SF Symphony returns, with acclaimed chorus

The San Francisco Symphony performed once already, in September, in the 2010-11 season at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. The symphony returns this month, this time with its acclaimed chorus — winner of seven Grammy Awards and an Emmy Award since 1992.

The symphony and chorus are due on the Jackson Hall stage for a concert starting at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 17, with Ragnar Bohlin conducting. The program consists of Bach’s Mass in B Minor — described by the Mondavi Center as “one of the greatest Baroque compositions."

The center listed the following featured singers: Ingela Bohlin and Abigail Nims, sopranos; Kelley O’ Connor, mezzo-soprano, Nicholas Phan, tenor; and Shenyang, bass-baritone.

A preperformance talk is set to begin at 7 p.m., with Susan Key, director of the San Francisco Symphony's Keeping Score education program.

More at the Mondavi

• Yefim Bronfman, piano — One of the most talented virtuoso pianists performing today, Bronfman’s commanding technique and exceptional lyrical gifts have won him critical acclaim and enthusiastic audiences worldwide. 8 p.m. Saturday, March 12, Jackson Hall

• Alexander String Quartet — Beethoven's String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131. 2 p.m. Sunday, March 13, Vanderhoef Studio Theater. Sold out; wait list available. Commentary by musicologist, author and composer Robert Greenberg during the concert.

• Alexander String Quartet — Beethoven's String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131, and Mozart's String Quartet in G Major, K. 387. 7 p.m. Sunday, March 13, Vanderhoef Studio Theater. Limited availability, Postperformance question-and-answer session with quartet members.

With its four concert dates in 2010-11, the Alexander String Quartet will complete its Mondavi Center cycle of all of Beethoven’s string quartets.

• Curtis On Tour — Students from Philadelphia's world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music perform alongside celebrated faculty and alumni. 8 p.m. Saturday, March 19, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 20, Vanderhoef Studio Theater

• Dan Zanes and Friends — Performing in the Children’s Stage series. Zanes is a onetime rock 'n' roller (the Del Fuegos) who found a second career when he decided to make music for children. His latest album, 76 Trombones, reinvents classic Broadway tunes from such shows as Annie, A Chorus Line and Hello Dolly! 3 p.m. Sunday, March 20, Jackson Hall.

• St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra — The oldest and most celebrated symphonic ensemble in Russia presents renowned cellist Alisa Weilerstein in her second visit to the Mondavi Center. Ticket availability is limited. 8 p.m. Saturday, March 26, Jackson Hall

• Henry Louis Gates Jr.: "African American Lives — Genealogy, Genetics and Black History" — The Distinguished Speakers series presents the head of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African American Studies at Harvard University, addressing research and DNA analysis and poignant family stories in a lively discussion on individual lineage and African American history. Beyond his academic work, Gates, you may recall, made the news in connection with a July 2009 confrontation with a Cambridge, Mass., police officer. 8 p.m. Monday, May 9, Jackson Hall (postponed from an earlier date).

Just added

Tony Bennett has never had a chance to leave his heart at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

But last week the center announced two “just added” events for the 2010-11 season: Bennett and comedian Sarah Silverman, who also will be performing at the center for the first time.

Silverman, dubbed “the most outrageously funny woman alive” by Rolling Stone magazine, is scheduled to take the stage in Jackson Hall at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 10.

Bennett, whose “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” is a musical gold standard, is scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 25, also on the Jackson Hall stage.

Tickets are available online, or by visiting or calling the Mondavi Center box office, (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787. Box office hours: noon-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Tickets are limited in availability for the March 6 concert.