Old First Concerts

Old First Concerts http://www.oldfirstconcerts.org

One of the Bay Area's most active independent concert series, Old First Concerts has been presenting performances of chamber and recital repertoire on a year-round basis since 1970.

Every year we host a concert celebrating the birth of one of the greatest composers of all time—Frédéric Chopin—with acc...
02/24/2026

Every year we host a concert celebrating the birth of one of the greatest composers of all time—Frédéric Chopin—with acclaimed musicians performing his works. This year on Sunday, March 1, we’ll have performances by pianists including Jason Chiu, Elizabeth Dorman, Omri Shimron, Robert Schwartz, Ariel Chien, and Oliver Moore. There will be birthday cake and champagne at intermission, too.

Co-sponsored by The Polish Arts and Culture Foundation celebrating its 60th Anniversary this May. Please join us for an extra special celebration!

Starting a new year of concerts with a concert of new music. This Friday, January 23 at 8pm, Sarah Cahill introduces a n...
01/20/2026

Starting a new year of concerts with a concert of new music.

This Friday, January 23 at 8pm, Sarah Cahill introduces a new project combining classical and new compositions on the theme of homage and loss, featuring music by Maurice Ravel, Robert Helps, Lou Harrison, Zenobia Powell Perry, Samuel Adams, Danny Clay, and Maggi Payne. The title comes from Jawaharalal Nehru’s eulogy after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi: “The light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong. For the light that shone in this country was no ordinary light.”

Golden Bough will start at 8 pm as planned this evening. Doors open at 7:30 pm. We have power!
12/21/2025

Golden Bough will start at 8 pm as planned this evening. Doors open at 7:30 pm. We have power!

The holidays are coming, and we have four incredible concerts for you to celebrate the holiday spirit through music with...
11/20/2025

The holidays are coming, and we have four incredible concerts for you to celebrate the holiday spirit through music with us.

On Saturday, December 13 the Young Women's Chorus of San Francisco presents their program 'Angeloc Voices', a candle-lit concert featuring the local premiere of Sarah Quartel's 'Snow Angel', which celebrates the love, beauty, and strength that a child's voice can bring to our troubled world, plus works by Joni Mitchell, J. S. Bach, traditional carols, and more!

On Sunday, December 14 Ragazzi Boys Chorus invites you to partake in a musical celebration of community in their concert Rejoice!, a diverse program that explores the different ways we welcome each other to celebrate our holiday traditions.

On Saturday, December 20 share the laughter, song, and joy as Golden Bough performs rare versions of Celtic songs of Winter, as well as their unique take on better known Christmas carols.

And on Sunday, December 21 KITKA's Wintersongs program is a dramatic song cycle of music gathered from across Ukraine and the Republic of Georgia, as well as songs from Balkan, Baltic, Mediterranean, and Slavic lands, inviting listeners into Kitka's kolo, a place where giving voice and deep listening revolve in a timeless dance of dissonance and harmony.

This Friday, November 14th, internationally acclaimed pianist Tanya Gabrielian, hailed by the London Times as “a pianist...
11/11/2025

This Friday, November 14th, internationally acclaimed pianist Tanya Gabrielian, hailed by the London Times as “a pianist of powerful physical and imaginative muscle” and a proud Bay Area native, returns home for an evening that honors both beloved classics and today’s creative voices, with works by Schumann, Franck, and Sahba Aminikia.

On Saturday, November 1st at 2pm please join us for a special afternoon gala event featuring some of the Bay Area’s most...
10/20/2025

On Saturday, November 1st at 2pm please join us for a special afternoon gala event featuring some of the Bay Area’s most talented musicians, with three sets of music, libations and savories during the two intermissions, and FREE admission! Playful attire is recommended-- we'll have a photobooth available! Donations to support Old First Concerts in any amount are gladly accepted.

Words from Jake Heggie, Musical America’s 2025 Composer of the Year:

“Early in my career, Old First Concerts was a creative home base for me. . . . Old First was the site for the world premieres of several big song cycles of mine. . . It will always have a special place in my heart – for every memory of Old First Concerts absolutely glows with the richness of great music making, community and possibility.“

Performers include pianists Sarah Cahill, Monica Chew, Jeffrey LaDeur, Keisuke Nakagoshi, Robert Schwartz, and Brett Waxdeck, organist John Walko, and Circadian String Quartet, Sixth Station Trio, Trio de Garagem, and the Wooden Fish Ensemble!

They'll be performing works by Monica Chew, Frédéric Chopin, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Franz Liszt, W. A. Mozart, Hyo-shin Na, Fred Onovwerosuoke, Astor Piazzolla, David Ryther, Karen Tanaka, and more!

On Saturday, November 1st at 2pm please join us for a special afternoon gala event featuring some of the Bay Area’s most...
10/20/2025

On Saturday, November 1st at 2pm please join us for a special afternoon gala event featuring some of the Bay Area’s most talented musicians, with three sets of music, libations and savories during the two intermissions, and FREE admission! Playful attire is recommended--we'll have a photobooth available! Donations to support Old First Concerts in any amount are gladly accepted.

Words from Jake Heggie, Musical America’s 2025 Composer of the Year:

“Early in my career, Old First Concerts was a creative home base for me. . . . Old First was the site for the world premieres of several big song cycles of mine. . . It will always have a special place in my heart – for every memory of Old First Concerts absolutely glows with the richness of great music making, community and possibility.“

Performers include pianists Sarah Cahill, Monica Chew, Jeffrey LaDeur, Keisuke Nakagoshi, Robert Schwartz, and Brett Waxdeck, organist John Walko, and Circadian String Quartet, Sixth Station Trio, Trio de Garagem, and the Wooden Fish Ensemble!

They'll be performing works by Monica Chew, Frédéric Chopin, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Franz Liszt, W. A. Mozart, Hyo-shin Na, Fred Onovwerosuoke, Astor Piazzolla, David Ryther, Karen Tanaka, and more!

On Saturday, November 1st at 2pm please join us for a special afternoon gala event featuring some of the Bay Area’s most...
10/07/2025

On Saturday, November 1st at 2pm please join us for a special afternoon gala event featuring some of the Bay Area’s most talented musicians, with three sets of music, libations and savories during the two intermissions, and FREE admission! Playful attire is recommended-- we'll have a photobooth available! Donations to support Old First Concerts in any amount are gladly accepted.

Words from Jake Heggie, Musical America’s 2025 Composer of the Year:

“Early in my career, Old First Concerts was a creative home base for me. . . . Old First was the site for the world premieres of several big song cycles of mine.  . .  It will always have a special place in my heart – for every memory of Old First Concerts absolutely glows with the richness of great music making, community and possibility.“

Performers include pianists Sarah Cahill, Monica Chew and Robert Schwartz, Sixth Station Trio, the Wooden Fish Ensemble, and many more!

This Sunday, September 7 at 4pm!Every year, pianist Mike Greensill is joined by a changing roster of friends in a Labor ...
09/05/2025

This Sunday, September 7 at 4pm!

Every year, pianist Mike Greensill is joined by a changing roster of friends in a Labor Day weekend performance at Old First Concerts celebrating the melodic joys of the Great American Songbook … with a hefty dose of Greensill original compositions included. This time, he’s joined by bassist Carla Kaufman and featuring vocalist Gale Terminello in a celebration of Terminello’s new CD, I’m Old-Fashioned.

Maybe you noticed we didn't have any concerts in July? Well that's because our technician, David Love, brought our vener...
08/02/2025

Maybe you noticed we didn't have any concerts in July? Well that's because our technician, David Love, brought our venerable Steinway piano back to his shop for a glow-up, with a full refurbishment and replacement of worn parts.

We're so excited to have our Steinway back in the hall, and what better way to show off the improvements than with the annual San Francisco International Piano Festival? We're hosting 5 concerts this year between August 21-31, featuring pianists Jeffrey LaDeur, Gwendolyn Mok, Asiya Korepanova, Stephen Prutsman, and Paul Sánchez, along with singers Heidi Moss Erickson, Kindra Scharich, Esther Rayo, Simon Barrad, and instrumentalists the Chili Ekman and the Aveta Trio.

This year's festival is celebrating the music of Maurice Ravel, including performances that recreate his historic performance in San Francisco in 1928, as well as placing his music in context with that of his contemporaries, with Jazz music, and exploring his Basque roots through his incorporation of folk and popular music from various Spanish traditions.

Address

1751 Sacramento Street
San Francisco, CA
94109

Telephone

+14154741608

Website

https://twitter.com/Old1stConcerts, https://www.youtube.com/user/OldFirstConcerts

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