Press Room

Sep 10, 2021

SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Symphony releases digital audio and video recordings of Kev Choice’s Movements on SFS Media, available September 24, 2021 wherever music is streamed and downloaded. Originally recorded in August 2020 as part of the Symphony’s CURRENTS series and featuring performances from Kev Choice, AÏMA the DRMR, and local artists alongside San Francisco Symphony musicians, Movements was first heard in CURRENTS: From Scratch on September 3, 2020. In Movements, Choice skillfully interweaves elements of Hip Hop, Classical, Jazz, Soul, and Funk, along with socially conscious lyrics to offer a reflection of our times, creating a unique sound described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “a virtuoso exercise in combining multiple musical and verbal strains into a tight artistic weave.” Movements will be available September 24, 2021 in 24-bit/96kHz studio master-quality as a digital download and streaming; the music video and the audio will be distributed on all applicable digital service providers worldwide. For more information, program notes, and performance video footage, visit sfsymphony.org/movements, and check out this promotional video clip to get some insights about Movements from Kev Choice.

Kev Choice comments, “I made it a point with Movements to reflect what was going on right now, in our current times, the things that I see in my community, the things that I see in our streets, the uprisings, the voices of the people standing up, how it's really affecting us and how we're responding to it….And where we're trying to go with this movement, which is a continuation of so many of other movements of social justice that I would say our ancestors have been fighting for years and decades….And just tie it all into how this music is a reflection of that.”

Click here to access the Online Press Kit, which includes a PDF of this press release, performance video and photos, and artist headshots. To request a digital review copy of the recording, email the San Francisco Symphony Public Relations Department at [email protected].

About Kev Choice
Kev Choice is a pianist, composer, emcee, producer, educator, and activist, hailing from Oakland, CA. He began studying piano and rapping at the age of eleven. After graduating from Skyline High School in Oakland, he went on to earn music degrees from Xavier University of Louisiana and Southern Illinois University. Choice has worked and toured with artists such as Lauryn Hill, Michael Franti, Goapele, Too Short, and more. In 2010 he began to focus more on his own band, Kev Choice Ensemble, which combines elements of Hip Hop, Jazz, Soul, Funk, and Classical, to develop his own unique sound as a pianist and lyricist. He has produced five solo albums, including his breakthrough album Oakland Riviera (2014) and his most recent work Social Distancing, created while sheltering-in place. In 2018, he composed the orchestral Hip Hop work Soul Restoration Suite on commission from the Oakland Symphony. Kev Choice is currently on the faculty at Oakland School for the Arts, and he also serves on Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Commission. For more on Kev Choice, visit kevchoice.wordpress.com.

About SFS Media
SFS Media is the San Francisco Symphony’s award-winning in-house media production company and label, launched in 2001. SFS Media captures, records, and releases audio and audio/visual material reflecting the Orchestra’s restless creativity and commitment to leading-edge production standards, and showcasing the vibrant and inclusive musical communities it serves. From audio recordings released in 5.1 surround-capable SACD, 24-bit, and DSD Studio Master digital formats to unique concert capture video programs presented on the Orchestra’s new streaming service SFSymphony+, SFS Media has been at the forefront of production and distribution among the world’s leading orchestras for 20 years. SFS Media productions and recordings have garnered multiple Grammy, Emmy, and Peabody Awards, most recently winning a 2021 Grammy® Award in the category of Best Classical Compendium for the recording of Michael Tilson Thomas’ own compositions From the Diary of Anne Frank & Meditations on Rilke, featuring Isabel Leonard, Sasha Cooke, and Ryan McKinny as soloists. Notable SFS Media releases include Throughline: From Hall to Home and the recent audio release of Nico Muhly’s Throughline; MTT25: An American Icon; digital SoundBox programs; the CURRENTS video series; the San Francisco Symphony’s national public television series and multimedia project Keeping Score; and its seven-time Grammy Award winning Mahler Project. Other video recordings of the San Francisco Symphony available from SFS Media include A Celebration of Leonard Bernstein: Opening Night at Carnegie Hall 2008 and San Francisco Symphony at 100—the centennial season’s Opening Gala live concert video paired with a documentary about the Symphony’s history, which won a Northern California Emmy Award for “Historical/Cultural Program or Special” in 2012.

For more information, performance video, program notes, and photos, visit sfsymphony.org/movements. To request a digital review copy of the recording, email the San Francisco Symphony Public Relations Department at [email protected].

________________________________________________________
Title: Movements

Composer: Kev Choice

Artists: San Francisco Symphony
Kev Choice (composer, emcee, piano)
AÏMA the DRMR (lyrics, emcee)
Lady Fingaz (turntable)
Andrew Levin (electric guitar)
Marcus Phillips (electric bass)
Dame Drummer (drums)
Yeni Lucero (dance)

Works: Movements

Recorded: August 2020 in Davies Symphony Hall and locations around San Francisco and Oakland, CA. Recorded in PCM and 24-bit/96kHz audio.

Label: SFS Media

Catalogue Number: SFS 0082

Release Date: September 24, 2021

Total Run Time: 5 minutes

Description: The San Francisco Symphony celebrates art and activism with a new recording of Movements by multifaceted Bay Area artist Kev Choice, on SFS Media. In this piece, Choice skillfully interweaves elements of Hip Hop, Classical, Jazz, Soul, and Funk, along with socially conscious lyrics to create his own unique sound, and a reflection of our times―“It’s a movement, not a moment.” Originally recorded as part of the Symphony’s vibrant CURRENTS series, this music features Kev Choice as composer/pianist/emcee, AïMA the DRMR as emcee/lyricist, and local artists alongside SF Symphony musicians. This recording is available September 24, 2021 wherever music is streamed and downloaded; the music video and the audio will be distributed on all applicable digital service providers worldwide.

Media copies: Members of the press may request digital review copies and high-res performance photos from the San Francisco Symphony Public Relations Department at [email protected].

[To download the full PDF version of this press release click the DOWNLOAD A PDF button]