Named Best Concert Series of the East Bay 2021 by Diablo Magazine, the Gold Coast Chamber Players return to the stage on January 22, 2022 with Seriously Mozart, the second of a series of five concerts. Each performance is held at the Don Tatzin Community Hall at the Lafayette Library, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette. Concerts begin at 7:30PM with a pre-concert talk at 7PM. Tickets include an option to watch the performance virtually from January 24 - June 30, 2022. GCCP follows county health guidelines and patrons must submit proof of vaccination and wear masks indoors.
Seriously Mozart kicks off the New Year featuring an all-star group of musicians: violinist Axel Strauss, violist Pamela Freund-Striplen, cellist Jennifer Culp, and pianist Julio Elizalde. Violinist Axel Strauss is the first German artist to ever win the international Naumburg Violin Award in New York. He has been equally acclaimed for his virtuosity and his musical sensitivity and will be flying in from Montreal for the performance. Grammy winning cellist Jennifer Culp, formerly of the Kronos Quartet, is an avid chamber musician and teacher at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Praised as a musician of “compelling artistry and power” by the Seattle Times, the gifted American pianist Julio Elizalde is a multifaceted artist who enjoys a versatile career as soloist, chamber musician, artistic administrator, educator, and curator. Violist Pamela Freund-Striplen, winner of the Arts and Culture Award for Contra Costa County, brings the group together with her warm tone and ability to connect with the audience.
Focusing on four years during Mozart’s late period, the program showcases Mozart’s ability to explore a wide range of musical characters: playful, elegant, and dramatic. Mozart’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, k.454 begins the program and is considered unusually virtuosic for both players. The Piano Trio in E Major, k.542 was written during the dreariest months in Mozart’s life; yet perhaps hoping to cheer himself up, he hoped to perform this effervescent trio at a party. The program concludes with the Piano Quartet in g minor, k. 478, considered one of Mozart’s finest and dramatic chamber works.
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