…and from the mountains to the valleys.
Last week the Piedmont Post ran a preview of several of our local and coastal music festivals. Today we turn our attention to the mountains and the valleys.
The Bear Valley Music Festival opened its doors in 1967 in the Stanislaus National Forest, a placid summer vale that was once better known as a winter ski destination. Originally a respite for classical musicians, this festival has slowly grown both popular and eclectic, and now, under the baton of maestro Michael Morgan, that eclecticism is a perfect match for the long-time conductor of the Oakland Symphony.
Morgan has been a torchbearer for inclusive music, reaching out to the diversity of his Oakland audiences with programming that celebrated Armenian composers, Chinese New Year, Persian and Filipino artists and lots and lots of jazz-classical fusions. And while his programs always include some of the great works of the classical realm, he is fearless in trying to push the boundaries of the genre. In one moment of perfect inclusivity he conducted a world premiere that combined an Israeli classical cellist performing with artists on Arabic oud, Chinese erhu and Nepalese sarangi… and full orchestra!
Now Morgan is lending his talent for inclusion and innovation to Bear Valley, and this year’s line-up is fifteen days of fun in the woods. This Friday, July 22, the T Sisters open the festival with an Oaklandish blend of tight harmonies and folk/bluegrass, followed on July 23 by Evolution doing a tribute to the famed rock band Journey. On Sunday, July 24 the Festival switches gears to classical chamber music, with cellist Emil Miland and soprano Ann Moss and friends.
Then, on Thursday, July 28, the Bear Valley Symphony makes its first appearance in a program of Nielson, Abel, Haydn and Mozart, combining forces with the incomparable Del Sol String Quartet and trumpet soloist John Pearson. The following night they will perform Beethoven’s arresting Symphony No. 5, along with young piano sensation Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner in Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Those of you who heard that 19-year-old last winter with the Oakland Symphony may recall that it was a remarkable experience.
Other highlights include jazz violinist Mads Tolling, formerly of the Turtle Island String Quartet, a family-friendly concert with the engaging violinist Dawn Harms, and a night of opera. See bearvalleymusicfestival.org for schedule and tickets, or call (209) 813-0554. Note: camping sites may fill up.
Now in their second year, the Valley of the Moon Music Festival is dedicated to classical and romantic repertoire played on period instruments. Festival co-founders pianist Eric Zivian and cellist Tanya Tomkins (also a real-life couple) have crafted this year’s theme as “The Voice in Chamber Music.” Tenor Kyle Stegall will be featured on Saturday, July 23, in “Death and the Maiden,” and July 24 in Schumann lieder, along with chamber music with the lyricism of voice.
And on Friday and Saturday, July 29 and 30, soprano Nikki Einfeld will sing Mozart and Rossini and Schubert arias in two nicely crafted programs, along with a cadre of strings and winds. I have heard Einfeld both in modern works with Left Coast Chamber Orchestra and in Rossini’s beloved Barber of Seville, and her range and warmth are remarkable.
All concerts are held in the intimate theater of the Hanna Boys Center in Napa. See valleyofthemoonmusicfestival.org for more information.
For those who enjoy more rarified air, the Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival is now in its sixth season, founded by pianist Ian Scarfe and violinist Ellen McGehee. They will perform concerts on three more weekends, with Mozart and Brahms quintets on Aug. 5 – 7 and culminating August 26 – 27 in “East Meets West.”
The festival travels around the northern California mountains with performances in Hyampom, Weaverville, Redding and Coffee Creek. See trinityalpscmf.org for complete schedule.
Held in Napa Valley since its founding in 1995 by violinists Daria and Michael Adams, Music in the Vineyards now has world-class quartets performing in 13 different venues at vineyards around the Valley (but indoors, not actually in the grapes). The famed Escher Quartet opens this summer season on Friday, July 29 at Freemark Abbey in St. Helena in a program of Mozart and Brahms, and then they also appear Saturday, July 30 at the Stag’s Leap Winery and Sunday at the Jamieson Ranch Vineyards with works by Mozart, Glazunov and Ravel.
The concerts continue for three more weeks, featuring the SF Piano Trio and the Jupiter and Ariel Quartets. Some of the concerts in this top-notch series are already sold out (including Axel Strauss performing Piazzolla!), and many are a delightful blend of nineteenth century and contemporary works, including one world premiere by Kevin Puts. For the finale, the Ariel Quartet will perform the entire cycle of the 16 Beethoven quartets over the final five nights of the festival, from Wednesday, Aug. 17 to Sunday, Aug. 21. This festival has truly unheard-of talent in exquisite settings, including the Cave Theater at Clos Pegase Winery. See musicinthevineyards.org for complete listing.
—Adam Broner
Photo top of Michael Morgan, conductor of the Bear Valley Music Festival and Oakland Symphony, courtesy of Eric Politzer; below, soprano Nikki Einfeld at the Valley of the Moon festival, photo courtesy of the artist.