Winners of MGP Grants Announced!

The San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music is extremely proud to announce the recipients of the third cycle of the Musical Grant Program.  This year we received more applications than ever before, and we were able to offer funding to a greater number of chamber music projects than ever before, even in these economically challenging times.  In all, we awarded $72,250 to 28 ensembles or organizations.

The Musical Grant Program awards small but significant grants to Greater San Francisco Bay Area musicians and presenters in order to nurture chamber music of all genres, from early music through classical, contemporary, improvisation, and jazz.

In three cycles, we have provided financial assistance to 73 chamber music projects. The SFFCM Musical Grant Program is made possible through the contributions of the San Francisco Grants for the Arts/Hotel Tax Fund, the Clarence E. Heller Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the San Francisco Foundation.

2010 AWARDS

Archetti Baroque String Ensemble to make their first commercial CD recording on the Centaur label, featuring Italian violin concerti for 2 to 4 violins by Vivaldi, Torelli, and Locatelli.

Berkeley Chamber Performances to present ZOFO (internationally acclaimed piano duet, Keisuke Nakagoshi and Eva-Maria Zimmermann) in their 2011-2012 season.

The Bernal Hill Players to continue an on-going project, “San Francisco: In and About the City”, pieces written by local composers on the theme of 'Neighborhoods of San Francisco', which are performed at traditional and non-traditional venues, and to make a CD of these pieces to help market the group.

Bridge Chamber Virtuosi to establish BCV as a prominent Bay Area ensemble, seeking to bring new contemporary music by prominent Asian American composers to local and international audiences, through the production and distribution of their first CD of works by Dohnanyi, Chen Yi, Lei Liang and Bright Sheng.

Cançonier to increase local audience and the ensemble's visibility in the Bay Area, by adding additional performances and improving financial remuneration for the ensemble's direction.

Darren Johnston Quintet (+ chorus) to compose a song cycle of eight pieces for the quintet, derived from letters written by immigrants to the U.S., describing their experiences.

Ensemble Mirable to in funding a recording of rarely heard works of the German and Italian Baroque, including works by Becker, Buxtehude, Uccellini, Bononcini, Erlebach, Rosenmuller and Vivaldi.

Erik Jekabson to create more recording and performing opportunities by recording and producing a CD of compositions based on artwork of the de Young Museum, and drawing attention to the museum and its connection to the Bay Area music scene.

Farallon Recorder Quartet to develop and present two performances of a program of Medieval and Renaissance music for recorder quartet, soprano, and lute.

Galax Quartet to premiere a new string quartet commissioned from the composer W. A. Mathieu for the unique instrumentation of the ensemble (two violins, viola da gamba and cello) to be premiered in May 2011.

Grupo Falso Baiano  to assist in post-production, pressing and release of their second CD of Brazilian choro music: “Simplicidade: Live at Yoshi's”.

Heather Klein's Inextinguishable Trio to promote and expose audiences to the Yiddish classical art song through The Yiddish Art Song Project. 

Hemispheres to present a concert “Shorter Moments - A Tribute to Wayne Shorter,” in honor of the saxophonist/composer, who contributed so much to the evolution of jazz.

Kat Parra and The Sephardic Music Experience to present “Las Aventuras de Pasíon”, a new concert length program addressing different stages of love, and other experiences associated with love, through Sephardic songs.

Left Coast Chamber Ensemble to commission Luciano Chessa to write a quintet inspired by the Peralta Hacienda, Oakland's historical birthplace, and introduce LCCE to a new audience in Fruitvale's under-served neighborhood.

martha & monica to commission composer, Matt Ingalls, to compose a substantial new work for cello and piano.

Matt Small's Chamber Ensemble to support production of his third CD with his eponymous Chamber Ensemble, featuring the newest Ensemble member, drummer Micah McClain.

Music at the Mission to present a program exploring how 4 composers (Eric Korngold, Nino Rota, Dmitri Shostakovich, Bernard Hermann) found new ways of expression through the new genre of film: “Crossroads: Intersections of 20th Century Compositions and Film”.

Music Sources to support their 2011/2012 concert season, presenting 14 concerts illuminating early music from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras.

New Music Works to present two performances of a concert devoted to the music of Korean American composer, Hyo-shin Na in San Francisco and Santa Cruz in April 2012.

Nordeson Shelton Duo to produce a CD that will showcase music for percussion and saxophone and serve as a necessary promotional tool for the group.

Outsound Present to present the work of three ensembles at the 10th annual Outsound New Music Summit, and to help fund advertising to highlight the 10th anniversary of the summit.

San Jose Chamber Music Society to present to the Silicon Valley/South Valley a public concert by the Cypress String Quartet, featuring guest cellist (from Paris) Gary Hoffman in their 2011-2012 season.

sfSound to make their first CD on the “Innova” label, entitled “sfSound: Composition and Improvisations”, focusing on the creative work of the members of the ensemble.

Sqwonk to invest in public relations and promotional materials in order to raise the profile of Sqwonk's 2011-2012 season.

Switchboard Music Festival to enable production of the annual 8-hour marathon of music in San Francisco, featuring Bay Area musicians that straddle traditional genre distinctions.

Vinaccesi Ensemble to record a CD of cantatas by their namesake, seventeenth century Italian composer, Benedetto Vinacessi.

The Vnote Ensemble to compose, record, and present a four-movement new composition, “Suite Jazznera”, a blend of “llanera” music from the plains of Venezuela and North American jazz, and to present this blend of cultures to a larger audience.