About this Event
Darkness Visible: On Beauty, Power, and Revelation
Join us on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, for a special evening of chamber music and voice. Co-produced by BOXBLUR and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, this unique event features Adler Fellows alongside instrumentalists from the SF Opera and Ballet Orchestras. The ensemble will perform a curated chamber music program inspired by and interacting with contemporary visual art at the Catharine Clark Gallery in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill. The evening responds directly to two featured exhibitions on view at Catharine Clark Gallery: Julie Heffernan's Nature Morte and Stacey Steers' The Stars Watch From Long Ago.
Schedule and Ticketing
- VIP Admission ($75): From 5:30 PM to 6:15 PM, enjoy a Sparkling Wine Preview featuring a gallery tour and a meet-and-greet with the artists and musicians. Proceeds from this VIP tier benefit the orchestras and BOXBLUR.
- General Admission ($30): Doors open to the public at 6:15 PM, with the musical performance running from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM.
Program
Pastorale (1907) - Igor Stravinsky
Nocturne (1911) - Lili Boulanger, arr. Charles Decker
from Contrasts (1938) - Béla Bartók
Pihenő (Relaxation)
Niobe (1987) - Thea Musgrave
from By & By (2010) - Caroline Shaw
- Will there be any Stars in my Crown
- I’ll Fly Away
-Intermission-
Selections from La Bonne Chanson (1894)- Gabriel Fauré
from Quintet in G minor (1924) - Sergei Prokofiev
Allegro precipitato, ma non troppo presto
Andantino
Chanson perpétuelle (1898) - Ernest Chausson
from String Quartet in G minor (1893) - Claude Debussy
- Andantino, doucement expressif
- Très modéré - En animant peu à peu – Très mouvementé et avec passion
Performers
Adler Fellows
Sadie Cheslak, mezzo-soprano
Olivier Zerouali, baritone
Ji Youn Lee, piano
San Francisco Opera Orchestra
Violin: Craig Reiss, Mariya Borozina, Jennifer Hsieh, Naoko Nakajima
Viola: Joy Fellows, Lindan Burns
Cello: Peter Myers, Saul Richmond-Rakerd
Bass: William Wasson
Woodwinds & Brass: Stephanie McNab (flute), Gabe Young (oboe), Ben Brogadir (oboe and English Horn), Joshua Choi (clarinet), Dan MacNeill (bassoon), Phillip Palmore (horn)
BOXBLUR emerged from a history of performances at Catharine Clark Gallery and was formalized in 2016 as a fiscally sponsored program of Dance Film SF. The initiative’s mission is to host and produce socially engaged performances in non-proscenium settings, realized in direct conversation with a visual artist's work. Annually, BOXBLUR also hosts experimental dance films selected by the San Francisco Dance Film Festival as a central component of its foundational partnership. BOXBLUR is supported by private donations and generously funded by the Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation, the Candy Jernigan Foundation for the Arts, and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Click here to make a tax-deductible donation to BOXBLUR.
Event venue & nearby stays
Catharine Clark Gallery, 248 Utah Street, San Francisco, United States
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