About this Event
- Date & Time: Date & Time: Saturday May17, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
- Venue: Incarnation Episcopal Church, 1750 29th Avenue, San Francisco
- Tickets: $25 General, $20 Seniors/Students
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Program
Clara Schumann (1819-1896): Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 17 (1846)
- Allegro moderato
- Scherzo and Trio
- Andante
- Allegretto
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Piano Trio in B Major, Op. 8 (unrevised edition of 1854)
- Allegro con moto
- Scherzo
- dagio non troppo
- Finale: Allegro molto agitato
My imagination can picture no fairer happiness than to continue living for art. – Clara Schumann
Our program, “Living for Art” showcases piano trios written by two composers completely dedicated to lofty artistic ideals – despite how messy their lives could get. While Schumann wrote her piano trio in her mid-20s, she gave birth to her fourth child, and then miscarried her subsequent pregnancy. Eight years later, while 21-year-old Brahms was writing his piano trio – and six months after being introduced to the Schumanns – Clara’s husband Robert was committed to an asylum due to late-stage symptoms of syphilis. Brahms, completely smitten with Clara, chose to move in with her to help her prepare for her seventh child.
For this concert, we have made the unusual choice to pair Schumann’s piano trio with the unrevised, original version of Brahms’ piano trio of 1854 to more fully showcase the youthful qualities of each work, and to show how each composer managed to still “live for art” despite…life.
About the Artists
Elaine Kreston is both an inspired classical cellist and a versatile improviser. She has performed throughout Europe and the United States, at venues including Carnegie Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, Broadway theatres, recording studios, radio broadcasts, spiritual retreats, and arena rock shows, as well as schools, bookstores, and cafés.
In classical music settings, Ms. Kreston currently focuses on chamber music, where she enjoys the intimacy of the repertoire for small ensembles. Bay Area audiences have seen her perform with the New Century Chamber Orchestra, the Pacific Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Rosa Symphony chamber players, the Maybeck Trio, the Cello Chixtet, and RumiCello, among others. She is known for her passionate interpretations of the solo cello suites of J.S. Bach, available on CD.
Elaine was in Madrid, Spain, as the pandemic began, returning to California to sit out the pandemic “for awhile”. Moved by the Europeans who performed music from their balconies as the pandemic began, she, too, performed daily in front of her home in Berkeley. Colleagues began to join, and before she knew it, she’d organized and performed in a variety of outdoor concerts throughout the Bay Area. The concerts featured chamber music as well as non-classical guests on mandolin, harmonica, percussion, and banjo. One well-loved performance was a cello-strava-ganza featuring five cellists with a finale that included choreographed dancers, emerging flash-mob style from the audience.
With a spirited desire to share the wonders of music with future generations, she leads a teaching studio in Berkeley and frequently visits schools to perform, teach, and inspire. One of her favorite things about the cello is the first lesson: “Give your cello a hug.”
Concert announcements are posted on FaceBook: Look for “Elaine Kreston”. More information and CDs are available at http://www.elainekreston.com.
Lisa Maresch’s journey is a harmonious blend of global experiences and unwavering dedication to music. Born in Tokyo, Japan, she began her musical journey at the age of four. Her family later moved to Sydney, Australia, where she performed at the Sydney Opera House during the Eisteddfod Competitions. In the United States, she attended the Grammy Award-winning Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts, playing for shows on the Las Vegas Strip and in recording studios. By age 17, she was performing professionally, an experience that shaped her artistry and teaching philosophy.
In recent years, she has performed with The SoMa Trio at the Napa Climate NOW, and featured on the concert series at 405 Shrader, as well as performing with The Sor Ensemble at The Throckmorton Noon Concert Series, and The Opus Concert Series in Mendocino. Lisa has also performed in the Las Vegas Philharmonic Spotlight Concert with principal flutist Christina Castellanos, and at the NAMM Convention as performer and coach with “Roomful of Pianos.” Passionate about new music, she has presented many premieres with the Nextet New Music Ensemble at UNLV and the Blackbird Music Project in Orange County, CA. She has been a guest with the Las Vegas Woodwind Quintet, Arizona MusicFest, Arrowbear Music Festival in California, and has performed concerti with the UNLV Symphony Orchestra, Henderson Civic Symphony, Las Vegas Civic Symphony, and the Las Vegas Academy Orchestras. Festival performances include the International Keyboard Institute in New York, the Round Top International Music Festival, The Castleman String Quartet Program, the Brevard Music Festival, and the Las Vegas Music Festival.
Lisa has been a passionate advocate for music education for almost 30 years, dedicating herself to non-profit and educational initiatives. She founded the Scholarship Showcase Concerts for the Warne Scholarship Foundation in Orange County, CA. She also served as a Maria Manetti Shrem Mentor with “ArtSmart,” teaching voice, piano, and music theory in the San Francisco School District. In American Samoa, she taught and performed in local schools while donating string instruments to a community orchestra. She also collaborated with Arquetopia, an international arts foundation in Mexico, performing concerts in Puebla and Oaxaca. In 2021, Lisa completed the Executive Program in Arts and Culture Strategy through National Arts Strategies and the University of Pennsylvania, equipping her to advance her mission of promoting music education and outreach.
She is a highly regarded piano teacher, recognized with Steinway & Sons’ “Top Teacher” Award in 2024, 2022, and 2021, and the Warne Foundation’s “Maestro Award” in 2010 for her exceptional dedication to music education. She frequently leads masterclasses and serves as an adjudicator, inspiring students both locally and across the United States.
Lisa has been on the faculty of notable programs, including The Viola Workout, a chamber music festival created by Robert Becker, former principal violist of the Pacific Symphony. As a collaborative pianist with the MusiShare Young Artists Program in Irvine, CA, she worked closely with violinist William Fitzpatrick, whose guidance greatly influenced her teaching approach. She has also served on the faculty of the InterHarmony Music Festival in Acqui Terme, Italy, where she taught solo piano and chamber music. At The Crowden Music Center in Berkeley, Lisa has contributed to various programs, including directing Piano Partners, a duo piano summer program. Her teaching roles have extended to The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music at Chapman University, and Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, CA. Lisa is the founder of Opus38 Studio, located in the South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco, where she continues to foster a vibrant and inspiring musical community.
Her primary teachers are Mykola Suk and James Giles.
Violinist Sarah Wood has appeared as a soloist with the San Francisco Philharmonic, the San Francisco Civic Symphony, the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra, and the Villa Sinfonia, Panache, and Icicle Creek Chamber Orchestras. Internationally, she has performed in Canada, Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hungary, Tunisia, and on Easter Island.
A passionate chamber musician, Sarah was a founding member of the Circadian String Quartet (2013-2016) and previously founded the Foothill Chamber Music Concert Series. She co-directed the Baroque chamber group Ensemble Pearl, and has collaborated on countless concerts, outreach presentations, and projects.
Sarah has served as concertmaster for the Auburn Symphony and has held tenured positions as Assistant Principal Second Violin with the Berkeley Symphony, acting Assistant Concertmaster with the California Symphony, Principal Second with the Greeley Philharmonic, and section violinist with the Boulder Philharmonic. She currently is a regular substitute violinist with the San Francisco Symphony, and most recently won a position with Symphony San Jose.
A dedicated educator, Sarah has taught violin, viola and chamber music for over 20 years. From 2009-2012 she served as Lina Bahn’s Teaching Assistant at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and on faculty at the Crowden School from 2014-2016. She is a certified Suzuki Method teacher, having earned her certification with the legendary pedagogue Dr. William Starr.
Sarah earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in violin performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she studied with Lina Bahn and Karoly Schranz. She also holds a B.M. and M.M. in violin performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she was a student of Paul Kantor & William Preucil. A California native, she has also worked with Zaven Melikian, Robin Sharp, and Cathy van Hoesen.
Sarah became an AmSAT-certified teacher of the Alexander Technique in 2022 at the Alexander Education Center in Berkeley, CA. She has assisted teaching classes at the San Francisco Conservatory Collegiate, Preparatory and Continuing Education departments. As part of her doctoral thesis, she collaborated with the organization Violinist in Balance at the HKU Utrechts Conservatorium in the Netherlands to design and build ergonomic violin equipment, working with musicians to promote ease and avoid injury.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, 1750 29th Avenue, San Francisco, United States
USD 23.18 to USD 28.52
