Freebie of the week: Members of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and its pianist Robert Mollicone are gathering at the Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland on Thursday evening to offer, gratis, a little “Night Music.” The chamber concert features violinists Jennifer Cho (who is also concertmaster of Walnut Creek-based California Symphony), Leslie Ludena, Barbara Riccardi and Dian Zhang; violist Lindan Burns; bassist William Wasson; flutist Stephanie McNab; oboist Gabriel Young; English horn player Benjamin Brogadir and bassoonist Daniel MacNeill. The program includes Claude Debussy’s Prelude from the “Suite Bergamasque”; Astor Piazzolla’s “Oblivion”; Eugene Bozza’s “Shepherds of Provence”; G.F. Handel and Johan Halvorsen’s Passacaglia for Violin and Viola; the Allegro from Beethoven’s Trio for Flute, Bassoon and Piano; the Menuet from Ravel’s “Le Tombeau de Couperin”; selections from Gustav Mahler’s “Songs of a Wayfarer”; Alberto Ginastera’s Duo for Flute and Oboe and Julian Milone’s “Carmen Fantasy.” Performance time is 7 p.m. Advance registration is required at piedmontpiano.com.
King for a week: Bay Area choreographer Alonzo King is revered in the dance world not just for his evocative works touching on many themes, but also for collaborating with so many diverse talents, from the Kronos Quartet to percussionist Mickey Hart to pianist Jason Moran. This weekend, his Lines Ballet dancers team with another world-class talent, Ambrose Akinmusire. The Oakland-born trumpeter known for his golden tones and unique styling started drawing attention as a member of the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble. In 2007, he won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. Like King, Akinmusire follows his art into myriad observations about the world. While primarily a jazz artist, he employs classical, hip-hop and other genres, not to mention sheer experimental energy, in his playing. His website biography says, “While committed to continuing the lineage of Black invention and innovation, he manages to honor tradition without being stifled by it.” King and his Lines Ballet are collaborating with Akinmusire on a world premiere onstage May 10-18 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Also on the program is a revival of King’s acclaimed work, “Scheherazade,” featuring a score by tabla master Zakir Hussain. Tickets are $42-$124 at cityboxoffice.com.
Art & technology: East Bay-based Axis Dance Company breaks new ground and breaks down barriers. The troupe, which includes disabled and nondisabled performers, has been a unique force in the arts world for some four decades. Its latest work, the 60-minute “Kinematic/Kinesthetic,” is created by company artistic director Nadia Adame with multidisciplinary artist Ben Levine. It employs new technology designed to enhance movement and artistic expression for physically disabled persons; the telescoping crutches and robotic hexapod legs were developed by engineering students at Carnegie Mellon and University of Maryland, says the Axis website. This marriage of art and technology (and, of course, talent) is onstage at the Exploratorium on San Francisco’s Embarcadero at 8 p.m. Thursday and noon and 3 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $29.95-$39.95. The company also performs at 7:30 p.m. May 21 at Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University, presented by Stanford Live; tickets are $16-$68. Tickets and more information are at axisdance.org.
Dance the Beatles: It’s a rich weekend for dance in the Bay Area. In addition to local favorites Alonzo King Lines Ballet and Axis Dance Company, the popular Mark Morris Dance Group returns to the Bay Area with one of its best-known and most colorful works, 2017’s “Pepperland,” which Morris created to mark the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” Morris, perhaps America’s most acclaimed contemporary choreographer, is known for his wide array of styles, from silly to poignant to downright eclectic; he found much to work with in one of the 20th century’s most heralded albums. In addition to featuring the classic Beatles tunes, the 60-minute work is set to a score by Ethan Iverson utilizing vocalists, a theremin, brass and keyboards. The high energy piece with colorful costumes and occasional humorous turns is presented by Cal Performances, in a somewhat ironic burst of creative spirit coming amid President Donald Trump’s moves to muzzle the country’s most innovative arts groups. Performances are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday in UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall. Tickets are $37-$158; go to calperformances.org. Fans of Morris, an always amusing, candid and smart speaker, may want to attend a free talk with Cal Performances’ director and CEO Jeremy Geffen on Thursday from 7 to 8 p.m. at The Academy, 2166 Market St., San Francisco. Topics may include Morris’ career, artistic process, love of music and vision to pay tribute to “Sgt. Pepper’s.” Registration is requested at academy-sf.com.
Out of this world: Take a voyage to the stars either Saturday night or Sunday afternoon, as the San Jose Symphony, under the baton of conductor Tatsuya Shimono, blasts off for “The Planets–An HD Odyssey,” a concert-length program with Gustav Holst’s popular “The Planets” as its centerpiece, enhanced by some appropriate NASA images projected onto a giant screen above the stage. The program opens with Jessie Montgomery’s “Starburst” and concludes with what is perhaps Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s greatest symphony, his final one, the No. 41, the “Jupiter.” Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the California Theatre in downtown San Jose. Find tickets, $35 to $121.50, at symphonysanjose.org.