Lucía was the winner of the 2022 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and the first Mexican artist to enter. When it came time for the final round, she chose to sing “What a Difference a Day Makes,” a standard popularized by Dinah Washington, but originally a bolero written in Spanish by María Grever. Since winning the competition, Lucía has released her self-titled debut album and continued to develop her musical sensibility, colored in equal parts by the beauty of American jazz and the Latin American Songbook.

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Rosanne Cash has broadened country music by emphasizing its folk, rock, and blues influences, while also developing a career as an author of essays and fiction. Rolling Stone called her “one of the most ambitious and literary songwriters of her generation,” winning multiple Grammy Awards in the Country, Americana, and American Roots categories. In this intimate performance, she is joined by her husband and longtime recording partner John Leventhal.

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Pianist Michelle Cann was recently praised by The San Francisco Chronicle for her “reassuring warmth and rare fineness, notably in the velvety melodies and lace-edged cadenzas she spun” and called “a pianist of sterling artistry” by Gramophone. Her recordings of works by Florence Price have won two Grammy Awards, and she has also been honored with the Sphinx Medal of Excellence.

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Named for the Greek goddess of hunting, Artemis is an all-women jazz collective. Pianist and composer Renee Rosnes leads a quintet with trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, saxophonist Nicole Glover, bassist Noriko Ueda, and drummer Allison Miller. Signed to Blue Note Records and twice named Group of the Year by the Downbeat Readers’ Poll, Artemis has been described by NPR as “a killer line-up of players, composers and performers… who converge on an extremely cosmopolitan, sleek, rhythm-forward, modern sound.”

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Colombian cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia is a BBC Next Generation Artist and Tchaikovsky Competition silver medalist, hailed by The Strad as “technically flawless… totally under the skin of the composers’ idioms.” He makes his Bay Area debut with a recital of dreamy French sonatas and unusual transcriptions, capped by Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne, adapted from his Baroque-inspired harlequin ballet, Pulcinella.

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After nearly four decades of acclaimed performances at Stanford and around the world, the St. Lawrence String Quartet introduces the St. Lawrence Legacy Series. This new initiative, in partnership with Stanford Live, showcases three of today’s most celebrated string quartets—ranging from legendary ensembles to rising stars and fresh competition winners. Each group will spend a week on campus in a wide-ranging residency focused on mentorship, collaboration, and community engagement, culminating in a world-class performance at Bing Concert Hall.

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Pianist Hayato Sumino forged his own path with a YouTube channel under the name “Cateen,” which has gained more than 1.3 million followers and 180 million views. Now a Sony Classical recording artist and an Artist Ambassador for Apple Music Classical, he has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and toured worldwide. This recital spans signature Chopin works and compositions by Ravel, Debussy, Gershwin, Hans Zimmer, and Sumino himself. As a finale, he does the impossible: playing Ravel’s Boléro, an orchestral tourde force, on two pianos at the same time.

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Mariza is one of the most recognized stars of contemporary fado—the traditional Portuguese genre of lovelorn song. Born in Mozambique but raised in Lisbon’s multicultural Moorish Quarter, Mariza became a local phenomenon and then an international success. Recognized by UNESCO as part of Portugal’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, fado dates back centuries, but has recently absorbed gospel, jazz, and flamenco influences into its lilting, nostalgic sound.

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Mali Obomsawin is a genre-defying bassist, composer, vocalist, and proud citizen of the Odanak First Nation. She scored the 2024 National Geographic documentary Sugarcane, which helped bring light to the injustice and abuses of the Canadian Indian residential school system. In this special screening of the film, the Mali Obomsawin Quartet plays the score live to picture. Obomsawin’s music models 21st-century Indigeneity, challenging listeners’ complacency while comforting with lush and haunting harmonies.

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Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience takes audiences on a journey through the soul-stirring history of the Delta Blues, merging the raw emotion of blues music with the expressive depth of an orchestra. Featuring a live appearance and multimedia narration by Hollywood icon and Mississippi son, Morgan Freeman, and featuring performances by respected Delta Blues musicians from Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Symphonic Blues is an unforgettable celebration of music, culture, and storytelling.

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For over 30 years, Rob Kapilow has brought the joy and wonder of music—and unraveled some of its mysteries—to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. With his unique ability to create an “aha” moment for his audiences and collaborators, whatever their level of musical sophistica-tion, Kapilow brings music into people’s lives: opening new ears to musical experiences and helping people to listen actively rather than just hear.

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Corelli’s Concerto grosso was “made for the night of Christmas,” while Vivaldi’s Gloria is his most enduring work of sacred vocal music. These 18th-century classics are paired with possible future classics of the 21st: a world premiere by British baritone-turned-composer Roderick Williams and a U.S. premiere by Pulitzer–Prize winner Caroline Shaw.

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It wouldn’t be the holidays without Chanticleer at Memorial Church. San Francisco’s treasured men’s vocal ensemble creates a new Christmas program each year, activating the church’s gorgeous acoustics to create a feeling of community and serene beauty.

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This illustrious group of young musicians has been delighting music lovers across the globe for six centuries with their purity of tone, distinctive charm, and diverse repertoire which includes everything from medieval to contemporary to experimental music. The Fort Worth Star Telegram raves: “There’s no more gratifying sound than that of children singing. And there’s no more polished ensemble of children’s voices than the Vienna Boys Choir.”

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Get ready to ring in the season with Jazz Mafia’s Holiday Heist! This vibrant collective is celebrating the holidays by giving classic tunes a fresh, funky twist. Soulful vocalists, lively horns, and the versatile Adam Theis rework James Brown’s “Soulful Christmas,” Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” and Vince Guaraldi’s “Linus and Lucy.” For more than 20 years, Jazz Mafia has been a powerhouse in the Bay Area music scene, blending fresh talent with innovative performances.

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