Photo credit: Matthew Septimus
October 29, 2023–April 30, 2024
7:30 PM
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is pleased to present the 2023–2024 season of the Barbara and William Karatz Chamber Concert Series, beginning October 29, 2023, at 6 p.m. The series, which continues until April 30, 2024, is set in the intimate Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room inside the Athenaeum. Enjoy chamber music as it was intended—in a warm, personal setting, where you are treated as a guest in our historic library. At each concert you’ll hear a mix of music rarely presented locally and cherished masterpieces, guaranteed to uplift and move you, performed by the finest chamber musicians we know. We welcome back a few favorite artists from past seasons along with some exciting new faces that are sure to inspire.
All concerts are preceded by a pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m. and are followed by a reception with the artists in the Sharon & Joel Labovitz Entry Hall.
Note from the Directors:
We are grateful for the warm reception and supportive feedback we’ve received from our audiences during our first season, and we are excited to share our plans for the 2023–2024 season with you. This year’s concerts will feature another mix of fresh faces alongside familiar friends, with a variety of artists, instruments, and music that is sure to delight. We hope you’ll join us again, and we look forward to connecting with you soon!
Sunday, October 29, 6 PM* (*Special start time)
McGill/McHale Trio (Anthony McGill, clarinet; Demarre McGill, flute; Michael McHale, piano)
This group of superstars makes their first visit to San Diego as a trio, opening the Athenaeum’s season with a bang. Their dynamic program features sonatas by Poulenc along with works by some of today’s most exciting composers, including Missy Mazzoli and Valerie Coleman (whose Portraits of Langston was inspired by the poetry of Langston Hughes*). This special opening concert will be performed without intermission.
PROGRAM (subject to change)
A Fish Will Rise, Chris Rogerson
Sonata for Flute and Piano, Francis Poulenc
Techno-Parade (2002), Guillaume Connesson
Evocation d'Amour, Augusta Holmes, arr. Michael McHale
Heartbreaker, Missy Mazzoli
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Francis Poulenc
*Portraits of Langston, Valerie Coleman
Prelude: Helen Keller
Danse Africaine
Le Grand Duc Mambo
Silver Rain
Jazz Band in a Parisian Cabaret
Harlem's Summer Night
Tuesday, November 21, 7:30 PM
Valencia Baryton Project (Matthew Baker, baryton; Estevan de Almeida Reis, viola; Alex Friedhoff, cello)
A string trio with four instruments? A harpsichord hiding behind the cello? The Valencia Baryton Project has dedicated itself to the performance of music written for an ancient and little-known instrument, the baryton. A cross between the viol da gamba and lirone (or lira da gamba), with 10 resonating and plucked strings down the back of the instrument, the baryton gives the traditional string trio an entirely new dimension. This unique group was originally scheduled to visit our series in 2022 and will bring a fresh program of old and new works sure to delight.
Baryton Trio No. 69 in D Major, Hob.XI:69, Joseph Haydn
The River, Steve Zink
Baryton Trio No.113 in D Major, Hob.XI:113, Joseph Haydn
—Intermission—
Prelude 1 (2021), John Pickup
Baryton Trio No.71 in A Major, Hob.XI:71, Joseph Haydn
Lament (solo baryton), John Pickup
Baryton Trio No.93 in C Major, Hob.XI:93, Joseph Haydn
Monday, December 18, 7:30 PM
Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano & Yura Lee, violin
NOTE: Due to extenuating circumstances, Andrew Wan will be unable to perform on December 18. Instead, violinist Yura Lee will perform with Charles Richard-Hamelin.
This virtuoso duo will visit the Athenaeum for the first time together. They will present a program that celebrates and highlights some of the most beloved works written by two giants of the classical canon: Johannes Brahms and Robert Schumann.
Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, op. 100, Johannes Brahms
Fantasiestück, op. 73, Robert Schumann
—Intermission—
Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, op.121, Robert Schumann
Thursday, January 25, 7:30pm
Maxwell Quartet (Colin Scobie and George Smith, violins; Elliott Perks, viola; Duncan Strachan, cello)
One of our (and our audience’s!) favorite string quartets returns to the series, with two of the most revolutionary works for string quartet ever written (by Haydn and Beethoven) as well as a celebration of folk music from three-quarters of the quartet’s native Scotland.
String Quartet in E-flat Major, op. 20, no. 1, Hob.III:31, Joseph Haydn
Work Songs (folk music from Scotland), arr. Maxwell Quartet
—Intermission—
String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, op. 131, Ludwig van Beethoven
Monday, March 18, 7:30 PM
Verona Quartet (Jonathan Ong and Dorothy Ro, violins; Abigail Rojansky, viola; Jonathan Dormand, cello)
This vibrant young group has been acclaimed as an “outstanding ensemble … cohesive yet full of temperament” (New York Times) and is the faculty quartet-in-residence at Oberlin College and Conservatory. They make their first appearance at the Athenaeum with a program that travels from Britain to Bohemia and includes a nod to San Diego, featuring quartets by William Walton, Antonin Dvorak, and SDSU faculty member Texu Kim.
String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, William Walton
Ritus Sanitatem, Texu Kim
—Intermission—
String Quartet No. 14 in A-flat Major Op.105, B. 193, Antonín Dvořák
Tuesday, April 30, 7:30 PM
Santiago Cañón-Valencia, cello
In his first visit to San Diego, cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia performs an exciting and varied solo program, ranging from Bach’s Second Suite to works from his latest album, Ascenso (Sono Luminus), which includes original compositions and arrangements by the cellist himself. Cañón-Valencia is a 2022 BBC Next Generation Artist and winner of the silver medal and “audience favorite” at the 2019 Tchaikovsky International Competition. The Strad magazine describes him in performance as “technically flawless [and] totally under the skin of the composers’ idioms.”
Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008, Johann Sebastian Bach
La Ruta de la Mariposa, Damián Ponce de León
Sonata for Solo Cello, George Crumb
—Intermission—
Asturias, Isaac Albéniz, arr. Santiago Cañón Valencia
Omaramor, Osvaldo Golijov
Ascenso Hacia lo Profundo, Santiago Cañón-Valencia
The concerts will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for these events. Your name will be on an attendee list at the front door. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Seating is first-come; first-served. These events will be presented in compliance with State of California and County of San Diego health regulations as applicable at the time of each concert.
Masks optional. If you have a fever, cough, or flu-like symptoms, please stay home.