Morgan Freeman to bring ‘Symphonic Blues Experience' to the Bay Area
Morgan Freeman wants to immerse Bay Area music fans in the sounds of his home state of Mississippi.
The actor, who turns 88 on Sunday, June 1, is bringing 'Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience' to several Northern California venues this year, beginning with an evening at San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall on July 25.
The shows feature Freeman as host and narrator during a program of Delta Blues music by musicians from Clarksdale, Miss.'s Ground Zero Blues Club, which Freeman co-founded, in collaboration with local symphony orchestras.
Thirteen dates have been announced so far, with more to come.
Other Northern California stops on the tour include Stanford's Bing Auditorium on Nov. 19, Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto on Nov. 21 and Sonoma State University's Green Music Center in Rohnert Park on Nov. 22.
'The Blues is not just music, it's history wrapped in rhythm, the echoes of lives lived and lost; heartache and hope all tangled together,' Freeman says in a trailer for the tour posted on YouTube. 'This is the story of people who turned hardship into something powerful, who found beauty in their sorrows, and who sang out loud when the world tried to keep them quiet.'
The San Francisco performance kicks off the tour, which is presented in partnership with Visit Mississippi, Visit Clarksdale and Memphis Tourism. Tickets range from $79 to $300 and are on sale at sfsymphony.org. The other local venues will make tickets available in June.
'This experience gives the blues its rightful place on the world's stage and ensures its legacy continues to echo through future generations,' Freeman said in a statement announcing the tour.
Freeman, who won the best supporting actor Oscar for his role in Clint Eastwood's best picture-winning boxing drama ' Million Dollar Baby ' (2004), has been a ubiquitous presence in film and television since the 1970s, when he was a regular on PBS' 'The Electric Company.' Memorable films include the best picture-winning films 'Driving Miss Daisy' (1989) and 'Unforgiven' (1992) as well as beloved films such as 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994), 'Se7en' (1995), ' The Bucket List ' (2007) and his role as Lucius Fox in Christopher Nolan's ' Dark Knight ' trilogy.
Trained as both an actor and a dancer, Freeman was a member of the Opera Ring musical theater group in San Francisco in the early 1960s.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
6 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Review: Hilary Hahn draws a packed house for Esa-Pekka Salonen and S.F. Symphony
Like a slow drumroll, four strikes of the timpani herald the beginning of Beethoven's Violin Concerto. This time, they also announced Hilary Hahn's triumphant return to San Francisco. The American violinist resumed performing earlier this spring after taking a monthslong hiatus due to injury. In past seasons, Hahn had come to the Bay Area most often as a recitalist, which made this San Francisco Symphony concert on Thursday, May 29 — one of Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen's final programs before he departs the orchestra in mid-June — that much more special. More Information Esa-Pekka Salonen's final concerts Esa-Pekka Salonen & Hilary Hahn: San Francisco Symphony. 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 30; 2 p.m. Sunday, June 1. $49-$350. Salonen Conducts Sibelius 7: San Francisco Symphony. 7:30 p.m. June 6-7; 2 p.m. June 8. $49-$179. Salonen Conducts Mahler 2: San Francisco Symphony. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, June 12-14. $145-$399. All shows are at Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., S.F. 415-864-6000. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Beethoven's concerto, however, is as ubiquitous as classical music gets. How could it be otherwise, with such singable melodies? The embellishments throughout the solo part, pearly scales and arpeggios, resemble a violinist's warmup — simple in theory and yet almost impossibly difficult to hit in front of an audience. Hahn augmented the concerto's technical scope with her choice of cadenzas, the same substantial ones by turn-of-the-century violinist Fritz Kreisler that she's been playing since her days as a child prodigy. Indeed, this performance wasn't so very different from the recording she made at 18 or even from her earlier German debut with the piece in a now-famous televised concert. This isn't to slight the Hahn of 2025. She was simply that rare young artist who seemed to emerge fully formed — with tasteful interpretations, stellar bow technique and near-flawless intonation. After the orchestra's elegant introduction, Hahn's superpowers were on display from the first ascending octaves through the final chords. The bravura passages, in which she exerted extraordinary control over the dropping of her left-hand fingers, were brilliant and clear. The slow movement's variations were lacy fine, the wispy high notes resounding like tiny, perfect bells. And the musicality was a touch more expressive from the mature violinist. The streams of triplets in the opening Allegro, and the silvery slurs in a dolorous corner of the Rondo finale, seemed more considered. Here and there (and in the encore, Steven Banks' 'Through My Mother's Eyes,' a schmaltzy showpiece with a big heart), the phrases broadened more than they once did. Some three decades into her career and with a full house rooting for her, Hahn appeared to revel anew in this old music. Her fans made an impressive audience for Beethoven's Fourth Symphony in the first half of the program — a performance that, under Salonen's leadership, struggled both rhythmically and dramatically. If the Fourth — a refined work tucked between Beethoven's heroic 'Eroica' and fateful Fifth — is perhaps the least played of the composer's nine symphonies, it's not the piece's fault, only the programmers'. At any rate, the San Francisco Symphony has engaged Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden for a Beethoven cycle covering three seasons, beginning in 2026. Let the Fourth soon sound again.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
How Wes Anderson Devised ‘The Phoenician Scheme' – Crew Call Podcast At Cannes
Oscar winner Wes Anderson returns to Deadline's Crew Call to shed some light on his writing process and how he came up with The Phoenician Scheme, a project he first started breaking around the time of his second Cannes premiere, 2021's The French Dispatch. He was looking for an Anthony Quinn type to play the notorious, yet lovable European magnet, Zsa-zsa Korda, and knew the star of French Dispatch, Oscar winner Benicio del Toro, was the guy. Anderson proceeded to send him pages. More from Deadline David Mamet On Return To Cinema With Self-Distributed 'Henry Johnson', State Of The Industry & J.K. Rowling-Inspired Play He's Writing For Rebecca Pidgeon - Crew Call Podcast Wes Anderson Teases Next Project With Richard Ayoade & Roman Coppola - Cannes 'The Phoenician Scheme' Director Wes Anderson Questions Trump Tariffs: "Does That Mean You Can Hold Up The Movie In Customs?" At a time when many want more films to be shot in the U.S., sometimes, given the Euro nature of Anderson's films, that's not possible. He almost shot Asteroid City in Texas, however, the locale didn't prove to be convenient for the crew; the filmmaker always is looking for a location which can also accommodate his crew. The last movie he shot stateside was his first Cannes premiere, 2012's Moonrise Kingdom, which was lensed in Rhode Island. Phoenician Scheme reps a return to form for Anderson when it comes to the absurdist family comedies, this one loosely inspired by his father-in-law. In the movie, Korda, who is under constant assassination watch, reigns in his estranged daughter, wannabee nun Leisl (Mia Threapleton). He needs an heir and unloads to her a slew of shoeboxes with pieces of his remaining business plans. Anderson discloses here that his wife went through a similar situation; her father looping her in on his master shoebox plan before his death. Anderson's third movie with Focus Features after Moonrise Kingdom and Asteroid City, hits limited NYC and L.A. theaters on May 30 with a wide break on June 6. The pic at 76% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes looks to emulate the specialty box office success of 2023's Asteroid City which grossed north of $28M stateside. Listen to our conversation below: Best of Deadline Every 'The Voice' Winner Since Season 1, Including 9 Team Blake Champions Everything We Know About 'Jurassic World: Rebirth' So Far 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld tied the knot and looked amazing
This might be the best offseason yet for Josh Allen as the Buffalo Bills quarterback married his long-time girlfriend Hailee Steinfeld this weekend. The Sinners actress and the 2025 NFL MVP have been dating since spring of 2023 and got engaged in November of 2024. Just under six months later, Steinfeld and Allen made things official with an utterly gorgeous wedding ceremony in California on May 31. Photos of the nuptials started to emerge online, showing Steinfeld in a stunning strapless white gown with elbow length set of gloves. Her hair was pulled up into an elegant updo, with simple but beautiful jewelry and a long veil. Allen traded in his blue and red for a dapper black tuxedo with crisp white shirt. Friends and family gathered to see the couple tie the knot on a beautiful spring day. Allen proposed to the Oscar-nominated actress back on November 22, 2024 in Malibu, California. Steinfeld was unaware the proposal was coming, telling Who What Wear, "Oh my God, no! You talk to your girlfriends about that, right, where you're like, 'I just don't want to know.'" View this post on Instagram A post shared by Josh Allen (@joshallenqb) "We were in Malibu, which is my happy place, and it was magical. That's the word," Steinfeld said. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld wedding photos, videos look amazing
