On March 11, SFSymphony+ releases the latest installment in the SoundBox series titled “Lineage.” Curated by Julia Bullock, this century-spanning program brings together a diverse collection of compositions, linking musical material over almost 900 years. This audio and visual experience offers viewers a snapshot into how lineage can inform, influence, impact, and express itself in a musical context. The program features works by Nina Simone, Weldon Irvine, Hildegard von Bingen, Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn, J.S. Bach, George Walker, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Aruán Ortiz, Elizabeth Ogonek, Francis Poulenc, Ricky Ian Gordon, and Esperanza Spalding. Stream SoundBox Lineage here.

Lineage has enjoyed praise from critics. San Francisco Classical Voice calls the program, “a triumph,” saying that Julia, “sings with a moving, mounting urgency set deep in the timbre of her lustrous voice and dramatic phrasing.” Seen and Heard International agrees, calling the program, “a breathtaking sequence, a glowing tribute to two enormously powerful women musicians,” and praising Julia for, “channel[ing] [Nina] Simone’s ability to articulate both pain and hope with clear-eyed eloquence, her voice ranging from a gleaming top to resonance below the staff. She harnesses these attributes to deliver the words with jewel-like authority.”