Incarnation Episcopal Church 1750 29th Avenue, San Francisco sunsetarts.wordpress.com | 415-564-2324 1 Dear Friends, Welcome to the Sunset Music & Arts 2019 season. We are very excited to announce our fifth season with many new and returning artists. The season continues out tradition of strong offerings in solo instrumental performances, vocal recitals, choral music, opera, and jazz/world music concerts. Our season opener will feature a chamber concert on Friday January 11, 2019 with New York based cellist, Ben Capps, and Russian pianist, Vassily Primakov. The Holland Times hailed Ben Capps as a “young cello phenomenon from New York.” Ben Capps is the recipient of many awards, including the the Lillian Fuchs Award, the Francis Goelet Scholarship (Juilliard 2008-2009), the Irving Mulde Scholarship (Juilliard, 2009-10), and the Piatigorsky Scholarship (New England Conservatory 2012- 13). Gramophone wrote that “Primakov’s empathy with Chopin’s spirit could hardly be more complete.” Vassily Primakov is a prize winner at the Cleveland Piano Competition and was a semi-finalist at the Van Cliburn Competition. Solo piano artists include Laura Klein, Clare Longendyke, Robyn Carmichael, Amy Stephens, Mark Valenti, and Susan Ellinger, as well as concerts for piano 4-hands with the Duo Papillion and A&R Duo. Also featured are organ recitals with Angela Kraft Cross and David Jaronowski and a Grammy award guitarist Cristobal Selamé. Our chamber music concerts features return engagements with the Circadian String Quartet, Trio 180, as well as new artists, such as the Ensemble Illume, Trio Terme, Trio Foss, and Curium Piano Trio. Our choral music concerts features our artists-in-residence, the San Francisco Renaissance Voices, the San Francisco Boys Chorus, and the San Francisco Girls Chorus. We are continuing our partnership with the Bay Shore Lyric Opera company to bring a staged performance of Bellini’s tragic opera, Norma. To round of the season, we feature vocal recitals with baritone John Smalley, mezzo-soprano Nicole Takesono, and a recital with Ramana Vieira—introducing us to the world of Fado. Please join us and we look forward to sharing the joy of these unique performances with you. With best wishes, Mathew Chacko and Sally Porter Munro Directors, Sunset Music & Arts An initiative of Incarnation Episcopal Church, San Francisco Sunset Music & Arts 1750 29th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94122 415.564.2324 http://sunsetarts.wordpress.com [email protected] 2 SUNSET MUSIC & ARTS — 2019 Season Sunset Music & Arts is dedicated to providing high-quality, affordable music Table of Contents and arts programs to people of all ages, in Monthly Calendar…………………………………….. Page 4 the Sunset district of San Francisco and Recital Instrumental Series…………………….……... Page 14—22 beyond. In addition, we occasionally conduct a variety of workshops focusing Recital—Vocal Series………………………………… Page 27—28 on the arts. Chamber Music/Ensemble……………………………. Page 5—13 Jazz/World Series…………………………………….. Page 23—26 The initiative is a community offering Choral Series…………………………………………. Page 29—33 generously provided by the Episcopal Opera ………… …………………………………….. Page 34 Church of the Incarnation, San Opera/Broadway Gala ……………………………….. Page 35 Francisco, where we have the use of the Community Events/Workshops……………………… Page 36—38 beautiful space, wonderful acoustics, and Calendar by Series ……….…………….….……….… Page 39—40 the use of a grand piano and pipe organ. We also sponsor our, “Sunset Community Music & Arts,” where you can enjoy mostly free (occasionally, donations or a small fee may be Special Events requested) concerts and programs, produced and performed by Opening Night—Ben Capps & Vassily Primakov…………. Page 5 members of the local community. If you are interested in performing as part of this program, please contact us at 415.564.2324 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Support Us! Please consider supporting us financially to help continue to bring quality music to the Sunset District of San Francisco. You can write a check made payable to “Incarnation Episcopal Church”. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and your donations are 100% deductible. You can also donate online via PayPal. Check Anniversary Gala & Reception …………………….……. Page 35 our website for details. Thank you for your consideration and support. Please mail your check to: Episcopal Church of the Incarnation 1750 29th Avenue San Francisco CA 94122 3 JANUARY FEBRUARY Fri. Jan 11—Capps & Primakov (Page 5) Sat. Feb 9—Ramana Vieira (Page 26) Sat. Jan 19—Liaison Ensemble (Page 6) Sat. Feb 16—Nicole Takesono (Page 28) Sat. Jan 26—John Smalley (Page 27) Sat. Feb 23—SF-Munich Trio (Page 7) MARCH APRIL Sat. March 2—Angela Cross (Page 14) Sat. April 6—Circadian String Quartet Sun. March 3—Trio 180 (Page 8) (Page 9) Sat. March 16—Duo Papillon (Page 21) Sat. April 13—Ensemble Illume (Page 10) Sat. March 23—Laura Klein (Page 23) Fri. April 26—SF Girls Chorus (Page 29) Sat. March 30—Clare Longendyke (Page 15) Sat. April 27—Cristobal Selamé (Page 16) Sun. April 28—SF Renaissance Voices (Page 30) MAY JUNE Sat. May 4—Cuarteto Puentes (Page 25) Sat. June 8—Trio Foss (Page 12) Sat. May 11—Trio Terme (Page 11) Fri. June 14—David Jaronowski (Page 18) Sat. May 18—Robyn Carmichael (Page 17) Sat. June 15—Ajay Mallya (Page 38) JULY AUGUST Sat. Aug 10 —SF Renaissance Voices Sat. July 13—Amy Stephens (Page 25) (Page 31) Sat. Aug 17—Bellini’s Norma (Page 34) Sat. Aug 24—A&R Duo (Page 22) SEPTEMBER OCTOBER TBD—Annual Gala & Reception (Page 35) Sat. Oct 5—Curium Trio (Page 13) Sat. Sept. 28—Mark Valenti (Page 19) Sat. Oct 19—Susan Ellinger (Page 20) NOVEMBER DECEMBER To be announced TBD —SF Boys Chorus (Page 32) TBD —Lessons and Carols (Page 33) 4 Ben Capps and Vassily Primakov Chamber Music Date & Time: Friday January 11, 7:30 pm Venue: 1750 29th Avenue, San Francisco Tickets: $20 General, $15 Seniors/Students Exciting young American cellist In recent years, Vassily Ben Capps enjoys a versatile Primakov has been hailed as a performing career as a soloist and pianist of world class importance. chamber musician. His artistry has Gramophone wrote that been praised as “most appealing” “Primakov’s empathy with by the New York Times, “virtuosic Chopin’s spirit could hardly be and impassioned” by the Barre more complete,” and the Montpelier Times, the Holland American Record Guide stated: Times hailed Capps as a “young cello phenomenon from New “Since Gilels, how many pianists York” with “dazzling technique and a fearsomely meaty tone”, and have the right touch? In Chopin, the Epoch Times proclaimed that “Capps has it all . cello no one currently playing sounds as good as this! This is a great playing of the very highest standard.” He has performed in Chopin pianist.” Music Web-International called Primakov’s varying capacities at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, Weill and Chopin concertos CD “one of the great Chopin recordings of Zankel Halls, Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, recent times. These are performances of extraordinary power the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., and beauty.” In 1999, as a teen-aged prizewinner of the Cleveland Mann Hall in Tel Aviv, Meyerson Hall in Dallas, and the Auditorio International Piano Competition, Primakov was praised by Donald Nacional, the Palace of Fine Arts and Sala Nezahualcoytl in Rosenberg of the Cleveland Plain Dealer: “How many pianists can Mexico City. Capps has appeared as soloist with the make a line sing as the Moscow native did on this occasion? Every Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, the New York Concerti poignant phrase took ethereal wing. Elsewhere the music soared Sinfonietta, the Manchester Music Festival Orchestra, Juilliard Pre- with all of the turbulence and poetic vibrancy it possesses. We College Symphony, and the Manhattan School of Music will be hearing much from this remarkable musician.” Composer’s Orchestra. Recent performance highlights include an unaccompanied recital tour in the Midwest , a recital tour of His first piano studies were with his mother, Marina Primakova. China (Xiamin, Fouzhou and Gulangyu), and recital appearances in He entered Moscow’s Central Special Music School at the age of New York, Greece and Spain as well as a performance of all five eleven as a pupil of Vera Gornostaeva, and at 17 came to New Beethoven sonatas and more in Vermont. York to pursue studies at the Juilliard School with the noted pianist, Jerome Lowenthal. At Juilliard Mr. Primakov won the In September 2014 LP Classics released Ben Capps’ newest disc: William Petschek Piano Recital Award, which presented his debut Ossia, music of Bach, Schumann & Fitzenhagen for solo cello & recital at Alice Tully Hall, and while at Juilliard, aided by a Susan company. Ben Capps can also be heard on Innova Records with W. Rose Career Grant, he won both the Silver Medal and the two discs of music for solo cello by contemporary composer Audience Prize in the 2002 Gina Bachauer International Artists Andrew Violette & on Tzadik Records with a collaborative cello & Piano Competition. Later that year Primakov won First Prize in electronics piece by Anna Clyne called Fits & Starts which was the 2002 Young Concert Artists (YCA) International Auditions. In featured for a week on WQXR in New York. 2007 he was named the Classical Recording Foundation’s “Young Artist of the Year.” In 2009, Primakov’s Chopin Mazurkas At age 21, Capps was appointed principal cellist of Philharmonic recording was named “Best of the Year” by National Public Radio Orchestra of the Americas, a dynamic New York based and that same year he began recording the 27 Mozart piano symphony orchestra founded by conductor Alondra de la Parra, concertos in Denmark. BBC Music Magazine (November, 2010) whose highly regarded premier Sony Classics recording Mi Alma praised the first volume of Primakov’s Mozart concertos: “The Mexicana attained high international status.