June 26–27, 2025
In This Program
The Concert
Thursday, June 26, 2025, at 7:30pm
Friday, June 27, 2025, at 7:30pm
Vince Mendoza conducting
Donny McCaslin artistic director
San Francisco Symphony
THE MUSIC OF DAVID BOWIE
Donny McCaslin, Artistic Director
Jules Buckley • Tim Davies • Michael R. Dudley Jr. • Vince Mendoza •
Maria Schneider • Jamshied Sharifi • Tony Visconti, Orchestrators
Donny McCaslin & Jules Buckley, Co-Music Directors
Donny McCaslin saxophone
Zach Danziger percussion
Jason Lindner keyboard
Jonathan Maron bass
Gail Ann Dorsey vocalist
David Poe vocalist
John Cameron Mitchell guest artist
Ryan O’Gara, Lighting Designer
Samantha Weiser, Associate Lighting Designer
Troy Choi, Sound Designer/Front of House Mixer
Preston Dunnavant, Monitor Engineer
Brian Orr, Production Coordinator
Ruth and Stephen Hendel, Executive Producers
Steven Saporta, Producer
Margaret Selby, Producer and Booking Agent
This program is performed without intermission.
Song List
“Blackstar” (from Blackstar Album, 2016)
Orch. Vince Mendoza
“Tis a Pity She Was a Whore” (from Blackstar Album, 2016)
Orch. Michael R. Dudley Jr.
“Lazarus” (from Blackstar Album, 2016)
Orch. Jules Buckley
“Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)” (from Blackstar Album, 2016)
Orch. Maria Schneider
“Girl Loves Me” (from Blackstar Album, 2016)
Orch. Jamshied Sharifi
“Dollar Days” (from Blackstar Album, 2016)
Orch. Tony Visconti
“I Can’t Give Everything Away” (from Blackstar Album, 2016)
Orch. Jamshied Sharifi
“Life on Mars?” (from Hunky Dory, 1971)
Orch. Tim Davies
“Where Are We Now?” (from The Next Day, 2013)
Orch. Jamshied Sharifi
“Space Oddity” (from Space Oddity Album 1969)
Orch. Jules Buckley
“Heroes” (from Heroes Album, 1977)
Orch. Jules Buckley
“Blackstar,” Published by: Nipple Music (BMI),
All rights administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp
All Rights Reserved
“Tis a Pity,” Published by: Nipple Music (BMI),
All rights administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp
All Rights Reserved
“Lazarus,” Published by: Nipple Music (BMI)
All rights on behalf of Nipple Music administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp All Rights Reserved
“Sue (Or in a Season of Crime),” Published by: Nipple Music (BMI) All rights administered by Warner Tamerlane Publishing Corp, “Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)” embodies portions of the song “Brand New Heavy,” written by Paul Batemen and Narvinder Bhamra and published by Flex Publishing, administered in the United States of America by Music Sales Corporation (ASCAP).
All Rights Reserved
“Girl Loves Me” Published by: Nipple Music (BMI),
All rights administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp
All Rights Reserved
“Dollar Days,” Published by: Nipple Music (BMI),
All rights administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp
All Rights Reserved
“I Can’t Give Everything Away,” Published by: Nipple Music (BMI), All rights administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp
All Rights Reserved
“Life on Mars?,” Published by: BMG Rights Management Limited (UK) (PRS), EMI Music Publishing Ltd. (PRS) c/o Tintoretto Music, EMI Music Publishing Ltd. (PRS) c/o Screen Gems – EMI Music Inc.
“Where Are We Now?” Published by: Nipple Music (BMI),
All rights administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp
All Rights Reserved
“Modern Love,” Written by David Bowie, Published by Jones Music America (ASCAP) administered by ARZO Publishing
“Heroes,” Published BMG Songs Limited (PRS), Universal Music - MGB Ltd (PRS), Screen Gems – EMI Music Inc. (BMI), EMI Music Publishing Ltd. (PRS), Tintoretto Music (BMI)
“Space Oddity,” Written by David Bowie,
Published by: Onward Music Ltd.
Artist Notes
From the Artistic Director
I initially met David Bowie in 2014 on the recommendation of my longtime friend and collaborator, Maria Schneider. While Maria was collaborating with David on “Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)” she played him my album Casting for Gravity, which set the following events into motion.
That summer I played a gig with my band at the 55 Bar—a former speakeasy in the West Village with a long history of presenting cutting edge, improvised music. David showed up for the first set. Five months later, I was at the Magic Shop recording studio in New York City, recording Blackstar.
In the studio, David was unfailingly present and focused. He arrived punctually every morning and told us from the beginning that nothing would be off limits. While he gave us strong tunes with his unique perspective, we had complete freedom to play with what he gave us. This is the dream of every musician—to exist in an intentional, thoughtful, and playful environment.
Months later, I sat alone in David’s office, listening to the finished record for the first time, with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face. . . and then he was there, smiling, too. He, who’d lived with this music for months and through many iterations, was just as happy with how it turned out.
I was overwhelmed by the music, by the experience, by the relationship I had formed with David.
The idea to conceptualize Blackstar with orchestra came about when I was invited by the conductor and arranger Jules Buckley to perform with the Metropole Orkest in Holland. The program consisted mostly of original music from my album Blow along with two Bowie tunes—“Look Back in Anger” and “Warszawa.”
One night over dinner, as Jules and I reflected on how great “Warszawa” sounded with a full studio orchestra, we wondered what would, or could, Blackstar sound like presented on this scale. Until that point, I had been hesitant to revisit the music that inhabited such a sacred, emotional place for me.
Yet the idea of expanding Blackstar and seeing where we could take it compelled me. The record became a point of departure for our imaginations.
Tonight, you will hear Blackstar in its entirety, along with additional songs connected in my imagination. It is a reimagining of David’s work on a large scale with some of the best orchestrators and arrangers on the planet: Jules Buckley, Tim Davies, Vince Mendoza, Maria Schneider, Jamshied Sharifi, Tony Visconti, Michael Dudley Jr., and Vellu Halkosalmi. I have included a few preludes and segues as meditations on the emotional valence of Blackstar, as well as to transition through the composition changes in the program.
The making of Blackstar changed me, as a person and as a musician. Creative possibilities that once seemed remote suddenly feel possible, and the journey to follow what feels authentic and meaningful leads me to unexpected places now more than ever. David said to me, “you know you’re on to something creative when you feel uncomfortable,” and I’m happy to report that I’ve been uncomfortable quite often these last few years, following the unclear path, and embracing the unexpected.
I love this music, and it is close to my heart. David was a remarkable human being; generous, humble, and very, very funny.
David refused to stay in one musical “lane” during his long career, playing with different musical styles and creating a musical language all his own. That principle is at work in this program in ways that are obvious and ways that are less so. I hope you enjoy the show!
—Donny McCaslin
From the Producer
Blackstar Symphony is a unique and singular interpretation of the music of Blackstar, a recording that Bowie fashioned as his finale. Different in feel and different in sound, Bowie’s Blackstar speaks more poignantly—and more metaphorically—than any of the artist’s prior creations. It stands as a monumental testament to artistic expression on the eve of the artist’s passing from this life. David Bowie died two days after the album’s release.
It is our intention to assemble a presentation that matched the profound nature of Bowie’s original endeavor. We recruited the foremost orchestrators/arrangers to reimagine Bowie’s final masterpiece for full symphonic orchestra to be accompanied by Donny McCaslin’s jazz quartet and two featured vocalists. The scope of the production demanded no less.
McCaslin, the saxophonist that Bowie himself originally recruited as Blackstar’s bandleader, is this show’s artistic director. He, along with Jules Buckley, put a magnifying glass to all the elements—the melodies, the song structures, the performers and their performances, all geared towards once again delivering Bowie’s heartfelt final message—one which is not conveyed in words but rather in the artful and visionary construct itself.
The show begins with a presentation of Blackstar in its entirety. That will be followed by various selections from the artist’s extensive catalog, each also receiving the probing examination that is the guiding principle of this production. Featured are such touchstone Bowie compositions as “Heroes,” “Life On Mars?,” “Space Oddity,” and others that serve as a reminder of the pervasiveness of Bowie’s presence in the popular culture. All the material presented is with the kind permission and unflinching support of the David Bowie Estate, to which a debt of gratitude is owed.
—Steven Saporta
About the Artists
Donny McCaslin
Donny McCaslin (artistic director and co-music director) is best known as the saxophonist on David Bowie’s last album, Blackstar. The composer and bandleader has released a dozen albums over his genre-defying, Grammy-nominated career. He began playing at age 12, and as a teenager, performed in his vibraphonist father’s band in Santa Cruz. By high school, he had appeared multiple times at the Monterey Jazz Festival. After attending Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship, McCaslin became a sought-after player in New York. David Bowie saw McCaslin perform as a soloist with the Maria Schneider Orchestra and brought in his progressive jazz quartet, which came to define Blackstar’s visionary stylistic fusion. As David Hadju wrote in The Nation, “Donny McCaslin was David Bowie’s David Bowie.” In turn, Bowie influenced McCaslin, who fused alt-rock and jazz on his first album with lyrics, 2018’s BLOW.
Vince Mendoza
Vince Mendoza (conductor and orchestrator) has been at the forefront of the contemporary music scene for the last 30 years, writing scores of compositions and arrangements for big band, chamber, and symphonic settings. His credits read like a “who’s who” of the best modern instrumentalists and singers in the world today. He has six Grammy awards and 34 nominations. Mendoza is the composer in residence with the West German Radio Orchestra in Köln and conductor laureate of the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra. Mendoza’s new recording, Freedom Over Everything, features his compositions with Antonio Sanchez, Julia Bullock, MC Black Thought, and the Czech National Symphony.
Zach Danziger
Zach Danziger (percussion) is on the cutting edge of music and technology, leading a movement that has broad implications for modern drum set playing. Emerging from New York, Danziger’s musical expertise led him to work with a wide range of artists including Primal Scream, Busta Rhymes, Michel Camilo, Wayne Krantz, Donny McCaslin, David Holmes, LeBron James, Mary J. Blige, Rod Stewart, Jack Black, Mariah Carey, Luke Vibert, Sinéad O’Connor, Chaka Khan, and Miley Cyrus. He has composed and played on countless major motion picture soundtracks. Danziger is involved with several original electronic projects. Mister Barrington, which features former Roots bassist Owen Biddle and keyboardist Oli Rockberger, has garnered radio airplay worldwide—including BBC and NPR features. His innovative use of music technology has also been recognized in publications such as The New York Times, Downbeat, and Electronic Musician, as well as a TEDx talk entitled “Innovative Thinking,” which spawned the interactive audio visual projects Edit Bunker, Nine Fifteen O’Clock, and Wednesday Night Titans.
Jason Lindner
Jason Lindner (keyboard and synthesizer), aka flymyspcshp, is a contemporary electronic musician and keyboardist from Brooklyn, widely known for his post-jazz, IDM-influenced group, Now Vs Now, and for his unique keyboard and synth work on David Bowie’s Blackstar. With an artistic identity spanning genres, cultures, formats, and technologies, Lindner is a frequent performer and collaborator in the underground experimental electronic and DJ communities, actively exploring cross sections of live electronic music and spontaneous improvisation for immersive sonic journeys both on and off the dance floor. He plays everything from raves to meditative wellness sessions, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with a growing list of luminaries including Currency Audio, Yuka Honda (Cibo Matto), Mulatu Astatke, Saha Gnawa, Nikki Nair, Toribio, JKriv, Greg Paulus (No Regular Play), Salami Rose Joe Louis, LNDFK, Tatyana, Kimbra (Exo-Tech), Nu Jazz, No Eyes, Hybrid Movement Company, Sidra Bell, Poncili Creacion, Lauryn Hill, Meshell Ndegeocello, Angelique Kidjo, and Danny Elfman.
Jonathan Maron
Jonathan Maron (bass) is a Grammy-nominated electric bassist, composer, and producer. His unique approach, propulsive bass lines, and big sound travel with him always, regardless of the musical setting. Early in his career, Maron co-founded New York’s Groove Collective, a band that has toured internationally, released eight albums including their Grammy-nominated, People People Music Music. The band’s dance-floor blend of Afro-Cuban rhythms, jazz, funk, and house music has provided a perfect showcase for Maron’s playing and writing. With other artists, Jonathan can be heard on more than 200 records ranging widely in style, including Maxwell’s platinum selling “Ascenscion (Don’t Ever Wonder).” Maron has also performed with Meshell Ndegeocello, Mike Doughty, Tupac Shakur, Shujaat Khan, Dave Douglas, Jewel, India.Arie, and Kurt Rosenwinkel, among many others. In 2021, Maron released his own record, Wide Open Lazy Eye, and regularly performs as a leader.
John Cameron Mitchell
John Cameron Mitchell (vocalist and guest artist) co-created the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, for which he won two Tony Awards, Best Director at Sundance, a Golden Globe nomination, and a review from David Bowie: “John, you got it right.” He directed the films Shortbus (2006), Rabbit Hole (2010, Oscar nomination for Nicole Kidman), and Neil Gaiman’s How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2017). On TV, he’s appeared in Girls, Shrill, The Good Fight, Netflix’s The Sandman, Apple TV+’s City on Fire, and as Tiger King’s Joe Exotic in Peacock Channel’s Joe vs. Carole. His musical podcast series, Anthem: Homunculus, stars Glenn Close, Cynthia Erivo, Patti LuPone, and Laurie Anderson, and he’s released a solo album called New American Dream Pts.1&2. He’s presently touring a new concert with Amber Martin, as well as developing a scripted podcast series, Cancellation Island, and a musical TV series with Linda Perry called The Disciples.
Gail Ann Dorsey
Gail Ann Dorsey (vocalist) is known as one of David Bowie’s longest-serving bandmates, as a bassist and vocalist, recording and touring the world many times over from 1995 to his untimely death in 2016. She sang lead vocals live on the showstopper “Under Pressure,” taking the part originally recorded by Freddie Mercury. She has toured and recorded with countless acts including Tears for Fears, Lenny Kravitz, and Bryan Ferry, and served as bandleader for Gwen Stefani. Recently, she was a featured vocalist on albums by the National and Matt Berninger, and has released three solo albums: The Corporate World, Rude Blue, and I Used To Be….
David Poe
The songs of David Poe (vocalist) have been featured in TV and film projects like Nashville and Dexter, performed by a diverse array of artists, and recorded by producers T Bone Burnett, Larry Klein, and Buddy Miller. Poe has written and performed songs and scores for American Repertory Theater, the LA Dance Project, Rambert Dance, the Malala Fund, Harvard Dance, and Shadowland by Pilobolus. He has produced recordings for other artists including Regina Spektor, Brendan Hines, and Kraig Jarret Johnson. He is a composer fellow of the Sundance Institute.
Troy Choi
Based in Southern California, Troy Choi (sound designer and front-of-house mixer) has been the audio engineer for La La Land in Concert, Love Actually in Concert, and Revolution: The Music of The Beatles–A Symphonic Experience. He has also worked with Herbie Hancock and Danny Elfman.
Preston Dunnavant
Preston Dunnavant (monitor engineer) is a live sound audio engineer and music producer from South Carolina. He has held the role of festival audio engineer at Spoleto Festival USA for the past three years, and spends the off season collaborating with an array of musicians, artists, and local Charleston venues. An alumnus of Clemson University, Dunnavant made his debut in sound design with Finding Freedom: The Journey of Robert Smalls.
Ryan O’Gara
Ryan O’Gara (lighting designer) has designed for Thoughts of a Colored Man on Broadway and US tours of The Wiz, On Your Feet, A Night with Janis Joplin, Blippi, Vocalocity, The Walking Dead Experience, and The Little Prince. He has designed for Cirque du Soleil in Germany, numerous other credits in New York, and in dance for American Ballet Theatre, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, MOMIX, gloATL, and Ballet Hispanico.
Jules Buckley
Grammy-winning composer, arranger, and conductor Jules Buckley (orchestrator) has collaborated on a staggering discography of more than 70 albums. He has curated live and recording projects reimagining styles from jazz, disco, and soul to electronica, global, and avant-garde for orchestra, with Quincy Jones, Snarky Puppy, Michael Kiwanuka, Jacob Collier, Bokanté, Lianne La Havas, Massive Attack. and many more. He is cofounder and conductor of the Heritage Orchestra, honorary conductor of the Metropole Orchestra (following his tenure as chief conductor), and chief artist in association with the BBC Symphony.
Tim Davies
Tim Davies (orchestrator) is a Grammy-nominated and Annie-winning composer, arranger, orchestrator, and conductor. He is a respected lead orchestrator and regular conductor in studios from Los Angeles to London. His credits for film and television include La La Land, Free Guy, and Frozen, two Ant-Man movies, and many others. He also recently conducted his own award-winning score to Maya and the Three.
Michael R. Dudley Jr.
Michael R. Dudley Jr. (orchestrator) is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and orchestrator based in Upstate New York. Since earning a degree in commercial music production at the University of Cincinnati, Michael has participated in many ensembles and concert series. These include multiple Grammy Award–winning bands, such as the Maria Schneider Orchestra, Christian McBride Big Band, Brian Lynch Big Band, and the John Daversa Big Band, with which he recorded on the multi-Grammy Award–winning album American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom. He has shared the stage with John Williams, Quincy Jones, Maria Schneider, Take 6, Steve Miller, and many other notable artists across the music world. He is a recent graduate of the University of Miami Frost School of Music and now is assistant professor of jazz studies at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music.
Maria Schneider
Maria Schneider (orchestrator) has received 14 Grammy nominations and seven Grammy Awards in jazz, classical, and for her work with David Bowie. Her honors also include numerous awards from the Jazz Journalists Association, Downbeat and JazzTimes, ASCAP’s Concert Music Award, the NEA Jazz Master, and election into the 2020 American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her album Concert in the Garden received the honor of being inducted into the 2019 National Recording Registry.
Jamshied Sharifi
Jamshied Sharifi (orchestrator) is a New York-based composer, producer, and keyboardist. He has composed the scores for the feature films Harriet the Spy, Down to Earth, Clockstoppers, and Muppets From Space, as well as contributing music to numerous other films and television shows. As a producer, arranger, and keyboardist, he has recorded and performed with Paula Cole, Ray Charles, Dream Theater, Laurie Anderson, Hassan Hakmoun, Snatam Kaur, and many others, and has written orchestrations for the Broadway shows The Last Ship and The Band’s Visit (for which he won a Tony Award in 2018).
Tony Visconti
Three-time Grammy winner Tony Visconti (orchestrator) was born in Brooklyn and moved to London in 1967 to begin a career that led to him becoming one of the most important music producers in history. Since Bowie released his eponymous album David Bowie, produced by Visconti in 1969, Visconti has been a vital part of Bowie’s career including his final album, Blackstar, winning two Grammy Awards and Album of the Year at the Brit Awards. Visconti also produced iconic music by T. Rex, Morrissey, Sparks, the Moody Blues, Thin Lizzy, The Good, The Bad & The Queen, and many others.
Ruth & Stephen Hendel
Ruth & Stephen Hendel (executive producers) conceived and produced the musical Fela!, which ran on Broadway, at London’s Royal National Theatre, and on tour all over the world. Ruth has been involved as a coproducer in many Tony Award–winning Broadway shows. Stephen is the executive producer of Alex Gibney’s documentary Finding Fela (2014), and Ruth and Steve are executive producers of Saul Williams’s film Neptune Frost (2022). Last spring, the Hendels presented A Walk on the Moon at George Street Playhouse. Additional upcoming productions include Monsoon Wedding and The Devil’s Arithmetic.
Steven Saporta
Perhaps the phrase “talent catalyst” best sums up the role that Steven Saporta (producer) has played over his rich and diverse career. As such, Blackstar Symphony represents a kind of crowning achievement of his decades-long journey as manager, creative confidant, entrepreneur, producer, music business innovator, and consultant. Nurtured in the New York art underground, Saporta’s career has been guided from the outset by a sensibility that has always compelled him to seek out, develop, and present the kind of new and alternative art and artists that resonate far beyond their emergence. He was one of the earliest pioneers of the transformative role that video would play in promoting music, serving as executive producer of four major concert television specials and countless groundbreaking clips that succeeded in launching or reinventing the careers of Whitney Houston, Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, Run-DMC, Aerosmith, Billy Joel, Sting, and the Highwaymen, which brought together country music icons Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and Waylon Jennings. For more than 30 years, the company that he founded with Peter Casperson, Invasion Group Ltd, has exemplified the spirit and cutting edge of the indie music movement, becoming home to legendary rebels and maverick visionaries like producer Bill Laswell and artist Ani DiFranco. Among them is saxophonist Donny McCaslin, recruited by Bowie to play a critical role as bandleader of Blackstar, who serves as this show’s artistic director. Saporta has always recognized Bowie’s bold envelope-pushing creativity as the aesthetic template for his own career—as the foundation for his belief that a progressive consciousness about art also translates into the best kind of business in the long run. As he puts it. “I can’t think of a better example of that sensibility than Blackstar Symphony.”
Margaret Selby
Margaret Selby (producer and booking agent) is the founder and President of Selby Artists Management and Selby Creative Productions. With a critical eye for recognizing exceptional talent, Selby’s many accomplishments include producing the first Off-Broadway hip-hop musical, Jam on the Groove with the Rock Steady Crew, which earned a Drama Desk Award nomination and toured internationally. She toured the Tony Award–winning Broadway production of Fela! across the United States and to London’s Sadler’s Wells, and The Holland Festival. A special concert version of Fela! was featured in the Adelaide Festival, Auckland Festival, Kennedy Center, Central Park, Saratoga Performing Arts, and House of Blues Boston. The production continues to tour today. For more than 15 years she has been touring the Tony Award–winning production Slava’s Snowshow throughout North and South America. Most recently, she produced Blackstar Symphony, David Bowie’s final album reimagined for orchestra, and the highly acclaimed Olivier Award–nominated Turn It Out With Tiler Peck & Friends in London and the United States.
Selby has worked with luminaries of the dance world such as Twyla Tharp, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Mark Morris, and Suzanne Farrell. Her current roster is comprised today’s most in demand and important artists including Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Ballets Jazz Montréal’s DANCE ME The Music of Leonard Cohen, BODYTRAFFIC, Camille A. Brown & Dancers, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, DIAVOLO, Compagnie Hervé Koubi, Miami City Ballet, MOMIX, Parsons Dance, Sergio Bernal Dance Company, and Turn It Out With Tiler Peck & Friends. Her extensive experience supporting performances and touring throughout the world makes her a valued partner for artists and presenters alike.
