Jason Victor Serinus

Jason Victor Serinus regularly reviews music and audio for Stereophile, SFCV, Classical Voice North America, AudioStream, American Record Guide, and other publications. The whistling voice of Woodstock in She’s a Good Skate, Charlie Brown, the longtime Oakland resident now resides in Port Townsend, Washington.

Articles By This Author

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Preview

The Klezmer Shul That Transcends Tradition

Jason Victor Serinus - January 25, 2010
How can religious music devoid of language serve as a unifying force in a world divided by doctrine? This question led Veretski Pass, a unique klezmer trio, to create a new body of Jewish religious music titled The Klezmer Shul. Premiering in Jewish venues in Alameda (Feb. 8), Berkeley (Feb. 10), and Palo Alto (Feb.
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Review

Nathan Gunn, Out of the Comfort Zone

Jason Victor Serinus - January 13, 2010
The exceptionally fine baritone Nathan Gunn was at Herbst Theatre last Tuesday, where he tackled Schubert’s song cycle Die schöne Müllerin (The fair maid of the mill) in a recital for San Francisco Performances.
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Review

The Savalls’ Ship of Love

Jason Victor Serinus - December 29, 2009

La Barcha d’Amore is a celebration. Exquisitely planned and executed, the anthology celebrates over 30 years of music-making by ensemble Hespèrion XX (now Hespèrion XXI) and orchestra Le Concert des Nations.

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Organist Paul Jacobs: Playing With All Fours

Jason Victor Serinus - December 29, 2009
There’s a good reason that Pennsylvania-born Paul Jacobs, 32, is frequently dubbed an organ evangelist. Even before he made music history at age 23, when he played J.S.

Downloading Primer: How to Get the Most From Your Clicks

Jason Victor Serinus - December 22, 2009

As we approach the year 2010, downloading music has become as ubiquitous as iPods.

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Elvis Meets Mozart

Jason Victor Serinus - December 21, 2009
What do Elvis, Mozart, and Beethoven have in common? The connection is not what you might expect.

Besides the fact that all three are dead, Maestro David Ramadanoff had one reason for putting Michael Daugherty’s Dead Elvis and Mozart’s Serenade in D major K. 239 (Serenata notturna) together with Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony on the Vallejo Symphony's Jan. 9 concert.

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Review

The New Depths of Renée Fleming

Jason Victor Serinus - December 8, 2009

Renée Fleming surprised us on Sunday night. Walking onto the Zellerbach Hall stage for her virtually sold-out Cal Performances recital, ensconced in a form-fitting, gorgeous green dress that would be the envy of any prom queen, she looked as beautiful as ever. But no one expected her, after she took her place alongside the piano, to pick up a microphone and address the audience.

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Review

Shepherdess With a Sword

Jason Victor Serinus - December 3, 2009

When Christine Lim of San Francisco Performances invited former San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow soprano Ji Young Yang to present a one-hour Salon at the Rex, Yang proposed a pairing with her fellow, former Adlerian, countertenor Gerald Thompson. Thus was born a duo recital that began with early music, then embraced the unexpected.

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A Major Kronos Get-Together

Jason Victor Serinus - December 1, 2009
A significant homecoming is on the horizon for the Kronos Quartet. On Dec. 13 at UC Berkeley’s Hertz Hall, the astounding Joan Jeanrenaud, who was the quartet’s cellist for two decades before taking her leave over 10 years ago, rejoins her old cohorts for the world premiere of Vladimir Martynov’s Schubert-Quintet (Unfinished).
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A Gift of Song For the Holidays

Jason Victor Serinus - November 30, 2009
Given the large number of fine recordings released in the past year, a first-time visitor to Planet Earth would hardly suspect that the record industry is in the doldrums. Nor will the music lovers on your holiday gift list think anything is amiss, if you present them with one or more of the sonic goodies in the guide that follows.