Our season finale features music guaranteed to lift your spirits. The concert opens with Maurice Ravel’s orchestration of Claude Debussy’s lighthearted “Danse” (“Tarantella Styrienne”) and continues with the world premiere of the Music Guild’s latest commissioned work – “Raíces” (“Roots”) by Los Angeles-based composer, María Eugenia León. Highlighting the musical traditions of both her native Canary Islands as well as Spain, “Raíces” features the timple, a five-string guitar described as “the pinnacle of Canarian music.” The evening concludes with Dvořák’s virtuosic Violin Concerto in A minor, featuring YuEun Gemma Kim.

EPSG:4326

Season Finale – YuEun Gemma Kim plays Dvořák

St. Matthew's Music Guild

In one historic moment, Bach set the stage for the harpsichord to claim its place as a concerto soloist. The instrument's meteoric evolution from a harmony-playing member of the Basso continuo team to an elevated solo instrument worthy of concertos occurred when Bach composed a frenzied cadenza for the harpsichord in his Fifth Brandenburg Concerto. That work alone employs the harpsichord in three roles, to add harmonic texture, to share the spotlight with flute and violin as a melodic chamber instrument, and ultimately to completely take over the proceedings with a dramatic stepping out, front and center.

Bach's Harpsichord

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

Saint Mark's Episcopal Church

Davis Community Church

St. Mark's Lutheran Church, San Francisco

Elegant, expressive and brimming with Romantic spirit, this program features two masterpieces by Felix Mendelssohn. His dramatic Symphony No. 5 (“Reformation”) is filled with majestic themes and sweeping orchestral writing, culminating in a powerful finale. Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor is a jewel of the violin repertoire, known for its soaring melodies and virtuosic brilliance. The dynamic YuEun Gemma Kim, praised for her vibrant artistry, joins as guest soloist. This concert promises a rich blend of lyrical beauty and bold Romantic expression.

Mendelssohn Classics

Poway Center for the Performing Arts

Pergolesi's incomparable setting of the Stabat Mater rose to great fame immediately following the composer's untimely death at the age of 26. Known for its beautiful arias and duets for soprano and alto, the writer and composer Jean-Jacques Rousseau praised the opening movement as "the most perfect and touching duet to come from the pen of any composer." The uniquely captivating music of Pergolesi's setting attracted Johann Sebastian Bach about a decade later, inspiring him to compose an arrangement of the instrumental parts that included a very elaborate part for the violas. After all, Bach was a fine violist himself, and he must have yearned for the opportunity to contribute to Pergolesi's beautiful music in a way that would flatter its composer.

The Harmonic Labyrinth

Join fellow revelers and supporters of American Bach for a festive evening of music, wine & cocktails, heavy hors d'oeuvres, and an auction of amazing experiences available only at Sparkle!

Sparkle Gala & Fundraiser

San Francisco War Memorial

YuEun Gemma Kim and Ines Thomé join together on classical guitar and violin to present an electrifying yet soothing experience—an exploration of tradition that pushes the boundaries of musical expression. These critically acclaimed musicians have captivated audiences across the United States with their magnetic stage presence and consummate musicality. YuEun and Ines stand as accomplished soloists, each boasting a collection of accolades in their respective instruments that has carried them to stages around the world. Their repertoire spans the ages, from evocative renditions of early music performed on period instruments to innovative arrangements of popular music executed with the highest level of artistry.

YU&I Guitar and Violin Duo

The Chapel

Camerata Pacifica rings in the New Year with a compelling and unexpected mix of chamber masterworks both time-honored and contemporary featuring the highly anticipated Camerata Pacifica debut of South Korean-born violinist YuEun Gemma Kim, admired for “her exceptional virtuosity” (LA Opus). Four performances across Southern California are set for Sunday, January 14, 3 p.m., at Janet and Ray Scherr Forum in Thousand Oaks; Tuesday, January 16, 7:30 p.m., at The Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall in San Marino; Thursday, January 18, 8 p.m., at Zipper Hall in Downtown Los Angeles; and Friday, January 19, 2024, 7:30 p.m., Hahn Hall at Santa Barbara’s Music Academy.

YuEun Gemma Kim

Events

Past events

May 29, 2026

Season Finale – YuEun Gemma Kim plays Dvořák · St. Matthew's Music Guild

1 - 4 May, 2026

Bach's Harpsichord · American Bach Soloists

Future and recently performed repertoire

Violin in Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 by Bach

American Bach Soloists

Violin in Stabat Mater by Pergolesi

American Bach Soloists

Violin in Violin Concerto in E Minor by Mendelssohn

Poway Symphony Orchestra

Violin in Violin Concerto by Dvořák

St. Matthew's Music Guild

Violin in Non sa che sia dolore by Bach

American Bach Soloists

Violin in Violin Concerto in D Major by Locatelli

American Bach Soloists

About

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