Previews

Kids like movies, and San Francisco Opera's Education department brings us the perfect film to introduce children to the magic of opera: The Elixir of Love for Families.

Did you ever want to take your really young kids to a concert but were afraid they couldn't sit still, or stay quiet? The Crowden School and S.F Chamber Orchestra have teamed up to bring you a special series of musical exploration for kids, and it's free.

Joana Carneiro conducts the premiere of Mantichora for string orchestra, an exciting piece by Boosey and Hawkes Emerging Composer Du Yun that was commissioned by the Berkeley Symphony.

When you first encounter the quiet, eerie, achingly stretched opening chords of Bartók’s first string quartet, you know that you are in the presence of something magnificent. That the Alexander String Quartet’s would present the complete cycles of Bartók’s six and Kodály’s two string quartets is newsworthy enough, but there is more to the story.

Glee, the T.V. show, may have given the wrong impression of what Glee Clubs actually do. They're really choruses, and often have high musical standards. For an excellent example see the Cornell Glee Club's upcoming concerts.

The guitar has roots in all kinds of music, and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet is determined to share them all ... and then some.

Celebrate the New Year with the S.F. Chamber Orchestra, and you’ll also have a chance to see local and internationally acclaimed cellist Nathan Chan before he leaves for Columbia University.

For those who are brassed off, the annual Bay Brass Christmas celebration is here to answer your need for the smooth, polished, yet incisive sounds of the brass ensemble.

When The Magic Flute gets done family-style, it can lose some of the other impediments to enjoyment and understanding. This weekend the Rafael Film Center is showing the San Francisco Opera's 2007 one-hour version for kids.

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Like just about everybody born in December, Beethoven doesn't get to celebrate his birthday in style. But thankfully Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra hasn't forgotten about B's Day.