Contemporary music at Exploratorium…listen, or try it yourself - San Francisco's Exploratorium

Sunset, Jan, 1986

The winter series of concerts and lectures on contemporary music begins this month at San Francisco's Exploratorium. It's one of the few established concert series exclusively for "new music" and the only one followed by a discussion period with composers and performers.

Most of the 2-hour concerts begin at 8 P.M. in the 200-seat McBean Theater; tickets cost $5 at the door.

January 16; Annea Lockwood with sound sculpture music.

January 30: Morton Feldman with chamber and orchestral pieces.

February 13: Gavin Bryars tiwh music for the synthesizer.

February 16: Pierre Boulez, France's renowned conductor-composer, with the Ensemble Intercontemporain, at 2 P.M. in the Palace of Fine Arts Theater.

February 17: Charles Dodge with computer-voice compsitions.

Concergoers can visit Exploratorium exhibits before concerts or at intermission. You might stop by the sound and hearing section with more than 70 hands-on displays. Here you can test your musical ability on the new five-sided pentathon.

The Exploratorium at 3601 Lyon Street, is open 1 to 9:30 Wednesdays, 1 to 5 Thursdays and Fridays, 10 to 5 weekends. Admission: $3 ages 17 and over.