Alexander String Quartet
Friday, September 14, 2007, 8PM
Zakarias Grafilo, violin, Frederick Lifsitz, violin, Paul Yarbrough, viola, Sandy Wilson, cello

Program: Mozart: Divertimento in D major, K. 136; Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 9 in E-flat major, Op. 117; and Schubert: String Quartet in D minor, D. 810 “Death and the Maiden.” 

Perennial audience favorites, the Alexander String Quartet is known as one of the world’s premiere ensembles. Formed in New York City in 1981, the quartet became the first string quartet to win the Concert Artists Guild Competition and in 1985 became the first American quartet to win the London International String Quartet Competition. Widely admired for its interpretations of Beethoven, Mozart, and Shostakovich, the quartet has also established itself as an important advocate of new music. At home in San Francisco, the Alexander String Quartet is a major artistic presence, serving as Ensemble in Residence of San Francisco Performances. Quartet members, Zakarias Grafilo, violin; Frederick Lifsitz, violin; Paul Yarbrough, viola; and Sandy Wilson, cello, are directors of the Morrison Chamber Music Center at San Francisco State University.

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Marc-André Hamelin, Pianist
Sunday, October 21, 2007, 3PM*
Special Randolph Newman Concert (please note different concert time)

Program: Haydn, Sonata in B minor, Hob. XVI:32; Chopin, Sonata No.3 Op.58 in B Minor and Debussy, Préludes, deuxiéme livre.

Montreal native Marc-André Hamelin is internationally renowned for his musical virtuosity and refined pianism. He made his name playing rare and adventurous repertoire; now his output also embraces music from the classical and romantic periods. A two-time Grammy nominee, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Quebec in 2005. He  studied at the Vincent d’Indy School of Music and Temple University in Philadelphia where he now lives. This concert was made possible through the proceeds of the Santa Rosa Junior College Foundation Randolph Newman Chamber Concert Fund.

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Eric Himy, Pianist
Friday, November 16, 2007, 8PM

Program: Debussy: Prelude a l’apres midi d’un faune (arr. Himy), La Puerta del vino, La Soiree dans Grenade, Voiles,  Les collines d’Anacapri, La serenade interrompue, Les terraces des audiences au clair de lune, Ondine,  Canope, Feux d’artifice, Poisson d’or, Reflets dans l’eau, and L’Ile joyeuse and Liszt:  Au Bord d’une Source, En Reve, Les Jeux d’Eau de la Villa D’Este, Sonetto 123 del Petrarca , Nuages gris, and Apres une lecture de Dante.

The compelling artistry of Eric Himy has intrigued five continents for a generation. He has played to critical acclaim in the  United States, Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, France, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, and Slovenia.  He began piano studies at age  six, giving his first concert at age 10 and performing as guest soloist with the  Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at age 15. He has won numerous competitions  and awards including the Gold Medal at the 1988 World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, the Kosciuszko Chopin Prize in New York, and top honors in the 1991  Milosz Magin International Competition in Paris. Mr. Himy received a Master of Music degree from  the Juilliard School in New York, having studied with Thomas Schumacher, Adele Marcus and Josef Villa.

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Carol Menke, Soprano and Christopher Fritzsche, Countertenor with Marilyn Thompson, Pianist
Friday, February 22, 2008, 8PM

Program will include selections from the duet repertoire of Handel, Schumann and  Mendelssohn as well as some of the solo selections of Beethoven, Robert Sheldon, and more!

Carol Menke and Christopher Fritzsche, North Bay treasures who have delighted audiences worldwide with their exquisite voices and passion for music, will be accompanied by noted local pianist Marilyn Thompson. Ms. Menke studied at the Franz Schubert Institute in Austria. She is a member of the music faculty at Santa Rosa Junior College, is Director of Music at the Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa and directs the choral ensemble, Cantiamo. From 1992 until 2003, Mr.   Fritzsche performed with the world-renowned a cappella vocal ensemble, Chanticleer. In those 11 years he sang over 1000 concerts world-wide appearing with The New York Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.  Ms. Thompson is the pianist of the Navarro Trio, a group which performs frequently throughout the Bay Area, and is presently on the faculty of Sonoma State University where she has taught since 1976.

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Skampa String Quartet
Friday, April 4, 2008, 8PM
Pavel Fischer, violin, Jana Lukasova, violin, Radim Sedmidubsky, viola, Lukas Polak, cello

Program: Arvo Part: Fratres for String Quartet; Beethoven: Quartet No. 8 in E minor for Strings, Op. 59, No. 2; and Bedrich Smetana: Quartet No. 1 in E minor for Strings “From My Life”

The Skampa Quartet of Prague is recognized as one of today’s most exciting young string quartets. Founded in 1989 at the Prague Academy of Music under the guidance of Antonin Kohout and Milan Skampa of the Smetana Quartet, the quartet soon received international attention when it won the Best Quartet Prize at the 1990 Premio Vittorio Gui Competition in Florence. The Quartet received the “Best Debut 1993” award from England’s Royal Philharmonic Society and shortly after became the first-ever Quartet-in-Residence at London’s famed Wigmore Hall. The Skampa Quartet’s performances throughout Europe, North America, Asia and Australia receive consistent and enthusiastic acclaim for their excitement, passion, technical mastery and interpretive sensitivity.  The quartet includes Pavel Fischer, violin; Jana Lukasova, violin; Radim Sedmidubsky, viola; and Lukas Polak, cello.

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Euclid String Quartet
Friday, May 2, 2008, 8PM
Jameson Cooper, violin, Jacob Murphy, violin, Luis Enrique Vargas, viola, David Beem, cello

Program; Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in C major, Op. 20 no. 2, Maurice Ravel: Quartet in F, and Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No.12 in E-flat major, Opus 127.

Described by the Denver Post as “electric,” the Euclid Quartet is a multi-national group known for performances filled with personality and vibrant color.  Awards earned include third prize at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition in Japan, and top prizes at the Carmel, Yellow Springs and Hugo Kauder competitions. In 2002 and 2003 the quartet was one of three ensembles selected worldwide to participate as a fellowship quartet at the Aspen Music Festival in  Colorado. Formed in Ohio in 1998, the quartet takes its name from the famous Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, home to a wealth of artistic and cultural institutions. The quartet is currently in residence at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. Quartet members include: Jameson Cooper, violin; Jacob Murphy, violin; Luis Enrique Vargas, viola; and David Beem, cello.

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