February 23, 2020
Alexander Sitkovetsky, violin & Wu Qian, piano
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“Sitkovetsky harks back to an older tradition of violin playing not often heard these days.” – The Washington Post
"Her performances come from deep inside, an intuitive and completely honest approach that resonates with us because of her integrity as an artist.” – Fanfare Magazine
Alexander Sitkovetsky was born in Moscow into a well-established musical family. His concert debut came at the age of eight, and in the same year he moved to the UK to study at the Menuhin School. Yehudi Menuhin was his inspiration throughout his school years and they performed together on several occasions.
Sitkovetsky is much in demand as a director and has directed and performed as a soloist regularly with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, London Mozart Players, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, and New York Chamber Players. He is also regularly invited as a guest soloist with orchestras touring the UK.
Sitkovetsky was awarded first prize at the Trio di Trieste Duo competition alongside his wife, pianist Wu Qian. He is an alumnus of the prestigious “Chamber Music Society Two” program at the Lincoln Center, and in 2016 received the Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award.
Wu Qian has given recitals in Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, the Concertgebouw, and Kennedy Center. She has appeared with the Brussels Philharmonic, the London Mozart Players, I Virtuosi Italiani, and the Munich Symphoniker.
Program:
De Falle: Suite Populaire Espagnole for Violin & Piano
R. Schumann: Violin Sonata no. 2 in d minor, op. 121
Schnittke: Suite in the Olden Style, op. 80
Grieg: Violin Sonata no. 3 in c minor, op. 45
"Her performances come from deep inside, an intuitive and completely honest approach that resonates with us because of her integrity as an artist.” – Fanfare Magazine
Alexander Sitkovetsky was born in Moscow into a well-established musical family. His concert debut came at the age of eight, and in the same year he moved to the UK to study at the Menuhin School. Yehudi Menuhin was his inspiration throughout his school years and they performed together on several occasions.
Sitkovetsky is much in demand as a director and has directed and performed as a soloist regularly with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, London Mozart Players, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, and New York Chamber Players. He is also regularly invited as a guest soloist with orchestras touring the UK.
Sitkovetsky was awarded first prize at the Trio di Trieste Duo competition alongside his wife, pianist Wu Qian. He is an alumnus of the prestigious “Chamber Music Society Two” program at the Lincoln Center, and in 2016 received the Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award.
Wu Qian has given recitals in Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, the Concertgebouw, and Kennedy Center. She has appeared with the Brussels Philharmonic, the London Mozart Players, I Virtuosi Italiani, and the Munich Symphoniker.
Program:
De Falle: Suite Populaire Espagnole for Violin & Piano
R. Schumann: Violin Sonata no. 2 in d minor, op. 121
Schnittke: Suite in the Olden Style, op. 80
Grieg: Violin Sonata no. 3 in c minor, op. 45
buy tickets to ALEXANDER SITKOVETSKY & WU QIAN
March 8, 2020
Aizuri Quartet // Bay Area Music Consortium Concert
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The Bay Area Music Consortium (BAMC) is a visionary partnership between four distinct organizations dedicated to presenting the finest in chamber music experiences: Berkeley Chamber Performances, Gold Coast Chamber Players (Lafayette), Mill Valley Chamber Music Society, and Noe Valley Chamber Music (San Francisco). With the synergy of combined resources, collective planning and a shared artistic vision, the Bay Area Music Consortium is able to present outstanding ensembles performing uniquely designed programs that enrich each of the individual member communities. The inaugural program theme presents 4 centuries of music (18th-21st centuries). |
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Emma Frucht and Miho Saegusa, violins
Ayane Kozasa, viola
Karen Ouzounian, cello
“A quartet of expert collaborators, who cogently traverse a range of repertoire staples and modern works.”
– The New York Times
Praised by The Washington Post for “captivating” performances that draw from their notable meld of intellect, technique and emotions," the Aizuri Quartet was awarded the Grande Prize at the 2018 M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition and were 2019 Grammy nominees.
Program:
Dvorak: Cypresses
Lembit Beecher: These Memories may be True
Vardapet Komitas: Armenian Folk Songs
Rhiannon Giddens: At the Purchaser's Option
Sibelius: Quartet in d minor, op. 56 “Voces intimae”
Ayane Kozasa, viola
Karen Ouzounian, cello
“A quartet of expert collaborators, who cogently traverse a range of repertoire staples and modern works.”
– The New York Times
Praised by The Washington Post for “captivating” performances that draw from their notable meld of intellect, technique and emotions," the Aizuri Quartet was awarded the Grande Prize at the 2018 M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition and were 2019 Grammy nominees.
Program:
Dvorak: Cypresses
Lembit Beecher: These Memories may be True
Vardapet Komitas: Armenian Folk Songs
Rhiannon Giddens: At the Purchaser's Option
Sibelius: Quartet in d minor, op. 56 “Voces intimae”
buy tickets to aizuri quartet
May 17, 2020
Marin Music Chest Young Artists’ Concert
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Subscribers receive a free ticket to the Young Artists’ Concert of the Marin Music Chest with their subscription. The Mill Valley Chamber Music Society supports the goals of the Marin Music Chest and hopes that subscribers will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to hear talented young musicians. Each year the quality of the winners is very impressive making this concert an inspiring event for all who attend. We encourage you to bring your friends and family, the concert is free to all comers.
PAST CONCERTS
October 13, 2019
Ashu, soprano & alto saxophones
Alexandre Moutouzkine, piano
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“Just as much fun to watch as to listen to” – Dallas Morning News
Ashu has established an extraordinary ability to communicate with audiences around the world through his charismatic and emotive performance style, and is one of today’s most engaging and distinctive young artists. He has developed a trailblazing career as the first and only full-time concert saxophone soloist. Ashu has repeatedly defied conventions by winning major international awards traditionally won by pianists, violinists, and singers. Critics have described him as "just as much fun to watch as to listen to" (Washington Post) and "ready to cultivate the masses" (Chicago Tribune).
Pianist Alexandre Moutouzkine has toured throughout Germany, France, Spain, Russia, Italy, China, Japan, and North and South America. He has claimed top prizes at the Naumburg, New Orleans, Cleveland, Montreal, Iturbi, and Arthur Rubinstein international competitions, among others, and was a winner of Astral Artists’ National Auditions. “Moutouzkine’s kind of talent has an impact on his surroundings…[he gives] clarity to his musical choices, but heat to the conviction behind them.” – Philadelphia Inquirer
Program:
Jacques Ibert: Concertino da Camera
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Andante from Sonata, Op. 19
Paul Creston: Sonata, Op. 19
Astor Piazzolla: Three Tangos
Ennio Morricone: Italian Film Suite
Jules Demersseman: Fantaisie sur un Thème Original
Ashu has established an extraordinary ability to communicate with audiences around the world through his charismatic and emotive performance style, and is one of today’s most engaging and distinctive young artists. He has developed a trailblazing career as the first and only full-time concert saxophone soloist. Ashu has repeatedly defied conventions by winning major international awards traditionally won by pianists, violinists, and singers. Critics have described him as "just as much fun to watch as to listen to" (Washington Post) and "ready to cultivate the masses" (Chicago Tribune).
Pianist Alexandre Moutouzkine has toured throughout Germany, France, Spain, Russia, Italy, China, Japan, and North and South America. He has claimed top prizes at the Naumburg, New Orleans, Cleveland, Montreal, Iturbi, and Arthur Rubinstein international competitions, among others, and was a winner of Astral Artists’ National Auditions. “Moutouzkine’s kind of talent has an impact on his surroundings…[he gives] clarity to his musical choices, but heat to the conviction behind them.” – Philadelphia Inquirer
Program:
Jacques Ibert: Concertino da Camera
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Andante from Sonata, Op. 19
Paul Creston: Sonata, Op. 19
Astor Piazzolla: Three Tangos
Ennio Morricone: Italian Film Suite
Jules Demersseman: Fantaisie sur un Thème Original
november 10, 2019
The Telegraph Quartet
Eric Chin, violin
Joseph Maile, violin
Pei-Ling Lin, viola
Jeremiah Shaw, cello
“Tonal warmth and communicative urgency... powerfully adept... with a combination of brilliance and subtlety.” – The San Francisco Chronicle
The Telegraph Quartet (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello) formed in 2013 with an equal passion for standard and contemporary chamber music repertoire. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “…an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape” and “powerfully adept…with a combination of brilliance and subtlety,” the Telegraph Quartet was awarded the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.
The Quartet has performed in New York City’s Carnegie Hall, San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Chamber Masters Series, and at festivals including the Chautauqua Institute, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and the Emilia Romagna Festival. They have collaborated with pianists Leon Fleisher and Simone Dinnerstein; cellists Norman Fischer and Bonnie Hampton; violinist Ian Swensen; and the Henschel Quartett. A fervent champion of 20th- and 21st-century repertoire, the Telegraph Quartet has premiered works by John Harbison, Robert Sirota, and Richard Festinger. In 2018 the Quartet released its debut album, Into the Light, featuring works by Anton Webern, Benjamin Britten, and Leon Kirchner on the Centaur label.
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Quartet is currently on the chamber music faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as the Quartet-in-Residence and has given master classes at the SFCM Collegiate and Pre-College Divisions, through the Morrison Artist Series at San Francisco State University, and abroad at the Taipei National University of the Arts, National Taiwan Normal University, and in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Program:
Alban Berg: String Quartet Op 3 in g minor
Bartok: String Quartet #4
Beethoven: String Quartet #14 in c-sharp minor, op. 131
Joseph Maile, violin
Pei-Ling Lin, viola
Jeremiah Shaw, cello
“Tonal warmth and communicative urgency... powerfully adept... with a combination of brilliance and subtlety.” – The San Francisco Chronicle
The Telegraph Quartet (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello) formed in 2013 with an equal passion for standard and contemporary chamber music repertoire. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “…an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape” and “powerfully adept…with a combination of brilliance and subtlety,” the Telegraph Quartet was awarded the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.
The Quartet has performed in New York City’s Carnegie Hall, San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Chamber Masters Series, and at festivals including the Chautauqua Institute, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and the Emilia Romagna Festival. They have collaborated with pianists Leon Fleisher and Simone Dinnerstein; cellists Norman Fischer and Bonnie Hampton; violinist Ian Swensen; and the Henschel Quartett. A fervent champion of 20th- and 21st-century repertoire, the Telegraph Quartet has premiered works by John Harbison, Robert Sirota, and Richard Festinger. In 2018 the Quartet released its debut album, Into the Light, featuring works by Anton Webern, Benjamin Britten, and Leon Kirchner on the Centaur label.
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Quartet is currently on the chamber music faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as the Quartet-in-Residence and has given master classes at the SFCM Collegiate and Pre-College Divisions, through the Morrison Artist Series at San Francisco State University, and abroad at the Taipei National University of the Arts, National Taiwan Normal University, and in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Program:
Alban Berg: String Quartet Op 3 in g minor
Bartok: String Quartet #4
Beethoven: String Quartet #14 in c-sharp minor, op. 131
January 26, 2020
The Gould Piano Trio & Robert Plane, clarinet
Lucy Gould, violin
Richard Lester, cello
Benjamin Frith, piano
“The combination of jewel-like precision and a music fire that ignites from the first bar.” – The Washington Post
The Gould Piano Trio (Lucy Gould, violin; Richard Lester, cello; and Benjamin Frith, piano) have been directly compared to the great Beaux Arts Trio for their ‘musical fire’ and ‘dedication to the genre’ in the Washington Post, and have remained at the forefront of the international chamber music scene for a quarter of a century. Launched by their first prize at the Melbourne Chamber Music Competition in 1994, they were ‘ECHO Rising Stars,’ making a highly successful debut at the Weill Recital Hall in New York’s Carnegie Hall, and described by Strad Magazine as ‘Pure Gould.’
Commissioning and performing new works is an important part of the UK-based trio’s philosophy of staying creative and freshly inspired. Renowned British composer and pianist Huw Watkins composed a new work for the Gould Piano Trio and Robert Plane and they gave the premiere of ‘Four Fables’ at the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford on July 31st 2018. It has already been performed ten times in the UK and will be performed in Mill Valley on January 26.
The Gould Trio’s extensive tours of North America, the Far East, New Zealand, and Europe are interspersed with masterclasses to nurture the next generation, In addition to their highly praised recordings of standard works, the trio have thrown light on neglected gems from the late romantic British repertoire
Robert Plane has tirelessly pursued a particular passion for British clarinet. His Gramophone Award-winning account of Finzi’s Concerto and Gramophone Award-shortlisted Bax Sonatas being just two of a large collection of recordings of works by the great English Romantics.
Robert’s hugely varied career has seen concerto appearances in Europe, Asia and the USA, with performances of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in Madrid with the City of London Sinfonia, Beijing with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and in the USA with the Virginia Symphony. He has explored a wide range of repertoire and commissioned new works as well as performed a clarinet quintet repertoire with a number of the finest string quartets in the world.
Robert is principal clarinet of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and has held the same position with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Royal Northern Sinfonia.
Program:
Carl Frühling: Clarinet Trio, op. 40
Huw Watkins: Four Fables for clarinet and piano trio
Dvorak: Piano Trio #3 in f minor, op. 65
Richard Lester, cello
Benjamin Frith, piano
“The combination of jewel-like precision and a music fire that ignites from the first bar.” – The Washington Post
The Gould Piano Trio (Lucy Gould, violin; Richard Lester, cello; and Benjamin Frith, piano) have been directly compared to the great Beaux Arts Trio for their ‘musical fire’ and ‘dedication to the genre’ in the Washington Post, and have remained at the forefront of the international chamber music scene for a quarter of a century. Launched by their first prize at the Melbourne Chamber Music Competition in 1994, they were ‘ECHO Rising Stars,’ making a highly successful debut at the Weill Recital Hall in New York’s Carnegie Hall, and described by Strad Magazine as ‘Pure Gould.’
Commissioning and performing new works is an important part of the UK-based trio’s philosophy of staying creative and freshly inspired. Renowned British composer and pianist Huw Watkins composed a new work for the Gould Piano Trio and Robert Plane and they gave the premiere of ‘Four Fables’ at the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford on July 31st 2018. It has already been performed ten times in the UK and will be performed in Mill Valley on January 26.
The Gould Trio’s extensive tours of North America, the Far East, New Zealand, and Europe are interspersed with masterclasses to nurture the next generation, In addition to their highly praised recordings of standard works, the trio have thrown light on neglected gems from the late romantic British repertoire
Robert Plane has tirelessly pursued a particular passion for British clarinet. His Gramophone Award-winning account of Finzi’s Concerto and Gramophone Award-shortlisted Bax Sonatas being just two of a large collection of recordings of works by the great English Romantics.
Robert’s hugely varied career has seen concerto appearances in Europe, Asia and the USA, with performances of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in Madrid with the City of London Sinfonia, Beijing with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and in the USA with the Virginia Symphony. He has explored a wide range of repertoire and commissioned new works as well as performed a clarinet quintet repertoire with a number of the finest string quartets in the world.
Robert is principal clarinet of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and has held the same position with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Royal Northern Sinfonia.
Program:
Carl Frühling: Clarinet Trio, op. 40
Huw Watkins: Four Fables for clarinet and piano trio
Dvorak: Piano Trio #3 in f minor, op. 65
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CONTACT
mvchambermusicsociety@gmail.com 415-381-4453 P.O. Box 1907, Mill Valley, CA 94942-1907 All concerts are held on Sunday evenings, starting at 5pm, and are located in the beautiful Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church: 410 Sycamore Ave, Mill Valley CA 94941 |