Martín Benvenuto, Artistic Director

With guest artists

Paul McCurdy, Piano

Jimmy Chan, Percussion

Fri, April 4 • 8:0pm
Old First Church, SF

Sat, April 5 • 4:00 pm
Panel begins at 3:00 pm
Berkeley Hillside Club

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From the Artistic Director

Welcome to Promise and Peril, a concert experience that dares to explore the complex tapestry of our interconnected world. We are honored to share this program with you at the venerable Old First Concerts and Berkeley’s inspiring Hillside Club.

Journey with us into our society’s present moment, marked by extraordinary potential and challenges. Promise and Peril is a conversation, a reflection, and a call to awareness. We'll illuminate the global North/South dynamic, the transformative—and sometimes disruptive—power of technology, and the oft-unfulfilled promises that echo across the Americas. How do we navigate digital innovation's dual nature and amplify voices often silenced in the rush of progress?

Central to this exploration is the world premiere of “I Speak of Blood” by the remarkable Eric Tuan, commissioned by 21V. Powerfully setting the poignant texts of worker poet Xu Lizhi, Tuan pierces the veil of technological advancement to reveal the human cost behind our digital conveniences. Karen Siegel’s “The Future of Intelligence” (also a world premiere) boldly engages the very essence of artificial intelligence, asking, “What does AI itself have to say about the dangers it may pose to humanity?” The music, both mesmerizing and unsettling, reminds us of the precarious balance we must maintain.

Further enriching our program are evocative works from the three Americas by LA-based Zanaida Robles, Mexican-born Diana Syrse, Venezuelans Víctor Daniel Lozada and Carlos Cordero, and Argentinian Juan Stafforini. Stafforini’s "Amor, Cuidado, Futuro" (another world premiere) evocatively addresses global childhood inequalities in three Native American languages.

We invite you to witness the harmonies and dissonances of our times, as we navigate the promise and peril of our interconnected future. Join us in this vital exploration, listen deeply, and be moved along with us.

Yours in song,

Martín Benvenuto

Artistic Director

Program

Kujichagulia (2005) — Zanaida Robles

Kate Offer and Anne Hepburn Smith, soloists

Amor, Cuidado, Futuro (2021) — Juan Stafforini

World premiere

Normal (2021)

A la Nanita Nana (2022) — Carlos Cordero

Elysha Massatt and Peter Kenton, soloists

The Future of Intelligence (2024) — Karen Siegel