Saturday, January 2, 2010 – 4pm
Haydn Cycle Grand Finale
With this concert the New Esterházy Quartet concludes its presentation of the entire Haydn String Quartet Cycle, performed on period instruments. The remaining two concerts in this year's season will begin a new series Dedicated to Haydn.
Our November concert was a sampler from Haydn’s half-century of quartet writing. Now for the final concert of our historic Haydn Cycle, the New Esterházy Quartet offer you a rich plate of the ripest fruits of Haydn’s maturity. These four masterworks date from the last decade of Haydn’s activity, when he was at the height of his powers, the toast of London for his late symphonies and acclaimed in Vienna for his late oratorios. During the same period he wrote over 20 string quartets, the last outpourings of a man we have come to admire for his discipline, his wit, his knack for civilized discourse, and his rare balance of pride and humility. We hope to share with you these gifts that he packaged for our delectation over 200 years ago.
Meet the artists: join us to celebrate the conclusion of the Haydn Cycle with a reception following this concert.
This Concert is sponsored through the generosity of Camille Reed.
New Esterházy Quartet
St. Mark's Lutheran Church, San Francisco
$10 - $25
Information: (415) 520-0611
www.newesterhazy.org
***
Sunday, January 3, 2010 – 4pm
Haydn Cycle Grand Finale
With this concert the New Esterházy Quartet concludes its presentation of the entire Haydn String Quartet Cycle, performed on period instruments. The remaining two concerts in this year's season will begin a new series Dedicated to Haydn.
Our November concert was a sampler from Haydn’s half-century of quartet writing. Now for the final concert of our historic Haydn Cycle, the New Esterházy Quartet offer you a rich plate of the ripest fruits of Haydn’s maturity. These four masterworks date from the last decade of Haydn’s activity, when he was at the height of his powers, the toast of London for his late symphonies and acclaimed in Vienna for his late oratorios. During the same period he wrote over 20 string quartets, the last outpourings of a man we have come to admire for his discipline, his wit, his knack for civilized discourse, and his rare balance of pride and humility. We hope to share with you these gifts that he packaged for our delectation over 200 years ago.
Meet the artists: join us to celebrate the conclusion of the Haydn Cycle with a reception following this concert.
This Concert is sponsored through the generosity of Camille Reed.
New Esterházy Quartet
All Saint's Episcopal Church, Palo Alto
$10 - $25
Information: (415) 520-0611
www.newesterhazy.org
***
Sunday, January 3, 2010 – 7pm
Special Benefit Concert with the FOG Trio
Complementing the Chamber Series is a special non-subscription benefit concert featuring the Bay Area’s own all-star piano trio, the FOG Trio. Founded in 1984, the FOG Trio features world renowned pianist Garrick Ohlsson, Michael Grebanier, principal cellist of the San Francisco Symphony, and Jorja Fleezanis, concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra for the past twenty years and former associate concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony. These long time friends of Kohl Mansion delight in playing together as frequently as their busy careers allow, and have become a cherished favorite of Music at Kohl audiences with whom the Trio enjoys a uniquely warm bond. This special non-subscription concert, followed by an elegant champagne reception, benefits Music at Kohl Mansion’s Artistic Development Fund. Series subscribers will receive a substantial discount to this special benefit event.
There will be a pre-concert talk at 6pm with Kai Christiansen.
Kohl Mansion, Burlingame
$50-$75
Information: (650) 762-1130
www.musicatkohl.org
***
Monday, 4, 2010 – 8pm
Arguably the only positive aspect of the legacy of European colonialism, the various traditions of brass bands around the world mirror the variety of indigenous cultures in which they grew. The Bandemonium project presents the cream of Bay Area horn players in a program featuring a few examples of the diversity of expression the basic idea of horns and percussion in ensemble have taken in native hands in places as varied as India, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, the Andes, Africa and many more.
Makeout Room
3225 22nd Street, San Francisco
Gregg Moore's Bandemonium
www.makeoutroom.com
***
Monday, January 4, 2010 – 9pm
Quinn, Quintet De Los Pantalones, Merrill Garbus+Kasey Knudsen.
This installment of the Ivy Room's Monday evening experimental music series features Oakland trio Quinn (two-guitars-plus-drums), a new quintet led by pianist Michael Coleman, and the debut performance of the Merrill Garbus/Kasey Knudsen duo. Not to be missed.
Kingman's Ivy Room
860 San Pablo Ave, Albany
FREE
www.kingmanscocktails.com/inside-IR.htm
***
Thursday, January 7, 2010 – 7pm
Sqwonk (bass clarinet duo) and Bill Wolter Ensemble (electro acoustic octet)
Classical Revolution presents a night of original music with 2 very different ensembles from San Francisco's new music scene.
Sqwonk
The San Francisco-based Sqwonk bass clarinet duo is a dynamic and adventurous ensemble devoted to exploring the full expressive range of the bass clarinet, from deep resonances to raucous wails. Though grounded in the classical tradition, Sqwonk plays music that draws on a wide range of influences, from klezmer to heavy metal to blues to avant-garde improvisation, creating a repertoire that is both contemporary and broadly accessible to a wide audience.
Jeff Anderle and Jonathan Russell, bass clarinets
www.sqwonk.com
Bill Wolter Ensemble
An auspicious ensemble of red blooded musicians coagulate to play composer Bill Wolter's music written for Modern Dance. Expect stylings of thru composed New Music, Art Rock, Prog, Jazz. Lyrical content to include Broball, Astral Projection, Coffee, and Hungry Ghosts.
Melody Ferris, soprano
Ivor Holloway, reeds
Charith Premawardhana, viola
Bill Wolter, guitar
Curtis McKinney, bass
Max Stoffregen, piano
Fred Morgan, vibraphone
Jordan Glenn, drumset
www.tribalgenes.com
Classical Revolution
Classical Revolution is more than an ensemble. Classical Revolution is more than a presenting organization. Classical Revolution is a global phenomenon, revolutionizing the way live classical music is programmed and heard. The idea which took shape in November of 2006 at Revolution Cafe in San Francisco's Mission District is now represented in over a dozen cities on three continents. Classical Revolution presents an average of 15-20 performance events each month in the Bay Area alone. Residencies are held at Revolution Cafe, SoCha Cafe, Amnesia, Caffe Divino (Sausalito), Bazaar Cafe, and Musical Offering Cafe (Berkeley). Classical Revolution has been featured in various publications including San Francisco Classical Voice, SF Weekly, SF Chronicle, Sunset Magazine, SOMA Magazine, Strings Magazine, and The New York Times.
www.classicalrevolution.org
Classical Revolution
Red Poppy Art House, San Francisco
$10-20 suggested donation
***
Friday, January 8, 2010 – 8pm
The New Esterházy Quartet
with Elisabeth Le Guin
Boccherini's Back!
Quintetti e Quintettini by the Master
Renowned cellist and UCLA professor Elisabeth Le Guin returns to the Bay Area to join the New Esterházy Quartet in music dear to both her heart and mind, as revealed in her recent ground-breaking book, Boccherini's Body: An Essay in Carnal Musicology. Of Boccherini's more than one hundred quintets with two cellos, half are grande (three or four movements) and half are piccole (two or three movements). From this treasure trove you will hear quintets big and small to usher in the new decade.
San Francisco Early Music Society
First Lutheran Church, Palo Alto
$25 general/$22 members/$10 students
Information: (510) 528-1725
www.sfems.org
***
Friday, January 8, 2010 – 8pm
Steve Isserlis, cello, and Kirill Gerstein, piano
This season’s Randolph Newman Concert features two world-class musicians in a rare Bay Area performance.
Cellist Steven Isserlis’s passion for music transcends conventional divisions. Acclaimed worldwide for his musicality and technique alike, he is equally at home drawing the audience into his circle of friends for chamber music or in recital; delving into the historical archives to emerge with a forgotten gem; or on the concert platform with some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras and conductors.
Pianist Kirill Gerstein was the First Prize winner at the 2001 Arthur Rubinstein Piano Competition in Tel Aviv and has concertized in the intervening years in virtually all major international music centers.
SRJC Chamber Concerts
Newman Auditorium, Santa Rosa
$12 to $20
Information: (707) 527-4372
www.santarosa.edu/communityeducation/chamberconcerts
***
Saturday, January 9, 2009 – 8pm
Jacob Zimmerman (alto sax) and Jameson Swanagon (guitar) will perform back to back solo sets. Zimmerman is currently a masters composition student at Mills College in Oakland. His most recent work has been centered around solo performances that highlight the various techniques and improvising strategies that have formed his musical vocabulary over the years. Swanagon resides in San Francisco and contributes regularly to a number of rock, free music and jazz collaborations, while also performing solo finger-style concerts consisting of dense improvisations as well as tightly composed vignettes he thinks of as sad toys. Jacob and Jameson met while studying at the New England Conservatory in Boston under the tutelage of Joe Morris and Anthony Coleman.
Trinity Chapel
2320 Dana Street, Berkeley
$12 General/$8 Senior/Disabled/Student
www.trinitychamberconcerts.com/index.html
***
Saturday, January 9, 2010 – 5pm
Ibert Trio Recital
Pianist Elena Levina, flutist Meerenai Shim and cellist James Lin perform trios by Gaubert, Pleyel, Ibert and Martinu.
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco
FREE
www.iberttrio.com
***
Saturday, January 9, 2010 – 7:30pm
The New Esterházy Quartet
with Elisabeth Le Guin
Boccherini's Back!
Quintetti e Quintettini by the Master
Renowned cellist and UCLA professor Elisabeth Le Guin returns to the Bay Area to join the New Esterházy Quartet in music dear to both her heart and mind, as revealed in her recent ground-breaking book, Boccherini's Body: An Essay in Carnal Musicology. Of Boccherini's more than one hundred quintets with two cellos, half are grande (three or four movements) and half are piccole (two or three movements). From this treasure trove you will hear quintets big and small to usher in the new decade.
San Francisco Early Music Society
St. John's Presbyterian Church, Berkeley
$25 general/$22 members/$10 students
Information: (510) 528-1725
***
Saturday, January 9, 2010 – 8pm
So Percussion: The Music of Steve Reich
The unstoppable quartet So Percussion returns with a program of music by Steve Reich, one of the most startlingly original creative voices of our time—and the winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for music. Reich’s work embraces rigorous structures and propulsive rhythms alongside a harmonic language rooted in non-Western and American vernacular music (tracing to his studies of Balinese Gamelan, African drumming, and jazz). For this event, So Percussion performs works spanning 40 years, including the U.S. premiere of Reich’s most recent composition, Mallet Quartet, commissioned by Lively Arts.
Stanford Lively Arts
Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford University
$40 to $46
Information: (650) 725-2787
www.livelyarts.stanford.edu
***
Saturday, January 9, 2010 – 8pm
Jacob Zimmerman & Jameson Swanagon
Composer and alto saxophonist Jacob Zimmerman is currently a masters composition student at Mills College in Oakland. His most recent work has been centered around solo performances that highlight the various techniques and improvising strategies that have formed his musical vocabulary over the years.
Guitarist Jameson Swanagon resides in San Francisco and contributes regularly to a number of rock, free music and jazz collaborations, while also performing solo finger-style concerts consisting of dense improvisations as well as tightly composed vignettes he thinks of as sad toys. Jacob and Jameson met while studying at the New England Conservatory in Boston under the tutelage of Joe Morris and Anthony Coleman.
Trinity Chamber Concerts
Trinity Chapel, Berkeley
$8-$12
Information: (510) 549-3864
www.trinitychamberconcerts.com
***
Sunday, January 10, 2010 – 7:30pm
Outsound Presents
7:30 prepared piano and drums duo
8:30 Scott R. Looney, piano Damon Smith double bass trio
SIMM Series
Musicians Union Hall
116 9th St @ Mission, San Francisco
$6, 10
www.outsound.org
***
Sunday, January 10, 2010 – 3pm
Albers Trio
From their twos to their 20s, the Albers sisters have been captivating audiences with musical styles as diverse as their distinctive personalities and features. The sisters have performed at such venues as Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, National Theatre in Taipei, Severance Hall, Weill Recital Hall, and Zankel Hall. Their performances have also been seen and heard on Live from Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center Honors, Japan's NHK, the Washington, D.C., Voice of America and Bavarian Radio.
Violinist Laura is the associate concertmaster of the San Francisco Opera. While attending Juilliard, she toured with the Astor String Quartet and the Wild Ginger Philharmonic and also taught violin at the Diller-Quaile School of Music. In addition to the opera, she performs in the Bay Area with the Broderick Ensemble and the Empyrean Ensemble, as well as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in New York City and Sarasota Opera in Florida. She also volunteers for California Pacific Medical Center's Soothing Sounds program, bringing music to patients.
Violist Rebecca, also a graduate of the Juilliard School, currently teaches in the Juilliard pre-college with Ms. Castleman and is a touring member of Mark O'Connor's Appalachia Waltz Trio. As winner of Juilliard's 2002-03 viola competition, she made her solo debut performing the New York premiere of Samuel Adler's Viola Concerto and the Juilliard orchestra in Alice Tully Hall. She has performed with Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman, just to name just a few.
Cellist Julie has received various awards including the Grand Prize in South Korea's Gyeongnam International Music Competition and Second Prize in Munich's Internationaler Musikwettbewerbes de ARD. She has performed with the orchestra of Indianapolis, Seattle, Colorado, Syracuse, San Antonio, and Dayton. She is currently in the middle of a three-year residency with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Montalvo Arts Center (Previously Villa Montalvo)
Saratoga
$30; $25 members; $20 if purchasing three or more of the Villa Chamber Music Series (Available through Montalvo Box Office only).
Information: (408) 961-5858
www.montalvoarts.org
***
Sunday. January, 10, 2010 – 3pm
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
Chopin/Impromptu in F-sharp major, Op. 36; Ballade in A-flat major, Op. 47; Fantasy in F minor, Op. 49; Two Nocturnes, Op. 27 (No. 1 in C-sharp minor and No. 2 in D-flat major); Scherzo in C-sharp minor, Op. 39; and Twenty-four Preludes, Op. 28
Cal Performances
Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley
$34/$46/$56
Information: (510) 642-9988
www.calperfs.berkeley.edu
***
Sunday, January 10, 2010 – 8pm
Gregg Moore's Bandemonium. Arguably the only positive aspect of the legacy of European colonialism, the various traditions of brass bands around the world mirror the variety of indigenous cultures in which they grew. The Bandemonium project presents the cream of Bay Area horn players in a program featuring a few examples of the diversity of expression the basic idea of horns and percussion in ensemble have taken in native hands in places as varied as India, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, the Andes, Africa and many more.
21 Grand
416 25th St @Broadway, Oakland
www.21grand.org
***
Sunday, January 10, 2010 – 4pm
The New Esterházy Quartet
with Elisabeth Le Guin
Boccherini's Back!
Quintetti e Quintettini by the Master
Renowned cellist and UCLA professor Elisabeth Le Guin returns to the Bay Area to join the New Esterházy Quartet in music dear to both her heart and mind, as revealed in her recent ground-breaking book, Boccherini's Body: An Essay in Carnal Musicology. Of Boccherini's more than one hundred quintets with two cellos, half are grande (three or four movements) and half are piccole (two or three movements). From this treasure trove you will hear quintets big and small to usher in the new decade.
San Francisco Early Music Society
St. Mark's Lutheran Church, San Francisco
$25 general/$22 members/$10 students
Information: (510) 528-1725
www.sfems.org
***
Sunday, January 10, 2010 – 5pm
Hamburg's Musical Brothel: Music of Reincken, Buxtehude, Theile, and Pachelbel
Les Sauvages, a chamber ensemble with countertenor, performs German music of the late 17th and early 18th century. Johann Adam Reincken, the organist of Hamburg's largest church, was a flamboyant character and a friend of the young J. S. Bach. His circle also included the composers Buxtehude, Theile, and Pachelbel, whose works will be heard along with Reincken's.
MusicSources
Berkeley
$15 to $20
Information: (510) 528-1685
www.musicsources.org
***
Sunday, January 10, 2010 – 7pm
Steven Isserlis and Kirill Gerstein
Steven Isserlis is one of the most renowned living cellists, distinguished for his distinctive sound, diverse repertoire, and complete command of phrasing. Joined with him is pianist Kirill Gerstein known for his masterful technique and interpretations.
San Francisco Performances
Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
$49/$32
Information: (415) 392-2545
***
Monday, January 11, 2010 – 7:30pm
Del Sol String Quartet
Del Sol String Quartet explores the rich tradition of folk music through pieces by Béla Bartók, Lou Harrison, Zhou Long and Gabriela Lena Frank. Bartók used themes from the music of Hungary and the Balkans. Lou Harrison's piece looks back to medieval peasant dance in France and Turkish court music. Zhou Long's piece is based on a Tang dynasty poem and imitates the ancient Chinese instrument guqin. Lena Frank's piece draws from her musicological research in the Andes. Together you will hear why Del Sol String Quartet is two-time national winner of the Chamber Music America/ASCAP First Place Award for Adventurous Programming.
Music at Meyer
Martin Meyer Sanctuary of Congregation Emanu-El, San Francisco
$25 General, $24 Senior, $22 Student
Information: (800) 838-3006
***
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 – 8pm
Nathan Gunn and Julie Gunn
Classically trained baritone and Renaissance-man Nathan Gunn, seen in various roles from the Count in "Le nozze di Figaro" to Lancelot in "Camelot," performs an engaging delivery of "Die schone Mullerin."
San Francisco Performances
Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
$32 to $42
Information: (415) 392-2545
***
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 – 12:30pm
FRENCH MUSIC FESTIVAL
Loren Coney, piano / Dana Glinski McComb, cello
Paul Bazelaire Suite Francaise
Olivier Messiaen: Louange from Quartet for the End of Time
Gabriel Fauré: Elegie, Sicillienne
More!
Old Saint Mary's Cathedral
660 California Street, San Francisco
Donation: $5
Information: (415) 777-3211
www.NoontimeConcerts.org
***
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 – 7:30pm
Meridian Music: Composers in Performance presents the Emergency String (X)tet performing free improvisations and the graphic score Michelins X by Bob Marsh. This incarnation of the ESX will include Bob Marsh, Doug Carroll, Angela Hsu, and Adria Otte.
Meridian Gallery
535 Powell Street, San Francisco
$10 general; $5 students/seniors
www.meridiangallery.org
***
Friday, January 15, 2010 – 8pm
Project San Francisco: Composer Residency with George Benjamin
San Francisco Symphony
Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco
$15-130
Information: (415) 864-6000
www.sfsymphony.org
***
Friday, January 15, 2010 – 8pm
Concerti by Vivaldi, Handel, and Bach
ARCHETTI: The Bay Area’s Sensational New String Ensemble
On Friday, January 15, the Bay Area’s newest Baroque ensemble, Archetti, will give its debut performance at St. Mary Magdalen Church in Berkeley. The eight-member group was founded by violinist Carla Moore and gambist/violone player John Dornenburg to perform the rich concerto and ensemble repertory of the Baroque era, without a conductor. A number of high profile European groups have long dominated in this format, but there are surprisingly few established American string ensembles of this type.
The directors have found tremendous enthusiasm among some of the Bay Area’s leading string performers for such a group, and the core members of Archetti include violinists Carla Moore, Cynthia Freivogel, David Wilson, and Alicia Yang, violist Anthony Martin, cellist Tanya Tomkins, John Dornenburg, violone, and harpsichordist Davitt Moroney.
Carla Moore and John Dornenburg are well suited to direct such an ensemble, having performed together in a wide spectrum of early music ensembles since 1986. Carla is concertmaster of the Portland Baroque Orchestra, and a frequent concertmaster and soloist with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and American Bach Soloists. She has performed and recorded with many of the leading Baroque ensembles in the USA, and has also played under Sir Roger Norrington in London. John Dornenburg is known primarily as a viola da gamba soloist, but he has also performed and recorded on the violone with large ensembles in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Seattle, and New York over the past 20 years. He has directed performances of large-scale Baroque works such as Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, L’incoronazione di Poppea, and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Their combined experience and artistry is well matched by their renowned fellow Archetti members.
Archetti means “bows” in Italian, and the name was chosen both for its literal depiction of the group’s essential music-making tool, and for its evocation of the dominance of the Italian concerto in this repertory. The group’s size is perfectly suited to the four-violin concerti of composers such as Vivaldi and Torelli, but also small enough for the intimacy needed for Bach’s harpsichord concerti.
The concert on January 15 will be framed by concerti by Vivaldi and Torelli for four violins. Giuseppe Torelli (1658-1709) was widely known in Europe for his violin virtuosity and for his influence on the concerto’s development toward the now-familiar texture contrast of a virtuoso soloist playing against a group. Although Torelli published eight collections of sonatas, sinfonias, and concerti, the Concerto in A Minor for Four Violins survives in manuscript parts only, and has very likely not been heard in the Bay Area. Torelli’s concerto style is most directly apparent in the concerti of his more famous countryman Antonio Vivaldi, and Vivaldi’s E Minor Concerto for Four Violins from L’Estro Armonico will provide a compelling opportunity for comparison.
Handel’s Concerti Grossi are directly influenced by the concerti grossi of Arcangeli Corelli, whom he met while working in Italy between 1706 and 1710. His 12 Grand Concertos for Strings, Opus 6, are considered by Handel scholar Winton Dean to be “one of the twin peaks of the Baroque concerto” alongside Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, and Archetti will perform Opus 6 No. 5 in D Major.
Archetti is particularly excited to present the group’s harpsichordist, Davitt Moroney, as soloist in J.S. Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto in A Major, BWV 1055. Davitt has released over 50 cds of keyboard music as a soloist, chamber player, and concerto soloist, winning several Gramophone Awards and France’s Grand Prix du Disque de l’Académie Charles Cros. He has recently recorded some of the Bach harpsichord concerti with Brandywine Baroque, led by Carla Moore, and their reunion on the Concerto in A Major promises to be memorable.
Archetti Baroque Strings
Saint Mary Magdalen Church, Berkeley
$20, $18 65+, $10 students, under 16 free
Information: (510) 530-5065
***
Saturday, January 16, 2010 – 10am
Alexander String Quartet with Robert Greenberg
Robert Greenberg, popular teacher and composer, and the Alexander String Quartet lead a lecture/concert that brings to life the history, art, politics, intrigue and romance that have shaped the music we love for centuries.
San Francisco Performances
Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
$36/$24
Information: (415) 392-2545
***
Saturday, January 16, 2010 – 7:30
Brocelïande presents "Castles & Countrysides"
We had such fun when Brocelïande made their Seventh Avenue Performances debut on our 2009 Season that we decided to have them back to provide a celebratory start to 2010 with an inviting program of Celtic traditional and Early Music to welcome in the New Year! Included are Scottish songs by Robert Burns, Irish songs and dances, French traditional music, and songs of Tolkien. Featuring stellar vocal and instrumental harmonies, their entrancing sound is built on the interweaving of up to 3-part vocals with the lyrical music of the Celtic harp, octave mandolin, cello, 12-string guitar, recorders, whistle, and percussion. Brocelïande is Margaret Davis, Kristoph Klover, and Kris Yenney.
Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church
San Francisco
$15-$20
Information: (415) 664-2543 x3
www.sevenperforms.org
***
Saturday, January 16, 2010 – 7:30pm
Marcos Granados, Flutist
Four Seasons Arts
Regents Theatre at Holy Names University, Oakland
$40 - $35
Information: (510)845-4444
www.fsarts.org
***
Saturday, January 16, 2010 – 8pm
The Great Artists Series. The Art of the Baroque Oboe, Gonzalo Ruiz.
The Art of the Baroque Oboe
Gonzalo Ruiz, baroque oboe
William Skeen, baroque cello
David Tayler, archlute
Hanneke van Proosdij, harpsichord
Voices of Music
St. Mark's Lutheran Church, San Francisco
$25/20 subscription $70/$50
Information: (510) 236-9808
www.voicesofmusic.org
***
Saturday, January 16, 2010 – 8pm
Laurel Ensemble
The Laurel Ensemble was founded in 2005 to specialize in the rich and varied repertoire written for mixed strings, winds, and keyboard during the past four centuries. The six players who comprise the ensemble have jointly and severally become leaders in the Northern California classical music scene. The San Francisco Classical Voice said, “They grabbed the audience’s attention by the throat with the opening bars and never let go. …”
Del Valle Fine Arts
Bankhead Theater, Livermore
$20-$29 high scholl free, college $10
Information: (925) 373-6800
www.delvallefinearts.org/2009-10/DVFA09-10Home.html
***
January 17, 2010 – 4:30, $30
Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society presents
Terrence Brewer Quartet
Playing the Music of Wes Montgomery
Terrence Brewer – Guitar, Wayne De La Cruz - B-3 Organ, Jim Grantham – sax,
Micah McClain – Drums
SF Bay Area jazz guitarist Terrence Brewer’s will be playing from his most recent CD, Groovin’ Wes (2009, Strong Brew Music) which debuted in Marchon the JazzWeek national radio chart at #18 and quickly settled into the Top 10. “Brewer has a natural, inviting sound that instantly transports you back to the heyday of classic jazz guitar…” - avid Rubien, SF Chronicle.
Douglas Beach House on Miramar Beach
307 Mirada Road, Half Moon Bay
Information: (650) 726-4143
www.bachddsoc.org
***
Sunday, January 17, 2010 – 2pm
San Francisco Symphony Chamber Music
Members of the San Francisco Symphony Play Chamber Music
Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco
$35
Information: (415) 864-6000
www.sfsymphony.org
***
Sunday, January 17, 2010 – 7:30pm
The Great Artists Series. The Art of the Baroque Oboe, Gonzalo Ruiz.
The Art of the Baroque Oboe
Gonzalo Ruiz, baroque oboe
William Skeen, baroque cello
David Tayler, archlute
Hanneke van Proosdij, harpsichord
Voices of Music
St. Alban's Episcopal Church, Albany
$25/20 subscription $70/$50
Information: (510) 236-9808
www.voicesofmusic.org
***
Tuesday, January 19, 2010 – 12:30pm
FRENCH MUSIC FESTIVAL
Farley Pearce / Amy Brodo, violas da gamba
Jonathan Salzedo, harpsichord
Antoine Forqueray: Suite No. 5 and masterworks of Marin Marais and Louis de Caix d'Hervelois
Old Saint Mary's Cathedral
660 California Street, San Francisco
Donation: $5
Information: (415) 777-3211
www.NoontimeConcerts.org
***
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 – 6:30pm
Salon at the Rex
Salon favorite Jennifer Kloetzel is the founding cellist of this highly regarded ensemble. Noted for their spirited musicality and imaginative programs, the Cypress bring the music of Debussy, Schulhoff and Higdon to life.
San Francisco Performances
Hotel Rex, San Francisco
$20
Information: (415) 398-6449
www.performances.org/education/salons.html
***
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 – 8pm
The Sounding Off Tour: cellist Johannes Moser and pianist Phyllis Chen
Classical Revolution and IMG Artists bring the Sounding Off Tour to SoCha Cafe in San Francisco's Mission District.
The Sounding Off Tour is a unique project that presents classical music in an alternative fashion.
Cellist Johannes Moser and pianist Phyllis Chen will perform at Socha Cafe as a part of Classical Revolution's weekly chamber music series. Johannes and Phyllis will use a combination of traditional cello, electric cello, traditional piano, prepared piano, toy piano, and computers. The duo will be performing works ranging from standard classical music to alternative electronic music. Their aim is to present contemporary classical music in terms with which young adults can connect. Each performance will be coupled with outreach activities to allow students to engage with the music themselves.
www.soundingofftour.com
German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser has been hailed by Gramophone Magazine as “one of the finest among the astonishing gallery of young virtuoso cellists.” He has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Symphony, Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Tokyo Symphony, Israel Philharmonic and Toronto Symphony. He works regularly with conductors of the highest level including Riccardo Muti, Lorin Maazel, Valery Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, Vladimir Jurowski, Franz Welser-Möst, Christian Thielemann, Pierre Boulez, Neeme Jarvi and Paavo Jarvi. Born in Munich in 1979 as a dual citizen of Germany and Canada, Johannes began studying the cello at the age of eight and became a student of Professor David Geringas in 1997. He was the top prize winner at the 2002 Tchaikovsky Competition, in addition to being awarded the Special Prize for his interpretation of the Rococo Variations.
www.johannes-moser.com
Pianist Phyllis Chen has been praised by the New York Times for her “delightful quirkiness matched with interpretive sensitivity”. Phyllis has become a trailblazer in performing original multimedia compositions using toy pianos, electronics and video and works by prominent contemporary composers. The Chicago Reader confirms Phyllis Chen’s status as a trailblazer commenting: “…she’s become one of the world’s leading proponents of the toy piano.” Her artistic pursuits take her in numerous directions as a toy pianist, pianist, composer and performance artist, leading to her selection as a New Music/New Places Fellow at the 2007 Concert Artist Guild International Competition. As an avid toy pianist, Phyllis founded the UnCaged Toy Piano, a composition competition to further expand the repertoire for toy piano and electronics. The competition has received works from composers all around the world and these compositions become an integral part of her repertoire. A strong interest in interdisciplinary work led her to collaborations with video artist and electronic musician Rob Dietz with whom she created multimedia works such as The Memoirist, Pearlessence, Chroma and Carousel.
Lauded for playing Beethoven 1st Concerto “with amazing grace, with enviable clarity, and with finger work of both strength and elasticity” (The Herald Times, IN), Ms. Chen’s traditional piano credits include honors at the International Bartok/Kabalevsky Piano and the Coleman Chamber Music Competition. Her victory at the Marjorie Barnett Competition of Chicago included a special Bach Prize for her performance of the Goldberg Variations, and as a result, Phyllis was invited to perform at Chicago Symphony Center’s Buntrock Hall. She also performed on the Dame Myra Hess Series at the Chicago Cultural Center, aired live on WFMT Public Radio. Phyllis is a member of ICE (International Contemporary Ensemble), a Chicago and New York-based collective dedicated to the performance and promotion of new works. She has traveled to the west coast, England, Russia and Mexico with the ensemble. Phyllis attended Oberlin Conservatory as a recipient of the Dean’s Talent Award Scholarship and received a Masters Degree from Northwestern University as an Eckstein Merit Scholar. She is continuing to pursue her DMA in piano performance at Indiana University where she studied with André Watts. Phyllis currently resides in Astoria, New York.
www.phyllischen.net
IMG Artists is the global leader in the arts management business, combining the highest standards of management with an incomparable range of services to its customers and clients alike. With offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Hanover, Lucca and Singapore, IMG Artists delivers an international suite of capabilities including the management and touring of the finest musicians, dance companies, orchestras, and attractions, as well as consulting and advisory work for sovereign clients, arts institutions, concert halls, and culturally engaged corporations.With an unparalleled degree of artistic and managerial talent, IMG Artists is committed to breaking new ground in the ever-evolving performing arts world. Dynamic and diverse, IMG Artists will continue to seek out distinctive partnerships and craft collaborative initiatives in the years to come.
www.imgartists.com
Classical Revolution
SoCha Café, San Francisco
$10-20 requested donation
Information: (415) 643-6848
www.classicalrevolution.org
***
Thursday, January 21, 2010 – 8pm
8pm: T.D. Skatch & Taps - with guest Bob Marsh - tap shoes,
voice, violin
9pm: Guillermo Galindo and Hugh Behm-Steinberg present a workshop version "Terrible Things Will Happen But It's Going to Be Okay: A Donner Party Opera"
Luggage Store New Music Series
1007 Market Street, San Francisco
$6-10 sliding scale
www.outsound.org
***
Friday, January 22, 2010 – 5:30pm
Festival Mozaic WinterMezzo Weekend: Closing Chapters - Jan. 22-24, 2010
Festival Mozaic’s WinterMezzo Series includes two weekends of engaging musical experiences centered on great works of chamber music, featuring our Festival’s nationally-renowned guest artists. To begin the celebrations of our 40th year, WinterMezzo activities focus on ‘firsts and lasts’–first works of major composers and final works that assured their places in musical history.
Each WinterMezzo weekend focuses on three works and offers you three different ways to experience them:
*Listen to musicians’ perspectives in a one-hour Notable Encounter INSIGHTS, where the performers explore topics pertaining to the featured works.
*Enjoy an evening of food, wine and music at a Notable Encounter DINNER to get the performers’ perspectives on the weekend’s program, plus listen to program highlights.
*Hear it all come together at the Sunday CONCERT, where the full works are performed.
Festival Mozaic
Various venues around San Luis Obispo County
$19 to $90
Information: (805) 781-3009
www.festivalmozaic.com
***
Friday, January 22, 2010 – 6pm
French Music for Several Viols: Hallifax & Jeffrey and Friends
Barefoot Chamber Concerts continues its mission to help you start the weekend right. Its first concert of 2010 features Hallifax & Jeffrey, the acclaimed Bay Area viol duo, in a special concert of French baroque music for multiple viols, with guest violists Josh Lee and Marie Dalby, and theorbist extraordinaire John Lenti.
Couperin’s luscious quartet “La Sultane” and Corette’s rambunctious “Le Phenix” (for 4 bass viols) are the cornerstones of a rare musical treat. Other composers include Marais, Forqueray (pieces for 3 bass viols), and Ste. Colombe. Hallifax & Jeffrey are well known to Bay Area audiences, especially for their interpretations of Forqueray and Marais. Here, they are joined by two young rising stars, Marie Dalby and Josh Lee, whose viol playing has already won nationwide acclaim. Theorbist John Lenti provides his usual stunning continuo support.
The concert is in the fabulous wooden acoustic of the Parish Hall of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Berkeley. This will provide a superb setting for an unforgettable sound.
The series is committed to musical excellence without the formality of the conventional concert setting. Concerts will start at 6 p.m. and will last 60-75 minutes without intermission. Light refreshments will be available, and there will be ample time to move on to other evening entertainments.
Barefoot Chamber Concerts
St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Berkeley
$10 - $15
Information: (510) 220-1195
www.barefootchamberconcerts.com
***
Saturday, January 23, 2010 – 8pm
sfSound performs György Ligeti's awesome masterpiece Chamber Concerto alongside new short works written for sfSound by local composers Nick Bacchetto, Dan Becker, David Coll, Tom Dambly, Heather Frasch, Canner MEFE (Zeek Sheck), Maggi Payne, Mauricio Rodriguez, Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), and Theresa Wong
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak Street, San Francisco
$15 [$8 underemployed]
www.sfsound.org
***
Saturday, January 23, 2010 – 8pm
sfSound's small packages
sfSound performs György Ligeti's stunning Chamber Concerto (1969-70) for 13 instrumentalists alongside new short works written for sfSound by ten local composers. Coming from the many diverse bay area scenes, these musicians were commissioned to create new pieces for this concert inspired by and/or contrasting with Ligeti's monumental disquisition on sound and texture.
featured composers:
Nick Bacchetto
Dan Becker
David Coll
Tom Dambly
Heather Frasch
Canner MEFE (Zeek Sheck)
Maggi Payne
Mauricio Rodriguez
Greg Saunier (Deerhoof)
Theresa Wong
with performances by:
Stacey Pelinka - flutes
Kyle Bruckmann - oboe/english horn
Ma++ Ingalls - clarinets
Peter Josheff - clarinet
John Ingle - saxophones
Eric Lesch - horn
Colby Wiley - trombone
Christopher Jones - piano, conductor
Hadley McCarroll - keyboards
Ann Yi - keyboards
Graeme Jennings - violin
Erik Ulman - violin
Alexa Beattie - viola
Monica Scott - cello
Richard Worn – bass
sfSoundSeries & sfSoundGroup
San Francisco Conservatory of Music Concert Hall
$15 [$8 underemployed]
www.sfsound.org
***
Saturday, January 23, 2010 – 8:30pm
The Alcyone Ensemble
This dynamic ensemble will perform J.S. Bach's quintessential Sonata in G, BWV 1039; Gary Shocker's time-honored Three Dances; an exciting work by Yuko Uebayashi, Au dela du Temps; the delightful Tracoline for two piccolos by Johannes Donjon; and more!
Trinity Chamber Concerts
Trinity Chapel, Berkeley
$8-$12
Information: (510) 549-3864
www.trinitychamberconcerts.com
***
Sunday, January 24, 2010 – 4:30pm
Michael Jarrell '...more leaves...' for viola with clarinet, trumpet, trombone, piano, contrabass, and electronics.
Brad Lubman conducts.
ODC Dance Commons
351 Shotwell St., San Francisco
$10 Student / $23 Seniors / $28 Regular
***
Monday, January 25, 2010 – 8pm
The pieces on this program recall the mysterious ingenuity of nature. These are not works in which the hand of the composer can be readily seen; instead the music exudes its own life force, like a bubbling spring or a flurry of snow. Viola is featured with the ensemble in Michael Jarrell's '...more leaves...,' and Christopher Froh brings a dancer's grace to Matthias Pintscher's fifteen minute percusion solo, 'nemeton,' named for the sacred groves where Druids met in ancient times.
Herbst Theatre
401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
$10 Students / $23 Seniors / $28 Regular
***
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 – 12:30pm
FRENCH MUSIC FESTIVAL
Miles Graber, piano / Robert Howard, cello
Elbert Tsai, violin
Maurice Ravel: Trio, Duet for Violin and Cello
Old Saint Mary's Cathedral
660 California Street, San Francisco
Donation: $5
Information: (415) 777-3211
www.NoontimeConcerts.org
***
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 – 8pm
Myra Melford & Be Bread. Be Bread is Myra Melford on piano, Cuong Vu on trumpet, Ben Goldberg on clarinet and contra-alto clarinet, Brandon Ross on guitar and soprano guitar, Stomu Takeishi on acoustic bass and p printMatt Wilson on drums. Founded in 2002, Be Bread is Ms. Melford’s longstanding collection of frequent collaborators that currently performs as an all-acoustic sextet. Be Bread will perform material from The Whole Tree Gone, her first CD as leader since 2006, documenting the latest evolution of eight original compositions Melford has been performing with this ensemble, and others, for the past five years.
Freight & Salvage
2020 Addison Street, Berkeley
$18.50
www.freightandsalvage.org
***
Thursday, January 28, 2010 – 8pm
Harpsichord Redux
A marvelous instrument, the harpsichord provided both structure and ornament to music in the Baroque era. It was supplanted almost entirely by the more powerful fortepiano for a time, but advocates like Wanda Landowska, a harpsichord virtuoso, helped establish the instrument's place in modern musical life. Left Coast showcases the harpsichord's many possibilities, beginning with Bach's G major Trio Sonata -a piece unsurpassed in beauty in the centuries since it was written- and Ligeti's brief solo works, which are maddening, hilarious and ecstatic all at once. Left Coast also presents works by two Bay Area composers: Tamper Resistant Dan Becker and a world premiere by Eric Zivian, as well as the harpsichord concerto written by Manuel de Falla for Landowska. Eric Zivian and guest artist Katherine Heater are the featured harpsichordists.
Left Coast Chamber Ensemble
142 Throckmorton Theater
Mill Valley
$15 to $20
Information: (415) 383-9600
leftcoastensemble.org
***
Saturday, January 30, 2010 – 10am
Alexander String Quartet with Robert Greenberg
Robert Greenberg, popular teacher and composer, and the Alexander String Quartet lead a lecture/concert that brings to life the history, art, politics, intrigue and romance that have shaped the music we love for centuries.
San Francisco Performances
Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
$36/$24
Information: (415) 392-2545
www.performances.org
***
Saturday, January 30, 2010 – 8pm
Luciana Souza Trio
Native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, bossa nova composer/performer and SFP Artist-in-Residence Luciana Souza transcends traditional boundaries with roots in jazz, world music, as well as classics and new music.
San Francisco Performances
Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
$39/$27
Infromation: (415) 392-2545
www.performances.org
***
Sunday, January 31, 2010 – 3pm
Cypress String Quartet: Dvorak Quartet in G Major Op. 106
The Cypress String Quartet returns to Montalvo for its popular Salon Series. As part of the overall Villa Chamber Music Series, the Cypress present one of the most unique concert formats. Rather than a traditional classical chamber music concert of three works with an intermission, the Cypress features one work that the group discusses in depth and performs. The quartet contextualizes the featured piece through musical examples, discussion and performances of additional single movements or short works. They then follow this explanation with a performance of the featured piece in its entirety. During the performance, the audience has the opportunity to develop an intimate relationship with the featured music as well as with the performers through their explanations. Past audience members have commented that it’s a unique concert experience that demystifies classical music and offers insight into the creative process.
Montalvo Arts Center (Previously Villa Montalvo)
Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga
$30; $25 members; $20 if purchasing three or more of the Villa Chamber Music Series (Available through Montalvo Box Office only).
Information: (408) 961-5858
www.montalvoarts.org
***
Sunday, January 31, 2010 – 4pm
MUSIC IN THE MISHKAN CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES
Randall Weiss, violin
Victoria Ehrlich, cello
Marilyn Thompson, piano
Schubert: Piano Trio in E flat Major
Smetana: Piano Trio
Wilson: Sentiments
Congregation Sha'ar Zahav
290 Dolores Street, San Francisco
$15-$20
Information: (415) 861-6932
www.shaarzahav.org
***
Sunday, January 31, 2010 – 7pm
Playing Well With Others
Musicians love to make music with others and there is nothing more thrilling than an evening of glorious chamber music played by friends who clearly revel in the joy of playing. The Ives Quartet welcomes guest artists and sisters Tanya Tompkins, cello, and Leslie Tompkins, viola, for a close-knit and ebullient evening of music.
Ives Quartet
Le Petit Trianon, San Jose
$15-$25
Information: (650) 224-7849
www.ivesquartet.org
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