Hans Liviabella — Violinist

Born in Turin, Hans Liviabella hails from a family of musicians. His great-great-grandfather was a student of Rossini, his great-grandfather a capellmeister, his grandfather a composer and his father a violist with whom he commenced his violin studies at the age of four.

He completed a degree in violin performance at the G. Verdi Conservatory in Milan under the guidance of Christine Anderson. He continued his studies with Salvatore Accardo at the Accademia W. Stauffer in Cremona and with Dora Schwarzberg at the Musikhochschule in Vienna. During his studies with the latter, he was chosen among the best students of his generation to perform at a direct radio-broadcast concert in Moscow dedicated to the memory of the famous Russian pedagogue Yankelevich.

Having been heard perform by Gidon Kremer, Hans was recommended to further his education with Maya Glesarova in Moscow. His formation also included studies with Stefan Gheorghiu, Franco Gulli and the Trio di Trieste on a DeSono Association (Turin, Italy) scholarship.

Hans Liviabella is a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and has been playing with them since 1992. He was invited by Claudio Abbado to play with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and the Orchestra Mozart of Bologna. He also collaborated as principal with the Filarmonica della Scala and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

He is the first violin of the Quartetto Energie Nove, an ensemble which regularly collaborates with, among others, A. Lonquich, I. Pogorelich, V. Mendelssohn and J. Rachlin. The quartet has appeared on numerous radio and TV broadcasts on RTSI (Swiss National TV) and has a regular discographical output with the record label Dynamic.

Hans is the Principal 2nd Violin with the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana with whom he also performes regularly as soloist. Latest performances include the Prokofiev Violin Concerto with Alain Lombard and recordings of the concertos by Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de St. Georges (Op. 7 no. 2, world premiere), A. Casella, Lino Liviabella and G. F. Malipiero for the Forlane record label.

Hans Liviabella plays violins by A. Stradivari (1708) and G. Cappa (1702).

Clint Borzoni — Composer

CLINT JOSEPH BORZONI is the Resident Composer for Musica Marin, a nonprofit organization that presents, supports and inspires classical music throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. He is an award winning composer whose “highly original yet lyrical music and natural gift for melody and harmonic structure” (The Huffington Post) has resulted in international performances and premieres.

He has collaborated with librettist John de los Santos on the opera When Adonis Calls. The lyrical opera (fashioned entirely from the poetry of Gavin Geoffrey Dillard), was selected for inclusion by Fort Worth Opera’s Frontiers and Opera America’s New Works Forum. The world premiere at the Asheville Lyric Opera sold out, and was followed by a collaborative new production in Chicago between Thompson Street Opera and Pride Films & Plays. Their second collaboration, The Copper Queen, won the Arizona Spark competition, and is being fully commissioned by Arizona Opera. It will open the McDougall RED Series in the 2020/21 Season— excerpts were recently performed at the American Lyric Theater’s Alumni concert, with a third sold-out workshop at Opera America. Other operatic works include Margot Alone in the Light, an adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s story All Summer in a Day (premiered by operamission (2009) and subsequently produced by Opera On Tap); and Antinous and Hadrian (commissioned by operamission).

Mr. Borzoni has composed songs and song cycles for many leading vocalists. He won BARIHUNKS Best New Song (2015), Best New Solo Work for Baritone (2017), and was a winner of Sparks & Wiry Cries Second annual NYC songSLAM, and operamission’s cabaret song competition. Borzoni’s additional honors include the Morton Feldman Award, the Boston Metro Opera Festival Award, an artist residency with the American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program (2009), the Queer Urban Orchestra’s 2018 composition contest winner, an associate producer credit for Patricia Racette’s CD Diva on Detour, and was a participant in American Opera Projects’ Composers and the Voice program.

In addition to composing opera, art song, and concert music, his musical My Life as a Bald Soprano received an Off-Broadway run at the Midtown International Theater Festival. Borzoni has also scored three films for the production company JR VISION, which were featured at the Take Two Film Festival, the Miami Short Film Festival, and Anthology Film Archives. His music has been presented by the Merola Opera Program, the Glimmerglass Festival, the Bay View Music Festival, the Wintergreen Festival, the Summer Street Festival, St Martin-in-the-Fields, the U.S. embassy in Switzerland, La MaMA, Symphony Space, Opera Grows in Brooklyn, the New York Youth Symphony, the Walt Whitman Project, the Jacobs School of Music, the Guildhall School of Music, the Mannes School of Music, and many more venues and universities.

He has recently been commissioned by Arizona Opera, the Delaware Art Museum, the Big Apple Corps Symphonic Band, and Barihunks. He studied with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Del Tredici at the City University of New York where he received an MA in Music Composition. He recently finished a new oratorio, “The Wife of Lot”, which was commissioned by the Gavin Dillard Poetry Library & Archive, and made possible by a generous donation from Steven J. Schimmel.

Marco Vassalli — Baritone

The German baritone, Marco Vassalli was born of Italian roots. He grew up on Lake Constance and began his singing studies in 1997 at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne. Since 1999, he studied there with Kammersängerin Professor Edda Moser. In October 2002, he finished his graduate studies there with honours. For some time he worked with Maria Baldauf in Zürich. He received Master-classes with Nico Castel (New York), Peter Schreier (Dresden), Christa Ludwig (Villecroze) and Hans Sotin (Munich).

Even before the start of his singing studies in Cologne, Marco Vassalli stood on the concert podium. Meanwhile he was acquired a wide repertoire of oratorios, cantatas, Passions and masses, such as “Matthäus-Passion BWV 244”, “Magnificat BWV 243”, “Weihnachtsoratorium BWV 248” by J.S. Bach. “Die Schöpfung” by J.Haydn, “Messiah” by G.F. Handel, “Requiem” by G. Fauré, G. Verdi and Maurice Duruflé. A concert tour with J.S. Bach’s “Johannes-Passion BWV 245” led him from the Morgenlandfestivals Osnabrück to Tehran in Iran and with Lindbergs “Requiem” to Syria and Jordania.

His other stations were: Hoher Dom zu Osnabrück, Philharmonie Köln, Berliner Dom and the Beethovenhalle Bonn. His lieder recitals have been with received excellent resonance and artistic recognition by both the public and the press. Above all, Marco Vassalli is at home on the opera stage; guest engagements have led him, among others venues, to the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Dresdner Festspiele, the Opernhaus Köln, the Teatro Poliziano in Montequlciano, the Mecklenburgische Staatstheater Schwerin, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, Staatsoper Hannover and the Istanbul State Opera. His main roles include: Papageno (Zauberflöte), Conte Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Marcello (La Bohème), Dottor Malatesta (Don Pasquale), Wolfram von Eschenbach (Tannhäuser), Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Marchese di Posa (Don Carlo), Pelleas (Pelleas et Melisande), Count Danilo (Lustige Witwe), Edwin (Csardasfürstin), Graf Réné (Graf von Luxemburg) and Gabriel von Eisenstein (Fledermaus).

In May 2004 he sang under the baton of Thomas Hengelbrock in Verdi’s “Rigoletto” in the staging of Philippe Arlaud the Count of Ceprano (production of ZDF/3sat under the “Herbert von Karajan-Festspiele” at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden). Also at the Festspielhaus BadenBaden he sang 4.Knappe in Richard Wagner’s Parsifal (DVD-production of RM-Productions), the musical director was Kent Nagano, the work was staged by Nikolaus Lehnhoff. In September 2005 he appeared at the Internationale Beethovenfest in bonn in an aria concert with the WDR-Rundfunkorchester under the baton of Helmuth Froschauer on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the death of Thomas Mann.

From October 2003 to August 2005 Marco Vassalli was a member of the Opernstudio der Deutschen Oper am Rhein Düssledorf. Here he sang, among other things, Schlemihl/Hermann in “Hoffmanns Erzählungen“ and Papageno form Mozart’s “Zauberflöte“ both in production by Christof Loy. From September 2006 to August 2012 he was an ensemble member of the Städtischen Bühnen Osnabrück. Here he sang next to various huge/large Fachpartien a lot of Uraufführungen such as: “Neda, der Ruf” von Nader Mashayekhi, “Operette” von Mario Wiegand. “Rotkäppchen, lauf” und “Schön, schöner Schneewittchen” in cooporation with the Adevantgarde Festival in Munich. In the season 2015/2016 Marco Vassalli will sing at the Staatsoper Hannover in Leonard Bernsteins “Candide” as well as “Roman Cycowski” in “Comedian Harmonists” at the Theater Osnabrück and gives his US debut in a recital with the world premiere of songs by Clint Borzoni.

Ruth Kahn — Violist

A graduate of The Juilliard School and native of the San Francisco Bay Area, violist Ruth Ellen Kahn, has performed extensively on both coasts. Her chamber music experience includes performing with such eminent artists as, Cynthia Phelps, Shmuel Ashkenazi, Maurice Bourgue, the Miro String Quartet, and the Colorado String Quartet among others. She has received numerous awards, prizes and critical acclaim, as well as invitations to perform for such organizations as the New York Viola Society and at Hertz Hall in Berkeley, California. She has also performed as soloist with the Mexico City Philharmonic and the New England Symphonic Ensemble.

Ruth has been artistic director of two chamber music series in both New York and New Jersey, one of which resulted in a recital in Carnegie Recital Hall. Ms Kahn performed with the New York City Ballet Orchestra for nearly 20 years, before relocating back to the Bay Area. Among the many other orchestras with which she has played are the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the New York City Opera Orchestra, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, the Carmel Bach Festival, and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. Ruth is also an accomplished violinist, and the co-concertmaster of The Russian Chamber Orchestra of the Bay Area.

Internationally, Ruth has toured with the New England Symphonic and New York Chamber Ensembles to Morocco, Israel and Jordan, where they performed for the Royal Families. In addition, she has been invited numerous times to attend the Spoleto Festival in Italy and Charleston, N.C.

Ms. Kahn is very active in the area of viola and violin pedagogy and has been the assistant to Paul Doktor at the Juilliard School, taught master classes and has maintains a private studio in Marin County CA.. She has been on the faculty at U.C. Berkeley, The Marin Waldorf School and San Domenico. She is currently on the viola faculty at Interharmony Music Festival in Italy.

Her teachers have included Karen Tuttle, Paul Doktor, Heiichiro Ohyama, Louis Kievman, and the world-renowned violist, William Primrose.

“The viola recital by Ruth Kahn showed off the naturally rich sound of her instrument..Kahn let loose with a welter of secure technical passages and produced double-stops that were vibrantly in tune, Kahn sunk into the dark sound of her viola and pulled the harmonies out with full color.”

-Paul Somers, Classical New Jersey

Felicia Moore — Soprano

Renowned American Soprano Felicia Moore graces our stage for the first time to perform works by Jean Sibelius, Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. A recent Juilliard graduate, 2019 James Toland Vocal Arts (JTVA) Vocal Competition Winner, and singer at the Metropolitan Opera. Moore’s voice has been hailed as, “transfixing, marked by tonal brilliance and emotional eloquence” by Joshua Kosman, SF Gate. The world premiere of “Festival Duo”, written specifically for this occasion by Composer in Residence Clint Borzoni, will be performed by violinist Hans Liviabella and violist Ruth Kahn. Cadence Strange from Musica Marin’s Young Artist Programs performs a selection of arias.

Following the concert, guests will hear a capella quartet from CalPoly SLO, Simple Harmonic Motion, and taste an innovative fusion of bites by star Vietnamese Chef Tu David Phu from TV's Top Chef, L.A. Thai Chef Intu Kornnawong from Intu On, and award-winning Chef Danica Aviles, from Pinoy Heritage who will be presenting Filipino delights. Guests will enjoy eclectic Latin/jazz fusion performed by the versatile two-time GRAMMY®-Award winning violinist Mads Tolling and Friends with Mads on violin, Frank Martin on piano and Gary Brown on bass.

Alexander Taite — Tenor

A resident and native of Oakland California, Alexander Taite graduated in 2007 from Pepperdine University with a Bachelor’s Degree in music theory and composition. He emphasized in vocal performance and jazz piano. He spent 4 years teaching theory and conducting choirs at the Oakland School for the Arts. In 2014 He placed third in the inaugural James Toland Vocal Arts competition and in 2016 took audience favorite. He was a finalist in the East Bay Opera League scholarship competition in 2015. He is currently singing with the SF Opera chorus; teaching with the Opera Guild (SF Opera's education and outreach department); teaching private piano, music theory, and voice lessons; and conducting the graduate level ensemble at the San Francisco Boys Chorus.

Kseniia Polstiankina Barrad — Pianist

Second-year San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow Kseniia Polstiankina Barrad participated in the 2018 Merola Opera Program. Before graduating with honors from the Special Music School in Kyiv, she won top prizes at various international piano and chamber music competitions, including the Prokofiev International Competition for Young Pianists (Donetsk, Ukraine), the International Competition for Young Pianists (Belgrade, Serbia), and the International Chamber Ensemble Competition (St. Petersburg, Russia). She twice became a national finalist in the MTNA Young Artist Competition, winning 3rd prize in 2011. On the concert stage, Kseniia has appeared on numerous occasions with orchestras such as the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra, and the Chernigov Symphony Orchestra. Barrad also enjoys a vibrant collaborative career spanning opera, choral music, vocal recitals, and chamber music, and she recently held the position of principal coach with Queen City Opera in Cincinnati. At San Francisco Opera, she has been a part of the music staff for productions of Carmen and Manon Lescaut. She graduated with her master’s degree in Collaborative Piano from the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati where she recently completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance studying with Prof. Awadagin Pratt.

César Cañón — Pianist

Pianist César Cañón alternates his activity as a concert pianist with vocal coaching and conducting. He has performed in his native Colombia, and Brazil, Canada, Italy, Mexico, and the United States. A participant in the 2017 Merola Opera Program, he was also featured in San Francisco Opera’s Schwabacher recital series, in which he performed Brahms’ Die Schöne Magelone alongside baritone Christian Pursell and soprano Felicia Moore.

Cañón’s collaborations encompass formats that span from piano-voice duo to full symphony orchestra. Committed to introducing audiences to Spanish and Latin American Zarzuela and art song repertoire, he created and curated University of Michigan’s “En Español: Sounds of the Hispanosphere,” a week-long festival dedicated to music of the Spanish-speaking nations of the world. A current Adler Fellow with San Francisco Opera, he has been part of the music staff for productions of Cavalleria Rusticana and Tosca. He will be music director for Pocket Opera’s production of The Elixir of Love in 2019, as well as assistant conductor for La Finta Giardiniera and Suor Angelica with Accademia Europea dell’Opera next summer in Lucca, Italy.

Cañón holds a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Universidad Nacional de Colombia and a Master of Music degree in collaborative piano from the University of Michigan, where he also completed his doctorate under Martin Katz.

Tanya Tomkins — Cellist

The first cellist ever to win the international Bodky Competition for Early Music Soloists, Tanya is equally at home on Baroque and moderninstruments. She has performed on various chamber music series to critical acclaim — including at the Library of Congress, the Frick Collection, “Great Performances” at Lincoln Center, the 92nd Street Y, San Francisco Performances, and the Concertgebouw Kleine Zaal. She is particularly renowned for herperformance of the complete Bach Suites on Baroque cello, available in a recording from Avie.

As part of the Zivian-Tomkins Duo, Tomkins collaborates with pianist and fortepianist Eric Zivian on both modern and original instruments. With Zivian and English Baroque violinist Monica Huggett, she is one third ofthe Benvenue Fortepiano Trio. She is also a member of the Left Coast ChamberEnsemble, a cutting-edge group that combines traditional chamber music with modern works, many of which have been composed for the group.

Eric Zivian — Pianist

Eric Zivian is a fortepianist, modern pianistand composer. He has performed with the PhilharmoniaBaroque Orchestra, the Portland BaroqueOrchestra, the Santa Rosa Symphony and theToronto Symphony, among others. Eric hasgiven solo recitals in Toronto, New York,Philadelphia, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

He has performed extensively on fortepiano since 2000 and is a member of the Zivian-Tomkins Duoand the Benvenue Fortepiano Trio, performing atChamber Music San Francisco, the Da Cameraseries in Los Angeles, Boston Early Music, theSeattle Early Music Guild and Caramoor. Onmodern piano, he is a member of the Left CoastChamber Ensemble and has performed with theEmpyrean Ensemble, Earplay, and the San Francisco Contemporary MusicPlayers. He is a founder and Music Director of the Valley of the Moon MusicFestival, a new festival in Sonoma specializing in Classical and Romantic musicon period instruments.

Eric’s compositions have been performed widely in the United States and inTokyo, Japan. He was awarded an ASCAP Jacob Druckman MemorialCommission to compose an orchestral work, Three Character Pieces, whichwas premiered by the Seattle Symphony in March 1998.

Eric was born in Michigan and grew up in Toronto, Canada. where he attendedthe Royal Conservatory of Music. He graduated from the Curtis Institute ofMusic, where he received a Bachelor of Music degree. He went on to receivegraduate degrees from the Juilliard School and the Yale School of Music. He studiedpiano with Gary Graffman and Peter Serkin and composition with NedRorem, Jacob Druckman, and Martin Bresnick. He attended the Tanglwood MusicCenter both as a performer and as a composer.

Mads Tolling — Violinist

Mads Tolling, internationally renowned violinist and composer, is a two-time Grammy Award-Winner and the 2016 DownBeat Critics Poll Rising Star winning violinist. As a former nine year member of both Turtle Island Quartet and bassist Stanley Clarke’s band, Mads has spent most his professional life touring internationally. Since 2007 Mads has lead his own group, Mads Tolling Quartet. “The Playmaker” released in the fall of 2009, features Stanley Clarke and jazz greats Russell Ferrante & Stefon Harris. A MTQ album: “Celebrating Jean-Luc Ponty – Live at Yoshi’s” was released in May, 2012. Mads’ latest album is called “Mads Tolling & The Mads Men – Playing the 60s,” which features classic songs from TV, film and radio in fresh jazzy versions with guest vocalists Kenny Washington and Spencer Day. Mads has been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, and his recordings have received rave reviews in Downbeat Magazine, Strings Magazine, Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle. He has performed with Chick Corea, Ramsey Lewis, Kenny Barron & Paquito D’Rivera.

For nine years in Turtle Island Quartet, Mads spent most of his professional life on the road or in the recording studio. In ‘06 and ‘08 as part of Turtle Island Quartet Mads won two Grammy Awards for Best Classical Crossover album with the recordings “4+Four” and “A Love Supreme – The Legacy of John Coltrane.” In 2015 with Turtle Island, he received a Grammy nomination collaborating with Mike Marshall. Mads is the winner of the 2016 DownBeat Critics Poll Rising Star Violin Award. Mads has received Denmark’s Sankt Annae’s Award for Musical Excellence as well as grants from Queen Margaret, Sonning Foundation and the Berklee Elvin Jones Award.

In 2007 Mads Tolling started his own trio and immediately recorded the album “Speed of Light.” The following year the trio expanded to a quartet. Today, 10 years later the quartet is still going strong, and in it are some of the top Bay Area musicians, including Colin Hogan on piano, Sam Bevan on bass and Eric Garland on drums.

Jacob Fischer — Guitarist

Guitarist Jacob Fischer made his debut at the Copenhagen jazz festival at 17 and has since then been one of the hardest working musicians in Scandinavia. For nearly two decades Fischer has worked with the best Scandinavian musicians as well as with visiting jazz greats such as Monty Alexander, Art Farmer, Toots Thielemans, Lee Konitz, Gary Bartz, John Abercrombie, Scott Hamilton, Adam Nussbaum, Harry Allen, Dick Hyman, Eric Alexander, Jerry Bergonzi, Richard Galliano and Chris Potter.

His versatile virtuosity can be heard on more than 200 CDs of which some have been selected jazz record of the year : In Sweden 1992(Peter Gullin) and in Denmark 1996(Thomas Fryland) and 2004(String Swing).

Since 1992 Jacob has been a member of violin legend Svend Asmussens quartet and in 2008 he finally decided to release an album in his own name, Jacob Fischer Trio (Gateway music) featuring Asmussen - still swinging at 92! on six tracks. A new album entitled "Django" with Fischer on acoustic guitar has just been released.

Jacob Fischer recently returned from a trip to Brazil and a highly succesful tour and CD recording session for Arbors records in the US with Fischer as leader, featuring guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli.

Popular with audiences and critics alike Fischer has recieved numerous awards : Django d'or - jazz performer of the year 2001, Silkeborg jazz price in 2003, and as the only Danish musician, the three "great" prizes, JASA prize 1992 (Danish jazz critics award), The Ben Webster prize in 1996 and Palaebar´s prize in 1998 and a "Django d’Or" - Jazz Performer of the Year (2001).

Akira Tana — Jazz Drummer

Born and raised in California, Akira Tana earned degrees from Harvard University and the New England Conservatory of Music. Tana has worked with SONNY ROLLINS, SONNY STITT, ZOOT SIMS, HUBERT LAWS, MILT JACKSON, JIM HALL, ART FARMER, THE PAUL WINTER CONSORT, PAQUITO D'RIVERA, JAMES MOODY, J.J. JOHNSON, LENA HORNE, THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER, RUTH BROWN, CHARLES AZNAVOUR, MAURICE HINES, AND VAN DYKE PARKS. He has appeared on over 200 recordings.

Tana co-led a quintet with the bassist, Rufus Reid called TanaReid, has five releases, "Yours and Mine" and "Passing Thoughts," on Concord Records and "Blue Motion" and "Looking Forward", and “Back to Front,” on Evidence Music. On Sons of Sound, Akira has two releases as a leader, "Moon Over the World" and "Secret Agent Men". The third US releasee on Sons of Sound as a leader is a project by the Secret Agent Men Band playing themes from the movies of James Bond, entitled “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” featuring the vocalist, Annie Sellick. A project released in 2018 is “JAZZaNOVA,” on Vega Records that features the vocalists, Claudio Amaral, Claudia Villela, Jackie Ryan, Carla Helmbrecht, and Sandy Cressman. Guest artists include Branford Marsalis and Arturo Sandoval. More releases as a leader include “Otonowa,” “Stars Across the Ocean,” and “Ai San San (Love’s Radiance),” which features jazz interpretations of Japanese folk and pop melodies that date as far back as the 1800’s. This group has completed 6 tours of Tohoku performing and teaching for communites still rebuilding from the Earthquake/Tsunamai of 2011. An active teacher and clinician, Tana has taught at Rutgers University, Queens College, Jersey City State College, and New York University, California Jazz Conservatory, and San Francisco State University.

Mr. Tana is a product endorser of YAMAHA DRUMS, SABIAN CYMBALS, and VIC FIRTH STICKS.

Frank Martin — Jazz Pianist

Northern California native Frank Martin continues a diverse career as a performer, producer, arranger and educator, and has performed and/or recorded with a wide variety of artists that include:

Stevie Wonder, Sting, Randy Brecker, Angela Bofill, Whitney Houston, Al Jarreau, Richard Bona, Shankar Mahadevan, Dori Caymmi, Larry Coryell, Flora Purim & Airto Moriera, Narada Michael Walden, Herbie Hancock, Pandit Ronu Majumdar, Tuck & Patti, Patrice Rushen, Wah Wah Watson, Robben Ford, Joey DeFrancesco, Lisa Fischer, Nguyen Le, Trilok Gurtu, John McLaughlin, Joe Farrell, Nishat Khan, Patti Austin, Steve Winwood, Santana, Abraham Laboriel, Chris Isaak, Anandan Sivamani, B.B. King, Larry Carlton, John Handy, Bruce Springsteen, Chris Botti, Jose Neto & the Netoband, Paul Simon, Patti Labelle, L. Subramaniam, Ramsey Lewis, Stanley Turrentine, Dennis Chambers, Alex Acuna, Kala Ramnath, Steve Kindler, Turtle Island String Quartet, Zakir Hussain, Wayne Shorter, Peabo Bryson, Chico Pinheiro, Mel Torme, Dizzy Gellespie, Ronnie Laws.

For the past 23 years he has been a member of Sting’s “Rainforest Band” performing annually at Carnegie Hall along with James Taylor, Elton John, Billy Joel and many others.

Musical Director: Narada Michael Walden, Patti Austin, Angela Bofill, Roy Ayers, comedian Bob Newhart. Production credits: Al Jarreau, Lisa Fisher, Mimi Fox, Daria, Ellen Honert, Karen Blixt, Nicholas Bearde, Mary Jenson, Rhiannon, SoVoSo, Deuce, Denine Monet. Arranging credits: Al Green, Dianna Ross, Turtle Island String Quartet, Steve Winwood, Chris Isaak, Angela Bofill, Madeline Eastman.

Adjunct Professor in the Jazz Department of the University of California at Berkeley for the past 15 years, as well as an educator at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley for the past 20 years.

Clinician at Lafayette Summer Jazz Workshops, Stanford Jazz Workshops, Jazz Camp West, UC Berkeley Jazz Camp, Jazzshool Summer Jazz Camp, and the Swedish Artists and Musicians Institute (SAMI).

Jeff Chambers — Bassist

A talented and versatile bassist, Jeff Chambers is known for his impeccable timing, dynamic rhythms and improvisational dexterity. Chambers musical style is both lyrical and playful. With his distinct touch, smooth sound and innovative sensibility he travels the vast tradition of rhythm-fueled bass playing, skillfully referencing his predecessors while exploring new musical territory.

Chambers masterfully breaks the conventionally accepted boundaries of his instrument and forges new melodic possibilities. According to San Francisco Chronicle music critic Phil Elwood, "Jeff Chambers makes playing upright bass look and sound so easy with his rhythmic sense and melodic vocabulary".

Chambers facility to play both acoustic and electric bass allows him to express himself fluidly in a variety of idioms, including Bebop, Funk, Latin, Blues, Reggae and Fusion. In any genre, Jeff chambers is an improvisational master. "When I am playing music I have one destination, but many routes. It doesn't matter which one I choose; there are many ways to go. The musicians are listening to one another. I can walk with them; then I can venture off, saying am going this way. I'll meet you down the path. Sometimes one is a leader, then another. We switch up. The path is clearer if I close my eyes. I don't have to see the path; I just have to hear the path."

Chambers began his career in Milwaukee on the electric bass with the renowned pianist and vibraphonist Buddy Montgomery. He studied at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music where he first began to play acoustic bass. His combo, #8, won first place in the College Division Awards in 1976, and the next year at the University at Notre Dame. But for Chambers, the chance to play full time with Buddy Montgomery offered an invaluable education and a quick entrance into the international world of jazz.

In 1978, he left the Conservatory and entered the University of Buddy Montgomery, touring extensively with the master. Since then, Chambers has toured all over the United States, Canada, Central and South America, Europe, Russia, Australia and Japan, performing with many of the world's most prominent jazz musicians.

He has played at venues such as the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland); Concord Jazz Festival (CA); Monterey Jazz Festival (CA); Fujitsu Jazz Festival (Japan), the Newport Jazz Festival (RI) and countless others. He has also performed for the Black Entertainment Television Network at the St. Lucia and Anguilla Jazz Festivals.

Known as one of the foremost bassist in the country, he has played with many great jazz artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Les McCann, Eddie Harris, Benny Carter, Tommy Flanagan, Joe Henderson, Dakota Staton, McCoy Tyner, Joe Williams, Little Jimmie Scott, Tony Williams, Frank Morgan, Dr. Dorothy Donegan, Kenny Burrell, James Moody, Nat Adderley, Milt Jackson, John Hendricks, Benny Golson, Larry Coryell, Hank Crawford, Abbey Lincoln, Ernestine Anderson, Doug Carn, Don Cherry, Clifford Jordan, Laurindo Almeido, Linda Hopkins, Teddy Edwards, Roy McCurdy, Richie Cole, Slide Hampton, Jeff Hamilton, George Coleman, Mel Lewis, Archie Shepp, Cedar Walton, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Ahmad Jamal, Pharoah Sanders, Russell Malone, Red Holloway, Wallace Roney, Houston Person, Curtis Fuller, Hadley Caliman and many many others.

He is currently working with Marlena Shaw and beginning to headline his own band. Chambers has recorded with Bobby Hutcherson, Charlie Rouse, Buddy Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard, Eddie Harris, Jeffrey Osborne, Al Jarreau, Dizzy Gillespie, Marlena Shaw, Ahmad Jamal, Freddie Cole, and many more.

Chambers has also worked in video and film. He appeared in M.C. Hammer's video, Here Comes the Hammer, 1991; performed All the Way with Jeffrey Osborne in the soundtrack for the film, Dying Young, 1991; appeared in Whoopi Goldberg's Sister Act, 1991; performed with Keanu Reeves in Sweet November, 2001; and is featured on a Delta Dental television commercial.

Jeff Chambers has taught bass, improvisation and combo direction at various institutions including The Brubeck Institute, University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA); San Francisco State University (San Francisco, CA); Jazz Camp West (Oakland, CA); The Jazz School (Berkeley, CA); Berkeley High School (Berkeley, CA); Fresno State University (Fresno, CA); and Dominican University of California (San Rafael, CA) and though out the greater Bay Area public school system. Chambers also teaches privately.

Simple Harmonic Motion — Acapella Quartet

Somehow meeting each other by sheer chance and overheard elevator conversations, these four rising Sophomores at Cal Poly founded Simple Harmonic Motion, a multidisciplinary singing group, over their shared love of the fun of music with friends.

Tenor Justin Privatera is a Computer Science and Mathematics double major from the San Francisco Peninsula. Justin plays french horn with an independent brass quintet as well as Cal Poly’s Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, and Brass Ensemble. With the Ragazzi Boys Chorus,he sang in Davies Symphony and Carnegie Hall's and is featured on Ragazzi’s 2016 Album “I Dream a World”.

Dylan Moreland (Tenor) is an Industrial Engineering major from Mountain View. Dylan plays the piano and sings with Cal Poly’s touring PolyPhonics and Chamber ensembles and is a founding member of Cal Poly’s Pi Kappa Phi chapter. Dylan is a PolyPhonics and Honor Choir section leader and works as a stagehand and facility supervisor for the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. He also works in similar roles for Cal Poly’s Spanos Theater and ASI Audiovisual. Dylan aspires to do industrial engineering as well as Broadway lighting design.

Jacob Siderman (Bass/Baritone) from Marin County, is a Physics major earning Mathematics and Music minors. Jacob sings with Cal Poly’s University Singers, touring PolyPhonics, and Chamber ensembles and is a founding member of Cal Poly’s Pi Kappa Phi along with Dylan. With the San Francisco Boys Chorus, Jacob sang internationally in Russia, Denmark, Finland, and Costa Rica including performances in St. Petersburg’s Glinka Capella. Jacob hopes to push the boundaries of human knowledge, preferably from the inside of a spacecraft.

Joey Lombardi (Bass) is a Business Administration major with a concentration in Human Resources from Sacramento. Joey won the Outstanding Vocal Soloist Award at the 2017 Monterey Jazz Festival and the 2017 David G. Schetter Memorial Scholarship Award while touring. He plays cello with Cal Poly’s Symphony Orchestra and Baroque Chamber Ensemble. Joey is an avid rock climber and the lowest grade he’s earned at Cal Poly is a singular A-.

Eric Choate — Conductor

Eric Choate is in demand as a choral and orchestral conductor, composer, organist, and pianist. In addition to serving as Artistic Director of the San Francisco Boys Chorus, he has on occasion prepared choruses for the San Francisco Symphony and the Berkeley Symphony. He is Assistant Director of the Conservatory Chorus at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, which recently involved a collaboration with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. For three years, Eric was Assistant Conductor of the Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra; highlights of this engagement included conducting a performance of Verdi's Requiem in Ypres, Belgium with the Oost-Vlaams Symfonisch Orkest. Eric is a sought after choral clinician and currently serves as Director of Music at The Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin.

As a composer, his work has been lauded as "music to grab the listener's attention through novelty and hold it through technical discipline" (examiner.com). Recently he composed an Ave Maria for a Notre-Dame solidarity concert, and conducted the performance with musicians from the San Francisco Symphony, American Bach Soloists, The Grace Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, Frederica von Stade, and Johann Vexo. His music has been performed by other renowned artists including The Choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge, Brian Thorsett, Emil Miland, Friction Quartet, Areon Flutes, One Found Sound, Mouthscape, and numerous sacred choral ensembles. His music is published by E. C. Schirmer and Augsburg Fortress.

Graduating with Departmental Distinction, Eric earned his Bachelor of Arts in Composition from St. Olaf College, where he studied with Timothy Mahr and Justin Merritt. He was awarded a fellowship to study harmony and counterpoint at the European American Musical Alliance in Paris, France; from this, he graduated with Honorable Mentions in Harmony and Solfege. He then went on to earn a Master of Music with David Conte at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Frank Zhao — Pianist

Franz Zhao, an alum of the San Francisco Boys Chorus, first joined in 1999 at the age of four. Franz received his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music and is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Piano Performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Active as both a soloist and a collaborator, Franz has performed and given recitals throughout the Bay Area, Southern California, New York, as well as in Asia and Europe. Also active as a composer, Franz has appeared on NPR’s From the Top as both a composer and pianist, where he was a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. His works have been performed by groups such as the Zhejiang University choir, the Resound Ensemble, the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts orchestra and choir, and the Festival of Contemporary Music.

The internationally-acclaimed, Grammy award-winning San Francisco Boys Chorus was founded in 1948 and is under the new directorship of Eric Choate, With nearly 200 boys in its programs the Chorus has just celebrated its 70th anniversary. Since its founding, the Chorus has grown into a distinguished educational and performance organization having appeared over the years in over 135 productions with the San Francisco Opera, frequently as soloists. Many other collaborations include appearances with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Ballet, Midsummer Mozart, the American Boychoir, the Copenhagen Boys Choir, the San Francisco Girls Chorus, the San Francisco Young Women’s Choral Project, Sonos Bell Ringers and the Purple Silk Orchestra.

In its many civic engagements, including the 2009 Presidential Inauguration in Washington, DC, the Chorus has sung nearly every year in SF City Hall, while for four decades San Francisco Mayors have recognized the San Francisco Boys Chorus as official “Singing Ambassadors of San Francisco.”

The Chorus has toured extensively nationally and internationally, singing in concert halls and cathedrals on four continents. Among many famous venues, the Chorus has sung in Shanghai Concert Hall in China, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, St Mark’s Basilica in Venice, St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, England, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Hong Kong Cathedral, the Glinka Capella in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Danish National Cathedral in Copenhagen, Chartres and Notre Dame Cathedrals in France, the Church of the Madeleine in Paris, St Margaret’s Westminster, England, Costa Rica National Cathedral, St Andrews Cathedral in Sydney, Australia, Washington National Cathedral in DC, St Thomas Church and St. Bart’s Church in New York City, Matthias Church in Budapest, Hungary, Tokyo City Hall in Japan.

San Francisco Boys Chorus

The San Francisco Boys Chorus exists to discover, develop, and encourage boys with unchanged voices through its music programs. Its heritage of nearly 70 years of training young performers for the opera and other major musical institutions has established the highest standards of excellence with which our boys are trained for today and prepared for tomorrow.

We believe that the lives of all people are enriched and strengthened by a love of music. The quality of life in our communities is enhanced when there is a wide variety of opportunities for participation in musical activities and other artistic pursuits. Beyond its deep commitment to quality music education, the Chorus experience builds a boy’s character as well as his talent. All of our programs reflect an instructional approach designed to nurture self-esteem, leadership, independence, discipline, and responsibility, as well as a life-long love of music.

Cadence Strange — Tenor

Thirteen year-old East Bay native, Cadence Crawley Strange, was elected Head boy at the Pacific Boychoir Academy last year as a 7th grader (Head of School, Summer Dittmer) after beginning his musical studies with Pittsburg Unified School District and the San Francisco Boychoir. He has been recorded as the youngest member of the Oakland Symphony Chorus at just eleven years old as stated by the East Bay Times.

The former African American Shakespeare Theatre actor currently studies the cello under Amy Brody Amongst the love and passion this classically trained tenor has for the arts, as proven in his receipt of the Musicianship of the Year medal, he is as well a youth leader at his Church, New Destiny, Bishop Carl Smith and an academic scholar. Cadence in his perfect attendance recorded year, received honors this year in Math, Language Arts/Humanities for his writing, Spanish and received a nomination for recognition as a Jr. National Leader recipient by his Science teacher. Cadence has traveled abroad thus far to both Ecuador and Ireland in his journey with PBA and has enjoyed singing the Anthem in arenas such as Cal Berkley and both the Raiders and A's games which he was chosen as spokes person for PBA at the A's gala as well as several television and news events. NBC/Fox/ Channel 2 etc. He looks forward to sharing a book he is writing for kids entitled" My name is Cadence, I Beat to My Own Drum". He is thankful for the privilege he has been allotted to work under the direction of names such as Andrew Brown Director PBA, Marcia Roy Artistic Director PBA, Natasha Bach, Kevin Fox, Jonathan Hampton, Steven Blum, Lynn Morrow Oakland Symphony Vocal Director, Maestro Michael Morgan Oakland Symphony, Peter Callender African American Theatre Director, Maestro Bolen, Michael Tilson Thomas, (Sanfrancisco Symphony) and more. Now entering into the 8th grade, Cadence looks forward to the opportunity to participate with Musica Marin and Artistic Director Ruth Kahn under the tutelage of Lyric Baritone Marco Vassalli.

"What I enjoy most in this world is being able to share my passion for music with my mom Jasmine Strange, vocalist/ composer, my sister Lyric Fox, Jazz vocalist/ tenor sax player at Howard University and with the world. I want to be an example for other kids who may wish to do the same without scrutiny of height, size, race or gender. I want them to know that they can do anything they put their minds to with hard work, dedication and commitment."

— Cadence Starnge

Ani Bukujian — Violinist

Ani Bukujian was born into a musical family and started playing the violin at the age of two and a half. When her grandmother gifted her with a toy violin, she would stand in front of the television while imitating famous violinists, such as Sarah Chang and Itzhak Perlman. Ani studied with her father exclusively until the age of 15. A native of Los Angeles, she is the winner of numerous musical competitions, including three gold medals at the World Championship of Performing Arts, and first place at the Bach Competition, the ASTA Annual National Solo Competition, and the Pasadena String Festival.

She has recently performed as a member of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and has served as Concertmistress in the Miami Summer Music Festival, where she played the solo of Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra. She has also participated in other festivals such as Bowdoin Music Festival and Fontainebleau Festival in France. She has performed in venues such as David Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie's Stern, Zankel, and Weill Hall as a chamber and orchestral musician as well as solo performer.

Ani has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Kim Kashkashian, Ian Swensen, Dimitri Murrath and participated in masterclasses with teachers including Andres Cardenes, Aaron Rosand, Ruggiero Ricci, Abraham Shtern, Gerard Poulet, Dmitry Berlinsky, Ida Haendel and Pamela Frank among others. She holds both Bachelor and Master Degrees from TheJuilliard School where she studied with Lewis Kaplan from 2011 to 2015 and Laurie Smukler from 2015 to 2017. She attended the San Francisco Conservatory where she studied with the concertmaster of San Francisco Symphony, Alexander Barantschik.

Ani recently won the position of Principal Second violinist of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra.

Elek Yozie — Violist

I started playing viola when I was 9, studying with Ruth beginning at age 10. Since then, I have had amazing opportunities to go on multiple European trips for music instruction, and to play in great concerts like this one. I am currently principal violist in the Marin Youth Symphony and have been in the program for 6 years now. Since I started playing viola I have won multiple scholarships for music. Without learning music, I never would have been able to experience these amazing opportunities.

Chef Mark Furr — Culinary Director

Best of the Bay award winner and 20-year veteran of fine restaurants and hotels in San Francisco, including Marriott Marquis, Radius, and Broken Record, Chef Mark Furr heads up the culinary experiences at the inaugural Musica Marin International Chamber Music Festival.y

As a classically trained chef in French kitchens for ten years, Furr has appeared on the Travel Channel and garnered prestigious awards including Zagat’s Top 10 Bites at Eat Drink SF Grand Tasting.

Chef Mark Furr is currently the Director of Culinary Arts & Music, and Musica Marin and Tiburon Yacht Club in Tiburon.

Tu David Phu — Chef

Chef Tu David Phu is a first generation Vietnamese-American with a rich culinary background. An alumni of highly regarded kitchens (such as: Daniel, Acquerello and Chez Panisse) his cooking reflected a wide range of cooking cultures - from the American culinary greats to classical European traditions. But his roots were quite different. His family hails from the Island of Phu Quoc, accredited as the birthplace of fish sauce in Asia. Consequently he has family roots in Award Winning Fish Sauce Production, Hung Thanh 1895. Pilgrimages back to Vietnam were often.

After a decade of cooking, he began to immerse himself in the practices, ingredients, techniques, and flavors of Vietnamese cuisines. Revisiting his favorite childhood dishes through the memory of taste, he started to cook the cuisine of his Mothers' generations-old wisdom handed down grassroots-style. In 2016 he began garnering press and accolades with his weekly pop up dinners “AN - a Vietnamese Dining Experience.” San Francisco Chronicle named him 2017 Rising Star Chef and most recently a featured contestant on Bravo's Top Chef Season 15.

Jacob Kwan Rosenbush — Chef

A Bay Area native, Jacob developed a passion for cooking and entertaining at an early age. Heavily influenced by his mother, who was a tremendously skilled home cook, and the diversity of the Bay Area, Jake began his culinary career at Mary Risley’s Tante Marie Cooking School in San Francisco studying the foundational techniques of French and Italian cuisine.

He was the opening chef at acclaimed Stock & Trade and is the current executive chef at Hardwood Bar & Smokery.

Rogelio Garcia — Chef

Born in Mexico City, Mexico and raised in Los Angeles and Napa, California, Rogelio Garcia began his culinary career humbly as a dishwasher in Yountville, while working toward his high school diploma. A self-taught chef, Rogelio spent all his free time observing and helping in notable kitchens throughout Napa Valley and in San Francisco.

"The more I was working in the kitchen, the more I wanted to experiment with different flavors. And even though I was a dishwasher, I used to jump on the line with the cooks, and they used to show me, like, ‘Hey, this is what we do here, and his is how we set this up.’ I made it a point to learn as much as possible from as many people I could, not just from the executive chefs,” Rogelio recalls of his early years in the kitchen."

It wasn’t long before his eagerness and impeccable work ethic paid off. At age 15, he landed a job as sous chef at the now-closed, but highly regarded, Cyrus restaurant in Healdsburg. His rich history working in some of the finest kitchens includes positions such as executive sous chef at Calistoga Ranch, chef de partie at French Laundry, and executive chef at Angele and The Commissary. He attributes his successes to his culinary mentors and a deep passion for cooking.

In summer 2018, Rogelio joined the team at San Francisco’s Michelin-starred Spruce. As the chef de cuisine, Rogelio oversees the day-to-day operations of the kitchen and its menu of refined American dishes. Rogelio’s familiarity with Spruce’s style of cuisine – refined yet approachable – allows him to display his creativity, meanwhile incorporating many different techniques alongside the finest ingredients. Frequent trips to the local farmers’ markets and custom-grown ingredients from the restaurant’s farm, SMIP Ranch, are highlighted in his cooking.

Rogelio was a contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef and has cooked at the famed James Beard Foundation House. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his two young sons.

Intu Kornnawong — Chef

I’m Chef Intu, who grew up in a small town called “Udon Thani” north eastern of Thailand. everyone know as “Isaan”.

My dad would make the best “duck salad” called larb ped and my mom made the best Bangkok food called nam prik. Everytime they were in the kitchen, I would stop what I was doing and help them.

I decided to move to California after I graduating with a Bachelor's degree in environmental science.

The first decided I need to continued my major and going to Master’s degree.

Then, I discovered that cooking is my passion and attended ICC, ‘The International Culinary Center’ founded by French Culinary Institute (FCI).

While attending ICC, I would work at multiple restaurants to learn the techniques and the trade of cooking also for living in the city. that’s really hard to live in the expensive city without working. I was commute from SF to campbell city every day and keep cooking thai food btw training in french technique I worked at Marnee Thai with Chef Chai Siriyan and Chef Kasem at kitchen story (the owner at Farmhouse thai now).

After graduating from culinary school my career took off and I had job offers from the Range, which is a Michelin star restaurant and was mentored by Chef Rachel Silcock and stumbled onto Outerlands restaurant and worked with Chef Yoni Levy to learn Californian and French cuisine cooking style.

I decided to move to LA to continue my career and worked at the Rustic Canyon to learn from Chef Jeremy Fox. Chef Jeremy taught me a lot about Local farmer, vegetables and Californian cuisine is. One day led me to start learning about my home town cultural roots which is Thai food. I want to go back to my root Which led me to work at Night+Market as a kitchen manager with Chef Kris Yenbamroong who had a passion in Thai Food.

Chef Kris Taught me a lot about being more than just a chef and taught me how to run a restaurant, and we opened up another restaurant together Night + market #3.

After gaining 2 years of experience at Night+Market. I decided to move back to Bay area (SF) The where am I from. I first city I live and followed my heart (SF and my boyfriend) here. I started doing my own Pop up at Harmonic Brewing to test my food concept (Isaan, thai, californian style) Since I had numerous experiences under many chef’s I decided to create Thai-Californian cuisine.

Danica Aviles — Chef

Pinoy Heritage is an award winning Filipino popup restaurant helmed by Danica Aviles. Her years of experience in some of San Francisco's fine dining establishments coupled with their extensive culinary research in the Philippines have culminated into a shared vision to evolve and spread Filipino cuisine. Pinoy Heritage focuses on using seasonal, California-grown produce and translates these ingredients into dishes that personify the distinctive tastes and warm hospitality of the Philippines.

Melissa Perfit — Chef

Melissa Perfit is the executive chef of Ayala. She joins the Ayala team with an incredible appreciation for west coast seafood and San Francisco’s fine dining scene.

She was born in Canberra, Australia, but moved to Gainesville, Florida, at a young age. While attending Florida State University working towards a degree in media productions and film, Melissa spent a semester abroad in London where she fell in love with food and cooking. Her first kitchen job was doing prep at a restaurant in Tallahassee, Florida. After graduating, Melissa set her sights on culinary school in San Francisco and enrolled at the California Culinary Academy.

Her first job after graduation was at Bar Crudo. Over the next ten years, she cooked in numerous kitchens in San Francisco including Hog Island Oyster Co., Farina, Michael Mina’s RN74, Bar Tartine, and The Beast and the Hare. Her first Chef de Cuisine position was for Charles Phan's Hard Water. In 2014, Melissa returned to Bar Crudo to take on the role of the executive chef. During this time, she competed on Bravo’s Top Chef Season 15 in Colorado.