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.

Akira Nishimura Samudra Manthan (The Churning of the Ocean Milk) West Coast Premiere
Gustav Holst, arr. Keisuke Nakagoshi The Planets

Since joining forces as the professional duo ZOFO in 2009, internationally acclaimed solo pianists Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi have electrified audiences from Carnegie Hall to Tokyo ,and outside-the-box thematic programming for piano-four-hands. This Grammy-nominated, prize-winning Steinway Artist Ensemble—one of only a handful of duos worldwide devoted exclusively to piano duets—is blazing a bold new path for four-hands groups by focusing on 20th and 21st century repertoire and by commissioned new works from noted composers each year. This concert will feature the West Coast Premiere of Samudra Manthan (The Churning of the Ocean Milk), a newly commissioned five-movement work by Japanese composer Akira Nishimura. Samudra Manthan is one of the best known episodes in Hindu mythology where gods and demons try to extract the Amrita (drink of immortality) from the ocean. Akira Nishimura’s piece is very smartly and beautifully written for piano duet, using the four hands in many different innovative ways. The program also includes The Planets, Gustav Holst’s seven-movement orchestral piece arranged for piano duet by Keisuke Nakagoshi. For more information please visit zofoduet.com.

Sue-Mi Shin, violin; Michelle Kwon, cello; Yu-Ting Chen, piano

Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Trio in D major, Op. 70, No. 1, ‘The Ghost’
Johannes Brahms Trio in C minor, Op. 101
Camille Saint-Saëns Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 18
Astor Piazzolla Primavera Porteña

The Leaf Ensemble is a classical ensemble whose mission is to rejuvenate and restore the human spirit, and thus, preserve and protect the spirit of the earth through the power of beautiful live performance. Members include local chamber and solo musicians Sue-Mi Shin, Michelle Kwon, and Yu-Ting Chen, who actively perform in the San Francisco Bay Area, and share a passion for education, conservation, and charitable work. As such, proceeds from every concert go towards charitable foundations that serve to protect and preserve the earth’s forests, oceans, and improve the quality of life of the disadvantaged.

Leaf Ensemble members have received degrees from Yale University, Manhattan School of Performance, University of Washington, Stanford University, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. They perform both nationally and internationally, and music has brought them to over 20 countries in Europe and Asia. As well as having careers in performance and education, the ensemble spends their spare time with family, and frequently enjoys the natural beauty of the earth’s oceans, forests, and animals.

Hans Leo Hassler Missa Dixit Maria
Thomas Weelkes Five Madrigals
Reynaldo Hahn Chansons et madrigaux
Emma Lou Diemer Three Madrigals

Lacuna Arts Chorale returns to O1C for the third year in a row with another unusual and innovative holiday program.  Madrigals by Emma Lou Diemer set familiar Shakespeare texts including the chilly Blow, blow thou winter wind and When icicles hang by the wall in contemporary musical arrangements. The program also includes works by Hans Leo Hassler, Thomas Weelkes, and Reynaldo Hahn. Lacuna Arts is a San Francisco-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting excellence in vocal and choral music through performance, education, and community outreach. In medieval music, a lacuna is a gap or missing section in a particular manuscript. Under the artistic direction of Sven Edward Olbash, Lacuna Arts bridges the gap between large community choruses and small professional choirs in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sonic journeys unto uncharted territories blending modified traditional Eastern and Western instruments with electronics and an imaginative integration of alternative non-Western tunings constantly shifting through complex rhythmic undercurrents are just some of the elements that make the musical pilgrimage of Lisa Sangita Moskow and Guillermo Galindo a unique musical experience. Combining their talents for over 10 years these master musicians have created a unique blend that incorporates Western XX and XXI Avant Garde and electronic music with a contemporary interpretation of North Indian classical musical traditions.

   Flamenco from North Africa to Andalusia and back

Ali Paris, vocals and qanun; David McLean, Flamenco guitar; Sage Baggott, percussion

with special guests Brianna Di Mara, violin and Kerensa DeMars, flamenco dancer.

Ali Paris captivates audiences worldwide with his unique fusion of Middle Eastern and Western music styles highlighted by both technical virtuosity and emotional expression. He accompanies his singing with his instrument, the Qanun, a rare Middle-Eastern 76-string zither that dates back to the 14th century. Ali’s music education began at the age of 5 in his native countries of Morocco and Palestine, studying Arabic traditional music with master Simon Shaheen. He quickly became known as a child prodigy, performing great concert halls by age 9 and touring internationally by the age of 11. Since then he has received multiple international awards and has expanded his musical career exponentially, relocating to the United States to earn his degree at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music.  He has collaborated with a long list of world-renowned artists such as Alicia Keys, Quincy Jones, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, David Broza, Paco De Lucia and Bobby McFerrin. His solo performances have reached diverse audiences from the Newport and Istanbul Jazz Festivals to the White House in Washington DC and the Royal Palace in Jordan to play for both President Abbas of Palestine and Queen Rania of Jordan. He has appeared as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Michigan Philharmonic and is featured in the renowned Grammy-winning Spanish documentary Entre2aguas, the Hollywood movie Noah, and Forbes concert series. Ali has also collaborated with numerous world-renowned artists to benefit the work of Doctors Without Borders, Save a Child’s Heart and Keep A Child Alive including a duet song with Alejandro Sanz that has funded numerous humanitarian projects in Africa & the Middle East.