Grammy-nominated violinist Tessa Lark returns after her season-opening Cal Performances at Home online debut last fall, with her in-person Berkeley debut.
Fluent in both classical and contemporary concert repertoire, Lark is also an accomplished bluegrass and folk music fiddler. Here she offers a program that speaks to her singular strengths: Beethoven’s virtuosic Sonata No. 3 from Op. 30 calls for a sprightly athleticism; Michael Torke’s Spoon Bread, named after a popular treat in Lark’s native Kentucky, was composed specifically for her genre-bending talents; John Corigliano’s STOMPis a solo study modeled on American fiddle music; and Ravel’s dazzling and delicate Violin Sonata in G major is infused with American jazz and blues. Lark rounds out the program with her own composition Jig and Pop and an arrangement of John Lewis’ popular Django. She is joined by pianist Amy Yang, who also accompanied Lark on her acclaimed 2019 debut recording, Fantasy.