It’s been a very long time since I posted. I apologize and promise to do better.
The San Francisco Ballet hired me to play outside the War Memorial Opera House from April 10th to 16th, 2026 to welcome guests to La Sylphide, set in Scotland. A sylph is a fairy, a being made only of air. In this ballet, a beautiful sylph appears to a young Scottish groom-to-be and complicates his life, setting up the conflict between duty and desire. There is a really delightful witch in this story and she was wonderfully portrayed.
The San Francisco Ballet is a revered institution and the War Memorial Opera House a prestigious venue so I felt greatly honored for the opportunity. A good number lingered to listen to me on their way into each performance. In fact, there was concern I would delay audience members from getting to their seats so I was instructed to end my performance 15 minutes before the show started. My managers reported a number of compliments from attendees about my playing.
My profound gratitude to Valeria for hiring me and to Emma, Juliette, and Mateo for their expert stage management. This has been a peak experience of my musical career.
Love to all,
– Fred, April 20, 2026
