Anthony Dean Griffey, tenor May 4, 2011

San Francisco Performances presents tenor Anthony Dean Griffey, pianist Warren Jones and fiddler Paul Brown in a vivid portrait of the South 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 4 at the Herbst Theatre. This recital, originally in January, was rescheduled for this new date.

Griffey has made waves in the opera world with his moving portrayal of the title role in Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes. Known for the empathy and sensitivity of his performances, he brings that same storytelling gift to a program reflecting his native South: traditional songs including Wayfaring Stranger and Cumberland Gap and fellow North Carolinian Kenneth Frazelle's nostalgic Songs in the Rear View Mirror.

As Griffey began touring Frazelle's new work, Brown-newscaster and reporter for NPR-became an integral part of bringing the rest of this program together. Brown met Frazelle in the 1980s, when Frazelle used to attend Brown's Across the Blue Ridge performance program, featuring senior traditional Appalachian musicians, at the NPR station in Winston-Salem where Brown worked. Through this connection, Brown joined Griffey and Frazelle in putting this program together.

Jones, deemed by the San Francisco Chronicle to be "the single finest accompanist now working," is also from North Carolina and rounds out the trio on the piano.

The concert by these three sons of the South blends history, heritage and progress through a music continuum. Tickets are $35, $50 and $65. For more information visit sfperformances.org or call 415.392.2545.

Official Website: http://www.sfperformances.org