SAN FRANCISCO, September 1, 2009—The Morrison Artists Series at San Francisco State University will further its longtime objective to introduce younger, larger audiences to the beauty and depth of chamber music in its 2009-10 season, presenting six free concerts with award-winning, long-established and emerging ensembles.
Grammy nominated Eroica Trio opens season Oct. 9, followed by more exciting, renowned ensembles
For the second consecutive season, a free lecture will take place one hour before each concert. SF State faculty members including composer Ronald Caltabiano will discuss the performers and the music they will play.
The Grammy-nominated Eroica Trio kicks off the Morrison season at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9—only the second concert in the Morrison Artists Series’ 54-year history to not take place on a Sunday afternoon. Returning to the site of its West Coast debut in 1990, the Eroica Trio will perform Beethoven: Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 1, No. 3; Tower: Trio, For Daniel; and Brahms: Trio in B Major, Op. 8. The trio is on the vanguard of a new generation of artists changing the face of classical music, as one of the first all-female chamber ensembles to reach the top echelon. The Los Angeles Times writes: “These people have it all: technique, temperament, interpretive savvy, good looks and a winning stage presence.”
The Kavafian-Schub-Shifrin Trio performs at 3 p.m. Nov. 8. After 25 years of friendship and music making, violinist Ani Kavafian, pianist Andre-Michel Schub and clarinetist David Shifrin come together as a trio with undeniable chemistry. The trio will play: Milhaud: Suite for Violin, Clarinet and Piano, Op. 157b; Saint-Saëns: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75; Poulenc: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano; and Stravinsky: Suite from “L’Histoire du Soldat.” They are all members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Combined they have performed with nearly every major orchestra in the world and in recital at the major concert halls. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes: “Longevity is not always a virtue for chamber ensembles, but this trio has managed to stay fresh.”
The world-renowned Alexander String Quartet celebrates 20 years as quartet-in-residence at SF State with a special program including works by SF State faculty and alumni at 3 p.m. Dec. 13. Specific composers and works will be announced soon. The Alexander performs regularly at major concert halls throughout the world. Collaborators include Manahem Pressler, Richard Stolzman, David Krakauer, Andrew Speight and Branford Marsalis. Recent recordings include a three-CD set of the Mozart quartets, a six-CD set of the complete Shostakovich quartets, and the complete quartets of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and SF State Professor Emeritus Wayne Peterson.
The Afiara String Quartet, an energetic and burgeoning ensemble, performs at 3 p.m. Feb. 7, returning to the campus where it was 2007-08 Morrison Fellowship Quartet-in-Residence and mentored by the Alexander String Quartet. The Afiara will perform Mozart: Quartet No. 19 in C, K. 465 “Dissonance”; Berg: Lyric Suite; and Mendelssohn: Op. 13. Described as “quicksilver and delicate…electric and filled with sentiment” by the San Jose Mercury News, the quartet is now graduate resident string quartet at The Julliard School. Afiara won the 2008 Concert Artists Guild International Competition and placed second in the 2008 Munich ARD International Music Competition.
The Brasil Guitar Duo and soprano Sarah Wolfson close the season at 3 p.m. April 11 with an engaging performance of classic and original works. They will play: Scarlatti: Le Violette; Caldara: Sebben, Crudelle; Britten: Folk Songs; Montsalvatge: Canciones Negras: Chevere, Punto de Habanera and Canto Negro; Castelnuovo-Tedesco: 2 Preludes and Fugues; Gismonti: 7 Aneis; Dowland: Come Again, Flow My Tears and In Darkness Let Me Dwell; Granados: 4 Tonadillas; and Lora: Cidades Invisiveis (+1). Wolfson and the duo has each won the Concert Artists Guild International Competition and performed at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. In describing the Brasil Guitar Duo, Classical Guitar magazine writes: “The maturity of musicianship and technical virtuosity … is simply outstanding.” The duo has reached eminence among its peers, with tours on two continents, critically acclaimed recordings and innovative programming blending traditional and Brazilian works. Wolfson is “a fresh, young, well-trained voice,” according to the Washington Post, sparkling on recital, orchestral, cabaret and operatic stages.
A concert for March will be announced soon.
The Morrison Artists Series is presented at San Francisco State University’s College of Creative Arts. Bringing Bay Area audiences the world’s finest chamber music since 1955, the Morrison Artists Series was created as part of the Morrison Chamber Music Center. The series presents six free concerts each year by acclaimed chamber music ensembles in the 700-seat McKenna Theatre on the SF State campus, 1600 Holloway Ave. (at 19th Ave.), San Francisco. Visit http://creativearts.sfsu.edu/morrison or call 415/338-2467.
Contact: Matt Itelson, (415) 338-1442, matti@sfsu.edu, College of Creative Arts c/o San Francisco State University 1600 Holloway Avenue San Francisco, CA 94132