34th Annual Concert Series 2010-2011

Hargis/O'Dette Duo

Ellen Hargis, soprano; Paul O'Dette, lute

—"Wait! I'm Singing Now..."—

"Soprano Ellen Hargis is one of the outstanding artists of our day." Pittsburgh Tribune
"O'Dette is the greatest living lutenist." Stereophile

Friends and colleagues for over twenty-five years, Ellen Hargis and Paul O'Dette bring an incomparable spirit of drama, vivid musical imagination and fun to their voice and lute collaborations. Music of Strozzi, Kapsberger, Scarlatti, Cesti, and Piccinini.

Friday, September 10, First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Street at Webster, Palo Alto, 8:00

Saturday, September 11, St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber, Berkeley, 7:30

Sunday, September 12, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, 4:00

Musica Pacifica with Dominique Labelle

Judith Linsenberg, director

—Ritratti Dell'Amore—

Portraits of Love

This program features exquisite Baroque vocal and instrumental masterpieces depicting the variety of passions inspired by love. Music by Handel, Scarlatti, J.S. Bach, Couperin, Caldara, Locatelli and others.

Friday, October 29, First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Street at Webster, Palo Alto, 8:00

Saturday, October 30, St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber, Berkeley, 7:30

Sunday, October 31, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, 4:00

Tanya Tomkins

J.S. Bach Solo Cello Suite

"Tomkins explored J. S. Bach's Cello suite No. 1 with a probing, ruminating, often rhapsodic approach…." Los Angeles Times

Bach's Solo Cello Suites are unsurpassed masterpieces, capturing the complexity of human emotion while demonstrating the great technical range and vocal depth of the solo cello.

Friday, November 19, First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Street at Webster, Palo Alto, 8:00

Saturday, November 20, St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber, Berkeley, 7:30

Sunday, November 21, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, 4:00

Ciaramella

Adam Gilbert, Rotem Gilbert, directors

A Piper's Noel

In this program, Ciaramella traces the ties between music of intense joy and the high sounds of shawms, brass, organ and voice, from the Annunciation to feasts bidding winter farewell and Epiphany.

Friday, December 10, First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Street at Webster, Palo Alto, 8:00

Saturday, December 11, First Congregational Church, Dana between Durant and Channing, Berkeley, 7:30 (this Berkeley venue for the December concert only)

Sunday, December 12, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, 4:00

Voices of Music

Hanneke van Proosdij and David Tayler, directors

Concerto Barocco

A program of virtuoso Baroque concertos featuring the player/soloists of Voices of Music. Music by Corelli, Vivaldi, J.S. Bach, Pachelbel, Geminiani.

Friday, January 28, 2011, First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Street at Webster, Palo Alto, 8:00

Saturday, January 29, 2011, St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber, Berkeley, 7:30

Sunday, January 30, 2011, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, 4:00

Hallifax & Jeffrey

Peter Hallifax & Julie Jeffrey viols, with guests Marie Dalby, treble viol and Gilbert Martinez, organ

The Months and other fantasies by Simpson,Locke, and Jenkins

This program offers a snapshot of English chamber music in the middle of the 17th century, when the virtuosic division viol tradition was at its peak and composers of chamber music were finding ways to fold this kind of music into the mix of rapidly exploding new harmonic and melodic ideas that eventually became baroque music as we know it.

Friday, March 11, First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Street at Webster, Palo Alto, 8:00

Saturday, March 12, St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber, Berkeley, 7:30

Sunday, March 13, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, 4:00

Wieland Kuijken and Friends

Wieland Kuijken and Lynn Tetenbaum, viols; Katherine Heater, harpsichord

L’art de la viole

Wieland Kuijken’s performances are legendary, and he is widely regarded as one of the most influential pioneers in the modern revival of the viola da gamba and early cello. He is joined in this program by his former student, Bay area gambist Lynn Tetenbaum, in a program of virtuoso gamba duos from England, France and Germany including the iconic divisions in F and in G by Christopher Simpson, Fantasie Suites by Matthew Locke, haunting “Concerts” by Ste. Colombe, and the gallant Duetto in d by Christoph Schaffrath. The duo is joined by harpsichordist Katherine Heater in works for two gambas by Marin Marais and extracts from the great c minor suite of Antoine Forqueray.

Friday, March 25, First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Street at Webster, Palo Alto, 8:00

Saturday, March 26, St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber, Berkeley, 7:30

Sunday, March 27, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, 4:00

Hopkinson Smith

—De los Castillos y Calles de España—

Spanish guitar music of the 17th Century

Hopkinson Smith’s recordings of these works are winners of the Diapasons d’Or

This program will feature music by Francesco Guerau and Antonio de Santa Cruz but will focus primarily on the colorful and immediately accessible figure of Gaspar Sanz. Sanz wrote sophisticated Passacalles and beautiful variation sets for the 5-course guitar, but the real charm of his collection lies in his lighter popular-inspired dances and character pieces. These reflect a broad spectrum of Spanish traditions ranging from evocative tunes with the simplest of accompaniments to stunning settings with driving rhythm and an unmistakably Iberian flavor.

Friday, April 15, First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Street at Webster, Palo Alto, 8:00

Saturday, April 16, St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber, Berkeley, 7:30

Sunday, April 17, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, 4:00