Artist Spotlights

The erhu player in the San Francisco Symphony’s Lunar New Year concert is taking his instrument international.

About to visit the Bay Area for a recital, Gil Shaham talks about new works he’ll perform and an unusual flowering of violin concertos in the 1930s.

With wide-ranging gifts and varied interests, soprano Christine Brandes keeps up with politics of antiquity as well as of today.

Now happily at home in San Francisco, Scottish-born conductor Alasdair Neale discusses his vision for the Marin Symphony and the need for a new model of concert-giving.

Naumburg winner and conservatory graduate violinist Tessa Lark dreams of showcasing both her classical virtuosity and her love of bluegrass music in her native Kentucky.

Lisa Vroman weighs in on her family’s musical roots and her abiding love for opera.

Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi warm up for their San Francisco recital by talking about the risks and rewards of four-hand piano works.

An internationally respected Bach specialist, on his way to Berkeley, speaks of his affinity for his music, which is hugely popular in his native Japan.

Composers/conductors/teachers Dylan Mattingly and Matthew Cmiel riff on working with friends, despite being on opposite coasts.

In a continuation of his conversation with SFCV, Cal Performances Director Matías Tarnopolsky muses on the direction of music education in the U.S. and the fusing of performance and education goals at the UC Berkeley institution.