One of the more extensive series of events in the Calendar for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music consists of those recitals presented by members of the Faculty. Among these events there is always a “mini-series” arranged by Paul Hersh, who teaches both piano and viola, which he arranges as a platform for collaborative performances featuring both students and faculty. These are always given on Monday evenings at 8 PM in the Recital Hall. In the 2011–2012 season there will be four of them as follows:
- September 12: A program entitled Night Music, presenting works by Robert Schumann, Frédéric Chopin, Gabriel Fauré, and Claude Debussy.
- November 21: A program of the chamber music of Mozart
- February 27: A program of Schumann’s chamber music
- March 26: TBA
Other faculty recitals have the following dates, times, and venues:
- September 22, 8 PM, Recital Hall: Jeffrey Anderle, clarinet
- September 26, 8 PM, Concert Hall: Ian Swensen, violin, with pianist Eric Zivian and cellist Tanya Tomkins performing Antonín Dvořák’s Opus 65 trio in F minor and Arnold Schoenberg’s Opus 47 Phantasie for violin and piano
- October 3, 8 PM, Concert Hall: Jean-Michel Fonteneau, cello, accompanied by Mack McCray in performances of Ludwig van Beethoven’s F major sonata (Opus 5, Number 1) and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Opus 19 sonata in G minor
- November 6, 2 PM, Osher Salon: Mario Guarneri, trumpet, performing is a quartet with Erik Jekabson, Akira Tana, and John Wiitala
- December 4, 2 PM, Concert Hall: Catherine Cook, mezzo-soprano, performing with pianist Kristin Pankonin, violist Jodi Levitz, and cellist Jennifer Culp in Maurice Ravel’s Chansons Madécasses and Johannes Brahms’ Opus 91 “viola” songs
- December 5, 8 PM, Recital Hall: Jodi Levitz, viola, performing with pianist Keisuke Nakagoshi, violinist Bettina Mussumeli, and cellist Jennifer Culp (and others to be announced) in George Rochberg’s sonata, Benjamin Britten’s “Lachrymae,” and Johannes Brahms Opus 111 string quintet in G major
- December 12, 8 PM, Concert Hall: Wei He, violin, accompanied by Yoshikazu Nagai; this program will feature the world premiere of an unaccompanied violin composition by Laura Schwendinger, was well as Béla Bartók’s solo violin sonata; Nagai will accompany for the Schumann Opus 121 sonata in D minor
- March 12, 8 PM, Concert Hall: Mack McCray, piano
- March 19, 8 PM, Recital Hall: Don Ehrlich, viola, accompanied by Marc Shapiro in works by Johann Gottlieb Graun, Joseph Joachim, Sergei Prokofiev, Gustav Holst, and Rachel Matthews
Tickets for all concerts are priced at $20 for general admission, with a $15 rate for students, seniors, and Friends of the Conservatory. The only exception will be Guarneri’s recital, which will be free but will require advance reservations. Both tickets and reservations may be arranged online at the Conservatory Web site or by calling the Box Office at 415-503-6275. (Box Office hours are 10 AM–4 PM, Monday through Friday.)
