You don't have to know opera to LOVE opera. Fiery arias! Sweeping choruses! Big emotions! You'll hear showstopping highlights from opera's greatest hits — La traviata, Carmen, Il trovatore, Die Zauberflöte, Nabucco, and more — performed by a full orchestra, chorus, and a powerhouse cast of soloists. Whether you're a longtime opera lover or just opera-curious, Opera LOVE is your chance to feel it all — the passion, the heartbreak, the beauty.
The contrasting timbres of the violin, clarinet, and piano bring to life a vibrant variety of musical imaginations in this program of rhythmic vitality and melodic invention.
The indomitable spirit of human perseverance shines in this powerful program. The Bay Area premiere of Gity Razaz’s Methuselah (In Chains of Time) offers a lush reflection on life’s endurance, inspired by an ancient bristlecone pine in California’s White Mountains. Astor Piazzolla’s Aconcagua, featuring accordionist Hanzhi Wang, evokes the rugged Andes and the fiery spirit of Argentine tango. The season concludes with Shostakovich’s monumental Symphony No. 5, a stirring testament to resilience and hope, moving from brooding darkness to triumphant resolution, and echoing the human capacity to endure and overcome adversity.
The Berkelium String Quartet is a new chamber ensemble of celebrated Bay Area musicians based in Berkeley. The quartet will perform iconic works by Beethoven and Schubert alongside projections of period paintings, as well as Flanagan's Water Lilies, inspired by Monet's masterpiece.
The Steinway Society is pleased to welcome Belgian pianist Florian Noack to its concert series on April 26, 2025. Known for his brilliant playing and imaginative programming, Noack offers fresh perspectives on familiar works through his own arrangements, while also shining a light on overlooked repertoire. La Figaro praised his interpretation of Prokofiev as “restless and bright, tender but incisive.”
Let hearts open to empathy and hope as PWC’s spring concert, Break Open to Beauty, invites audiences into music’s emotional depth. Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater anchors the program with its poignant portrayal of a mother’s grief, blending solo, duet, and choral voices.
World premieres by Composers-in-Residence include an excerpt from Freida Abtan’s opera reimagining the Orpheus myth and Amy X Neuburg’s What Place is This?, exploring themes of home and displacement. Michael Bussewitz Quarm’s Nigra Sum echoes this longing with lyrical grace.
Radiance, PWC’s chamber ensemble, features collaborations with Stanford composers. Lightness and comfort arrive in Thomas Morley’s madrigal Fire, Fire My Heart and Ron Jeffers’ arrangement of Amazing Grace. This concert offers a moving journey through sorrow, resilience, and beauty.
