June 7 Noon Concert Featuring
Members of Ensemble SF and Sound Impact
Christine McLeavey Payne, piano
Rebecca Jackson, violin
Tiffany Richardson, viola
Frédéric Rosselet, cello
~ Program ~
Concert Piece for viola and piano by George Enescu
Serenade (String Trio) in C Major, Op. 10 by Erno Dohnanyi
Marcia. Allegro
Romanza. Adagio non troppo
Tema con variazioni. Andante con moto
Rondo
Piano Quartet in E Flat Major, Op. 47 by Robert Schumann
Sostenuto assai: Allegro ma non troppo
Scherzo: Molto vivace
Andante cantabile
Finale: Vivace
ABOUT THE MUSICIANS
Acting assistant principal 2nd of the San Francisco Ballet and founder and artistic director of Music in May, Rebecca Jackson’s performances are characterized by a “fierce spirit and… reckless abandon.” She is founding member of Ensemble San Francisco and also performs with the Santa Fe Opera. Combining her passion for music and service, she is co-founder of Sound Impact, a collective of musicians devoted to bringing music to marginalized communities such as homeless centers, hospitals, and correction facilities. The latest undertaking, in collaboration with her father, is writing the authorized biography of her mentor David Arben, imprisoned in Nazi death camps & former associate concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Ms. Jackson received her B.M. from The Juilliard School and a graduate degree from UC Santa Cruz.
A prizewinner at the Lyon International Chamber Music Competition, Christine McLeavey Payne was featured on Radio France and France TV. Ms. Payne is the pianist and co-founder of Ensemble San Francisco. Ms. Payne has collaborated with several leading chamber musicians, including musicians from the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Tokyo String Quartet, San Francisco Symphony, and Philadelphia Orchestra. She has worked with singers Deborah Voigt, Isobel Leonard, and Susanna Phillips, and has performed in such venues as Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, Bing Concert Hall, the Kingston Chamber Music Festival, the Banff International Keyboard Festival, and the Tanglewood Music Festival. She has worked as a rehearsal pianist for the New York Philharmonic. Locally, she has performed at the Montalvo Arts Center, Music in May, Berkeley Chamber Series, French Music Festival, and Classical Music Sundaes. This past fall, Ms. Payne performed the world premiere of a concerto by Jose Gonzalez Granero at Stanford’s Bing Auditorium.
Tiffany Richardson enjoys a multi-faceted career as violist and arts educator, performing regularly with the Richmond Symphony, Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra, Wolf Trap Opera, Washington Concert Opera, Urban Arias and the Washington National Opera. Ms. Richardson performed with the St. Louis Symphony, Aspen Music Festival, IMS Prussia Cove, Spoleto Festival USA, Music in May, Silicon Valley Chamber Music and Festival Mozaic. Deeply committed to arts education and outreach, Ms. Richardson is a Co-Founder of Sound Impact. Ms. Richardson taught at the El Sistema Program Bridges: Harmony Through Music, and performs in the King Street Quartet, a National Symphony Orchestra Education Ensemble.
Since his move to the Bay Area, Swiss-American cellist Frédéric Rosselet has been seen performing with local ensembles and festivals such as American Bach Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Ensemble San Francisco, Live Oak Baroque Orchestra and Music in May. Equally dedicated to chamber and orchestral music, he has been a recurring participant of the Verbier Festival Orchestra and the Yellow Barn Music Festival, as well as a faculty member at the Yellow Barn Young Artists Program. Having a keen interest in early and new music, he enjoys exploring new repertoire for the cello and discovering old works on baroque cello and viola da gamba. After studying at both the Basel Music Academy and the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Frédéric obtained his DMA from the University of Southern California. He has mainly benefited from the teachings of cellists Ralph Kirshbaum, Rafael Rosenfeld and David Geringas. He is now a cello instructor at Santa Clara University.
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ENSEMBLE SAN FRANCISCO: “A hip, unstuffy, and malleable group of high-quality chamber musicians who are dedicated to fresh programming” raves the SF Classical Voice, “Ensemble San Francisco seems welcoming, warm, and well-positioned to expand not only its repertoire of high-quality performances, but also its circle of friendship.” Ensemble San Francisco was founded in early 2013 by pianist Christine McLeavey Payne and clarinetist Roman Fukshansky, and draws its musicians from the SF Symphony, Ballet, and Opera orchestras and beyond. In addition to its mainstage performances, Ensemble SF is dedicated to bringing world class music to schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. ESF musicians generously donate their time to share their love of chamber music with children, youth, and elders. Through new concert experiences and education of the next generation, ESF is vital in the cultural fabric of the Bay Area.
SOUND IMPACT: In 2012, co-founders Danielle Cho, cello; Rebecca Jackson, violin; and Tiffany Richardson, viola presented “Haim” by Polina Nazaykinskaya in the Washington DC region. This chamber work, inspired by the life of David Arben, Holocaust survivor and former associate concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra elicited and overwhelming response from both performance and audience. This experience of musical storytelling and human connection ignited a desire in these women to band together to change communities, one performance at a time. Since its inception, Sound Impact has connected with diverse communities such as hospitals, schools, juvenile detention centers, homeless centers and children’s homes. Every Sound Impact project brings aboard different collaborators creating a unique team of musicians and creative spirits. Most recently, Sound Impact returned from their third tour through Costa Rica, held a residency at The Arts Center in North Carolina, and the Santa Cruz County Juvenile Hall in California. In 2016-2017, they will present concerts at the Kennedy Center, National Gallery of Art, and the Ethical Society on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia.
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.
