INTRODUCING THE 2025-26 SEASON!
SRJC's Chamber Concert Series has been providing the best in chamber music to Sonoma County audiences for more than 50 years. We are delighted to announce our 2025-26 season designed to dazzle audiences: two trios, a pianist and clarinetist, and three string quartets presenting wide ranging programs to appeal to all.
The first five concerts will be held in Newman Auditorium, located in Emeritus Hall on SRJC's Santa Rosa campus. The final concert, featuring the Calder Quartet, will be held at the Glaser Center in downtown Santa Rosa and will include a reception immediately following the concert.
IT IS OUR PLEASURE TO PRESENT
Clarinetist David Shifrin & Pianist Marina Iwao
Sunday, November 9, 2025
4pm
Newman Auditorium (Emeritus Hall)
SRJC Santa Rosa Campus
off of Elliott Avenue, Santa Rosa CA
Clarinetist David Shifrin is an American treasure. Pianist Marina Iwao is an outstanding pianist. Together these amazing artists will present the music of Debussy, Brahms, Bernstein, Poulenc and Hindemith in a concert to long remember and cherish. Winner of both the Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Avery Fisher Prize, David Shifrin is in constant demand as an orchestral soloist, recitalist and chamber music collaborator. An artist member of the Chamber Music Society of London sine 1989, Mr. Shifrin is currently Artistic Director of the Phoenix Chamber Music Festival. Japanese-born pianist Marina Iwao is a dedicated chamber musician whose diverse repertoire ranges from classical to contemporary music. She earned her solo piano degrees at Longy School of Music and Mannes School of Music and completed her Master of Music in Collaborative Piano at the Julliard School, under the mentorship of Jonathan Feldman and Dr. Lydia Brown.
Program:
Paul Hindemith, Sonata (1939)
Leonard Bernstein, Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
Francis Poulenc, Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
Johannes Brahms, Sonata No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 120, No. 2
Claude Debussy, Premiére rhapsodie
Zodiac Trio
Friday, December 5, 2025
7:30pm
Newman Auditorium (Emeritus Hall)
SRJC Santa Rosa Campus
off of Elliott Avenue, Santa Rosa CA
One of today's premiere clarinet-violin-piano ensembles, the Zodiac Trio is known for presenting masterpieces for their unconventional instrumentation alongside hidden gems, arrangements, and the occasional duo/solo in a concert experience marked with a special gusto, virtuosity and energy. Over the past decade, the Zodiac Trio has established itself as the leading international trio of its kind. The Trio's story begins in New York in 2006 when three young musicians from the Manhattan School of Music decided to join forces in an unconventional ensemble and spearhead a career dedicated to the clarinet-violin-piano instrumentation. One year later, the Zodiac Trio moved to Paris to attend the Paris Conservatory under the guidance of the Ysaye Quartet and their unique chamber music program--becoming the first American group and first ensemble with a wind instrument to be accepted to the program.
Kliment Krylovskiy, clarinet; Vanessa Mollard, violin; and Riko Higuma, piano
Program:
George Gershwin, An American in Paris
Astor Piazzolla, Serie del Ángel
Peter Schickele, Serenade for Three
Arturo Márquez, Danzón No. 2
Bela Bartok, Contrasts
Quartet San Francisco
Sunday, January 18, 2026
4pm
Newman Auditorium (Emeritus Hall)
SRJC Santa Rosa Campus
off of Elliott Avenue, Santa Rosa CA
Quartet San Francisco was born out of the desire to create a genre of string ensemble literature that gathers its material from popular music elements, while maintaining the integrity and spirit of traditional chamber music. QSF has been recognized for its excellence in classical-crossover genre and has received three Grammy nominations over the years. Founder Jeremy Cohen's dedication to expanding the literature for the string quartet medium is at the heart of the group. On the stage, the quartet is stimulating, energetic and provocative. QSF takes on all styles with authenticity and thoughtfulness, delivering them all with enthusiasm and formidable technique.
Jeremy Cohen, violin; Joseph Christianson, violin; Chad Kaltinger, viola; and Tyler DeVigal, cello
Program:
Jeremy Cohen, Tango Toscana
David Brubeck (arr. Cohen), Blue Rondo a la Turk
Chick Corea (arr. Cohen), Spain
Jeremy Cohen, Tango Carnevale
Astor Piazzolla (arr. Cohen), Libertango
Astor Piazzolla (arr. Cohen), Nuevo Tango
Astor Piazzolla, Melodia in A minor
Jean-Luc Ponty (arr. Cohen), New Country
Leonard Bernstein (arr. Cohen), West Side Story
The Aris Quartett
Friday, February 20, 2026
7:30pm
Newman Auditorium (Emeritus Hall)
SRJC Santa Rosa Campus
off of Elliott Avenue, Santa Rosa CA
Expressive, dynamic, spectacular -- the Aris Quartett has been at home on international stages for more than a decade. With its unmistakable sound, it has long been known as one of the world's top-ranked chamber music ensembles. Founded in Frankfurt am Main in 2009, the Aris Quartett continues to perform to this day in an unchanged format. The ensemble's success is no coincidence: having earned numerous first prizes at prestigious competitions, the Aris Quartett quickly achieved its international breakthrough. The musicians have been honored as ECHO Rising Stars by the European Concert Hall Organization, were among the BBC's New Generation Artists, and have won five awards at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich.
Anna Katharina Wildermuth, violin; Noémi Zipperling, violin; Caspar Vinzens, viola; and Lukas Sieber, violoncello
Program:
Felix Mendelssohn, String Quartet Op. 12 or Joseph Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76/4 in B-flat minor "Sunrise"
Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 8 in C minor Op. 110
Ludwig van Beethoven, String Quartet in F Major Op. 59/1
The Sierra Ensemble
Sunday, March 15, 2026
4pm
Newman Auditorium (Emeritus Hall)
SRJC Santa Rosa Campus
off of Elliott Avenue, Santa Rosa CA
This violin, French horn and piano trio has performed throughout the United States and the world since the late 90s. Rich in flavor, the trio brings to the stage a repertoire that adds depth to the violin, horn and piano through commissions and associations with other artists. The ensemble was awarded grants for two residency programs in Turkey and was the resident chamber ensemble at the Pera College of Music in Istanbul. To help expand the horn trio repertoire, past engagements have included commissioning composers Russell Steinberg and Tolga Ozdemir; recent commissions include new works by Andres Carrizo and Aida Shirazi, and Jan Bevan, poet and author.
Janis Lieberman, horn; Matthew Vincent, violin; and Marc Steiner, piano.
Program:
Charles Koechlin, Quatre Petites Pieces for Violin, Horn and Piano
Richard Aldag, Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano
Florence Price, Fantasy No. 1 in G minor for Violin and Piano
Lev Kogan, Kaddish for Horn Solo
Elsa Barraine, Crépuscules for Horn and Piano
Johannes Brahms, Trio in Eb Major; Opus 40 for Piano, Violin and Horn
The Calder Quartet
Sunday, April 26,2026
4pm
(Note location change for this concert):
Glaser Center, 547 Mendocino Avenue
Santa Rosa CA
*reception immediately following concert
Hailed as "superb" and "imaginative, skillful creators" by the New York Times, the Calder Quartet captivates audiences, exploring a broad spectrum of repertoire, always striving to fulfill the composer's vision in its performances. The group's distinctive artistry is exemplified by a musical curiosity brought to everything they perform, and has led them to be called "one of America's most satisfying--and most enterprising--quartets." Winners of the prestigious 2014 Avery Fisher Career Grant, they are widely known for the discovery, commissioning, recording and mentoring of some of today's best emerging composers.
Benjamin Jacobson, violin; Tereza Stanislav, violin; Jonathan Moerschel, viola; and Eric Byers, cello
Program:
Philip Glass, String Quartet No. 2, "Company"
Ben Johnston, String Quartet No. 4, "Amazing Grace"
Samuel Barber, String Quartet in B minor Op. 11
Andrew Norman, Sabrina (arr. for string quartet)
Florence Price, String Quartet No. 2