COVID-19 put performing arts events on hold worldwide, impacting singers, dancers, actors and other performers, and Stanford Live was no exception. After months of virtual programming, the performing arts organization — which usually hosts hundreds of events in venues such as Bing Concert Hall and Frost Amphitheater — is making a comeback for the 2021-2022 season.
Performances will be available to audience members at full capacity this school year. For indoor concerts, audiences will be required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status and to provide proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test result. Audience members who are vaccinated are not required to wear masks for outdoor performances. Tickets will be touchless and scanned upon entry, and visitors must arrive with their pods, according to Frost Amphitheater’s Health and Safety Guidelines. However, these policies are subject to change due to the fluid situation of the virus.
Stanford Live executive director Chris Lorway said safety and comfortability for audience members and artists have guided the reopening strategy: “We knew from almost a social experiment standpoint that was going to be really important to make people feel comfortable as they were returning to spaces.”
The performers are also eager to perform to live audiences again.
“We’re most excited about bringing live performance back to our audiences,” Lorway said. “In general, that’s been such a void and certainly in our lives and in the lives of artists.”
Below are noteworthy music, dance and film events happening in the 2021-22 season. Times are listed in PT. To register for the events, access the presale here.
Music
Dates: Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021 and Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Event description: iskwē, a Juno Award-nominated electro-pop artist, emphasizes the importance of Indigenous people of Canada and their territories. iskwē’s lyrics draw on centuries of injustice, systemic racism and environmental degradation that impact countless Indigenous people. A projected video and live movement will accompany the performance.
Jaz Sawyer, featuring Jazzmeia Horn
Date: Friday, Nov. 12, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Event description: Jaz Sawyer, a Bay Area percussionist, will perform alongside Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Jazzmeia Horn. The performance will examine “We insist! Freedom Now Suite,” a civil rights movement-inspired 1960 album by Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln.
Theater
Date: Friday, Feb. 25, 2022 and Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Event description: 2020 Cornelia Street American Playwriting Award winner Ryan J. Haddad tells his childhood stories as a theater enthusiast through a memoir constructed of music.
Film
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Event description: “A Thousand Thoughts” delves into music written in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The film includes live music and narration with archival footage by Oscar-nominated filmmakers Sam Green and Joe Bini and features Grammy-winning Kronos Quartet.
Dance
Requiem: Fire in the Air of the Earth
Date: Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Event description: A Mozart’s Requiem-inspired piece brought to life by MacArthur genius and choreographer Kyle Abraham featuring composer and producer Jlin. Embracing the past and present, this work infuses both classical and hip-hop, the music of our generation.
Dates: Friday, Jan. 21, 2022 and Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Event description: Choreographer Yang Liping, a 2018 judge on “So You Think You Can Dance: China,” will direct this reimagined version of Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” The dance is influenced by Chinese culture as well as by the Tibetan concept of life and nature.