DEL SOL QUARTET
Benjamin Kreith and Rick Shinozaki, Violins
Charlton Lee, Viola
Kathryn Bates, Cello
– PROGRAM –
from Milagros (Miracles) (2010)
Gabriela Lena Frank (USA)
Mujeres Cantando (Women Singing)
Danza de Tingo María (Dance of Tingo María)
Adios a Churín (Goodbye to Churín)
Danza de los Muñecos (Dance of the Dolls)
“Chasqui” from Leyendas – An Andean Walkabout (2001)
Gabriela Lena Frank
G Song (1980)
Terry Riley (USA)
Bir, Ki, Üç, Son
Erberk Eryılmaz (Turkey/USA)
ABOUT THE MUSICIANS
Hailed by Gramophone as “masters of all musical things they survey,” the Del Sol String Quartet is a leading force in 21st century chamber music, vibrantly exploring the stories and sounds of the Pacific Rim. Founded in 1992 and based in San Francisco, the group devotes itself to commissioning and performing new works, collaboraMng across disciplines, and creaMng innovative educational programs.
Del Sol has released eight critically-acclaimed recordings, including three on the GRAMMY® Award-winning Sono Luminus label. The New York Times praised Del Sol’s most recent recording, Scrapyard Exotica, “See if your foot can stay still once you put on this funky disc of rhythmically infectious… music played by the adventurous Del Sol String Quartet.
Del Sol has commissioned and premiered over 100 works by a diverse range of composers, including Terry Riley, Mason Bates, Gabriela Lena Frank, Chinary Ung, Mohammed Fairouz, Tania León, Ken Ueno, Peter Sculthorpe, Reza Vali and Per Nørgård.
The Quartet has performed on prominent concert series nationwide, including the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery in Washington, DC; Symphony Space, NYC; Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Santa Cruz; Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY; Clefworks Festival, Montgomery, AL; Colorado Music Festival, Boulder; Other Minds Festival, San Francisco; Santa Fe Opera; University of Vermont Lane Series; and internationally in Switzerland, France, China, South Korea, Canada and Mexico. Del Sol also has held residencies at various educational institutions across the US.
BENJAMIN KREITH, violinist
Ben has premiered solo violin works at the Strasbourg and Marseille Festivals, given recitals in New York, Rome and Madrid, and played as a guest artist with the Ying and Muir Quartets. For several years he was a member of the Cascade Quartet and concertmaster of the Great Falls (MT) Symphony. Outside the concert hall, Ben has rafted through Grand Canyon, paddling and performing string quartets in the side canyons, caverns, and beaches along the Colorado River. A founding member of the Ensemble CGAC in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Ben also participates in the Bay Area new music collective sfSound. His recordings include solo works on the Accord/Universal and Stradivarius labels. Later this year, his English translation of Ramón del Valle-Inclán’s novel, Flower of Sanctity, will be published in Great Britain. He has taught at the Escola de Música de Barcelona and served as artist-in-residence at UC Davis. Ben holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory, a Master of Music degree from the University of Toronto, and studied principally with Lorand Fenyves, Jorja Fleezanis and Malcolm Lowe.
RICK SHINOZAKI, violinist
Rick’s joyful curiosity shines through all of his music making. Principal Second Violin of both Symphony Silicon Valley and the Mendocino Music Festival Orchestra, his solo performances have included the world premiere of Viennese composer Zdzislaw Wysocki’s “Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra” under Kent Nagano and the Berkeley Symphony. Rick is known for his intimate collaborations with composers William Jay Sydeman, Durwynne Hsieh and Mark Fish, commissioning, performing and editing their work. With pianist Irene Jacobson, the Shinozaki-Jacobson Duo has delighted audiences with an eclectic repertoire and interpretations cited as “scintillating” and “in perfect harmony,” including an album release of Alberto Ginastera’s “Pampeana #1” for the Latin American Chamber Music Society. Rick is a protégé of Serban Rusu of Tiburon, CA; he also studied extensively with legendary pedagogue Josef Gingold and Yuval Yaron at Indiana University, from which he holds a Master of Music degree. Outside of performing, Rick is devoted to music editing and providing Del Sol’s social media with comic relief.
CHARLTON LEE, violist
Founding violist of the Del Sol String Quartet, Charlton has toured North America, Europe and Asia as a soloist and chamber musician. He is sought after as an educator, chamber music coach and jurist, with teaching experience at San Francisco State University, San Francisco School of the Arts, Steamboat Springs and Oaxaca music festivals, and he coaches regularly for Chamber Musicians of Northern California and the Symphony of the Redwoods. He created and performed music for the award-winning short film, “Red, White, Blue, and Yellow,” and also has collaborated with various dance companies, including Stephen Pelton, Ben Levy, and Garrett/Moulton. Charlton received a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Mathematics and Physics from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master’s Degree in Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Consequently, he may be the only person to have published articles in both Physics Review Letters and Strings Magazine. He also is a 20th generation disciple of the martial art Chen Taiji and an avid chef.
KATHRYN BATES, cellist
Hailed by the New York Times for her “beautifully rounded sound,” Kathryn has a passionate commitment to exploring the boundaries of tradition and innovation in all genres of performance. She has worked with various new music ensembles, including the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble and Ensemble Parallèle, and co-founded the New Spectrum Ensemble. Her tenure as cellist of the New Fromm Players at the Tanglewood Music Center from 2008-2010 included the Elliott Carter 100th Birthday celebration, as well as solo performances called “the revelation of the concert” (Sequenza 21) and “electrifying” (Boston Globe). A native of historic Concord, Massachusetts, Kathryn graduated from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, under the direction of Norman Fischer, and holds a Master’s degree in Chamber Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Mark Kosower and Jean-Michel Fonteneau. Because of her love of nature, Kathryn spends time away from the cello on outdoor trails, either running, hiking or backpacking.
WEDNESDAY NOON CONCERTS
The community is invited to our complimentary Wednesday Noon Concert series. As part of our ongoing mission to use the transformative power of the arts to inspire and enrich our community, we have opened our doors for the past two years, every Wednesday at Noon, and presented concerts performed by talented musicians that are free of charge to the public. These free noon performances offer listeners the opportunity to discover the beauty of music in an intimate accessible setting, while providing the community with cultural enrichment and exposure to talented performers.
Concerts are in a one-hour format and performances take place in the intimate Tivoli or Crescendo where both audience and musicians can sit in vibrant, close proximity. Musicians often stay after the performance to informally speak about the program and their upcoming concerts.
