More arts events are coming to the Bay Area this fall! Let's list some.
San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus will celebrate its 40th birthday with a weekend of events, Oct. 26-28. It kicks off on Fri., Oct. 26, 8 p.m., with "Tribute: Our 40th Birthday," a concert at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in SF. "Paying tribute to the memory of the almost 300 singers the Chorus has lost to the AIDS pandemic, the Chorus will perform the reflective 'When We No Longer Touch,' composed in 1991, the first requiem dedicated to those lost to AIDS. Features the Chorus, orchestra and acclaimed soprano Ellie Dehn (Teatro alla Scala, San Francisco Opera, Metropolitan Opera)." Tickets ($35-$60): www.SFGMC.org or (415) 865-3650.
A press agent thought that B.A.R. readers might find baritone Marco Vassalli of some visual interest. We can't imagine why (joke!), but here's the low-down: "Musica Marin Festival # 6, Sat., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., Saturday evening Festival Concert, St. Stephen's Church in Belvedere, CA: The last concert of the day will be held in St. Stephen's magnificent sanctuary, including an informative Q&A with Musica Marin's composer-in-residence Clint Borzoni and baritone Marco Vassalli. Vassalli joins our Festival strings in the inspired performance of Samuel Barber's 'Dover Beach' and Borzoni's two songs for Baritone and String Quartet. The concert will end in grand style with Festival musicians performing Mendelssohn's B-flat viola quintet." www.musicamarinfestival.com.
Out Sacramento way, celebrating its 27th anniversary, BENT-Sacramento International LGBTQ Film Festival brings three days of LGBTQ film and live entertainment, Fri.-Sun., Oct. 12-14, to the Crest Theatre in downtown Sacramento. Six feature-length films and 18 short films will be showcased. Opening-night films are "Freelancers Anonymous" and "1985." Centerpiece narrative film "Wild Nights with Emily" stars Molly Shannon. BENT has three feature docs, including one of special interest to dog-lovers, "Life in the Doghouse." To celebrate LGBTQ History Month, "Dykes, Camera, Action!" investigates the history of queer women filmmakers, and "50 Years of Fabulous" looks at the life of Jose Sarria and the activism of the Imperial Court. www.BentFilmFest.org.
Opera Parall�le, the Bay Area's innovative contemporary chamber opera company, will open its 2018-19 season with a new production of Philip Glass' "In the Penal Colony" (2000), based on a story by Franz Kafka, with libretto by Rudolph Wurlitzer. Three performances will be given as part of Glass' "Days and Nights Festival" at the Golden Bough Playhouse in Carmel, CA, Fri., Oct. 5, 7 p.m., and Sun., Oct. 7, 2 & 7 p.m. A parable for the consequences of the abuse of power, the opera is set at the turn of the last century on a remote island, where a high-ranking visitor arrives to witness the use of a strange machine in execution of a prisoner. The OP creative team is led by founder and artistic director Nicole Paiement, who will conduct, and creative director Brian Staufenbiel. Tickets ($45-$85): www.daysandnightsfestival.com.
Mary Sano, one of the world's foremost interpreters of Isadora Duncan's choreography, presents "Dancing Dreaming Isadora" at ODC Theater San Francisco. This production marks the 20th anniversary for the Mary Sano Studio of Duncan Dancing, dedicated to the preservation of Isadora Duncan's art, and to exploring its contemporary relevance through ongoing new work. Performing will be Mary Sano and her Duncan Dancers including Eriko Tokaji, special guest Adrienne Ramm, classical piano Mutsuko Dohi and Hiroko Mizuno, her son Tony Sano Chapman, composer-contemporary piano Gabriela Hofmeyer, violin Diana Rowan, and harp Shoko Hikage. Fri.-Sat., Sept. 7 & 8, 8 p.m., ODC Theater, 3153 17th St., SF. Info: odc.dance/dreamingisadora, (415) 863-9834.
The Kinsey Sicks will celebrate their 25th anniversary in San Francisco with their critically acclaimed show "Things You Shouldn't Say," "the true story of four friends from San Francisco who had a life-changing epiphany at a Bette Midler concert in 1993 that led them to form The Kinsey Sicks in an effort to find joy during the darkest days of the AIDS crisis." Plays Marines' Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter St., SF Fri., Oct. 5, 8 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 6, 3 & 8 p.m. There will be a special post-performance talkback with the cast and special guests moderated by Kinsey Sicks co-founder and former cast member Irwin Keller immediately following the 10/5 performance. Tickets ($40-$75): (415) 967-2227, or boxcartheatre.org.
Cappella SF and artistic director Ragnar Bohlin will present "Crown Jewels of Britain - A Journey through Centuries of British Music," on Sat., Sept. 15, 8 p.m., at the Cathedral of Christ the Light, 2121 Harrison St., Oakland; and Sun., Sept. 16, 5 p.m., Mission Dolores Basilica, 3321 16th St., SF, followed by a reception. Tickets: cappellasf.org or at the door.
Finally, hopes are high for the November 2 Focus Features release "Boy Erased." "From writer-director Joel Edgerton, the film tells the story of Jared (Academy Award nominee Lucas Hedges), the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town who is outed to his parents (Academy Award winners Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe) at age 19. Jared is faced with an ultimatum: attend a conversion therapy program, or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends, and faith. 'Boy Erased' is the true story of one young man's struggle to find himself while being forced to question every aspect of his identity."