The first concert of CMR's 83rd Season explores three masterpieces of the string octet repertoire with two award-winning quartets: Verona Quartet and Borromeo Quartet will perform Enescu’s Octet for Strings, Op. 7; Shostakovich’s Two Pieces for String Octet, Op. 11; and Mendelssohn’s Octet for Strings, Op. 20.
Hors d'oeuvres by Governor's Chef Curated Wine Tastings from NC Wineries Dress is Business Casual Cellist Gabriel Martins (b. 1998) has established himself as one of the world’s most compelling young musicians. His artistry has already been recognized through an extensive list of accolades including the Concert Artists Guild/Young Classical Artists Trust Grand Prize, the Sphinx Competition Gold Medal, the David Popper International Cello Competition Gold Medal, the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians Silver Medal, the Schadt String Competition Gold Medal, the Orford Music Award, and the Prague Spring Czech Music Fund Prize. Hailed by The Washington Post for his “poised and imaginative playing,” Filipino-American pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion has appeared in concert halls in Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, Turkey and the USA, as a recitalist and concerto soloist.
Lithuanian pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute’s powerfully and intricately crafted performances have earned her critical acclaim throughout North America and Europe. Her ability to communicate the essential substance of a work has led critics to describe her as possessing ‘razor-sharp intelligence and wit' and ‘subtle, complex, almost impossibly detailed and riveting in every way’ (The Washington Post) and as ‘an artist of commanding technique, refined temperament and persuasive insight.’(The New York Times). In 2006, she was honored as a recipient of a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship. The New York Times described violinist Jennifer Curtis’s second solo concert in Carnegie Hall as “one of the gutsiest and most individual recital programs.” She was celebrated as “an artist of keen intelligence and taste, well worth watching out for.” A “long-admired figure on the New York scene,” (The New Yorker), cellist Michael Nicolas enjoys a diverse career as chamber musician, soloist, recording artist, and improvisor. He is the cellist of the intrepid and genre-defying string quartet Brooklyn Rider, which has drawn praise from classical, world music, and rock critics alike. As a member of the acclaimed International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), he has worked with countless composers from around the world, premiering and recording dozens of new works.
Sihao He, cello Sydney Lee, cello Haddon Kay, cello Luiz Fernando Venturelli , cello The Galvin Cello Quartet embodies virtuosity, with each member bringing their own artistic nuance and acclaimed background to the ensemble.
Praised for its authentic, soulful, and orchestral sound, The String Queens (TSQ) is a dynamic trio that creates stimulating musical experiences that inspire diverse audiences to love, hope, feel, and imagine! With an array of repertoire spanning from the Baroque era to the Jazz Age to today’s Billboard Hot 100 Chart, TSQ performs versatile programs that take listeners on a rousing musical journey through time and a multitude of musical genres.
Praised for its authentic, soulful, and orchestral sound, The String Queens (TSQ) is a dynamic trio that creates stimulating musical experiences that inspire diverse audiences to love, hope, feel, and imagine! With an array of repertoire spanning from the Baroque era to the Jazz Age to today’s Billboard Hot 100 Chart, TSQ performs versatile programs that take listeners on a rousing musical journey through time and a multitude of musical genres.
The Vega String Quartet, Quartet-in-Residence at Emory University, is cultivating a new generation of chamber music lovers through dynamic performances and innovative community engagement. The New York Times raved that " playing had a kind of clean intoxication to it, pulling the listener along…the musicians took real risks in their music making" and the L.A. Times praised their “triumphant L.A. debut.”
The Trio Flamecrestis a virtuoso string ensemble founded by three close friends in 2022. Cellist Carol Ou, violinist Jean Huang, and violinist/violist Amy Galluzzo, all of whom have performed for Music for Peace, met in the studio of legendary violinist and teacher James Buswell, whose inimitable ideas and sounds from his L’Eveque Strad continue to live in the minds of generations of musicians.
Born in Italy in 1979, Alessandro Marangoni studied the piano obtaining a diploma with honours and continuing his studies at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole with Maria Tipo and Pietro De Maria. He graduated with honours in Philosophy at the University of Pavia as a student of the Almo Collegio Borromeo. Alessandro Marangoni burst onto the international concert stage when he played at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, as pianist soloist during a tribute to the great Italian conductor Victor de Sabata, with Daniel Barenboim. Soon after he was signed as an international recording artist with Naxos.
The Calidore String Quartet is recognized as one of the world’s foremost interpreters of a vast chamber music repertory, from the cycles of quartets by Beethoven and Mendelssohn to works of celebrated contemporary voices like György Kurtág, Jörg Widmann, and Caroline Shaw. For more than a decade, the Calidore has enjoyed performances and residencies in the world’s major venues and festivals, released multiple critically acclaimed recordings, and won numerous awards.
Versatile and vibrant, the musicians of WindSync “ play many idioms authoritatively, elegantly, with adroit technique, and with great fun” (All About the Arts). In the span of one performance, the quintet can cover vast musical ground from revitalized standard repertoire to freshly inked works to folk and American Songbook, the common thread telling a compelling story about music history and our human selves. WindSync frequently eliminates the "fourth wall" between musicians and audience by performing from memory, creating an extraordinary connection. This personal performance style, combined with the ensemble’s three-pronged mission of artistry, education, and community-building, lends WindSync its reputation as ”a group of virtuosos who are also wonderful people, too" (Alison Young, Classical MPR).
Seven-time GRAMMY winner, two-time Oscar nominee and newly appointed Executive Artistic Director of SFJAZZ Terence Blanchard returns to the Mondavi Center stage for an unforgettable night celebrating the 20th anniversary of his seminal album, FLOW. A record inspired by Miles Davis’ landmark groups of the late 1960s and early 1970s, FLOW “treated jazz like a smorgasbord” (PopMatters) in its use of electric instruments, deep funk grooves and a collage of global influences. The album, produced by Herbie Hancock, was a landmark for Blanchard, one that pointed towards his continually fascinating evolution as an artist and composer.
