Grace Cathedral

What is TILT? It is a celebration of light and music on the Summer Solstice.  TILT honors our planet, as it leans towards the sun on the longest day of the year, and it also describes what we think you will experience with this concert – a different angle on music – especially music heard in sacred spaces.  

TILT launched in 2020, and because we could not gather in person, we partnered with cathedrals across the country to present an online offering of beautiful music in beautiful spaces. We so enjoyed our partnerships over the last two years that we have continued that tradition this year, and we are excited to open the cathedral doors for an in-person experience this year.  

The experience begins with The Warm Up, a reception with a signature TILT cocktail, local IPAs, and bistro bites. Our host, Grace Cathedral’s Vice Dean, Greg Kimura, will introduce our partners through films of beautiful music from their unique settings across the globe (learn more about our partners here).  

Then enjoy an intimate performance as the sunlight fades from the glittering stained glass windows. Our wonderful artists are rising opera stars Amitai Pati and Esther Tonea, and pianist and producer Ronny Michael Greenberg. 

 Samoan tenor Amitai Pati recently made a spectacular European debut as Nadir (Les pêcheurs de perles) at the Philharmonie de Paris. The French critics commented, “Amitai Pati performs a moving Nadir, endowed with a superb tenor voice, ideal in the role” (Toute la culture, March 2020) and “The young singer makes a sensational debut in Paris” (Forum Opéra, March 2020). A former Adler Fellow, he returns to San Francisco Opera this month as Don Ottavio in a new production of Don Giovanni, conducted by Bertrand de Billy. 

Praised for her “powerful, gleaming tone, effortless precision, and expressive immediacy,” Romanian-American soprano Esther Tonea has appeared in concerts and recitals across North America and Europe. Adler fellow and former participant in the Merola Opera Program, she won the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition in May of this year. 

Pianist, Opera Coach, and Producer, Ronny Michael Greenberg is a leading innovator in the world of performing arts. A native of Montreal, he has toured internationally performing in opera houses and concert halls including the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Carnegie Hall, Montreal’s Place des Arts Theater, and across Italy, New Zealand, and Hawaii. A full-time member of San Francisco Opera’s Music Staff, he is also the CEO & Artistic Director of Taste of Talent, a San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit organization that showcases the connective power of music and art through sensational experiences, and promotes entrepreneurial empowerment of artists. 

For TILT, the program will include “Night” by Florence Price, “Ah! Love But A Day” by Amy Beach, music from Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod, and more! 

Join us for TILT In-person on Monday, June 20, 8 to 9:30 p.m.  and online from June 21 through 26 at gracecathedral.org.