Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Free Events
In addition to the numerous
ticketed events, free concerts
and performances are staged
all over the city. Most of these
are outdoor daytime summer
events. For example, the San
Francisco Symphony Orchestra
holds a late-summer series of
Sunday concerts in a natural,
wooded amphitheater at Stern
Grove
(see p247)
. Members
of the San Francisco Opera
Company sing a selection of
favorite arias for lunchtime
crowds in the Financial District
on Bush Street as part of the
“Brown Bag Operas” series, and
in Sharon Meadow, Golden
Gate Park
(see pp145-57)
,
during “Opera in the Park.” Also
free are the Tuesday lunchtime
recitals at 12:30 at Old St.
Mary's Cathedral
(see p100)
.
Arts
is home to the
LINES
Contemporary Ballet
, while
Zellerbach Hall
across the
Bay attracts the best touring
productions, with annual visits by
Pilobolus, the Dance Theater of
Harlem, and Merce Cunningham.
On Fridays at noon during the
summer there is “Music in the
Park” in the redwood grove
behind the Transamerica
Pyramid
(see p113)
.
Grace Cathedral
is a
particularly striking setting for
choral church music, performed
by the Grace Cathedral Choir of
men and boys, founded in 1913.
The choir sings at Evensong on
Thursdays at 5:15pm, while
Choral Eucharist is celebrated
on Sundays at 11am.
For details of free and other
events, contact the San
Francisco Visitor Information
Center
(see p266)
, or call their
24-hour hotline for updates:
415-391-2001. You can also
check the “Datebook” section
of the Sunday
San Francisco
Chronicle/Examiner
or one of
the weekly events papers.
Backstage Tours
Scheduled backstage tours
are organized at the Louise M.
Davies Symphony Hall and the
War Memorial Opera House.
You can tour both buildings
on Mondays, every half hour
from 10am to 2pm. Tours of the
Davies Symphony Hall only can
be arranged on Wednesdays
and Saturdays, but reservations
must be made a week ahead. All
tours begin at the Grove Street
entrance and offer an intriguing
firsthand look behind the scene.
DIRECTORY
Opera
San Francisco Opera
Association
301 Van Ness Ave.
Map
4 F5.
Te l
861-4008.
War Memorial Opera
House Box Office
199 Grove St (day).
Map
4 E5.
301 Van Ness Ave (eve).
Map
4 F5.
Te l
864-3330.
∑
sfopera.com
West Edge Opera
540 Ashbury Ave.
El Cerrito.
Te l
(510) 841-1903.
Louise M. Davies
Symphony Hall Box
Office
201 Van Ness Ave.
Map
4 F5.
Te l
864-6000.
Oakland East Bay
Symphony Box Office
2025 Broadway, Oakland.
Te l
(510) 444-0801.
Old First Presbyterian
Church
1751 Sacramento St.
Map
4 F3.
Te l
474-1608.
Philharmonia
Baroque Orchestra
Box Office
City Box Office, 180
Redwood St, Suite 100.
Map
4 F5.
Te l
392-4400 or 252-1288.
∑
cityboxoffice.com
San Francisco
Symphony Box Office
201 Van Ness Ave.
Map
4 F5.
Te l
864-6000.
Cowell Theater
Fort Mason Center Pier 2.
Map
4 E1.
Te l
441-3687.
Kronos Quartet
Te l
731-3533.
Yerba Buena Center
for the Arts
701 Mission St.
Map
5 C5.
Te l
978-2787.
∑
ybca.org
Zellerbach Hall
UC Berkeley.
Te l
(510) 642-9988.
Theater Artaud
450 Florida St.
Map
11 A3.
Te l
621-4240.
Yerba Buena Center
for the Arts
See Contemporary Music.
Zellerbach Hall
See Contemporary Music.
Backstage Tours
War Memorial
Performing Arts
Center
401 Van Ness Ave.
Map
4 E5.
Te l
621-6600.
Ballet and Dance
LINES Contemporary
Ballet
Yerba Buena Center for
the Arts, 700 Howard St.
Map
5 C5.
Te l
863-3040.
ODC Performance
Gallery
3153 17th St.
Map
10 E3.
Te l
863-9834.
San Francisco Ballet
301 Van Ness Ave.
Map
4 F4.
Te l
861-5600 or
865-2000 (box office).
∑
sfballet.org
Free Events
Grace Cathedral
1051 Taylor St.
Map
5 B4.
Te l
749-6300.
∑
gracecathedral.org
Classical Music
Florence Gould
Theater
Legion of Honor,
Lincoln Park.
Map
1 C5.
Te l
750-3600.
Herbst Theatre
401 Van Ness Ave.
Map
4 F5.
Te l
362-4400.
Hertz Hall
UC Berkeley.
Te l
(510) 642-9988.
Contemporary
Music
Audium
1616 Bush St.
Map
4 F4.
Te l
771-1616.
