Mike Greensill, piano; John Clark, bass; Joe Cohen, alto sax; Charley McCarthy, tenor sax/flute

A program of new arrangements from the pen of Mike Greensill, with repertoire drawn from that storehouse of magic called the Great American Songbook and Mike’s own originals. “Among San Francisco’s many musical blessings, count the sensitivity, wit and inventive bounty of jazz pianist Mike Greensill.” Steven Winn, San Francisco Chronicle.

Jason Ditzian, clarinet; Dan Cantrell, accordion & piano; Lila Sklar, violin Max Baloian, guitar; Eric Perney, bass; Michael Pinkham, percussion

 Kugelplex is California’s rockin’-est purveyor of klezmer and old-world party music. Formed in 2001, the group plays wild, soulful dance music at weddings, concerts and festivals throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and beyond. We’ve performed with Joan Baez, the Oakland Symphony, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir and Frank London (founder of the Klezmatics) and many other great artists. This concert is supported in part by the SFFCM 2017 Musical Grant Program. For more information please visit http://kugelplex.com.

Rachmaninoff Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G minor
Myaskovsky Sonata No. 2
Shostakovich Trio No. 2

Le Due Muse is a cello and piano duo team formed by the bay area cellist, Sarah Hong and her long time duo partner, Japanese pianist, Makiko Ooka. They return to the concert series with to share the most romantic and passionate cello and piano works by Russian/Soviet composers (more about the performer, visit www.cellistsarahhong.com) This unique program combines the works of Rachmaninoff whom was considered to be the last of the great Russian Romantic composer, Myskovsky, who is the bridge between Russian Romantic Composers and the Soviet modernist Composers, and Shostakovich, one of the greatest Russian composers of the Soviet period in the 20th Century. The twentieth century was a very dynamic period in the history of Russia. Russia’s music is imbued not only with the country’s great suffering, but also of the joys and hopes brought by rare moments of peace and prosperity. The program is a journey reaching backward, from the familiar, harsh realities of the Soviet Union to the age of a gilded Russian aristocracy and unrestrained creativity. “There is an indispensable measure of suffering even in the happiness of the Russian people, for without it, its happiness is incomplete.” (Fyodor Dostoevsky)

Luciano Chessa Green Sea West Coast Premiere
Ann Southam’s Glass Houses No. 5
Lou Harrison’s Grand Duo with special guest violinist Kate Stenberg
plus World Premieres by Kyle Hovatter and Ricky Crews

Sarah Cahill, recently called “a sterling pianist and an intrepid illuminator of the classical avant-garde” by The New York Times and “a brilliant and charismatic advocate for modern and contemporary composers” by Time Out New York, has commissioned, premiered, and recorded numerous compositions for solo piano. Over forty composers have dedicated works to her including John Adams, Terry Riley, Frederic Rzewski, Pauline Oliveros, Yoko Ono, and Ingram Marshall. Cahill has researched and recorded music by the important early 20th-century American modernists Henry Cowell and Ruth Crawford, and has commissioned a number of new pieces in tribute to their enduring influence. She has been touring the country for Lou Harrison’s centennial and will perform both his piano concertos later this year. For this concert she will perform the West Coast premiere of Luciano Chessa’s Green Sea, the premieres of new pieces by Kyle Hovatter and Ricky Crews, Ann Southam’s Glass Houses No. 5, and Lou Harrison’s Grand Duo with violinist Kate Stenberg. For more information please visit http://www.sarahcahill.com.

Johannes Brahms String Quartet in B-flat major, No. 3, Op. 67
John Halle Spheres (2001, revised 2007)
Arnold Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4

Friction Quartet, whose performances have been called “terribly beautiful” (San Francisco Classical Voice), “stunningly passionate” (Calgary Herald) and “chillingly effective” (San Francisco Examiner), exists to expand the string quartet repertoire and audience for adventurous contemporary music through commissioning composers and performing in underserved schools and communities. Joshua Kosman (San Francisco Chronicle) declared that Friction Quartet is “an artist who should be discovered” and described their performance as “high-octane music making … a fine blend of rhythmic ferocity and tonal flair.” Friction is the second place winner of the 2016 Schoenfeld International String Competition Chamber Division in Harbin, China. They recently gave their Carnegie Hall debut as part of the Kronos Quartet Workshop. They also opened for Kronos Quartet at Z Space as part of Kronos’s “Under 30″ series. Last summer, they were Quartet in Residence at the New Music for Strings Festival in Aarhus, Denmark. Friction will return to the Shouse Institute at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival this June. Since forming in 2011, Friction has given 70 world premiere performances and commissioned 32 works for string quartet. Friction received a Chamber Music America grant to commission a piano quintet from Andy Akiho which they debuted in November 2016 with Jenny Q Chai. They have also been awarded grants from San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music and Zellerbach Family Foundation.