Schedule

In the 2023-2024 season, I will perform in the Houston Symphony as a contracted substitute viola. Below are performances outside of my contract with the symphony.

Coming of Age
May
4

Coming of Age

In La Speranza’s season finale, the precocious talents of Felix Mendelssohn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are featured in works written in the composers’ late teen years.

Performers:
Joanna Becker and Maria Lin, violins
Yvonne Smith, viola
Fran Koiner, cello

Tickets are $25/$15 (seniors 55+ and students) and good for in-person or virtual attendance. Subscribe to the season and save up to 20%!

La Speranza evokes the vibrant life of the Enlightenment through historically informed chamber music performances. One of the preeminent American ensembles dedicated to the performance of 18th and 19th century chamber music repertoire, La Speranza infuses performances with passionate authenticity.

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Bach’s Favorite Instruments
Apr
29

Bach’s Favorite Instruments

BACH Concerto in A Minor for Violin

BACH Concerto in D Major for Harpsichord

BACH Concerto in A Major for Oboe d’amore

BACH Sonata in G Major for Two Flutes

TELEMANN Concerto in G Major for Viola

TELEMANN Concerto for in A Major for Flute, Violin, and 'Cello

YuEun Kim, violin • Corey Jamason, harpsichord • Stephen Hammer, oboe d'amore

Bethanne Walker & Vincent Canciello, flutes • Joseph Howe, violoncello

Yvonne Smith, viola • Tomà Iliev, violin

American Bach Soloists

Jeffrey Thomas, conductor

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Bach’s Favorite Instruments
Apr
28

Bach’s Favorite Instruments

BACH Concerto in A Minor for Violin

BACH Concerto in D Major for Harpsichord

BACH Concerto in A Major for Oboe d’amore

BACH Sonata in G Major for Two Flutes

TELEMANN Concerto in G Major for Viola

TELEMANN Concerto for in A Major for Flute, Violin, and 'Cello

YuEun Kim, violin • Corey Jamason, harpsichord • Stephen Hammer, oboe d'amore

Bethanne Walker & Vincent Canciello, flutes • Joseph Howe, violoncello

Yvonne Smith, viola • Tomà Iliev, violin

American Bach Soloists

Jeffrey Thomas, conductor

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Bach’s Favorite Instruments
Apr
27

Bach’s Favorite Instruments

BACH Concerto in A Minor for Violin

BACH Concerto in D Major for Harpsichord

BACH Concerto in A Major for Oboe d’amore

BACH Sonata in G Major for Two Flutes

TELEMANN Concerto in G Major for Viola

TELEMANN Concerto for in A Major for Flute, Violin, and 'Cello

YuEun Kim, violin • Corey Jamason, harpsichord • Stephen Hammer, oboe d'amore

Bethanne Walker & Vincent Canciello, flutes • Joseph Howe, violoncello

Yvonne Smith, viola • Tomà Iliev, violin

American Bach Soloists

Jeffrey Thomas, conductor

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Bach’s Favorite Instruments
Apr
26

Bach’s Favorite Instruments

BACH Concerto in A Minor for Violin

BACH Concerto in D Major for Harpsichord

BACH Concerto in A Major for Oboe d’amore

BACH Sonata in G Major for Two Flutes

TELEMANN Concerto in G Major for Viola

TELEMANN Concerto for in A Major for Flute, Violin, and 'Cello

YuEun Kim, violin • Corey Jamason, harpsichord • Stephen Hammer, oboe d'amore

Bethanne Walker & Vincent Canciello, flutes • Joseph Howe, violoncello

Yvonne Smith, viola • Tomà Iliev, violin

American Bach Soloists

Jeffrey Thomas, conductor

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Grand Trios
Mar
2

Grand Trios

Music for three is elevated to the grandiose in this program for flute and strings, featuring Beethoven’s Serenade for flute, violin and viola and other works from Beethoven’s lifetime.

Performers:
Alaina Diehl, flute
Joanna Becker, violin
Yvonne Smith, viola
Fran Koiner, cello

Tickets are $25/$15 (seniors 55+ and students) and good for in-person or virtual attendance. Subscribe to the season and save up to 20%!

La Speranza evokes the vibrant life of the Enlightenment through historically informed chamber music performances. One of the preeminent American ensembles dedicated to the performance of 18th and 19th century chamber music repertoire, La Speranza infuses performances with passionate authenticity.
www.la-speranza.com

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Beethoven on the Bayou, part 3
Jan
14

Beethoven on the Bayou, part 3

La Speranza presents all six of Beethoven’s ground-breaking Op. 18 string quartets in three concerts over the span of eight days in Beethoven on the Bayou, our first biannual festival.

The final concert of the festival features Quartet no. 5 in A major and Quartet no. 6 in B flat major.

Performers:
Joanna Becker and Maria Lin, violins
Yvonne Smith, viola
Fran Koiner, cello

www.la-speranza.com/Beethoven

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Beethoven on the Bayou, part 2
Jan
10

Beethoven on the Bayou, part 2

The second concert of the festival features Quartet no. 2 in G major and Quartet no. 3 in D Major.

La Speranza presents all six of Beethoven’s ground-breaking Op. 18 string quartets in three concerts over the span of eight days in Beethoven on the Bayou, our first biannual festival.

Performers:
Joanna Becker and Maria Lin, violins
Yvonne Smith, viola
Fran Koiner, cello

www.la-speranza.com/Beethoven

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Beethoven on the Bayou, part 1
Jan
6

Beethoven on the Bayou, part 1

La Speranza presents all six of Beethoven’s ground-breaking Op. 18 string quartets in three concerts over the span of eight days in Beethoven on the Bayou, our first biannual festival.

The first concert of the festival features Quartet no. 1 in F major and Quartet no. 4 in c minor.

Performers:

Joanna Becker and Maria Lin, violins

Yvonne Smith, viola

Fran Koiner, cello

More at la-speranza.com/Beethoven

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A Baroque New Year’s Eve at the Opera
Dec
31

A Baroque New Year’s Eve at the Opera

Back by popular demand, “A Baroque New Year’s Eve at the Opera” will usher in the new year within San Francisco’s beautiful Herbst Theatre. Start an early night on the town with a delightful program of arias, duets, and instrumental music from Baroque opera and concert, with plenty of time left for more celebrations in the evening or an early return home for a peaceful night. Bring your family and friends to celebrate a New Year full of wonderful music.

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Handel’s Messiah in Grace Cathedral
Dec
15

Handel’s Messiah in Grace Cathedral

No other Bay Area performances come close to offering the visual, aural, and emotional qualities that have made ABS’s Messiah in Grace Cathedral so superlative. Featuring a stellar cast of vocal soloists, American Bach’s annual tradition of performing Handel’s Messiah in San Francisco’s historic Grace Cathedral perennially provides a treasured December holiday event to capacity audiences.

A Bay Area holiday tradition now in its 25th year, ABS’s performances of Handel’s timeless work have become an essential part of the musical year for many music lovers and have attracted audiences of more than 50,000 from around the world.

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Handel’s Messiah in Grace Cathedral
Dec
14

Handel’s Messiah in Grace Cathedral

No other Bay Area performances come close to offering the visual, aural, and emotional qualities that have made ABS’s Messiah in Grace Cathedral so superlative. Featuring a stellar cast of vocal soloists, American Bach’s annual tradition of performing Handel’s Messiah in San Francisco’s historic Grace Cathedral perennially provides a treasured December holiday event to capacity audiences.

A Bay Area holiday tradition now in its 25th year, ABS’s performances of Handel’s timeless work have become an essential part of the musical year for many music lovers and have attracted audiences of more than 50,000 from around the world.

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A Baroque Christmas
Dec
13

A Baroque Christmas

In this special abridged evening performance, perfect for the whole family, you’ll hear the Christmas portion (Part I) of Handel’s Messiah along with music of the season by Baroque composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The finely tuned voices of the American Bach Choir and the polished sheen of sonorities brought by ABS’s period-instrument orchestra soar within the majestic interior of San Francisco’s Nob Hill landmark. Together with the best highlights of Handel's peerless composition, ABS will perform Charpentier's Messe de Minuit (“Midnight Mass”), one of the most treasured Christmas compositions from the Parisian Baroque.

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Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen sings Bach
Nov
6

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen sings Bach

With perhaps the most startling initial chord in any of Bach's compositions, the early cantata Widerstehe doch der Sünde ("Stand steadfast against transgression") is a work of outstanding sonority and chromatic harmony. Bach called upon his youthful inspiration and contrapuntal mastery to create a soul-stirring and compelling admonishment to do good.

Unequivocally one of Bach's most moving and haunting solo cantatas, Ich habe genug ("I have enough") presents a soul who has experienced life's blessings and who, having seen and felt enlightenment, is ready to pass into the next realm, rejoicing in his readiness. The music tugs on our empathy and compassion while, at the same time, gently encourages our own wishes for bliss.

Perfectly paired with Bach's cantatas, the program also includes the dynamic Concerto in C Minor for Oboe & Violin and richly sonorous by German composers Johann Heinrich Schmelzer and Georg Muffat.

https://americanbach.org/Aryeh-Nussbaum-Cohen-sings-Bach.html

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Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen sings Bach
Nov
5

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen sings Bach

With perhaps the most startling initial chord in any of Bach's compositions, the early cantata Widerstehe doch der Sünde ("Stand steadfast against transgression") is a work of outstanding sonority and chromatic harmony. Bach called upon his youthful inspiration and contrapuntal mastery to create a soul-stirring and compelling admonishment to do good.

Unequivocally one of Bach's most moving and haunting solo cantatas, Ich habe genug ("I have enough") presents a soul who has experienced life's blessings and who, having seen and felt enlightenment, is ready to pass into the next realm, rejoicing in his readiness. The music tugs on our empathy and compassion while, at the same time, gently encourages our own wishes for bliss.

Perfectly paired with Bach's cantatas, the program also includes the dynamic Concerto in C Minor for Oboe & Violin and richly sonorous by German composers Johann Heinrich Schmelzer and Georg Muffat.

https://americanbach.org/Aryeh-Nussbaum-Cohen-sings-Bach.html

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Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen sings Bach
Nov
4

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen sings Bach

With perhaps the most startling initial chord in any of Bach's compositions, the early cantata Widerstehe doch der Sünde ("Stand steadfast against transgression") is a work of outstanding sonority and chromatic harmony. Bach called upon his youthful inspiration and contrapuntal mastery to create a soul-stirring and compelling admonishment to do good.

Unequivocally one of Bach's most moving and haunting solo cantatas, Ich habe genug ("I have enough") presents a soul who has experienced life's blessings and who, having seen and felt enlightenment, is ready to pass into the next realm, rejoicing in his readiness. The music tugs on our empathy and compassion while, at the same time, gently encourages our own wishes for bliss.

Perfectly paired with Bach's cantatas, the program also includes the dynamic Concerto in C Minor for Oboe & Violin and richly sonorous by German composers Johann Heinrich Schmelzer and Georg Muffat.

https://americanbach.org/Aryeh-Nussbaum-Cohen-sings-Bach.html

View Event →
Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen sings Bach
Nov
3

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen sings Bach

With perhaps the most startling initial chord in any of Bach's compositions, the early cantata Widerstehe doch der Sünde ("Stand steadfast against transgression") is a work of outstanding sonority and chromatic harmony. Bach called upon his youthful inspiration and contrapuntal mastery to create a soul-stirring and compelling admonishment to do good.

Unequivocally one of Bach's most moving and haunting solo cantatas, Ich habe genug ("I have enough") presents a soul who has experienced life's blessings and who, having seen and felt enlightenment, is ready to pass into the next realm, rejoicing in his readiness. The music tugs on our empathy and compassion while, at the same time, gently encourages our own wishes for bliss.

Perfectly paired with Bach's cantatas, the program also includes the dynamic Concerto in C Minor for Oboe & Violin and richly sonorous by German composers Johann Heinrich Schmelzer and Georg Muffat.

https://americanbach.org/Aryeh-Nussbaum-Cohen-sings-Bach.html

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Alpine Escape
Oct
28

Alpine Escape

Let yourself be transported to the beautiful Alps through music by Viennese and Swiss Baroque composers. Featuring music by Schmelzer, Fux, and Torelli.

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From Consort to Quartet
Sep
23

From Consort to Quartet

In “From Consort to Quartet”, La Speranza explores the early origins of the string quartet through music of Matthew Locke, Henry Purcell, and Johann Albrechtsberger. Franz Joseph Haydn’s sublime String Quartet in C major, Op. 20 no 2 rounds out the program.

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Harmonious Love
May
8

Harmonious Love

Handel’s cantata Apollo & Dafne was written in Venice when he was just 24 years old. It tells the story of Apollo’s vanity as he suggests that even Cupid’s bow is no match for his own. Challenging Apollo’s boastfulness, Cupid shoots his arrows and Apollo falls prey to rapturous yearnings for Dafne. She spurns his advances and, in a desperate effort to escape, is transformed into a laurel tree.

The Pythagorean theory of Musica Universalis ("The Harmony of the Spheres"), built on the premise that music was a central force in the creation of Earth, is given rapturous credence in Handel’s setting of the Ode for Saint Cecilia’s Day, an exquisite Restoration period verse by John Dryden, England’s first Poet Laureate. Arias in praise of flutes, violins, trumpets, organs, and above all the power of harmony make this an absolutely beautiful testament of music's charms!

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Harmonious Love
May
7

Harmonious Love

Handel’s cantata Apollo & Dafne was written in Venice when he was just 24 years old. It tells the story of Apollo’s vanity as he suggests that even Cupid’s bow is no match for his own. Challenging Apollo’s boastfulness, Cupid shoots his arrows and Apollo falls prey to rapturous yearnings for Dafne. She spurns his advances and, in a desperate effort to escape, is transformed into a laurel tree.

The Pythagorean theory of Musica Universalis ("The Harmony of the Spheres"), built on the premise that music was a central force in the creation of Earth, is given rapturous credence in Handel’s setting of the Ode for Saint Cecilia’s Day, an exquisite Restoration period verse by John Dryden, England’s first Poet Laureate. Arias in praise of flutes, violins, trumpets, organs, and above all the power of harmony make this an absolutely beautiful testament of music's charms!

View Event →
Harmonious Love
May
6

Harmonious Love

Handel’s cantata Apollo & Dafne was written in Venice when he was just 24 years old. It tells the story of Apollo’s vanity as he suggests that even Cupid’s bow is no match for his own. Challenging Apollo’s boastfulness, Cupid shoots his arrows and Apollo falls prey to rapturous yearnings for Dafne. She spurns his advances and, in a desperate effort to escape, is transformed into a laurel tree.

The Pythagorean theory of Musica Universalis ("The Harmony of the Spheres"), built on the premise that music was a central force in the creation of Earth, is given rapturous credence in Handel’s setting of the Ode for Saint Cecilia’s Day, an exquisite Restoration period verse by John Dryden, England’s first Poet Laureate. Arias in praise of flutes, violins, trumpets, organs, and above all the power of harmony make this an absolutely beautiful testament of music's charms!

View Event →
Harmonious Love
May
5

Harmonious Love

Handel’s cantata Apollo & Dafne was written in Venice when he was just 24 years old. It tells the story of Apollo’s vanity as he suggests that even Cupid’s bow is no match for his own. Challenging Apollo’s boastfulness, Cupid shoots his arrows and Apollo falls prey to rapturous yearnings for Dafne. She spurns his advances and, in a desperate effort to escape, is transformed into a laurel tree.

The Pythagorean theory of Musica Universalis ("The Harmony of the Spheres"), built on the premise that music was a central force in the creation of Earth, is given rapturous credence in Handel’s setting of the Ode for Saint Cecilia’s Day, an exquisite Restoration period verse by John Dryden, England’s first Poet Laureate. Arias in praise of flutes, violins, trumpets, organs, and above all the power of harmony make this an absolutely beautiful testament of music's charms!

View Event →
Il violino moderno
Apr
23

Il violino moderno

The Lyra Baroque Orchestra brings a rare freshness, color, and dimension to the glorious music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries through its performances on period instruments. Lyra combines the talents of renowned local early music specialists and international guest artists, under the inspiring artistic leadership of Jacques Ogg.

Program:

MUFFAT • String Sonata II in g minor from “Armonico tributo”, IGM 14

ROSENMULLER • Sonata Undecima à5

SCHMELZER • Lamento sopra la morte di Ferdinando III

FROBERGER • Lamentation sur la Mort tres douloureuse de Sa Majesté Imperiale, Ferdinand le troisième

BIBER • Sonata IV à6, “Die Pauernkirchfahrt genandt” C 110

BIBER • Sonata Violino Solo Representativa, C 146

BIBER • Battalia à10 in D Major, C 61

MUFFAT • Passagaglia from Sonata V, “Armonico tributo”

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Il violino moderno
Apr
22

Il violino moderno

The Lyra Baroque Orchestra brings a rare freshness, color, and dimension to the glorious music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries through its performances on period instruments. Lyra combines the talents of renowned local early music specialists and international guest artists, under the inspiring artistic leadership of Jacques Ogg.

Program:

MUFFAT • String Sonata II in g minor from “Armonico tributo”, IGM 14

ROSENMULLER • Sonata Undecima à5

SCHMELZER • Lamento sopra la morte di Ferdinando III

FROBERGER • Lamentation sur la Mort tres douloureuse de Sa Majesté Imperiale, Ferdinand le troisième

BIBER • Sonata IV à6, “Die Pauernkirchfahrt genandt” C 110

BIBER • Sonata Violino Solo Representativa, C 146

BIBER • Battalia à10 in D Major, C 61

MUFFAT • Passagaglia from Sonata V, “Armonico tributo”

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A Musical Feast
Mar
13

A Musical Feast

Happy festivity is the theme of this program that features music composed for a banquet and a short ballet titled "A Beautiful Wedding," written by Georg Muffat to introduce his musicians to the sounds of Versailles. The mellifluous flauto traverso is brought front and center in Vivaldi's celebration of a singing goldfinch, and truly charming overtures by Maurice Greene — a composer who held all major musical appointments in England and was a founder of the original Academy of Ancient Music — feature a pair of dulcet flutes. The central focal point of this program reflects Bach’s explorations into the most up-do-date styles of his era, coming to monumental fruition in his last works, including “The Musical Offering,” a lofty zenith of the composer's practically scientific application of musical forms that culminates in his most superbly crafted Trio Sonata.

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A Musical Feast
Mar
12

A Musical Feast

Happy festivity is the theme of this program that features music composed for a banquet and a short ballet titled "A Beautiful Wedding," written by Georg Muffat to introduce his musicians to the sounds of Versailles. The mellifluous flauto traverso is brought front and center in Vivaldi's celebration of a singing goldfinch, and truly charming overtures by Maurice Greene — a composer who held all major musical appointments in England and was a founder of the original Academy of Ancient Music — feature a pair of dulcet flutes. The central focal point of this program reflects Bach’s explorations into the most up-do-date styles of his era, coming to monumental fruition in his last works, including “The Musical Offering,” a lofty zenith of the composer's practically scientific application of musical forms that culminates in his most superbly crafted Trio Sonata.

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A Musical Feast
Mar
11

A Musical Feast

Happy festivity is the theme of this program that features music composed for a banquet and a short ballet titled "A Beautiful Wedding," written by Georg Muffat to introduce his musicians to the sounds of Versailles. The mellifluous flauto traverso is brought front and center in Vivaldi's celebration of a singing goldfinch, and truly charming overtures by Maurice Greene — a composer who held all major musical appointments in England and was a founder of the original Academy of Ancient Music — feature a pair of dulcet flutes. The central focal point of this program reflects Bach’s explorations into the most up-do-date styles of his era, coming to monumental fruition in his last works, including “The Musical Offering,” a lofty zenith of the composer's practically scientific application of musical forms that culminates in his most superbly crafted Trio Sonata.

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