The Inner Sunset lacks a full-time performance venue, but Seventh Avenue Performances, a concert series managed by local musicians, begins its thirteenth year on April 11.
With support from Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church, founder J. Jeff Badger launched the series in 2002 to engage the community “and take advantage of the acoustical qualities the sanctuary offered,” said Managing Director Adam Cockerham, who took over in 2012.
As professional musicians who live in the Inner Sunset, “it is so convenient to have a venue in the Sunset, for us and for our audience,” he said. “There are a lot of people in the neighborhood who relish the idea of not having to drive, park, [or] take Muni to downtown for quality concerts.”
Courtesy Seventh Avenue Performances
“Supporting local musicians has always been a priority,” he added. “We try to mix up our series, providing a good balance of early music and new music, vocal music and instrumental.” Badger currently manages another rental space at the church that’s used for recitals, rehearsal space and small-scale performances. The venue is funded entirely by “ticket sales and support from the church,” said Cockerham.
“Generally, a 50-person crowd is average,” but professional choir San Francisco Renaissance Voices typically attracts “no less than 100,” said Cockerham. In 2010, SF Weekly selected SFRV, which performs Renaissance and Baroque repertoire several times each year, as Best Classical Music. “We have a loyal neighborhood following, plus an audience that follows each performer,” he said.
According to Cockerham, the space “is not a secret any longer. We typically get between 20 and 30 pitches a year for concerts, of which we only choose about 6 or 7.” Working with Assistant Manager Director Jess Rodda, Cockerham selects artists “to get a balance of groups, something that appears to a wide range of audiences.” The resulting eclectic schedule “gives us the freedom to present a variety of different talents,” said Cockerham.
Courtesy Seventh Avenue Performances
Consistently offering audiences something unique has been key to Seventh Avenue Performances’ longevity and success, Cockerham added. “In a culturally rich environment like San Francisco, it’s not enough to present a good concert. A successful [concert] has to be a unique experience.”
On April 11 at 7:30 pm, tenor Greg Allen Friedman will perform with harpist Dominique Piana. Tickets are $20, $15 for students and seniors. Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church is located at 1329 Seventh Avenue.
