Tonight's Program: Maurice Ravel Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet James Cohn (b.1928) A Grecian Festival (2008)written for the Laurel Ensemble for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Viola and Cello Johannes Brahms Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet
With a name inspired by Greek mythology, the Laurel Ensemble performs chamber music for mixed winds, strings, and piano, from duos to octets. The six member ensemble is made up of some of the Bay Area’s finest musicians, dedicated to creating concerts that celebrate the camaraderie of chamber music. The instrumentation for each piece is varied in each concert in order for the audience to experience the broadest musical colors, textures, and styles within one program. Now in their third season, the Laurel Ensemble’s passionate performances and impeccable artistry have thrilled audiences throughout the Bay Area.
The Laurel Ensemble is an affiliate of the San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music, an organization that nurtures emerging ensembles and promotes chamber music throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Performers
Sarah Holzman, Flute, is an active performer in both chamber music recitals and with many of the Bay Area’s symphony and opera orchestras. She has participated in the Utah Festival Opera, the Festival at Palma de Mallorca, the Hot Springs Festival, the Sarasota Festival, and the Cabrillo Festival. Sarah has performed in recital on San Francisco 's Noontime Concerts series and at the San Francisco Community Music Center , where she is a member of the flute faculty. Sarah attended the Oberlin Conservatory and College, where she studied with Michel Debost. Her graduate degree is from the San Francisco Conservatory, where she studied with Timothy Day.
Christina Mok, Violin, studied at the Guildhall School of Music in London on a full scholarship and a British Council Fellowship. Ms. Mok has been the winner of several competitions, including the Warshaw Violin Competition and the BBC Young Artists' Forum Audition. Over the last decade, Ms Mok has performed as a soloist with orchestras on three continents, such as the Russian Federal Symphony, the Janacek Philharmonic, the Seoul Symphony, and the Stockton Symphony. Ms. Mok is the Concertmaster of the Stockton Symphony and has led the Royal Ballet Sinfonia and many orchestras in California.
Jenny Douglass, Viola, has been the Principal Violist of the Marin Symphony since 1999 and is a frequent substitute in the San Francisco Symphony. As a regular performer with the NYC-based Orpheus Chamber Orchestra since 1992, Jenny has toured North and South America, Europe, and Asia , and has performed on several of their CD’s recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, one of which was a 2001 Grammy Award Winner. In May 2007, Jenny traveled to Seoul , South Korea with Orpheus, performing and recording Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with violinist Sarah Chang. Jenny has earned degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory and the Juilliard School . Her principal teachers have included Lynne Ramsey, Karen Tuttle, and Eugene Lehner.
Krisanthy Desby, Violoncello, is Assistant Principal Violoncello of the Napa Valley Symphony. She is an active chamber and orchestral musician, performing throughout the Bay Area and a long-time member of the Grand Teton Music Festival. She received a Bachelor of Music Degree from Peabody Institute studying with Stephen Kates, and a Master of Music from The Shepherd School at Rice University , where she was a fellowship student and teaching assistant to Shirley Trepel.
Lori Lack, Piano, has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe and the United States . As a collaborative artist, she has performed in recital with many artists including the Alexander String Quartet, the Stamic Quartet, Robin Sharp, Jassen Todorov, Gary Gray, Stephen Paulson and Matt Haimovitz. In addition to serving on the faculty of CSU SummerArts and California Summer Music, she has worked as an instrumental accompanist at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and San Francisco State University and now freelances in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Jennifer Ho, Violin As an active chamber musician and orchestral player, violinist Jennifer Ho has given numerous concerts in New York, California, and Taiwan. She is a member of the Stockton Symphony since 2006 and has played with the National Symphony, the Taipei Symphony, the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonia Moment Musical Orchestra. As an educator, Ms. Ho has produced many outstanding students and twice she has been invited to adjudicate the Taiwan Music Competition in Taiwan. Ms. Ho earned her MA degree at the Aaron Copland School of Music, City University of New York studying under Daniel Phillips. She is the recipient of the Chamber Music Live Award and various scholarships. Ms. Ho has won many competitions, such as the Queens College Concerto Competition and the Taiwan Taipei violin competition in all three divisions of the different age groups. She attended the International Musical Arts Institute’s festival in 2005.
