The Fifth Annual San Francisco World Music Festival Begins this Week

San Francisco, California, USA  –  The 2004 edition of the San Francisco World Music Festival will begin September 17
and will run until October 3, 2004. The centerpiece of this year’s
festival is a specially commissioned world premiere work for Kronos Quartet, set
to premiere September 26 as an international music experiment and artistic
statement for global peace. The works of
Rahman
Asadollahi, Xi Pei Kun, and
others will be performed by a select group of US based world music masters,
including Rahman Asadollahi, an Azerbaijani composer and garmon (accordion)
master, Mr. Zhang Hai Yue (Chinese leaf
virtuoso), and members of the Beijing Peking Opera Company, Ms. Guan Yi and Mr.
Zhang Ying Chao, and includes visual and lighting design by Matthew Antaky.
Taking place at Herbst Theatre, this concert continues to promote San Francisco
as a world center for international music collaborations.“This concert is a metaphor for cultural understanding and communication,” notes
Executive Director Michael Santoro. “All of the different compositional
components – Western classical music, Chinese traditional music, Azerbaijani
music, and all of the respective cultures uniting — is not an easy task and
through this process, new territories 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 for Kronos Quartet. The festival continues to set a new standard for
world music presentation.”

Opening the festival on September 17th is a special concert produced in
association with Bansuri Music featuring two of India’s most celebrated
musicians. At Grace Cathedral
G.S.
Sachdev &
Zakir
Hussain will perform
mesmerizing works for the bansuri and the tabla. Additional concert highlights
at the ODC Theater include: October 1st the legendary
Ross
Daly Ensemble (Cretan
musicians make their US debut); on October 2nd Davka (New Jewish Music), Rumen
Shopov Ensemble (Romani Bulgarian), and Avotcja Modupue (African/ Latin/ Asian
Jazz Fusion); & October 3rd
Esma
Redzepova  & Ensemble Teodosievki (renowned
musician comes from Macedonia).

Continuing its effort to introduce artists to the larger community, there are
several outreach events this year. On September 19th, the second annual Youth
World Music Showcase at the Asian Art Museum will feature elementary and high
school students of masters in the Bay Area, including Alice Fong Yu Chinese
Youth Orchestra & Percussion Troupe & more; September 21st members of the

Georges Lammam Ensemble (Arabic ensemble) will perform an assembly program in
the afternoon at the
Alice Fong Yu Elementary School, work with the school percussion troupe, &
perform evening concert for the community; September 23rd a Azerbaijani &
Chinese Music Lecture Demonstration at the Asian Art Museum with Zhang Hai Yue
(Chinese leaf) and Rahman Asadollahi (Azeri garmon), who will give a
demonstration of their cultural and musical perspectives; September 25th, the
UCSF Hospital Pediatrics Concert will bring together Bay Area musicians to
perform a free concert for the
young Patients in the pediatric ward of the hospital; & September 30th Cretan
Music Lecture & Demonstration with Ross Daly at the ODC Theater.

“By bringing together acclaimed international and local world music artists for
a few weeks of dynamic concerts, master classes, youth showcases, and community
outreach, our festival facilitates human understanding through artistic
vulnerability among the world’s cultures,” states Michael Santoro. These
concerts are a sampling of Door Dog Music Productions’ Fifth Annual The San
Francisco World Music Festival, running September 17 – October 3, 2004 at Herbst
Theater, Grace Cathedral, the Asian Art Museum, ODC Theater, Alice Fong Yu
School, & the UCSF Pediatric Ward.

Program:

Masters Of Indian Music:
 G.S. Sachdev & Zakir Hussain
A special concert produced in association with Bansuri Music, featuring two of
India¹s most celebrated musicians. At a special venue, Grace Cathedral, G.S.
Sachdev & Zakir Hussain will perform mesmerizing works for the bansuri and the
tabla.
September 17  at
8 PM

Youth World Music Showcase
Elementary/ high school students of masters in the Bay Area: Alice Fong
Yu Chinese Orchestra and Percussion Troupe & more…
September 19
1-4 PM
Asian Art Museum
Free with Museum Ticket

Lecture Demonstration
This event features Ustad Rahman Asadollahi (Garmon: Azerbaijani
Accordion) who will give a demonstration and discuss Azerbaijani
cultural perspectives and music.
September 23
6 PM
Asian Art Museum
Free with Museum Ticket

UCSF Hospital Pediatrics Concert
Bay Area musicians perform a free concert for the young patients in the
pediatric ward of the hospital.
September 29
12 PM
UCSF Pediatrics Hospital
Free

Kronos Quartet with Rahman Asadollahi (Azerbaijani Garmon), Zhang Hai Yue
YUE (Chinese leaf), & members of the Peking Opera Troupe
Featuring three new World Premieres, commissioned compositions by the
San Francisco World Music Festival, featuring the music of Mr. Rahman
Asadollahi and Mr. Xi Pei Kun.
September 26
8 PM
Herbst Theatre
$18, $22, $28, $36

Georges Lammam Ensemble Residency Program
Members of the Georges Lammam Ensemble (Arabic music) perform an
assembly program in the afternoon at the Alice Fong Yu Elementary
School, work with the school orchestra and percussion troupe (Chinese
music students), & perform an evening concert for the community.
September 28
7 PM
Alice Fong Yu School
Free

Ross Daly Lecture Demonstration
Cretan Music Lecture & Demonstration from the legendary master musician
Ross Daly.
September 30
7:30 PM
ODC Theater
$15

Ross Daly Ensemble with Giorgis Xylouris and Kelly Thoma
Coming to the Bay Area from Crete, world renowned master musician and
composer Ross Daly makes his US debut at San Francisco World Music
Festival.
October 1
8 PM
ODC Theater
$25

Davka (New Jewish Music), Rumen Shopov And Orkestar Sali (Romani
Bulgarian), Avotcja and Modupue (African/ Latin/ Asian Jazz Fusion)
Bay Area based ensembles display their musical diversity.
October 2
8 PM
ODC Theater
$25

Esma Redzepova & Ensamble Teodosievski
Coming to the Bay Area from Macedonia, “Queen of the Gypsies” Esma
Redzepova performs with her ensemble.
October 3
7 PM
ODC Theater
$25

Venues

Herbst Theatre
401 Van Ness Avenue, @ Van Ness @ McAllister, San Francisco

Grace Cathedral
1100 California Street @ Taylor Street, San Francisco

Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin Street between McAllister & Fulton, San Francisco

ODC Theater
3153 – 17th Street @ Shotwell Street, San Francisco

Alice Fong Yu School
1541 – 12th Avenue, San Francisco

The San Francisco World Music Festival is produced by Door Dog Music Productions 
in association with
Asian Art Museum; Deborah Clearwaters, Manager of Public Programs; and
Bansuri Music.

For tickets contact:

+1
415-561-6571 (Door Dog Music Productions)
+1
415-863-9834 (ODC Box Office)
+1
415-581-3500 (Asian Art Museum)

For additional information send an e-mail to
info@sfworldmusicfestival.org
or go  to the festival’s Web site:
www.sfworldmusicfestival.org.

[Photos: 1- Esma Redzepova, 2 – Rahman Asadollahi].