Voice Classical Concerts in NorCal

Dedicated to family member and VMMF friend and supporter, Susan Shalit Dvořák’s journey to Russia at Tchaikovsky’s invitation opened a window onto the broader Slavic musical world. This program brings together deeply expressive songs and chamber works of lyrical beauty and dramatic intensity. Arensky’s elegiac Cello Quartet and Dvořák’s F minor Piano Trio anchor an afternoon shaped by longing and emotional depth, while songs by Dvořák, Mussorgsky, and Yuliya Weissberg offer compelling perspectives across time. • Program TCHAIKOVSKY “July: Song of the Reaper,” from The Seasons , Op. 37a, for solo piano (1876) MUSSORGSKY, WEISSBERG, and DVOŘÁK Selected Songs for Voice and Piano ARENSKY String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 35, for Violin, Viola, and Two Cellos (1894) DVOŘÁK Piano Trio No. 3 in F minor, Op. 65, B. 130 (1883) Artists Simon Barrad, BARITONE | Eric Zivian, PIANO | Jennifer Frautschi, Tsien-Hsin Cindy Wu, VIOLIN | Andrew Gonzalez, VIOLA | Tanya Tomkins, Julia Yang, CELLO Perfo

Students Participating in the week-long intensive Vocal Academy present solo selections for voice and piano. Program details will be added closer to the concert date. Richard Cox, Artistic DirectorMargaret Halbig, pianoChristopher Koelzer, pianoHao Wu, piano

Students Participating in the week-long intensive Vocal Academy present selections for small and large ensembles. Complete program details coming soon! Heather Matthews, Stage DirectorMargaret Halbig, Music Director

After his American years, Antonín Dvořák returned to Bohemia in 1895, spending his final decade immersed once again in Czech landscapes, language, and folk traditions. This homecoming deepened the national character of his late works. Bedřich Smetana ’s From My Homeland evokes the lyrical spirit of place, while Leoš Janáček ’s Violin Sonata demonstrates an intense, modern voice shaped by Moravian speech and song. Dvořák’s radiant A-flat String Quartet reflects his mature mastery, and the concert closes with a fiery Slavonic Dance offering a jubilant celebration of Czech identity. • Program SMETANA From My Homeland for Violin and Piano (1880) DVOŘÁK Humoresque in G-flat major, Op. 101, No. 7, B. 187, for Violin and Piano (1894) JANÁČEK Sonata for Violin and Piano (1914) DVOŘÁK String Quartet No. 14 in A-flat major, Op. 105, B. 193 (1895) DVOŘÁK Slavonic Dance No. 1 in C major, Op. 46, “Furiant” (1878) Artists Audrey Vardanega, PIANO |SoYoung Choi, Jennifer Frautschi, Josh Liu, Juliette

Music@Menlo’s 2015 festival was a three-week immersion in the music and life of Franz Schubert, inspired by the intimate Schubertiades —late-night gatherings devoted entirely to his music—that surrounded the composer during his short life. The final program of this summer’s festival presents two monumental works that reveal Schubert stepping into Beethoven’s shadow, and emerging with a voice entirely his own. Schubert’s Second Piano Trio, completed one year before his death, is a direct descendant of Beethoven’s final trio, the Archduke of 1812. Since then, no trio on such a grand scale had been attempted. Framed by outer movements of enormous dimension and sensations of timelessness, the inner movements offer two quintessential Schubert vignettes: a depiction of the Romantic-era wanderer trudging through snow in vain, and a delightful Viennese waltz. Listen to the AudioNote, our preconcert listener guide for this Concert Program. https://musicatmenlo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/26-