Berkeley Symphony has a new video series with music, out now and continuing through June. Called “REAL Berkeley,” the series aims to highlight the community through guest curators, local videographers, and chamber music performed by members of the orchestra. Each episode will run 40 minutes and will be streamed free of charge on the Berkeley Symphony YouTube channel and will remain available for viewing after the initial release date. Artistic Director René Mandel’s idea is to highlight unique aspects of the city that have a significant impact on both the orchestra and the community.
The first of the four planned episodes is already out. “Rad Women” is inspired by the book Rad American Women A-Z by Kate Schatz, who serves as the curator for the episode. She introduces the music in the video: Tessellations for flute, clarinet, trumpet, and string trio by Bay Area-native Gabriella Smith; Meri Sakhi Ki Avaaz for piano quintet, Hindustani singer, and soprano by Reena Esmail; and the Andante movement from Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio.
The next installment of the series, “Edgy Art,” will be available on May 16 and will be curated by Julie Rodrigues Widholm, the new director of BAMPFA. Exhibits by Bay Area- and
California-based artists Rosie Lee Tompkins and Edie Fake will be paired with the second movement from Florence Price’s String Quartet in G Major and Olivier Messiaen’s “Interstellar Horn Call” (from Des canyons aux étoiles) for solo horn. Additional works include part one of John Adams’s Shaker Loops and Michael Daugherty’s Diamond in the Rough for violin, viola, and percussion. Episodes three and four, scheduled for June, are titled “Audacious Performances” and “Loving Food”; guest curators and music are yet to be announced.
