with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the New Jersey Symphony. This Feb. 24 performance marks her San Francisco Symphony debut. Pianist Zhang Zuo (“Zee Zee”) began her musical training in Germany at the age of 5. Her 2017-18 season sees her debut with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Basel Symphony, and Estonian National Symphony. She appears with the Colorado, Pasadena, Tucson, and Jacksonville symphony orchestras, and gives recitals at the Vancouver Recital Society and Shanghai Symphony Chamber Hall. This performance marks her San Francisco Symphony debut.
BEFORE THE CONCERT: Pre-concert festivities in the Davies Symphony Hall lobbies provide playful entertainment and activities in the spirit of the Year of the Dog, including arts and crafts, lion dancing, games, “lucky” red envelopes, complimentary sweet and savory bites and tea bars. This free pre-concert Festival Reception is open to all ticket holders beginning at 2 p.m.
AND AFTER — AN ELEGANT IMPERIAL DINNER. The elegant Imperial Dinner, inspired by the vibrant visual pageantry of traditional Chinese New Year celebrations, begins at 5 p.m. in Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall, located at 300 Franklin St. at the rear of Davies Symphony Hall. This year’s Imperial Dinner honors restauranteur and chef Cecilia Chiang. Dinner packages include access to the Festival Reception, premium concert seating, and seating at the Imperial Dinner.
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TICKETS AND DIRECTIONS: Tickets for the SFS Chinese New Year Concert and the pre-concert Festival Reception, $34–$79, are available at sfsymphony.org, by phone at (415) 864-6000 and at the Davies Symphony Hall Box Office on Grove Street between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street in San Francisco. Dinner packages that include access to the Festival Reception, premium concert seating, and seating at the Imperial Dinner are available by calling the SFS Volunteer Council at (415) 503-5500.
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THE SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CHINESE NEW YEAR PARADE HOSTS A FEB. 24 DEBUT. Gorgeous floats, elaborate costumes, ferocious lions, exploding firecrackers and, of course, the newly crowned Miss Chinatown U.S.A. and her court. Beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24, all will combine in the Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco, one of the few remaining night-illuminated parades in North America. Started in the 1860s, the Parade and Festival have grown to be the largest celebration of Asian culture outside of Asia. A crowd favorite this year will be the new and spectacular 288-foot-long Golden Dragon (“Gum Lung”). It takes a team of more than 180 men and women from the martial arts group White Crane to carry the Golden Dragon through the streets of San Francisco past densely packed and cheering crowds. For route information and bleacher seat tickets visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/southwest-airlines-chinese-new-year-parade-2018-tickets-37119946760, contact the Parade Office at (415) 889-8823 or email cnyparade_ccc@yahoo.com.
Susan Cohn is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle and the American Theatre Critics Association. She may be reached at susan@smdailyjournal.com.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
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Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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