EOS Ensemble with Meredith Clark and Katrina Walter
The Eos Ensemble is an exciting chamber music group featuring musicians of the San Francisco Opera and Ballet Orchestras. Through the intimacy of chamber music, these talented musicians thrill audiences with artistry normally reserved for the grand canvas of opera. The ensemble presents concerts of wide ranging musical styles and instrumental combinations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area
Meredith Clark is a San Francisco-based harpist who keeps a busy performance career playing with groups such as the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera Orchestra, New Century Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, the Oakland Symphony and recording at Skywalker sound. She currently maintains an online teaching studio and is passionate about sharing her love for music
Flutist Katrina Walter’s orchestral career has led her throughout the United States, Eastern Europe, and South Korea. As a member of the New World Symphony from 2007 to 2011, she performed regularly under the baton of renowned conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. Currently a freelance flutist in San Francisco, Katrina is a member of the Marin Symphony. va), the Fillmore (San Francisco), Fox Theater (Oakland), Pattee Arena (Monterey), the New School (New York), Birmingham Museum of Art (Birmingham), Prague Castle (Prague), and NBC Bay Area television (San Jose), Arjun has emerged with a unique voice on the sitar—both within the tradition of North Indian Classical Music, and through his innovative cross-genre collaborations.
12/4 | 4PM
2/12 | 4PM
Arjun Verma, sitar
Arjun has spent his entire life steeped in the tradition of North Indian Classical Music. The son of internationally performing sitarist Roop Verma, who was a disciple of Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar, Arjun began learning sitar from his father at age five.
As a teenager, Arjun was deeply inspired by the preeminent sarode maestro, Ali Akbar Khan, and he ultimately moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to study directly with Ali Akbar Khan for eight years. Since the Maestro’s passing in 2009, Arjun has continued his training under the able guidance of Ali Akbar Khan’s son, Alam Khan. Arjun has also received guidance from Smt. Annapurna Devi.
As a musician of the Maihar Gharana (style) of Hindustani classical music, Arjun’s playing is based on the music of Maestro Ali Akbar Khan. He has developed innovative sitar techniques inspired by the Maestro’s style, and is also influenced by sitarist Nikhil Banerjee. Arjun’s playing also incorporates tive as well as the exhilarating elements of Indian Music.
Arjun began performing at the age of seven, and has played concerts in the United States, Europe, and India, including performances with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Sri Alam Khan, Pandit Sharda Sahai, Ustad Shabbir Nisar, Bob Weir, Salar Nader, George Brooks, Nilan Chaudhuri, Indranil Mallick, Anirban Roy Chowdhury, and members of the Houston and St. Louis Symphonies.
Arjun has performed in front of dignitaries including former United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali and spiritual leader Morari Bapu, and has been awarded a Mosaic Silicon Valley commissioning grant to compose for Philharmonia Baroque (2020—Sangam Arts), a Creative Work Fund grant (2018—Haas Foundation), and a Shenson Fellowship (2007—San Francisco Foundation) to support his work.
Combining western classical music with Indian classical music, Arjun was the featured sitar soloist for the world premieres of Jack Perla’s River of Light (2014—Houston Grand Opera), Shalimar the Clown (2016—Opera Theatre St. Louis), and Arjun’s own Bach in Bengal (2022—Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra).
As a composer, Arjun has written commissioned works for documentary film, opera, and live performing arts, and has arranged numerous works of Indian classical music for ensembles of both Indian and non-Indian instrumentation.
In 2021, Arjun released a solo album, EPIPHANIES, exploring his very personal relationship with the sitar and Indian classical music. Recorded with cutting-edge studio technology, this album was released in HD and Ambisonic (surround) formats, raising the bar for the sound of the sitar.
Arjun has also recorded with GRAMMY-winning jazz arranger & pianist John Beasley, in addition to numerous recordings for Disney television.
Arjun’s music has received critical acclaim from leading publications, including the New York Times, Times of India, Sruti Magazine, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
In addition to performing, Arjun teaches sitar and North Indian Classical Music at the Ali Akbar College of Music and the East-West School of Music.
3/26 | 4PM
Clarinet Quintets with Musicians of the SF Ballet Orchestras
Barret Ham, clarinet
Clarinetist Barret Ham has served as a member of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra since 2019 in both principal and bass clarinet roles, and has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra and Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared as soloist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, as well as the Borromeo String Quartet as winner of its Guest Artist Competition. Summer festival appearances include Yellow Barn, Lucerne, Spoleto Festival USA, Etchings Festival, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Brevard Music Center, and International Summer Academy MDW. Barret has played for Alea III and East Coast Contemporary Ensemble in Boston as well as Tertulia Chamber Music in San Francisco. An advocate for new music, Barret has worked directly with composers Shulamit Ran, Jörg Widmann, Brett Dean, Francesco Filidei, Thomas Adès, and Dieter Ammann among others. After studying with Montgomery Cole in his hometown of Macon, GA, he received his B.M from New England Conservatory as a student of Michael Wayne. Barret is currently pursuing a M.M. at the University of Southern California as a student of Yehuda Gilad.
Jeremy Preston, violin
Jeremy Preston is the Principal Second violinist of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and a tenured member of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. He has also been the Associate Concertmaster of the Oakland East Bay Symphony and a member of the North Carolina Symphony for seven seasons.
He has performed with many orchestras throughout the United States and is also an avid chamber musician. Previously, he was a member of the North Carolina String Quartet and frequently performed with the Mallarme Chamber Players, the Peace College Manning Chamber Players, New Music Raleigh, and the Eastern Music Festival Chamber Players.
Jeremy was trained at the New England Conservatory of Music, Rice University, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. His teachers included Marylou Speaker Churchill, Lynn Chang, Kathleen Winkler, Sally Thomas, and William Preucil. His chamber music coaches include Norman Fisher, Pamela, and Claude Frank and members of the Cleveland and Juilliard Quartets.
Jeremy maintains an active teaching studio and enjoys living and hiking in the beautiful city of San Francisco.
Dian Zhang, violin
Dian Zhang joined the first violin section of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in 2017. Born in China, Dian moved to Los Angeles, CA and spent his formative years there. He received his Bachelors and Master's degrees at the Peabody Institute where he studied with Victor Danchenko and is currently working toward completing a DMA at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University where he studied with Cho-Liang Lin.
Prior to his appointment with the San Francisco Opera, Dian served as concertmaster of the Shepherd School Symphony, Chamber and Opera orchestras. As a chamber musician, Dian has appeared with both the Context and Syzygy music series in Houston and has also performed in Baltimore, New York as well as in Canada, Brazil, Spain, Austria and the UK. Dian attended various music festivals both in the US and internationally, including the Schleswig-Holstein Masterclasses, Four Seasons Music Festival, the Yellow Barn Music Festival, the Britten-Pears Music Festival, the Chamber Music Residency at the Banff Centre and the Norfolk Music Festival. He has performed and collaborated with some of the great musicians of our time, including Cho-Liang Lin, Ani Kavafian, Donald Weilerstein, Michael Kannen and Colin Carr.
Dian has also taken part in many community engagement events in various venues, including lunchtime concerts at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore and the Methodist Hospital in Houston. For two years, Dian was a Mary Hobson Teaching Fellow at Rice University where he taught courses in music fundamentals and music theory for non-music majors.
Caroline Lee, viola
Violist and founder/artistic director of Community Concerts at Epworth 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 with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony. Before relocating to the Bay area, Caroline was a member of the
Kansas City Symphony for eight years and also performed regularly with the Chicago Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra during their summer seasons. She also performed with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra as principal violist and New Ear Ensemble, an ensemble dedicated to performing music written by living composers. An active chamber musician, she has performed in Banff, Domaine Forget, and the International Musical Arts Festivals, collaborating with members of the Tokyo, Cleveland and Colorado quartets, as well as artists such as Eric Friedmann, Steve Dann, Richard Stolzman and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. 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 and Strobe Ensembles, performing a wide range of works for chamber ensembles within the SF bay area. Caroline received her bachelor in music degree at the University of Michigan and her masters and Artist Diploma at Yale School of Music.
JungHae Kim, harpsichord
Harpsichordist JungHae Kim’s playing has been described as “gallant and regal” (La Folia), “supple…impressive” (New York Arts), emotionally exquisite, warm, and inviting. Ms. Kim holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Harpsichord Performance from Peabody Conservatory, and a Master’s Degree in Historical Performance (Harpsichord) from Oberlin Conservatory. She completed her studies with Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam on a Haskell Scholarship, and holds an Advanced Degree in Harpsichord Performance from Amsterdam’s Sweelinck Conservatorium. Ms. Kim has performed in concert throughout United States, Europe and in Asia as a soloist and with numerous fine historical instrument ensembles including American Baroque, Brandywine Baroque, Callisto, Musica Angelica, Musica Glorifica, Music's ReCreation, and Ensemble Mirable. She has also soloed with some of California’s premier modern ensembles including the San Francisco Symphony and the New Century Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Kim has also performed on a number of music festival series including the Britt Festival (Oregon), the Assisi Music Festival (Italy), Music In The Vineyards (Napa, CA), the Bloomington Early Music Festival (Indiana), The ChunCheon International Early Music Festival (South Korea), and at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival. In 2011 she was featured on the Classical Odyssey television broadcast on the Korean Broadcasting System. In 2014, she performed a series of concerts on tour in South Korea with Callisto and Musica Glorifica. Ms. Kim’s solo album of Suites and Fantasias by Bach is released this year. For additional information please visit www.junghaekim.com.
4/16 | 4PM
Orquesta Típica Domo
Keiko Cadby, violin
Naomi Kawabata, violin
Stella Bonilla, violin
Angela Lee, cello
Crystie Nicci Shum, piano, voice
Celeste Ciam, piano
Ken Miller, double bass
Alexander Zeyliger, bandoneon
Orquesta Típica Domo brings authentic Argentine Tango music to dancing and listening audiences. Since its formation in 2021, the orchestra has been performing at special events at its home, the The Dome Center for Art, Music, and Dance, an historic studio space in Oakland aimed to nurture the creation of new work by artists, musicians, and dancers. The orchestra’s repertoire includes the classic arrangements from the tango’s Golden Age as well as contemporary compositions.
The orchestra is a diverse group of local musicians coming from different genres and united by their fascination with tango. The orchestra members have studied with top contemporary tango musicians including Hector Del Curto, Pablo Estigarribia, Ramiro Boero, Ramiro Gallo, Guillermo Rubino, Adrian Enriquez, and Cesar Salgan. The orchestra has featured Pablo Estigarribia, Ramiro Boero, and Hugo Sattorre as guest performers.
ABOUT TANGO MUSIC
Tango emerged at the end of the 19th century around Río de la Plata (Argentina and Uruguay) and has been evolving ever since. Along the way, it picked up new instruments, such as bandoneon, peculiar playing techniques and special effects, performance traditions, and a place on the United Nations’ Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Many legendary musicians shaped the tango’s Golden Age (approximately 1935 to 1950). Thanks to those who lived to pass the tradition to the new generation, tango music is thriving today with many superb musicians performing and innovating.
Only three minutes long, a typical tango is like a short story, at times whimsical, more often full of nostalgia and melancholy. Melodies are simple, yet surprising. Arrangers develop them with a rich palette of contrasts and expressive textures. Musicians add their own flair in the moment making each performance unique.
5/14 | 4PM
Tim Murray, baritone, and Andrew King, piano
Tim Murray, baritone
Heralded for his “firm, flexible baritone” (New York Times) and “swaggering, rakish” stage presence (Opera News), baritone Timothy Murray has won recognition in competitions from the Sullivan Foundation, the Loren. L. Zachary Society, the Glyndebourne Opera Cup, and the Mario Lanza competition. He is a 2022 George London Foundation award winner and was a Grand Finalist in the 2021 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He is currently a member of the Adler Fellowship Program with San Francisco Opera with past and present assignments in Tosca, The Barber of Seville, Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni, Eugene Onegin, Dialogue des Carmélites, Antony & Cleopatra, Dream of the Red Chamber, and La Traviata.
As a participant in the 2019 Merola Opera Program, he performed the role of Paul in the world premiere of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s opera, If I Were You, and finished out the summer on the War Memorial Opera House stage singing the title role in a scene from Thomas’ Hamlet as part of the Merola Grand Finale. Recent highlights include Schaunard (La bohème) with North Carolina Opera, his debut with the San Francisco Symphony as the baritone soloist in Carmina Burana, and Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia) in Sacramento.
Future engagements include a return to North Carolina Opera for the title role in Don Giovanni, his role debut as Marcello (La bohème) in North Dakota, and a return to the Bay Area for The Shining with Opera Parallèle.
Andrew King, piano
Pianist Andrew King is a third-year Adler Fellow at the San Francisco Opera. While there, he has served on music staff for The Barber of Seville, Tosca, Fidelio, Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni, and Les Dialogues des Carmélites. In 2022, he performed on San Francisco Opera’s Schwabacher recital series. He joins the staff of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as Principal Vocal Coach in 2023.
As an apprentice coach with the Merola Opera Program, he helped prepare the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s 2019 opera, If I Were You, under the baton of Nicole Paiement. He is an alumnus of Music Academy of the West, where he played continuo for Le Nozze di Figaro. King debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2018 in Marilyn Horne’s The Song Continues, performing in master classes taught by Horne, Graham Johnson and Renée Fleming. He returned to Carnegie Hall the following year for SongStudio, under the leadership of Renée Fleming.
King has performed as piano soloist with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and the LeMoyne College String Ensemble. He has previously served as a staff coach at the Manhattan School of Music and New York University. He is a recent graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied under Warren Jones and holds a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.