September 25th
Joel Cohen
& Friends
Cellist extraordinaire Joel Cohen and Friends will perform an engaging program of works for piano quintet and larger string ensemble. Among the pieces featured for this concert will be Dvorak’s piano quintet in A major and Bloch’s Concerto Grosso #1 for 10 players! This will be a rare opportunity to hear Mendocino Coast’s top-string players in perfect unison resonate in Preston Hall
October 16th
Brass over Bridges
Brass Over Bridges will perform brass favorites ranging from the Renaissance polyphony of Giovanni Gabrieli to the jazz of Duke Ellington. Committed to finding new and exciting pieces for the brass quintet, they will also perform three selections by celebrated contemporary composers. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Brass over Bridges gets inspiration from cultural diversity and seeks to engage audiences by bridging barriers of style and artistic discipline. It’s all about connection through building bridges, something we all can relate to very well!
November 20th
Santa Rosa Symphony
Chamber Players
The instrumental combination of flute, viola, and piano creates a rich sonority that Santa Rosa Symphony Chamber Players, Kathleen Reynolds, Alex Volonts, and Kymry Esainko explore fully. Featured composers include Durufle´, Bloch, CPE Bach, and others. Ms. Reynolds is the principal flutist with Symphony of the Redwoods and Santa Rosa Symphony. Ms Reynolds is also the featured soloist with Symphony of the Redwoods in the orchestra's November concert.
December 11th
The Paris Quartet
Paris, in the 1730s, was the place to be. The music of Bach, Couperin, Telemann and Rameau was heard in all the best salons. These composers knew each other’s music well but forged their own inimitable styles. The Paris Quartet, (harpsichord, viola da gamba, flute, and violin), based in the San Francisco Bay Area, has played the chamber music of Bach, Rameau, Telemann, Couperin, and occasionally other great composers since 2008. They love this stuff.
January 22nd
Daniela Mineva
Daniela Mineva will present pieces from the traditional piano repertoire including Beethoven's Rondo in C major, Messiaen's Three Preludes, solo transcription for the first movement of Schumann's piano concerto, and a new piece from the African- American Composers Margaret Bonds. Ms. Mineva will provide background and commentary on each piece and at the end of the concert, there will be a short question and answer session.
February 19th
Trio Neave
Neave Trio, a well-known touring ensemble, that has visited Opus before, is now back on popular request. This time they will perform a program of pieces by Gabriela Lena Frank; Four Folk Songs, Frank Martin; Piano Trio of Irish Folk Songs and Bedrich Smetana; Piano Trio in G minor, among others. Their name ’Neave’ is actually a Gaelic name meaning ‘bright’ and ‘radiant,’ both of which certainly apply to this trio's music making. We are very much looking forward to another chance to host this outstanding piano-violin-cello trio.
March 19th
Solstice Vocal Ensemble
The award-winning vocal ensemble Solstice has enthralled Bay Area audiences with their technically precise and passionate treatment of music for women’s voices since 1996. With a repertoire spanning centuries, crossing musical and geographical boundaries, Solstice shares the music they love and their joy in singing together in an intimate concert that makes use of the hall's wonderful acoustics.
April 30th
Laura Reynolds
& SOR Wind Players
Acclaimed Oboist and past soloist with the Symphony of the Redwoods, Laura Reynolds, will perform highlights of the oboe soloist repertoire with piano. After the intermission, she will be joined by friends and SOR musicians to perform Dvorak's Serenade for Wind Ensemble. This is a stunning work composed for 9 wind players, cello, and string bass. A grand finale to the Opus season!
