To date, FerryMusic has presented the San Francisco String Trio and the Ives Quartet on April 30, jazz vocalist Clairdee on May 26, and Pulitzer Prize award-winning classical composer Paul Moravec on June 22. The concerts have been laudable successes for the new nonprofit, earning praise from audiences and critics alike. “It worked well, this first time off the dock,” wrote legendary classical music critic Robert Commanday after the April 30 performance. “San Francisco’s start-up offers a light, cheery space, as scenic as the passing boat traffic and glorious weather like Sunday’s can make it. Most important, the performance space is acoustically sound. . . So far so good.” FerryMusic also prompted Cheryl North, classical music reviewer for ANG Newspapers, to exclaim, “WOW! What a great idea! Why hasn’t this been done before?”
But while FerryMusic has remained a good idea, FerryMusic’s use of the Santa Rosa has remained questionable. Hornblower enjoyed earnings from food and beverage service during FerryMusic’s first concerts in lieu of rental compensation. However, after a year since MacLean initiated negotiations and received consistently encouraging promises, Hornblower executives observed the packed houses for FerryMusic’s concerts and requested a rental agreement, in addition to food and beverage services, that the start-up nonprofit could not meet.
“It is with profound sadness and no small amount of frustration,” says FerryMusic Executive Director Jane MacLean. “You can’t consciously present the world’s finest classical and jazz musicians in an small, intimate environment, keep the cost for admission affordable for the public and expect enormous financial results. We had hoped that Hornblower would be a significant partner with FerryMusic to revitalize the Waterfront District and infuse a terrific arts program along the Embarcadero. To our dismay, they have proved to be less cooperative than we expected.”
MacLean now plans to conclude FerryMusic’s concert series on the Santa Rosa with two concerts planned for late July. World-renowned pianist Denny Zeitlin will present “Solo Voyage,” an evening of solo jazz piano with standards and original music, on Saturday, July 22. The following weekend on Saturday, July 29, FerryMusic will feature Eric Zivian performing selections from Debussy’s Preludes and Ravel’s Piano Trio in A Minor with Melissa Kleinbart, Principal Violinist for the San Francisco Symphony, and Tanya Tomkins, Co-Principal Cellist for the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra.
Those involved with FerryMusic hope that enough music patrons in San Francisco will attend the two July concerts to recoup their expenses and break even. Future concerts scheduled with such artists as Jamie Davis, Natasha Miller, and The Tilden Trio have been postponed until further notice.
Although MacLean seems dismayed by the situation, the gleam in her eye doesn’t disappear. “I can’t wait to hear two of my favorite musicians, Denny Zeitlin and Eric Zivian, on a 9’4″ concert grand piano, and Debussy’s Preludes are some of my favorite pieces!”
Whether the organization fades away, occupies another space, or receives funding to return to the Santa Rosa, one thing is certain: the concerts on July 22 and 29 will be two extraordinary events that won’t be soon forgotten by Jane MacLean or any of FerryMusic’s supporters.
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