Reprisals of past triumphs are a bit of a thematic undercurrent in the symphony’s ongoing celebration of its 100 years in existence, but the upcoming semi-staged performances of “Le martyre de Saint Sebastien” (“The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian”), with Bay Area mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade as narrator, are doubly appropriate. The work is itself observing its centennial year, having debuted, to mixed reviews and amid great controversy, in the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris in May 1911 as a five-act narrated ballet that took as many hours to play out. It tells the story of the archer Sebastian, highly valued head of the Roman emperor Diocletian’s Praetorian Guard, coming to grief for not only steadfastly sticking to his Christian beliefs, but for converting many others and working at least one miracle of his own.
Fun with Fanime: All hail the anime nation! It’s time for the annual FanimeCon/Clockwork Alchemy festivals, The anime extravaganza runs May 26-29, featuring dances, cosplay gatherings and contests, gaming tournaments, a swap meet and much more at the San Jose Convention Center, The Clockwork Alchemy is a steampunk convention held at the nearby Doubletree Hotel in San Jose, Details: $55-$85; schedules, information and tickets are at www.Fanime.com.— Karen D’Souza, Staff, Civil War days come to life: The Civil War encampment and battles at Felton’s Roaring Camp Railroads are a Memorial Day tradition in the Santa Cruz Mountains, with the 36th annual event taking place May 27-29, Roaring Camp’s steam trains make four trips a day through the redwoods, passing through Civil grade 4 ballet shoes War skirmishes on Bear Mountain, The encampments are on display all three days, Details: Train rides are $20-$27; Civil War events admission is $5; parking is $8; 831-335-4484, www.roaringcamp.com.— Linda Zavoral, Staff..
Extras: Refreshments will be served at a fifth site, the St. Clare Parish Rectory, a Spanish Ecclesiastical-style building constructed in 1952. Details: Advance tickets: $30 general, $25 seniors, teens and kids ages 5-18, available online, by mail (postmark by Nov. 30) or at City Lights Espresso, 1171 Homestead Road. If day-of-event tickets remain, they will be sold for $35 at St. Clare Parish Rectory, 725 Washington St. For more information, go to www.sc-hometour.com. What: Annual fundraising tour presented by the Alameda Family Services League is now in its 42nd year.
“Americans in Paris” wasn’t the first time that the string ensemble under music director Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and the award-winning, grade 4 ballet shoes 12-voice men’s chorus joined forces; in 2014, the two groups came together to present “Atlantic Crossing,” devoted to music by European composers Bela Bartok, Fritz Kreisler, Kurt Weill and others, But the opening performance at First Presbyterian Church, which repeats through Sunday in Palo Alto, San Francisco and San Rafael, proved a particularly inspired and well-calibrated collaboration..
4th annual Desi Comedy Fest. 8 p.m. Aug. 16. Forty comedians of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Afghani and Sri Lankan descent as well as performers from various minority groups and the LGBTQ community. Second Stage, Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View. $28-$38. mvcpa.com or 650-903-6000The Comedy Get Down. Cedric The Entertainer, Eddie Griffin, D.L. Hughley and George Lopez. 8 p.m. Aug. 19. Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View. $39.50-$99.50. livenation.com or 800-745-3000Jim Gaffigan. “Noble Ape” tour. Sept. 17. Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View. $29.50-$95. http://www.jimgaffigan.com/tour-dates.
