The Black + White Returns
Singer-Songwriter Seal Headlines

May 30 | archive | subscribe

The Black and White Ball, the San Francisco Symphony's biennial fundraising gala, returns May 31 after a three-year hiatus with the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Seal as the headliner.

I ask spokesperson, Jon Finck, of Encore Communications, is Black + White the new Black?
It’s been the new black since 1956 when the San Francisco Symphony first started this event. It has always been a San Francisco Symphony fundraiser, and this year we are raising money for the Symphony’s Adventures In Music Education Program.

How about that? You get to dance in the streets, like Martha and the Mandelas said, dancing in the streets and it’s all a big fundraiser for kids.

So this year we’ve got Seal, the singer-songwriter, in concert at Davis Concert Hall. And then, as soon as he is done, we’ve got twelve different bands on five different stages who will be playing through the night until 1p.m. in the morning. Plus of course, the great Midnight Surprise, which is a surprise.

Seal, who was disfigured by lupus, he found his solace in music, and he’s influence by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye; the kind of music you’re planning; so it goes hand-in-hand to have Seal at the event?
You know we really wanted to have a big headliner, we know that’s what the audience was looking for. We wanted again to try something different. 5,500 people will be in attendance, at a minimum. And the kind of music that we are offering ranges from Latin, to rock-and-roll, and we have the Blues Traveler Band. And we’re going to have a lot of music; 60s, 70s, 80s, and I don’t think anyone is gonna go away feeling like they didn’t hear the music that they like.

You always have a Midnight Surprise, what have they been like in the past?
Oh my God, we have had surprises with Chubby Checkers, the guy who, the icon of the twist who came out on a big stage and we threw out 1,500 hula-hoops at midnight. We’ve had twelve big semi-trucks come down Van Ness Avenue with black and white pianos, uh, with musicians playing on pianos going down the street; the parachuting Elvis’.

This year we’re promise great entertainment at the Midnight Surprise and an entire fireworks display too!

In Seal’s new album, it’s called “System”, he goes back to dance genre, after four years, told the San Francisco Chronicle that he thought, “ Hip hop is boring, rock is regurgitated, but dance music seems to be the one area that has room for evolution.” Will there be room for dancing?
Oh my gosh, there’s gonna be dancing in the Opera House, dancing in the Veterans Building, there will be dancing on Van Ness, there will be dancing in the Grove Street tent. There will be dancing everywhere, I mean, I am telling you truly Martha and the Mandelas dancing in the streets; that’s our mantra.

There is no one going away hungry and no one is going away thirsty, and for women, wear your “Sex And The City” shoes for the first, you know, hour, then put on something comfortable.

We know that there will be some girl in red running down the street like Jezebel, as usual, because she’ll be yelled at by half the crowd. But you know there is always one like that out there, but that’s okay, we’re very embracing.

Heidi Klum, who ranks as the worlds highest paid models, sings on the new album, a song called “Wedding Day” can we expect a surprise appearance by Heidi?
That has been the question, $64,000 question since the beginning; all I can say is be there with us for the Midnight Surprise, anything is possible. sfsymphony.org