The Joy of Modern & Traditional Music

by Melanie Cervi
August 20, 2019

            Our little corner of the World is a quiet one. We have many opportunities to savor live performances of wonderful music. While those concerts would probably not demand the attention of those hungry for elite spectacles, I enjoy an hour or two of carefully chosen music competently prepared for our listening pleasure. Those who gathered at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Carmel on Sunday, August 18, 2019 experienced a lovely afternoon of music. Cortez Montalbo, trumpet and Steve Denmark, organ shared with us their Joy of Modern & Traditional Music. Dr. Denmark did double duty by accompanying on the piano as well as the organ. Mr. Montalbo used a collection of three instruments, cornet and two trumpets (B-flat and C) to play a variety of compositions.

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Archived in these categories: Baroque, Brass, Organ

Hidden Valley Ends its Master Artist Series with cellist Mark Kosower in recital

by Anneliese Suter
August 14, 2019

Mark Kosower

On Tuesday evening Hidden Valley Music Seminars presented the last of its Master Class concerts with a splendid recital by cellist Mark Kosower and pianist Jee-Won Oh. The parking lot was full and there was not an empty seat inside the hall. In fact, shortly after 7:40 pm, Peter Meckel himself had to bring in a few more single chairs. I had seen seldom the house so full. 

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Archived in these categories: Baroque, Chamber music, Hidden Valley Music Seminars, Piano

Celebration Choir: Walkin’ Together — Changing Our World

by MaryClare Martin
August 13, 2019

On August 10, Celebration Choir presented its 23rd Annual Spirituals Night at Monterey First Presbyterian Church. Connie Fortunato is so full of energy sharing the music in her soul with local audiences, but even more significantly with the vulnerable children in Eastern Europe. In Fortunato’s eyes, music is truly the universal language of working and creating together. With that in mind, the evening’s program, Walkin’ Together – Changing our World”  – began with Moses Hogan’s “Music Down In My Soul.” With the signature entry of “surround sound,” this choir of happy, smiling and singing faces set the tone as well as toes tapping and hands clapping while progressing to the stage. More of Hogan’s numbers followed, “Walk Together, Children” as well as “We shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace” toward the end of the program.

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Archived in these categories: Choral

Elastic Brio: Menlo’s Overture Concert

by Dr. Gary Lemco
August 6, 2019

An inspiring, rare moment of collaboration marked the Friday, August 2nd Overture Concert at [email protected]’s Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton, the occasion’s inviting young, International Program artists to share the stage with seasoned veterans, in the spirit of musical pedagogy and performance-practice. In music by Beethoven, Franck, and Brahms, the participants emanated a thoroughly integrated and often feverishly intense series of performances that point to the active musicians’ futures as much as to their appreciation of past masters, a thoroughly happy meeting of youthful hopes and experienced professionals.                                             

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Archived in these categories: Chamber music, Classical Era, Piano, Romantic Era

Pianist Ko-Eun Yi at the Aptos Keyboard Series at St. John’s

by Lyn Bronson
August 5, 2019

Pianist Ko-Eun Yi

Korean pianist Ko-Eun Yi thrilled an audience of piano lovers yesterday afternoon as she performed a recital for the Aptos Keyboard Series at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist. Artistic Director of the series Josef Sekon continues to surprise us by discovering new young talented artists and bringing them to central California.

Juilliard trained pianist Yi may have looked very young, fragile and vulnerable as she sat down at the piano. However, from the first notes of her opening work, Scarlatti’s Sonata in c-sharp minor, K. 247, L. 256, she revealed not the demeanor of a playful kitten, but that of a ferocious tiger, as she devoured each work on the program and left us thirsting for more by the end of the program.

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Archived in these categories: Baroque, Classical Era, Piano, Romantic Era