Morrison Artists Series announces 2013-2014 season

Monday, September 09, 2013

SAN FRANCISCO — The Morrison Artists Series of the San Francisco State University (SFSU) College of Liberal and Creative Arts has announced a season of six free chamber music concerts and educational programs for 2013-2014. All concerts will be presented in SFSU’s on-campus 700-seat McKenna Theatre, with every performance preceded by an informative lecture. In addition to a concert, all artists will also present a chamber music master class in Knuth Hall under the auspices of the Morrison Chamber Music Center. All concerts and master classes are free to the public, and a new system that allows patrons to reserve seats to this popular series makes its debut this year.

Free concerts, lectures and master classes focus on chamber music

“The mission of the Morrison Chamber Music Center is to promote and advance the art of chamber music and its appreciation by offering admission-free concerts and educational programs of the highest quality,” said Morrison Artists Series Artistic Director Richard Festinger who characterizes the 2013-2014 Season as one of the best Morrison seasons ever. The 2013-2014 Season includes:

  • Sunday, September 29, 2013 at 3pm: Alexander String Quartet with clarinetist David Shifrin. Music by Mozart, Wayne Peterson, and Brahms. Master class on Friday, September 20, 2013, 2:10pm
  • Sunday, October 20, 2013 at 3pm: Calyx Piano Trio. Music by Beethoven, Richard Festinger, and Mendelssohn. Master class on Monday, October 21 at noon.
  • Sunday, November 17, 2013 at 3pm: St. Petersburg String Quartet with pianist Mack McCray. Music by Schumann, Britten, and Franck. Master class on Friday. November 15 at 2:10pm.
  • Friday, February 28, 2014 at 8pm: Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet. Music by Mozart, Kalevi Aho, Milhaud, and Nielsen. Master class on Friday, February 28 at noon.
  • Friday, April 4, 2014 at 8pm: Brentano String Quartet with violist Hsin-Yun Huang. Music by Shostakovich, Felipe Lara, Haydn, and Mozart. Master class on Friday, April 4 at 2:10pm.
  • Friday May 2, 2014 at 8pm: Dover String Quartet. Music by Mendelssohn, Barber, and Shostakovich. Master class on Friday, May 2 at 2:10 PM.

“Among our stellar artists are performances by two of the leading ensembles of our time, the Brentano String Quartet and the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet,” added Festinger, “I’m especially excited by the season’s stunningly rich and varied repertoire, featuring several of the great classical and romantic clarinet quintets, piano quintets and viola quintets, as well as two World Premiere performances, and a cornucopia of other outstanding master works spanning nearly 250 years of the world’s most revered chamber music.”

Two ensembles will be making their San Francisco debuts on the Morrison Artists Series coming season: the Boston-based Calyx Piano Trio and the Dover String Quartet (winners of the 2012 Morrison Chamber Music Center Prize at the London International String Quartet Competition).

The 2013-2014 Morrison Artists Series maintains a commitment to presenting music by living composers alongside traditional masterworks. The current season will include two world premieres: a new string quartet by Wayne Peterson (Alexander String Quartet) and Felipe Lara’s Viola Quintet (Brentano String Quartet). Additional works by living composers include Richard Festinger’s Tapestries (1997) (Calyx Piano Trio) and Kalevi Aho’s Windquintet (2006) (Berlin Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet).

Aimed at providing the most seamless experience for audience members, the Morrison Artists Series is introducing a process through which patrons may reserve seats to these popular admission-free concerts and master classes. Advance tickets may be reserved through the Morrison Artists Series website or by calling the San Francisco State University Box Office at 415-338-2467. Reserved tickets will be available for pick-up at the Box Office beginning five days prior to the events.

The McKenna Theatre is location on the campus of San Francisco State University at 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco. For additional information on the artists or programs, please visit the Morrison Artists Series website or call the San Francisco State University Box
Office at 415-338-2467.

Media Contact: 

Richard Aldag, 415-290-4174, rjaldag@gmail.com

News Release