Gold Coast opens 14th concert season in Lafayette

 On September 21 and 22, 2012, the Gold Coast Chamber Players will treat audiences to Quintett, a concert featuring chamber music by Schubert and Glazunov.  Gold Coast concerts have been extremely popular, with the Lafayette-based ensemble playing to packed houses throughout the Bay Area.  Quintett opens Gold Coast’s 14th Season, and will be held at the Orinda Library Auditorium on Friday, September 21 at 8:00 PM and again at the Lafayette Library Community Hall on Saturday, September 22 at 7:30 PM.  Gold Coast is excited to welcome a special guest artist, Juliana Athayde, concertmaster of the Rochester Philharmonic and daughter of local music educators, Bob and Julie Athayde. Gold Coast Chamber Players, which was named “Best East Bay Chamber Ensemble” by the Contra Costa times, draws many of its musicians from the San Francisco Symphony, Opera, and Ballet Orchestras, as well as ensembles throughout the US and abroad.  Artistic Director Pamela Freund-Striplen was lauded in Scene Magazine last year for her unique gift for pairing musicians with musical programs.

Juliana Athayde became concertmaster of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in 2005 at age twenty-four, making her the youngest person to hold the position since the orchestra’s inception in 1922.  Ms. Athayde, who grew up in Orinda, once made an eleventh-hour appearance on a Gold Coast concert as a high school student when their original violinist took ill.  Freund-Striplen recalls, “Juliana came over to my studio and we sight-read a Mozart duet for violin and viola.  She’d never heard the piece before, and sight-read it not only at a professional level, but also with great maturity and artistic insight.  I was amazed!”

At this concert, Gold Coast will also feature the superb artistry of Amos Yang, the Associate Principal cellist for the San Francisco Symphony.  Mr. Yang, a San Francisco native, has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the U.S., the Far East, and Europe, including performances at the Aspen Music Festival, the American Academy in Rome, Wigmore Hall, and Alice Tully Hall.

A reception following the concert will provide an opportunity to meet the musicians after both performances.  The Lafayette performance includes a free pre-concert talk at 7PM by St. Mary's College professor, Lino Rivera.

Tickets are $35 General, $30 Senior, and $10 Student, and are available at www.gcplayers.org and by phone at (925) 283-3728.  Limited seating, please reserve early.

Venues:

Sept. 21 at 8PM:Orinda Library Auditorium, 22 Orinda Way, Orinda

Sept. 22 at 7:30PM: Lafayette Library Community Hall, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette