Sundays @ Four Concert Series
Crowden presents chamber music to the public with our Sundays @ Four concert season, a series of low-cost concerts featuring distinguished professional musicians.
Tickets are $15 general admission at the door, and FREE to children ages 18 and under. For more information, contact concerts@crowden.org.
All concerts take place at the wheelchair-accessible Crowden Music Center, just two blocks from the North Berkeley BART station!
2009-2010 Season
Two Pianists • Cypress String Quartet • Nathan Olson • St. Lawrence String Quartet
March 21
Crowden Alumni Concert: Nathan Olson, violin, and Arkadi Serper, piano
Violinist and Crowden alum Nathan Olson is emerging as a leading new violinist in the orchestral world after his recent graduation from Cleveland Institute of Music’s prestigious Concertmaster Academy, where he studied with Cleveland Orchestra Concertmaster William Preucil.
Born and raised in Berkeley, California, Nathan has studied with Itzhak Perlman and Crowden’s founder, Anne Crowden, among others. He has performed as soloist with orchestras across the country, and as Guest Concertmaster with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Canada) and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra (Arizona). He is currently Concertmaster of the Canton Symphony Orchestra and the Breckenridge Music Festival Orchestra, and performs regularly with the Cleveland Orchestra as a substitute. A dedicated chamber musician, Nathan served on faculty at the Innsbrook Music Festival and won the silver medal at the 2005 Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition as a member of the Kashii String Quartet with fellow Crowden alums Aaron and David Requiro.
Russian-born Arkadi Serper, a prominent composer and pianist, is known for his soulful and impassioned performances. He has served on Crowden’s faculty since 1992.
Program
Stravinsky: Suite Italienne
Ysaye: Sonata No. 1 for Solo Violin, Op. 27, No. 1
Prokofiev: Five Melodies for Violin and Piano, Op. 35bis
Grieg: Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano in C minor, Op. 45
May 16, 2010, 4:00 p.m.
St. Lawrence String Quartet
Having walked on stage together nearly 2000 times in the last twenty years, the St. Lawrence String Quartet has established itself among the world-class chamber ensembles of its generation. The group continues to build on its reputation for imaginative, spontaneous music making that the Washington Post calls "emotionally high charged but never out of control." Its mission: bring every piece of music to the audience in vivid color, with pronounced communication and teamwork, and great respect to the composer.
Since winning both the Banff International String Quartet Competition and Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 1992, the quartet has delighted audiences with its spontaneous, passionate, and dynamic performances. Alex Ross of The New Yorker magazine writes, "the St. Lawrence are remarkable not simply for the quality of their music making, exalted as it is, but for the joy they take in the act of connection."
Program
Haydn: String Quartet in D Major, Op. 20, No. 4
R. Murray Schafer: String Quartet No. 3
Beethoven: String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131
Past concerts this season
October 11
"Two Pianists" Luis Magalhães and Nina Schumann
with special guests Wei He, Ming-Shiu Yo, Jory Fankuchen, and Eugene Sor
The result of mutual professional admiration and personal attraction in equal measure, the unusual Portuguese and South African piano duo of Luis Magalhães and Nina Schumann has achieved international recognition for their display of synchronicity and technical prowess, expressive feeling and insight, with performances across the USA, Germany, South Africa, Portugal, Austria, Switzerland, and Japan. The husband and wife team forge their two contrasting styles into in a sound and interpretative depth of sumptuous richness—playful charm intermingles with fastidious realization of text, delicate accuracy with impressively sonorous sound, and percussive brilliance with meticulously formed singing lines.
The “Two Pianists” will be joined by Bay Area favorites Wei He of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Ming-Shiu Yo of the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, and Crowden’s own faculty members Jory Fankuchenand Eugene Sor.
Program
Brahms-Silvestri: Paganini Variations Op. 35 for two pianos
Arensky: Suite No. 2, Op. 23 “Silhouettes” for two pianos
Copland-Bernstein: El Salón México for two pianos
Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34
December 13
Cypress String Quartet
Widely celebrated for the power of its performances and its passionate dedication to the genre, the Cypress String Quartet combines technical precision with imaginative programming to create unforgettable concert experiences. On top of a busy schedule of over 90 concerts each year at venues across America and internationally, including the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, Stanford Lively Arts, Krannert Center and Ravinia Festival, the Cypress String Quartet is a vibrant member of the San Francisco arts community. Cypress represents the voice of the new generation of American culture and brings passion, inspiration and enjoyment to every audience.
Program
Barber: String Quartet, Op. 11
Jennifer Higdon: Impressions
Debussy: String Quartet, Op. 10 in G minor