Janelle Monáe headlines special concert with San Francisco Symphony May 16 to benefit Orchestra's music and education programs
February 12, 2013
Contact:
Public Relations
San Francisco Symphony
(415) 503-5474
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / February 12, 2013
JANELLE MONÁE HEADLINES SPECIAL CONCERT with SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY TO BENEFIT SFS MUSIC AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS THURSDAY, MAY 16 AT 8 PM AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (February 12, 2013) – Grammy-nominated artist and style icon
Janelle Monáe headlines a special concert Thursday, May 16 at 8 pm with the
San Francisco Symphony (SFS) followed by an after-party at City Hall, benefitting the Grammy-winning Orchestra’s music and education programs. The Orchestra won its fifteenth Grammy on Sunday, for its recent live recording of John Adams’
Short Ride in a Fast Machine and
Harmonielehre (Best Orchestral Performance).
A groundbreaking, genre-blurring singer, songwriter, producer, and performer, Janelle Monáe’s inventive style melds a refined pop sensibility with an extraordinary postmodern mash-up of soul, funk, and rock ‘n’ roll. Monáe will perform new arrangements of her critically acclaimed music, created especially for this benefit performance, with the San Francisco Symphony.
In the last two years, Monáe’s career has blossomed following the release of her Grammy-nominated, first full-length LP, The ArchAndroid. Her collaboration with Fun. produced the 2012 Grammy-winning Song of the Year and one of the biggest hits of 2012, “We are Young,” and also garnered her nominations for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Record of the Year. Monáe has toured the world and been invited to perform at numerous festivals, including the Made in America Festival in Philadelphia, the Afro-Punk Festival in Brooklyn, and the NorthSea and Montreux Jazz Festivals. Her set was a highlight of the SF Symphony’s 2012 Black & White Ball.
In the last year, Janelle Monáe has been featured on the pages of Vogue and Vanity Fair, cementing her status as a fashion icon. She recently joined the elite class of CoverGirl spokeswomen and was the recipient of the Young, Gifted, and Black Award at Black Girls Rock! Her signature black-tie wardrobe and striking hairstyle, known as a "Monáe," is a reflection of her mission to encourage women to use all their artistic powers to play, change, and transform. In that spirit, her music incorporates a rich array of influences, from the complex orchestral arrangements of Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder, to 1970s glam and progressive rock, to the multi-faceted beats of a generation of hip-hop and electronica artists and producers.
“I believe it’s time that women truly owned their superpowers and used their beauty and strength to change the world around them,” said Monáe. “One of my core values is to help redefine what it means to be a strong and beautiful woman in the music and fashion worlds and to empower the wonderful things that make us unique.”
The evening begins with a sparkling wine reception in the lobbies of Davies Symphony Hall, followed by Janelle Monáe’s concert. Afterwards, guests are invited to the after-party at City Hall, with live music, DJ, cocktails, and savory treats. Dinner packages include pre-concert cocktails, a multi-faceted dining experience before the show in City Hall, premier seating at the Janelle Monáe concert, and the after-party. Proceeds benefit the San Francisco Symphony’s music and education programs, providing music education to more than 75,000 Bay Area children each year.
Tickets are on sale now for Janelle Monáe through
www.sfsymphony.org/janellemonae, SFS Patron Services at (415) 864-6000, and at the Davies Symphony Hall box office on Grove Street between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street. Concert tickets (including preconcert sparkling wine reception in Davies Symphony Hall, and after-party in City Hall): $90-$275. Dinner packages including pre-concert cocktail and multi-faceted dining experience in City Hall, premier Janelle Monáe and San Francisco Symphony concert seating, and after-party are $400 and $1,000. For dinner packages, call the SF Symphony Volunteer Council at 415-503-5500.
ABOUT THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S EDUCATION PROGRAMS
The San Francisco Symphony provides the most extensive education programs offered by any American orchestra today. In 1988, the Symphony established
Adventures in Music (AIM), a free, comprehensive music education program that reaches every first- through fifth-grade child in the San Francisco Unified School District and this year marks its 25
th anniversary. The SFS Instrument Training and Support program reaches students in all San Francisco public middle and high schools with instrumental music programs, providing coaching by professional musicians. For adults, the Symphony offers Community of Music Makers, a program that supports amateur choral singers and instrumental musicians with professional coaching, rehearsals, and other learning opportunities. Launching in 2013 is a revitalized children’s music education website,
www.sfskids.org, developed in conjunction with the UC Irvine Center for Computer Games and Virtual Worlds. The SFS also offers opportunities to hear and learn about great music through its programs
Concerts for Kids,
Music for Families, the internationally-acclaimed SFS Youth Orchestra, and annual free and community concerts.
CALENDAR EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:
JANELLE MONÁE WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY
Thursday, May 16 at 8 pm
Davies Symphony Hall
201 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
Janelle Monáe
San Francisco Symphony
DINNER PACKAGE:
5:30pm Pre-concert Cocktail and Dining Experience, San Francisco City Hall
8:00pm Janelle Monáe Concert, Davies Symphony Hall
10:00pm After-Party, San Francisco City Hall
Tickets: $400 and $1,000. For dinner packages, call the SF Symphony Volunteer Council at 415-503-5500 or purchase online at
sfsymphony.org/JanelleMonae.
CONCERT AND PARTY PACKAGE:
7:00pm Pre-concert Sparkling Wine Reception, Davies Symphony Hall
8:00pm Janelle Monáe Concert, Davies Symphony Hall
10:00pm After-Party, San Francisco City Hall
Tickets: $90-$275.
Tickets are on sale now for Janelle Monáe through
www.sfsymphony.org/JanelleMonae, SFS Patron Services at (415) 864-6000, and at the Davies Symphony Hall box office on Grove Street between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street. Concert tickets (including preconcert sparkling wine reception in Davies Symphony Hall, and after-party in City Hall): $90-$275. Dinner packages including pre-concert cocktail and multi-faceted dining experience in City Hall, premier Janelle Monáe concert seating, and after-party: $400 and $1,000. For dinner packages, call the SF Symphony Volunteer Council at 415-503-5500 or purchase online at
sfsymphony.org/JanelleMonae.
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Macy’s is the Preferred Retailer for this event.
Emirates is the Official Airline of the San Francisco Symphony.
William Hill® Estate Winery is the Official Wine of the San Francisco Symphony.
San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate.com is the Official Media Partner of the San Francisco Symphony.