We invite you to join us for our Wednesday Noon Concert Series held every Wednesday at Noon. Each week we showcase a variety of talented Bay Area performers in an intimate setting. Our Wednesday Noon Concerts are free events focused on providing musicians with a space to create, inspire, and develop. Donations are welcomed and appreciated.
Ellen Sanders is a cellist, teacher and conductor who lives and plays in Oakland, CA and the Bay Area. She is Principal Cello of Santa Cruz Symphony, Assistant Principal Cello of Opera San Jose and a regular member of the San Jose Chamber Orchestra and an extra musician for the San Francisco Opera. Ms. Sanders is a teaching artist for the San Francisco Symphony’s Education Department where she weekly visits middle and high school music classes to coach cello sections and chamber music groups. In 2015/2016 she joined H.O.U.S.E. (Home of United String Ensembles) – a program that brings professional musicians to public schools to coach string music students in Oakland. For 2014/15 she was Assistant Conductor of The Community Women’s Orchestra (Oakland, CA) where she premiered the first movement of the “Concerto for 4 Bassoons” by June Bonacich. Ms. Sanders has been a member of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony cello section since 1992. Ellen has coached for the Sun Valley Summer Symphony’s Summer Music Workshops from the start and will conduct its Philharmonia Orchestra for an 11th summer in 2016. Ms. Sanders is a graduate of Oberlin College and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She has been seen hiking her doggie girl, Toni, in the regional parks of Oakland and surfing the waters of Santa Cruz.
Violist Caroline Lee has performed throughout the US and Canada as an orchestral player as well as a chamber musician and recitalist. She is currently a member of the San Francisco Ballet orchestra and also performs regularly with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra as well as the San Francisco Symphony. Before relocating to the Bay area, Caroline was a member of the Kansas City Symphony for eight years. She also performed with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra as principal violist and also performed regularly with the Chicago Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra. An active chamber musician, she has performed in Banff, Domaine Forget, International Musical Arts Festival and Sun Valley Summer Symphony’s In Focus chamber series, collaborating with members of the Tokyo, Cleveland and Colorado quartets, as well as artists such as Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Eric Friedmann, Jesse Levine, and Richard Stolzman. Along with her sister Aeri, Caroline formed the Lee duo and performs recitals throughout North America, championing less familiar viola repertoire. She is also a member of Eos Ensemble, performing a wide range of works for chamber ensemble within the SF bay area. A sought after teacher, she taught undergraduate students at Yale University and worked as a guest clinician and coach at International Musical Arts Institute, Ottawa Suzuki Institute, KC Quartet program, and the Crowden School. Caroline received her bachelor in music degree at the University of Michigan and her masters and Artist Diploma at Yale School of Music.
Some of our past performers have been:
Violin, Beni Shinohara
A native of Nagoya, Japan, Beni Shinohara studied violin at the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music, where she earned a Master of Music degree. She also studied in Europe with Sandor Vegh before coming to the United States.
Beni has been the Assistant Principal Second violin for the San Francisco Opera Orchestra since 1988 and Assistant Concertmaster in the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra since 1990. She also performs with many Bay Area chamber ensembles such as Marin Chamber Players, Gold Coast Chamber Players, and the Edgewood Trio.
Piano, Maiko Nishio
Japanese pianist Maiko Nishio has served on the piano staff at the Juilliard School and Aspen Music Festival and School. She holds a Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano from The Juilliard School. She holds a second Master of Music degree in chamber music from San Francisco State University where she received the Michael Segrove Avalos Award. Ms. Nishio currently lives in Japan.
Cello, Victoria Ehrlich
Victoria Ehrlich, cellist, was born in Texas and received her musical education at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, the Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome, Italy, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She also attended summer programs at Interlochen, Aspen, and Tanglewood. Her teachers include Robert Marsh, Bernard Greenhouse, and Robert Gardner.
Before joining the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in 1984, she performed with Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and served as Principal Cellist with the symphonies of Omaha, Richmond, VA, and Phoenix.
Ms. Ehrlich has performed with San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Symphony, California and Berkeley Symphonies, Lamplighters, and the Russian Chamber Orchestra.
She’s also an active chamber musician, appearing regularly with the percussion group Adesso, the Gold Coast Chamber Players, Picasso Ensemble, the Fath Chamber Players and the Ariel String Quartet. Recent work includes collaboration with poets and composers under the auspices of the American Composers’ Forum.
Sinella Aghasi Moshabad graduated from CSU Stanislaus with the honor of Magna Cum Laude in 2014. She received her Bachelor’s degrees in Instrumental Music Education and Violin Performance. Sinella was accepted into the San Francisco School of Music and Dance for her Master’s Degree in violin performance with a full scholarship starting Fall 2014. Sinella has studied the violin with Zakarias Grafilo, Geoffrey Mulder, Ali Jafari Pouyan, Golriz Zarbakhsh, and Nima Zahedi. She was accepted into the music high school of Tehran-Iran at the age of 11 and earned her diploma in music specializing in the violin with a minor in voice. Sinella has performed in different countries and cities as a violinist and vocalist. Sinella has sung in Townsend Opera’s productions. She took voice lessons with Shahla Milani, and Dr. Daniel Afonso, and was a member of the CSUS Chamber Singers for couple of years. She won the first place in the International Christian Music Festival in 2010. Sinella joined Sigma Alpha Iota, the international music fraternity in 2011, and served as the musicale chair. Sinella was chosen as the outstanding student of the year from the CSUS Music Department, and received the Dean’s award of excellence. Sinella was nominated for membership, and initiated into the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi chapter of CSU Stanislaus. She was also awarded the scholarship of the Special Talent from the Assyrian American Association of Southern California in 2011. Sinella wont the Concerto Competition at SF State in 2014. She has served as the concertmaster of the San Francisco State Symphony Orchestra, CSU Stanislaus Symphony Orchestra, and has performed in different orchestras, such as Townsend Opera Orchestra, and MJC community orchestra. She performed as a soloist with the Mesopotamia Orchestra in 2014. In addition to several performances, Sinella’s passion for the Music Education has never stopped from growing. She served as the orchestra manager, and taught different classes at the CSUS Summer Music Camp for four years. She was the assistant conductor of Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra for two years. She was the violin instructor at the Healing Nation- non-profit organization in Modesto. She is currently the string coach at the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra’s Education Department, and she is the classroom music teacher at St. Anne Elementary School. Sinella has her own violin studio, and she enjoys very much teaching younger students.
Divesh Karamchandani graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Music in percussion performance and instrumental music education, after which he quickly embarked on what is already a successful and decorated career. He recently earned a master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, having studied with world-renowned percussionist Jack Van Geem. He is now the principal percussionist for the Modesto-based Townsend Opera Players and a member of the U.S. Beacon Artist Association, with recent performances including the Townsend Opera productions of “La Traviata” and “La Boheme.” Karamchandani is equally passionate about and accomplished in his teaching. He is the youngest teaching artist in the San Francisco Symphony’s Instrument Training and Support Program and is the Director of Percussion at San Francisco’s Phillip & Sala Burton High School. He also gives weekly lessons at middle schools and high schools in the San Francisco Unified School District and returns to CSU Stanislaus each year to teach at the University’s Summer Music camp
Mill Valley native Britton Day is a member of the accompanying staff at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory Preparatory Division. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of music. Upon graduation from Oberlin, he continued his studies at the San Francisco Conservatory, receiving both a Master of Music and a Professional Studies Diploma in Piano Performance.
Known for her intensity and versatility, flutist Bethanne Walker is dedicated to modern and historical performance practice. In San Francisco, she has performed with Wild Rumpus, Ensemble Mik Nawooj, Symphony Napa Valley, SFCMP, and has performed on the Hot Air New Music Festival. A strong advocate of new music she has given performances of over forty world premieres. Walker has studied with Tim Day, Linda Toote, and Dr. Nancy Andrew, and Stephen Schultz on baroque flute.
Patrick Galvin is a jack of many musical trades. As a violinist, he performs classical recitals both solo and in chamber settings. He is also a member of the folk band Hoxton Mob which performs regularly throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Recently, he has begun scoring radio stories for live performance. When he is not performing, Patrick teaches violin at a private school and out of his home in San Francisco. He also writes reviews for the online journal The Classical Voice. A San Francisco native, Patrick began his violin studies with Roy Oakley at age 6 and made his solo debut with the Oakland East Bay Symphony at age 11 playing the Bruch Violin concerto. His teachers have included Camilla Wicks and Wei He at the San Francisco Conservatory, Herbert Greenberg at the Peabody Conservatory , and Barbara Gorzynska at the Prayner Konservatorium in Vienna, Austria. Patrick has always been an avid athlete, playing soccer and basketball, and running track for Johns Hopkins University. Currently he plays with a local soccer team and when time allows, in a baseball league.
Pianist Ian Scarfe manages a busy schedule as a soloist and chamber musician. Based in San Francisco, he is a coach and accompanist at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and makes regular appearances on Bay-Area concert series, from Napa Valley to Monterey Bay. He is the founder and director of the Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival, and has appeared at summer festivals in Fairbanks, Alaska; Astoria, Oregon; Telluride, Colorado; Italy and Portugal.
His performances have been praised for their “marvelous sense of balance and authority” (Scott MacClelland, Performing Arts Monterey Bay), and have “scored high marks for both perception and energy” (Stephen Smoliar, Examiner.com). Jack Gabel, of Portland’s Northwest Reverb, remarked on an evening of classical and contemporary music: “All in all, an evening overflowing with historical content, educationally fulfilling, artistically rewarding at every level and well worth the 2-hour drive both to and from Astoria.”
Originally from Fairbanks, Alaska, Charles Akert began his cello studies at age 5. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado where he served as principle cellist of the award winning UNC Symphony, and a Master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as an Osher Scholarship winner. Passionate about chamber music, Mr. Akert has been an active chamber musician for over 15 years and has performed in venues throughout the U.S. and Europe. Mr. Akert joined the Nexus String Quartet in 2008, and with the group won the national Plowman Chamber Music Competition in 2010, and studied at the Banff Centre and the Aspen Music Festival as String-Quartet-in-Residence. He won a residency position at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he spent two years before returning to California. Charles currently is the cellist in the indie-rock band The Family Crest, who tour regularly across North America. He also tours with pianist Ian Scarfe,together they have performed coast-to-coast in the United States, Canada, Alaska, and Switzerland.
Ray Capiral, pianist, composer and teacher, graduated from University of California, Los Angeles, in 2009. He enjoyed an active career as a private teacher and gigging musician in L.A. for ten years before moving north, and has now resided in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2011. Currently, Mr. Capiral serves as the music director at Open Door United Methodist Church (Richmond) and pianist and organist at Mira Vista United Church of Christ (El Cerrito), and enjoys part-time work at Avenue Yarns in Albany. Between knitting, spinning at his spinning wheel, and playing the piano, one can assume Mr. Capiral is likely taking in the sights at Land’s End, wandering around Angel Island, or fantasizing about snowboarding in Tahoe.
Eric is a graduate of Stanford University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. During his studies, he was the winner of the concerto competitions of both institutions. In 2013, he was awarded the prestigious Robert M. Golden Medal for outstanding contributions to the arts. As a composer, he won the Pacific Musical Society Composition Prize 2014, and his sets of children’s music have been programmed for over six years on the syllabus of the US Open Music Competition. His music has been performed by the St. Lawrence String Quartet, the Friction Quartet, his generous friends, and his adorable piano students.Eric also comprises one half of the notorious “Happy Dog” piano duo, with his piano partner, Nathan Cheung. For over a decade, they have performed four-hands originals, transcriptions, and classics alike with a focus on bringing humor and joy to the classical music world. In his spare time, he enjoys a good game of Go.
Taija Warbelow, originally from Fairbanks, Alaska, is the violist in the Bay Area based Friction Quartet. She studied at the Juilliard Pre-College with Toby Appel and at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with Jodi Levitz. Though bios are a necessary part of being a performer, she feels they are impersonal and would prefer for audiences to get to know her through her playing and by talking to her after the performance.
Bassist Eugene Theriault is a born and raised San Francisco native. He graduated with a B.M. from the Oberlin Conservatory and an M.M. from the San Francisco Conservatory, where he studied with Scott Haigh and Steve Tramontozzi, respectively. The performance of new music has been a part of his life since high school and he continues to be a strong supporter of contemporary music, performing most recently with the San Francisco Conservatory’s New Music Ensemble, Opera Parallele, and the Berkeley Symphony. He currently works as a freelance performer and teacher in the Bay Area, and enjoys playing a wide range of musics.
