January 3, 2023
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745–1799) Overture to The Anonymous Lover (1780) We possess a fine 1787 portrait of Joseph Bologne in which he embodies the very image of the pre-Revolutionary French gentleman: powdered wig, billowing lace kerchief, richly textured velvet coat, gloves, and an elegant rapier attesting to his fencing skill. But there’s something…
October 19, 2022
PRINCIPALS JENNIFER CHO (CONCERTMASTER), PHILIP SANTOS (VIOLIN), MARCEL GEMPERLI (VIOLA) AND LEIGHTON FONG (CELLO) TAKE PROMINENT ROLES IN ELGAR’S INTRODUCTION AND ALLEGRO, A WORK THAT HARKS BACK TO THE CONCERTO GROSSO* FORMAT OF THE BAROQUE ERA. WE CAUGHT UP WITH THIS AWESOME FOURSOME AS THEY PREPARE FOR A PROGRAM THAT CELEBRATES THE MELODIC HEART AND SOUL OF THE…
October 5, 2022
Edward Elgar (1857–1934) Introduction and Allegro, Op. 47 (1905) Had Edward Elgar not been a musician, he just might have been a scientist or an inventor. Fascinated by technology, he was a keen amateur chemist who even patented a method to produce hydrogen sulfide. Thus it’s not surprising that he was an enthusiastic advocate of…
May 18, 2022
This weekend’s EPIC FINALE concert was a fitting exclamation point on the season, as audiences got to hear Viet Cuong’s Next Week’s Trees (live and in-person, not on a screen!), Nathan Chan’s beautiful rendition of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, and Tchaikovsky’s triumphant Symphony No. 5.
April 29, 2022
SOLOIST NATHAN CHAN SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON REUNITING WITH MENTOR DONATO CABRERA, PERFORMING ELGAR’S CELLO CONCERTO AT EPIC FINALE, GROWING UP AS A MUSICAL PRODIGY, AND HOW TO GO VIRAL ON TIKTOK. What’s it like to come home and perform in the Bay Area with your former mentor, Donato Cabrera? It is with great excitement…
April 21, 2022
Viet Cuong (b. 1990) Next Week’s Trees (2021) “Light is an invitation to happiness,” wrote beloved poet Mary Oliver in “Poppies”. We could all use such an invitation about now. We’ve been through a period of darkness, of present dread and future fear, a time of foreboding and separation. But such things don’t last. The…
