Violinist

Experience a preview of Dark Music Days, a contemporary music festival held annually during the darkest days of winter in Reykjavik, Iceland. Multi-instrumentalists Ensemble Adapter, Keir GoGwilt, and Celeste Oram will perform their live radio play, Yunge Eylands Varpcast Netwerkið, which weaves together multilingual songs, stories, music, and historical archives. The quartet uses quirky DIY radios to create a vibe of joyful collective music-making and playful conversation between listeners and radio, past and present.

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Civic Alliances Series: Dark Music Days

World Trade Center

From pleasing to provocative, intellectual to insouciant, this program sheds light on the many facets of 20th-century Mexican and Argentinian classical compositions. Feel the passion and intensity of the tango in Piazzola’s renowned “Seasons”, juxtaposed with the exhilarating and profound string quartet “Música de Feria” by Revueltas. The program also features the graceful compositions of Manuel Ponce, offering a glimpse into the elegant charm of his musical creations. Works by 20th-century composers Alberto Ginastera (Argentina) and Mario Lavista (Mexico) top off an exciting and varied program.

Mexico and Argentina

Hanna Boys Center

Aaron Copland made four highly publicized government-sponsored trips to Latin America between 1941 and 1963. During these visits, he shared contemporary American concert music with Latin American audiences, including his own violin sonata, heard on tonight’s program. Back home, he drew US attention to the composers and musicians he met in Latin America, such as Heitor Villa-Lobos of Brazil and Silvestre Revueltas and Manuel Ponce of Mexico, all whom Copland knew personally and whose works are also featured. Another contemporary of Copland was the Black American composer William Grant Still, whose Panamanian Dances were inspired by a collection of Latin American folk songs. The history of Pan-American musical exchange predates Copland.

The Americas

Discover a harmonious fusion of serenity and exuberance come together at Buena Vista Winery. Our stage will be the enchanting Fountain Courtyard, framed by the historic backdrop of the 1864 Champagne Cellar. Savor the exquisite selection of Buena Vista’s wines as they complement the sultry notes of Villa-Lobos’ ‘Bachianas Brasileiras No.5’ and the fiery passion of Pablo de Sarasate’s ‘Carmen Fantasy’. Immerse yourself in the grand finale of our Alfresco series, where the blend of music, high-quality wines, and the breathtaking sunset creates an unforgettable evening.

Alfresco 3

Buena Vista Winery

Immerse yourself in the vibrant sounds of Brazil as we bring to life the musical genius of GRAMMY-award winning Brazilian guitarist, composer, and arranger Sergio Assad (b. 1953). Renowned for his captivating duo performances with his brother Odair Assad and frequent collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma and other luminaries, Assad stands as one of today’s most prolific composers for the guitar. The program presents Assad’s music alongside that of his Brazilian forebears, Antonio Carlos Gomes and Heitor Villa-Lobos, as well as his European influences, Chopin and Maurice Ravel. Bay Area guitarist—and friend of Assad’s—Marc Teicholz makes his Festival debut for this Brazilian panorama. 

Sergio Assad and His World

After a successful first collaboration last season, VMMF returns to the gorgeous patio of the La Luz Center in Sonoma for another Alfresco evening. Get together with two striking string quartets by early 20th Century Mexican composers Silvestre Revueltas and Miguel Bernal Jiménez. To close this concert, the vibrant and colorful sounds of local favorite and sibling trio Raiz del Real will bring the essence of Son Huasteco to life.

Alfresco 2

La Luz Center

To ensure the comfort and safety of our audience (and instruments!), we decided to move this Alfresco concert inside of Bartholomew Park’s historic Haraszthy’s Villa.

Alfresco 1

Haraszthy Villa

José Silvestre de los Dolores White (1835-1918), also known as José White and Joseph White, was born in Matanzas, Cuba, during colonial times. He began playing the violin and composing at a young age. His professional debut occurred in 1854 alongside the American pianist Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869), who inspired him to study at the Paris Conservatoire. There, he won the Premier Prix after less than one year of study. White gained global recognition as a soloist, composer, and pedagogue and, in the United States, he notably became the first soloist of African descent to perform with the New York Philharmonic Society, during his 1875-1876 tour. 

José White's Circle

American Modern Opera Company’s (AMOC) production of contemporary composer John Adams’ El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered with libretto by Peter Sellars and concept by Julia Bullock is a chamber music arrangement created and conducted by Christian Reif and was first performed at The Met Cloisters in 2018 in the beautiful San Martín at Fuentidueña chapel. The New York Times calls it “intimate, affecting and quietly rich with activism.” This rarely performed work celebrates Latin American poets and voices of women. Says Julia Bullock, “one of opera’s fastest-rising stars” (Vanity Fair), who curated the selections being performed and will sing in the performance, “El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered ruminates on the notion that with the promise of new life, there is the equal threat of inexplicable violence and sacrifice.”

El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered

Stanford University

Mozart’s Piano Quartets are written like concertos: the piano is featured, accompanied by a sort of “mini orchestra” of 3 string players. We are thrilled to feature Laureate Axel Trolese as the “soloist” with three generations of early music experts in the accompanying roles. True to this year’s theme, the program ends with an arrangement of Beethoven’s 2nd Symphony for Piano Trio by the composer himself. On an 18th-century fortepiano you can really hear the trumpets and drums!

Keir GoGwilt

Violinist

Events

Past events

Sep 6, 2024

Civic Alliances Series: Dark Music Days · Perelman Performing Arts Center

Jul 28, 2024

Mexico and Argentina · Valley of the Moon Music Festival

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