The great Balanchine: San Francisco Ballet is amid its second program of 2026, a sublime presentation called “Balanchine: Father of American Ballet.” Three complementary dances exemplify genius choreographer George Balanchine’s brilliance and breadth. The gorgeous company members hold up their end as well, executing his moves with precision and passion.
The show opens with “Diamonds,” the exacting piece reflective of the dancemaker’s Russian upbringing, showcasing the women in white tutus and sparkles. It continues with the ethereal and elegant “Serenade,” the first piece Balanchine made in America, offering the semblance of a story as the dancers look up to the sky, searching and seeking. It closes with the boisterous “Stars and Stripes,” set to John Philip Sousa’s unabashedly patriotic marches, and clearly a love letter to Balanchine’s adopted home. On Tuesday’s opening night, one longtime fan in the audience gushed, “We’ve seen these pieces so many times, but they never get old.” Sasha De Sola and Harrison James stood out in the solos in “Diamonds,” while Madeline Woo and Cavan Conley displayed their prowess in “Stars and Stripes.” But with Balanchine, it’s always a treat to watch members of the corps in particular as they seamlessly create his nifty formations.
Performances continue through Feb. 15 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. Tickets are $39-$595 at sfballet.org.
Freebie of the week: Valentine’s Day is among the more treasured holidays because who doesn’t love love? But most things associated with the day or its traditions (dinners, diamonds, chocolate, roses) are not free. There are exceptions, though. One, which is especially handy for any of those with some angst or energy to burn, is the annual Valentine’s Day Pillow Fight in San Francisco.
The self-explanatory event takes place from 6 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Embarcadero Plaza (there’s a 5:45 p.m. stretch-and-warmup period, a great time to survey the crowd and find someone you want to wallop), and participants are asked to bring a synthetic pillow (no feathers, please).
There is no real organizer of the event, which is sort of like a flashmob of love, but there is some information on Eventbrite.com, search for “SF Valentine’s Day Pillow Fight.” Those who cannot wait until Saturday to submit to their affectionate side should know that The Crossing on 250 Main St. in San Francisco is hosting a free Goat My Valentine event from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, during which attendees can meet, pet and hug a variety of, yes, goats. Admission is free, but there is a fee if you want to get a photo snapped with a goat, with the funds going to charity. More information is at Eventbrite.com, search for “Goat My Valentine.”
Stone soul picnic: Some musicians have to struggle for years and years and years before they break through. Joss Stone was not one of them. The British soul singer kicked open the door to stardom and acclaim with her first album, 2003’s “The Soul Sessions,” which went platinum and was nominated for a Mercury Prize.
While it’s impossible to keep one’s career going at such a meteoric clip, Stone’s career has stayed strong. Even an album in which she ventured into reggae had strong sales. And she’s apparently working on a new album of disco tunes. From 2014 to 2019, she embarked on the thoroughly impressive Total World Tour, in which she reportedly performed at least once in every country of the world.
The determined 39-year-old singer with a powerful, soulful voice is on a new tour, which stops at the SF Jazz center at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $64.50 to $159.50 and going fast. Go to www.sfjazz.org.
Love is a family affair: The San Francisco Symphony has an unusual spin on Valentine’s Day observances this year — a special matinee concert Saturday in the Music for Families called “Music of the Heart.” The program is especially geared toward entertaining the 5 to 12 age group, and to that end, there will be an instrument “petting zoo” and coloring stations in the Davies Hall lobby.
Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, the symphony’s resident conductor of engagement and education, kicks things off at 2 p.m. with three vocal artists’ support – soprano Vuyiswa Sigadi, tenor Sid Chand and bass-baritone Elijah Cineas. The program begins with Kyle Gordon’s “L Is for Love” and the Love Theme from Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Other selections include Puccini’s popular aria “O mio babbino caro” from “Gianni Schicchi,” “Maria” from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story,” the Liebestod from Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” and selections from Prokofiev’s “Love for Three Oranges” and “Romeo and Juliet” and from Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations,” Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “Hiawatha” Suite.
Tickets range from $29.50-$89, and half off for kids. Find them at sfsymphony.org.
An operatic twofer: The frequently performed double bill of Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” and Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” is Opera San Jose’s offering for the Feb. 15-March 1 performances that begin at 2 p.m. Sunday in the ornate California Theatre in downtown San Jose.
For this pairing, both operas directed by Shawna Lucey will be set in the same Sicilian village before World War I and after World War II, and together they project an intense atmosphere of passion, jealousy, betrayal and high drama. Alma Deutscher, the former British child prodigy composer and conductor (now still only 20 years old!) who brought her own opera “Cinderella” to the stage here before, returns to the podium. Soprano Maria Natale stars as the sorely mistreated peasant Santuzza, and tenor Christopher Oglesby is her betraying lover Turiddu in “Cavalleria”; and heading the “Pagliacci” production are tenor Ben Gulley, making his San Jose debut as Canio and soprano Mikayla Sager as his faithless wife Nedda.
Find tickets, $58-$215, at operasj.org.
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