San Francisco, USA – The 2003 edition of the San Francisco World Music Festival will take place September 4-18, 2003, at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco State University, and the San Francisco Dance Center, featuring artists from Afghanistan, Altay, China, Eastern Europe, India, Kamchatka, Lebanon, Russia, and Tuva.
“By bringing together acclaimed international and local world music artists for 2 weeks of dynamic concerts, master classes, documentary film screenings and youth showcases, our festival facilitates human understanding through artistic vulnerability among the world’s cultures,” states Executive Director & Producer Michael Santoro.Kicking off the festival this year on September 4th is a North Indian Master Class by Vijay Kichlu. Another highlight is the first annual “Youth World Music
Showcase” on September 6, featuring elementary and high school students of world music masters in the Bay Area — from Alice Fong Yu Chinese Orchestra & Percussion and Deaf Slam Poets to the India Tabla Quartet and Korean Youth Orchestra.
“It’s important to provide not only role models but opportunities for children in the Bay Area to experience world music,” explains Santoro, “to give them inspiration to pick up an instrument and learn about another culture’s music.”
On September 18, Chinese Beijing Opera artists Chen Tsai-Yen, Sun Ji-Hai, Guan Yi, and Zhang Ying-Chao will hold live demonstrations in “Voices of Asia.”
Comments Deborah Clearwaters, Manager of Public Programs at the Asian Art Museum, who has worked with Door Dog Music Productions to present a World Music Concert Series at the museum since March 2003, “The Asian Art Museum is proud to be part of the 2003 World Music Festival. Many artifacts in our museum bear direct connections to musical traditions. Presenting living masters of Asian music to San Francisco audiences helps build a better understanding of the diversity and richness of Asian culture.”
In addition to music there will be live radio performances, master classes at San Francisco State University, San Francisco Dance Center and the Asian Art Museum, and a documentary film screening at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Screening Room.
The centerpiece of this year’s festival is a specially commissioned orchestral work with libretto by the internationally acclaimed Lebanese composer Marcel Khalife, set to premiere September 11 as an international music experiment and artistic statement for global peace. This centerpiece will be performed by a select orchestra of locally based world music masters, including KITKA, an all women Eastern European vocal ensemble, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra as directed by Benjamin Simon, Chinese erhu virtuoso Zhang Xiao Feng, Chinese master percussionist Hai Pu, and a leading female Lebanese vocalist Omayma Al Khalil, and includes visual and lighting design by Matthew Antaky. This opening concert will promote San Francisco as a world center for international music collaborations. “This concert is a metaphor for cultural understanding and communication,” notes Santoro.
“All of the different compositional components – Western classical music, Chinese traditional music, Arabic music, Eastern European music, and all of the respective cultures uniting — is not an easy task and through this process, newterritories will be explored, providing insight and enrichment,” says Program Director Kutay Derin Kugay, “The San Francisco World Music Festival
is going beyond traditional music with this commissioned composition by Lebanese composer Marcel Khalife. And with over 200 strings of the Santur masters, father and son Shivkumars, the festival sets a new standard for world music presentation.”
VENUES
Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin Street between McAllister & Fulton, San Francisco
www.asianart.org
San Francisco Dance Center
26 – 7th Street @ Market Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco
www.linesballet.org
San Francisco State University, Knuth Hall
1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco
www.sfsu.edu
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
700 Howard Street @ Third, San Francisco
www.ybca.org
SCHEDULE 2003
EVENT: NORTH INDIAN CLASSICAL MASTERCLASS with VIJAY KICHLU
DATE: SEPTEMBER 4
TIME: 6pm
PLACE: Asian Art Museum
EVENT: YOUTH WORLD MUSIC SHOWCASE
Elementary/ high school students of masters in the Bay Area: Alice Fong
Yu
Chinese Youth Orchestra & Percussion Troupe, Fremont Deaf Choir, India
Tabla
Quartet, Korean Center Youth Orchestra, & more…
DATE: SEPTEMBER 6
TIME: 1pm
PLACE: Asian Art Museum
EVENT: MARCEL KHALIFE MASTERCLASS
DATE: SEPTEMBER 10
TIME: 1pm
PLACE: San Francisco State University, Knuth Hall
EVENT: COMMISSIONED WORLD PREMIERE BY MARCELL KHALIFE,
Featuring Marcell Khalife (oud, vocals), San Francisco Chamber
Orchestra,
Zhang Xiao Feng (erhu), Pu Hai (Chinese percussion), Oumayma Al Khalil
(Lebanese vocalist), Members of KITKA
DATE: SEPTEMBER 11
TIME: 8pm
PLACE: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
EVENT: ANCESTORS OF SIBERIA Part One:
featuring Ai-Churek (Tuvan shaman), Chirgilchin (Tuvan throat singers),
Oktay (Russian Old Believers folk group), Sarymay (Altay, singer),
Elvel (Kamchatka folk dance group). Presented in association with Pure
Nature Music and the Silk Road Foundation.
DATE: SEPTEMBER 12
TIME: 8pm
PLACE: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
EVENT: TUVAN OVERTONE SINGING WORKSHOP
Members of Chirgilchin teach basics of overtone singing.
DATE: SEPTEMBER 13
TIME: 1pm
PLACE: SF Dance Center
EVENT: ELVEL DANCE WORKSHOP
Members of Elvel teach the basics of the dance of Kamchatka
DATE: SEPTEMBER 13
TIME: 3pm
PLACE: SF Dance Center
EVENT: MASTERS OF NORTH INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC
BEYOND HUNDRED STRINGS featuring the Living Legend of the santoor
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, with Rahul Sharma (santoor), Ustaad Shafaat
Ahmed Khan (tabla). Presented in association with Bay Area Performing
Arts.
DATE: SEPTEMBER 13
TIME: 8pm
PLACE: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
EVENT: ANCESTORS OF SIBERIA Part Two
Featuring Ai-Churek (Tuvan shaman), Chirgilchin (Tuvan throat singers),
Oktay (Russian Old Believers folk group), Sarymay (Altay, singer),
Elvel (Kamchatka folk dance group). Presented in association with Pure
Nature Music and the Silk Road Foundation.
DATE: SEPTEMBER 14
TIME: 3pm
PLACE: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
EVENT: WORLD MUSIC FILM SCREENINGS
Documentary film “Saaz: A Glance at Afghan Music” & others.
DATE: SEPTEMBER 15
TIME: 7pm
PLACE: Yerba Buena Screening
EVENT: SCHOOL ASSEMBLY/ RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Members of Elvel & Chirgilchin perform assembly program in the
afternoon, work with the school percussion troupe, & perform evening
concert
DATE: SEPTEMBER 17
TIME: 2pm, 6pm
PLACE: Alice Fong Yu Elementary School
EVENT: A CLOSER LOOK AT PEKING OPERA
Make-up & Costume Demonstration; Lecture about Chinese Opera by scholar
Chen
Tsai-Yen; Excerpts of “Farewell My Concubine” performed by Sun Ji-Hai,
Guan
Yi, and Zhang Ying-Chao
DATE: SEPTEMBER 18
TIME: 5-8pm
PLACE: Asian Art Museum
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
