Symphony Logo

Season 2019-2020


TIMELESS TREASURES CONCERT

Nov. 9-10 2019

Mozart
Overture to The Marriage of Figaro

Schumann
Violin Concerto in D minor
David McCarroll, violin


Mendelssohn
Symphony #3 in A minor, Opus 56 "Scottish"




Mozart conducted the orchestra from the piano for the immediately successful Marriage of Figaro in 1786. By contrast, Schumann's brilliant Violin Concerto, composed in 1853, was not performed until eighty years later. And Mendelssohn took thirteen years to complete his Symphony #3 (1829-1842), an exciting and innovative work of timeless beauty.

live music

David McCarroll -FEATURED ARTIST

Winner of the European Young Concert Artists Auditions and Silver Medalist at the Klein International Competition, David McCarroll has been described as "a violinist of mature musicality and deep understanding of his repertoire whose playing is distinguished by clarity of form and line" by Musik Heute. He made his concerto debut with the London Mozart Players in 2002 and has since appeared in major concert halls including the Berlin Konzerthaus, Concertgebouw, Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein, Wigmore Hall, Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, and Carnegie Hall. His performances have been broadcast on radio stations including WGBH Boston, WQXR New York, National Public Radio, BR-Klassik, Ö1, and the BBC.

Recent performances have included Stravinsky's violin concerto at the Konzerthaus Berlin, touring with Musicians from Marlboro, and performances of György Kurtág's "Kafka Fragments" for violin and soprano. In September 2015, he joined the Vienna Piano Trio with whom he has toured and recorded extensively.

An active chamber musician, he has performed in many chamber ensembles with musicians including Mitsuko Uchida, Richard Goode, Miriam Fried, Pamela Frank, Anthony Marwood, Donald Weilerstein, Kim Kashkashian, Roger Tapping, Atar Arad, Bonnie Hampton, Marcy Rosen, Peter Stumpf, Peter Wiley, Paul Katz, Timothy Eddy, and Laurence Lesser. He has appeared at festivals including Marlboro, Caramoor's Rising Stars Series, Ravinia, ChamberFest Cleveland, Prussia Cove's Open Chamber Music, Yellow Barn, Moab, Menuhin Festival Gstaad, Siete Lagos (Argentina), Frutillar (Chile), and with the Israeli Chamber Project.

David was born in Santa Rosa, California in 1986 and began studying the violin with Helen Payne Sloat at the age of 4. At 8, he attended the Crowden School of Music in Berkeley studying with Anne Crowden. When David was 13, he received an invitation to join the Yehudi Menuhin School outside London where he studied for five years with Simon Fischer. David continued his studies with Donald Weilerstein and Miriam Fried at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and with Antje Weithaas in the Konzertexamen program at the Hanns Eisler Academy in Berlin.

In addition to music, David maintains an active interest in social concerns including the needs of those impacted by the AIDS pandemic and is currently working on projects of the Starcross Community to help AIDS orphans in Africa. He has played in programs promoted by the Fellowship of Reconciliation and has given benefit concerts for Doctors Without Borders. With other members of his family, David has worked to get strings to young music students in Cuba where such items are very difficult to obtain. David plays a 1761 violin made by A & J Gagliano.


RESOUNDING FIRSTS CONCERT

Feb. 1-2 2020

Prokofiev
Symphony #1 in D major, Opus 25 "Classical"

Stravinsky
Suite for Orchestra from The Firebird

Tchaikovsky
Piano Concerto #1 in B flat minor, Opus 23





Prokofiev's Classical Symphony, so named by the composer for the first symphony he wrote, is one of the first great neo-classical compositions. Stravinsky's fabulous The Firebird was his first collaboration with Diaghilev and Ballets Russes. And though Tchaikovsky was unsure of how the public would receive his Piano Concerto #1, the piece was a resounding success and is among the best known of all piano concertos.

live music

James D'León -FEATURED ARTIST

Born in South Korea into a musical family, James D'León gave his first piano recital at the age of 5. After receiving early piano training from his mother, he won a full scholarship to the pre-college program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studied with May Kurka and Milton Salkind. When he was 12, he won both the San Francisco Symphony and Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra competitions, and by 14, he had won every regional competition, which led to his debut performance of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

He then studied piano with George Sementovsky in Philadelphia and graduated summa cum laude from Temple University's Esther Boyer College of Music in Philadelphia. He was subsequently awarded a fellowship to the Eastman School of Music in New York where he received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Literature.

Thereafter, he won praise in many international piano competitions and received top honors in the Artist International Competition which led to his New York debut recital at Carnegie Hall and the Gold Medal at the New Orleans International Piano Competition. In 2009, he was selected as an International Steinway Concert Artist, and since then has performed in England, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Canada, and throughout the United States.

Following his performance at the prestigious Reading Festival in England, International Piano Magazine wrote, "D'León's recital was an absolute sheer and dazzling delight!" His summers have included performances at the Banff Festival in Canada, Boyle Festival in Ireland, Schlern Festival in the Italian Alps, and Mendocino Music Festival on the northern California coast.

As a chamber musician, he has performed with many of the world's finest chamber groups including the Muir String Quartet and Shanghai String Quartet. He has given master classes at more than 75 universities around the world and has served as judge in international piano competitions for pianists of all ages.

As a recording artist, the American Record Guide calls his performances "Remarkably played! The result is a revelation and a real treasure!" E-Music Magazine calls his performance of Schubert and Liszt "Amazing…and if you think you have heard it all with this particular Schubert sonata, take a listen to this disc!" He has recorded contemporary works for the German Col Legno label, including works by renowned Czech composer Ladislav Kubik. Upcoming projects include the first recording of Argentine composer Ástor Piazzolla's complete tangos transcribed for piano quintet.


CLASSICAL CORNERSTONES CONCERT

Apr. 6-7 2020

Elgar
Cello Concerto in E minor, Opus 85

Dvořák
Symphony #9 in E minor, Opus 95 "From the New World"


Elgar's Cello Concerto, completed in 1919, was rarely performed until the 1960s when Jacqueline du Pré's recording became a bestseller. Since then, this lyrical and passionate work has become a cornerstone of the cello repertoire. Dvořák's Symphony #9, composed in 1893, was influenced by Native American songs and African American spirituals. Known also as the New World Symphony, it is one of the most often performed and beloved symphonies in the world.

live music

Oliver Herbert -FEATURED ARTIST

Cellist Oliver Herbert, from San Francisco, is quickly building a reputation as an artist with a distinct voice and individual style--"From his opening notes it was immediately apparent that Herbert has a very vocal approach to his playing and regardless of the technical demands he makes his cello sing". Performing a wide range of repertoire, Oliver's recent solo and recital appearances include debuts with the San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, Las Vegas Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony SoundBox, Union College Concert Series, and the Dame Myra Hess Recital Series in Chicago, among others.

Oliver has worked with renowned conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Juanjo Mena, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. As a chamber musician, Oliver has performed with some of the leading musicians of our time including Shmuel Ashkenasi, Franklin Cohen, Pamela Frank, Miriam Fried, Nobuko Imai, and Meng-Chieh Liu. In addition, Oliver frequently collaborates with pianist Xiaohui Yang as a recital duo. This season, they will perform on tour in both the United States and Greece.

Oliver is frequently invited to participate in music festivals including the Caramoor Festival, ChamberFest Cleveland, Krzyżowa Music, Music in the Vineyards, Open Chamber Music at IMS Prussia Cove, the Ravinia Festival Steans Music Institute, and the Verbier Festival Academy. In addition to being a fellow at the Ravinia Festival, Oliver was also invited to perform on a tour with renowned violinist Miriam Fried, the festival's director. At the 2017 Verbier Festival, Oliver was awarded the Prix Jean-Nicolas Firmenich. He has also appeared on NPR's From the Top.

Oliver's most recent competition awards include a top prize and special prize in the XI Witold Lutoslawski International Cello Competition in 2018, first prize and Pablo Casals prize in the 2015 Irving M. Klein International String Competition, and a top prize in the 2015 Stulberg International String Competition.

Oliver is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Carter Brey and Peter Wiley. Before starting his studies at Curtis, Oliver was a student of Clive Greensmith at the Colburn School. In addition, he has been greatly inspired by his studies with Pamela Frank and Dr. Ford Lallerstedt at the Curtis Institute, as well as his sessions with Steven Isserlis at IMS Prussia Cove. He currently plays on a 1769 Guadagnini cello that belonged to the great Italian cellist Antonio Janigro, on generous loan from the Janigro family.


Opus


OPUS 1


When Mozart, Brahms and Peter Schickele composed the works on this program they had particular performers in mind; they knew that their interpreters would grace each work with his unique voice. In Mozart's case, that was pretty straightforward – he wrote for himself! But Brahms was actually brought out of "retirement" by the soulful sound of Richard Mühlfeld's clarinet, and Northern California's own Peter Schickele (better known by his alter ego, P.D.Q. Bach) wrote his Clarinet Quartet for the virtuoso clarinetist David Shifrin. These pieces exemplify the autumnal Brahms, Mozart at his most lyrical, and the always eclectic Peter Schickele.

OPUS 2


Opus Concert

"Tamalpais Brass sounds like the beautiful mountain in Marin that is our namesake: wondrous and enticing, elusive but calming, grounding and soaring. We are a brass quintet that pushes the limits of our abilities, and we like to bring our audiences along for the ride. Our unique program will feature, among other works, Anthony DiLorenzo's blazing "Fire Dance", Andrea Tarrodi's impressionistic "Fragments from the Royal Fireworks", and a brand new arrangement of music from the English Renaissance."

OPUS 3


Opus Concert

Mendocino Coast favorites cellist Burke Schuchmann and pianist Carolyn Steinbuck return! Schuchmann, known for his expressive tone and compelling interpretations, and Steinbuck, a dynamic soloist and frequent chamber music performer, will present a cello/piano recital of works by Bach, Beethoven, Debussy and Martinu. A highlight of the concert will be Beethoven's last cello sonata, Opus 102, #2, in D major. This piece, suffused with a deep spirituality, marked the beginning of his late style, and  is one of his most dramatic and experimental works.

OPUS 4


Opus Concert

Two Sopranos:  Songs of Nature and Passion Join two of the Mendocino Coast's beloved vocalists for an afternoon of many octaves!  Sarah and Abigail, (lyric and coloratura sopranos respectively), come together again with a vocal concert of many genres and styles.   From art songs to arias, enjoy the nuance and richness of the Soprano voice.  Selections include a variety of pieces that elicit thoughts of nature and firey passion, (along with some inspiring duets)!  Featuring the virtuosity of Marie-Claire Dizin, pianist,  no December concert would be complete without a touch of Holiday cheer!

OPUS 5


Opus Concert

Pianist Frederick Hodges will present a program featuring several of his virtuosic piano transcriptions of Gershwin Overtures. These magnificent compositions were discovered by Hodges at the Library of Congress and contain both the beautiful lyrical songs from each show but also a wealth of previously unknown instrumental music that confirms Gershwin's genius.

OPUS 6


Opus Concert

Come hear Bay Area early music luminaries, The Bach Club, perform baroque music on early instruments. This lively and engaging trio of soloists, Katherine Heater (harpsichord), Carla Moore (baroque violin) and Elisabeth Reed (viola da gamba), combine the sonorous tones of the baroque violin and viola da gamba with the vibrant sound of the harpsichord. Performing intimate chamber music of the 17th and 18th centuries, they present a program which encompasses works from the flamboyant to the sublime.

OPUS 7


Opus Concert

The instrumental combination of flute, viola, and piano creates a rich and beautiful sonority that SantaRosa Symphony Chamber Players Kathleen Reynolds, Alex Volonts, and Kymry Esainko will exploreto its full extent in works by Durufle, Bloch, Hahn, Martinu and others. Audiences will experience the delightful contrasts of tone color, musical genres, and the exceptional technique of these fine musicians. This program is sure to provide an afternoon of exquisite pleasure

OPUS 8


Opus Concert

Join Trois Bois in a program of Madrigals and Pastorales, showcasing the colorful, tuneful and visceral qualities of the classical reed trio with works by Martinu, Milhaud, Francaix (or Sauguet) and Dvorak. Trois Bois has been performing since 2009 and champions a wide range of repertoire from the eighteenth century to the present, welcoming listeners into their musical landscape with verbal context and commentary. Members of Symphony of the Redwoods will join Trois Bois to close the program with Dvorak's beautiful and iconic Serenade for Winds.




Advance Ticket Outlets

Harvest Market, Fort Bragg or Out of This World, Mendocino
*also available at the door
— All Rights Reserved —
Symphony of the Redwoods© 1983-2024 Kopia Business Images