On April 19, Mercury Soul transformed San Francisco’s iconic Grace Cathedral into a magical evening of luxe deejay beats, classical music, and immersive visuals.
Between classical performances, artistic director Mason Bates interspersed disco dance beats by deejay Masonic (Mason Bates himself), deejay Justin Reed (Illmeasures Chicago), and special guestdeejay Rob Garza, plus immersive visuals by Mark Johns and performances by SF Opera Adler Fellows, the SF Conservatory of Music Brass Ensemble, solo violinists Ava Pakiam and Diego de la Cruz Iwadare, and pianist Kristie Janczyk with conductor Daniel Stewart.
The sacred music of Arvo Pärt, Francis Poulenc, and William Byrd were performed by brass chorale and organ. Smuin Ballet choreographed the entrancing early minimalism ofJohn Adams; violinist Ava Pakiam brought Jules Massenet’s exquisitely beautiful Taïs Meditation to life; and Grace Cathedral’s Christopher Keady performed scintillating organ toccatas on the majestic Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ which is one of the largest church organs in the West.
SF Opera Adler Fellow Arianna Rodriguez performed an aria from Bellini’s La Sonnambula, and the SF Gay Men’s Chorus filled the cathedral with choral music of the Renaissance.
Attendees explored the beautiful surroundings, the awe-inspiring architecture of Grace Cathedral surreally converted into an otherworldly realm through a lavishly blended tapestry of music, dance, and visual arts while being transported from classical masterpieces to a club dance party and back again.
This was truly one of the most extraordinary musical evenings I have ever seen, despite of my concert experience at the best opera houses in the world, such as La Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House in London, Paris Opera House Garnier, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Teatro la Fenice in Venice, and the Vienna Opera House.
Mercury Soul’s spectacular events merge club culture and classical music in stunning spaces with world-class production and bring diverse young and the old audiences together. Anchored by its San Francisco club series, Mercury Soul also produces events around the country with organizations such as the Chicago Symphony and the New World Symphony.
This California nonprofit runs an education program that brings teenagers into kinetic shows to experience classical music and deejays. As a production consultant to arts organizations such as the DeYoung Museum or California Symphony, Mercury Soul builds creative digital content for new audiences.
For details and donations, please visit MercurySoul.com.