San Francisco Performances (SFP) presents mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges and percussionist Ulysses Owens Jr. in a program titled “Notes on Hope,” April 1-28 at the Herbst Theater. The event features works by 20th-century French composers, Duke Ellington, and traditional spirituals.

The “Notes on Hope” program will explore works by Duke Ellington and revive classic songs that well-known opera singers Jessye Norman, Leontyne Price, and Kathleen Battle have sung.

The human voice and the drum are very ancient and essential musical tools for communication and the formation of civilization, and this truth speaks of the power of Bridges’ operatic voice and the powerful drums of Owens Jr.

Both Bridges and Owens Jr. are Grammy Award winners, and the program was inspired by the friendship that has arisen between the two since their university days.

“We look forward to exploring the hope of J’Nai and Ulysses embodied in an intriguing and illuminating mix of music that will be both familiar and new to audiences,” said SFP President Melanie Smith in a press statement.