Weekend pick: Fresno Pacific hosts the Grammy-nominated Agave Baroque
Fresno Pacific University on Saturday concludes its flagship Pacific Artist Series for the season with a lively performance titled “In Her Hands” from Agave Baroque, the Grammy-nominated ensemble specializing in string chamber music of the 17th through 20th centuries. Here’s a rundown:
Time, date and place: 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Warkentine Culture and Arts Center Elizabeth V. Lyles Theater.
Special guest: Soprano Michele Kennedy, celebrated by the San Francisco Chronicle as having “a graceful tonal clarity that is a wonder to hear.” Her recent concert venues include Carnegie Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, Getty Museum, Lincoln Center, and Washington National Cathedral.
The local connection: Agave Baroque is a San Francisco-based ensemble, but Fresno-area music fans best know about it because of Kevin Cooper, the virtuoso Fresno City College guitarist and a mainstay of the group. For a chance to hear Cooper’s solo playing and talk more about the concert, don’t miss his recent guest appearance on “The Munro Review on CMAC” holiday special (his segment starts at 10:45):
The program: It explores images of motherhood and the feminine divine through the ages and across continents as told through the voices of female composers, according to the program notes. “Delve into the intersections of spirituality and incarnation, grief and hope, and ultimately, transformation. From 17th-century Italian convents to the Underground Railroad, this program presents a powerful and vivid journey into the heights and depths of the human experience.”
The new album: “In Her Hands” is on the Acis label. It is Agave’s fourth.
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Ticket prices: $5-$15.
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