San Francisco Early Music Society - SFEMS

San Francisco Early Music Society - SFEMS The San Francisco Early Music Society is your portal to all things early music in the Bay Area!

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Robert Cole (1931ā€“2026), a titan of the American performing arts lands...
07/16/2026

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Robert Cole (1931ā€“2026), a titan of the American performing arts landscape and a great friend and champion of The San Francisco Early Music Society.

Robert was a musical force of nature. As a performer and administrator, his accolade-laden career stretched for seven decades, most notably as the longtime director of Cal Performances, where he made Berkeley into an international arts destination. His love for early music inspired him to create the biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition in 1990, lauded as "a remarkable institution on the American musical scene" by The New York Times. His support of the Bay Area's early music community was also exemplified by his leadership at SFEMS, which culminated in him serving as board president from 2014ā€“2017, and leading his final Festival in 2018.

A full obituary will appear in our weekly newsletter on Monday.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that contributions be made in Robertā€™s memory to support SFEMS, for which we are extremely grateful and humbled. With your generosity and involvement, SFEMS can look forward to many more years of providing the best in early music to the Bay Area, just as Robert would have wanted it.

sfems.org/robert-cole-memorial-fund

One highlight at the Berkeley Festival was an abundance of organ music through a mini festival-within-a-festivalā€”A Cele...
06/23/2026

One highlight at the Berkeley Festival was an abundance of organ music through a mini festival-within-a-festivalā€”A Celebration of the Organ!ā€”in collaboration with MusicSources. Organists Jeffrey Parola, Janine Johnson, and Arthur Omura showcased a vast variety of repertoire on three different organs in Berkeley, with the series culminating in our Mainstage concert with Jonathan Dimmock. Performing on Hertz Hall's magnificent Noack organ, Dimmock brought his audience deep into Bach's music, inviting the audience to sing along with the chorale melodies elaborated in Bach's ClavierĆ¼bung III.

The Berkeley Festival audience was treated to a spirited concert of Classical chamber music on period instruments by mus...
06/23/2026

The Berkeley Festival audience was treated to a spirited concert of Classical chamber music on period instruments by musicians from Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale. Their program featured the extraordinary clarinetist, Thomas Carroll who is not only an expert player of early clarinets but also an instrument builder, performing on his own instruments built after historical models (also showcased at the Festival's Exhibition/marketplace). Led by Philharmonia's legendary veteran violinist, Elizabeth Blumenstock, the Philharmonia Baroque Chamber Players brought charm, precision, and historical insight to a program of works by W.A. Mozart and Johann Backofen.

Our very own Berkeley Youth Choir made its debut Festival performance with Derek Tam conducting works by Hildegard von B...
06/18/2026

Our very own Berkeley Youth Choir made its debut Festival performance with Derek Tam conducting works by Hildegard von Bingen, Palestrina, Tallis, Byrd, Bach, and Mozart. Bachā€™s solo Cantata ā€œIch habe genugā€ BWV 82a featured in the program with soloist Brenn Farrellā€™s pristine soprano accompanied by Vicki Melin, flute; Anna Washburn & Anthony Martin, violins; Aaron Westman, viola; Erik Andersen, cello; and Yuko Tanaka, continuo organ.

Hearing these young voices on the Festival Mainstage was a revelation for our audience and a testament to the strength of community that SFEMS continues to build across its programming. Established literally less than one year ago, the Berkeley Youth Choir has already presented nearly a dozen performances and collaborated with the UC Symphony Orchestra, Young Peopleā€™s Symphony Orchestra and now BFX. We wish all the graduating seniors the best as they complete their time with the BYC. Thank you to all these wonderful singers for bringing your talents to our Festival!

The Berkeley Youth Choir is continually recruiting young singers in several age groups ranging K-12. Learn more at https://www.sfems.org/berkeley-youth-choir

The Berkeley Festival & Exhibition concluded this past weekend in spectacular fashion with two breathtaking performances...
06/17/2026

The Berkeley Festival & Exhibition concluded this past weekend in spectacular fashion with two breathtaking performances of Handelā€™s Alcinaā€”The first full opera presented at the festival in two decades! In collaboration with Festival Opera, SFEMSā€™ very own Derek Tam conducted the work with Festival Opera's soloists, chorus and orchestra. Brought to life by a stellar cast and an orchestra of period instruments, this production unleashed the operaā€™s raw emotional intensity and virtuosic fire.

Festival Opera will present Alcina again at Walnut Creekā€™s Lesher Center for the Arts this weekend, Friday and Sunday. So be sure to check it out if you missed it, or you just need to see it again!

https://www.festivalopera.org/alcina

2026 is a big year for us John Dowland (1563ā€“1626) fans and we couldn't be more fortunate than marking the 400 year occa...
06/11/2026

2026 is a big year for us John Dowland (1563ā€“1626) fans and we couldn't be more fortunate than marking the 400 year occasion with the Voices of Music ā€” Voice of the Viol program, Dowland 400. Voices of Music is a true Bay Area and internet treasure, with an online video library of superb qualityā€”musical and production-wise. We look forward to seeing their video of this sublime concert with the captivating, tender tones of viols, lute, and virginal, and the gorgeous tone and expression of Danielle Reutter-Harrah's perfect match for this Elizabethan repertoire. Thank you, Voices of Music!

The Bay Area is home to the ā€œfinest gamelan ensemble outside of Indonesiaā€ thanks to the deep rooted relationships built...
06/10/2026

The Bay Area is home to the ā€œfinest gamelan ensemble outside of Indonesiaā€ thanks to the deep rooted relationships built with Balinese musicians since .sekar.jaya ā€˜s founding in 1979. The musicians showcased the high energy rhythmic precision of their 4-tone Angklung ensemble with ornate and expressive dance, providing a sample of the work they do to share the enchanting artistic beauty of the music and dance of Bali. Thank you to this wonderful institution for treating our audience to this special performance at the Berkeley Festival & Exhibition!

Studio for the Early American Musical dazzled our Festival audience last night in a program that beautifully captured th...
06/09/2026

Studio for the Early American Musical dazzled our Festival audience last night in a program that beautifully captured the musically rich and expressive sound of early Broadway. Thank you to SEAM's outstanding musicians and scholars who enrich the landscape of historically informed performance with such fun and panache! Taylor See, Catherine Cook, Matthew Worth, Katherine Growdon, Brian Thorsett, Corey Jameson, and Eric Davis.

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P. O. Box 10151
Berkeley, CA
94709

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Monday 9am - 3pm

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