Canadian cellist Hannah Addario-Berry has been delighting music lovers around the world for over a decade. Specializing in chamber music and solo repertoire, Hannah is passionately committed to performing music by living composers. Along with her exquisite cello playing, Hannah’s warmth and unique presentation style enable listeners to forge a deeper connection with music.
In 2015, Hannah created Scordatura, an innovative project combining Zoltán Kodály’s monumental Sonata for Solo Cello with a series of newly commissioned works, all of which share a unique altered tuning of the cello. Scordatura celebrated the centenary of Kodály’s Sonata and explored a new sound space for solo cello. Hannah performed the program in 25 cities around the US and Canada and recorded Scordatura in early 2016. Her previous album, Lady in the East, features music for solo cello by the Canadian composer Stephen Brown and was reviewed by Gramophone Magazine in October 2014.
An avid and versatile chamber musician, Hannah performs regularly with many ensembles, including the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. She has been invited to play at festivals such as Other Minds and Switchboard Music in San Francisco, Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival in northern California, and Music By The Sea in British Columbia. From 2006-2010 Hannah was cellist with the renowned Del Sol String Quartet, during which time the quartet performed more than 50 world premieres and recorded two highly acclaimed albums, Ring of Fire: Music from the Pacific Rim and First Life: String Quartets of Marc Blitzstein.
Hannah’s love of chamber music began early and acquired momentum when she was invited to join McGill University’s prestigious Lloyd Carr-Harris String Quartet, with whom she performed in France and Italy, including at Casalmaggiore Music Festival. For her graduate work, she chose San Francisco Conservatory’s Masters in Chamber Music, where she collaborated with artists such as Menahem Pressler, Jean-Michel Fonteneau, Ian Swensen, and Jodi Levitz.
Hannah lives with her husband in San Francisco, where she enjoys cooking, gardening, hiking, and teaching private lessons to her wonderful cello students.
Miniatures and Monuments, with Hannah Addario-Berry, cello
Anton von Webern – Langsamersatz, Five Pieces,
Franz Schubert – Quartettsatz, Cello Quintet in C Major D. 956
Friday, September 29th and 30th, 2017
Steve Sánchez, San Francisco native, is currently 2nd clarinet of the Monterey Symphony Orchestra. For the 2015 season, Steve was an extra, performing full time, as 2nd clarinet of the San Francisco Symphony. Previous positions include Acting Utility/Bass Clarinet of the San Francisco Symphony and Principal Clarinet of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra.Steve has performed nationally with the orchestras of the San Francisco Opera and Ballet, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra; and internationally with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Steve can be heard on several recordings by the SFS, Detroit Symphony, and various video game soundtracks.
Steve received his Masters in Music from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. His principal teachers include Dan Gilbert and Fred Ormand, in addition to coachings and master classes with Ted Oien, Stephen Williamson, and Yehuda Gilad. As an educator, Steve has been on the faculties of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Chabot Community College, and summers teaching at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Away from the clarinet, Steve loves to spend time with his amazing wife and daughter, and searching for that perfect cappuccino.
Love and Loss, with Steve Sánchez, clarinet
Felix Mendelssohn – String Quartet in f minor op. 8
W.A. Mozart – Clarinet Quintet in A Major K. 581
February 4th and 5th, 2018
Kay Stern is the Concertmaster of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, a position she has held since 1994.
Kay Stern served as assistant to Dorothy DeLay at the Aspen Music Festival, assistant to the Juilliard Quartet at the Juilliard School and held faculty positions at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the Music Academy of the West. She has taught and coached at various music festivals around the world and been in residence at Wellesley College and San Diego State University.
Kay has been featured on television and radio. She has appeared in PBS’s “Live from Lincoln Center”, CNN’s “Women Today”, Minnesota Public Radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor” and WQXR-NY Robert Sherman’s “Listening Room”. Kay has also contributed several articles in Chamber Music America. As the former first violinist and founding member of the Lark String Quartet, she performed and gave master classes throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.
Some of Kay’s Concertmaster positions include the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Concordia at Lincoln Center, the Cabrillo Music Festival, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony and the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. She regularly performs as Concertmaster for many movie sound tracks and video games recorded at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch. Kay is an active chamber musician, collaborating with colleagues around the world. She regularly plays for fund raising events and has helped raise money for medical research, schools, arts organizations, student orchestras and political fundraisers. Some of the educational and community programs she participated in include the New York Philharmonic Musical Arts Experience, Young Audiences of NY Children’s Programs, Lincoln Center Student Programs and the Minnesota School & Resource Center for the Arts Touring Program, Seaside Music Academy and Pacifica School Volunteers. Her past music festival appearances include the Caramoor, Bard, Olympic and Grand Teton Music Festivals.
Kay attended the Julliard School as a student of Dorothy DeLay. While at Julliard, she received full scholarships for her Bachelor, Master’s and Doctoral degree programs. She also studied with Michael Davis at Ohio State University. Her concerto and chamber music recordings can be heard on Phillips, Nonesuch, Innova, MusicMasters, Koch International, Gramavision and Albany Records.
Rhyme and Reason, with Kay Stern, violin
Sergei Prokofiev – Sonata for Two Violins
selections from J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, arranged for string trio,
Johannes Brahms – Viola Quintet in G Major op. 111
March 16th, 17th, and 18th, 2018