Monday, December 3, 2007

Annual Holiday Party 2007

Bruce continues his Saturday Club meeting posts (with photos) with this description of our 2007 Annual Holiday Party:


The Sacramento Saturday Club's Annual Holiday Party was held at the historic and beautiful Witter Ranch, home to Ed and Eleanor Witter, on Sunday, 12/02/07, at 3:00 p.m.
Many thanks to the Witter family, for their hospitality, generosity, and festive decorations!


Thanks also, to Susan Lamb Cook, gifted 'cellist and 'cello instructor, and to her students. Susan's students, a trio from the SYS Chamber Music Workshop and a quartet comprised of undergraduate and graduate students from the UC Davis Department of Music and the CSUS Department of Music, performed during the "programmed" portion of the party.


The Trio Undici (eleven) gave a brilliant performance of Mikhail Glinka's Romance.

Susan's older students provided the audience with three evocative movements from Dmitri Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 6, op.101. They followed up with beautiful arrangements of several popular Christmas carols.


We had about 45 SSC members and guests in attendance and about the same number of delicious desserts and beverages: wine, coffee, hot wassail, tortes, cakes, cookies, panatone, fudge, pfeffernussen, fruitcake...I could go on...


The Cozza-Fisher family, always in the holiday spirit, offered up some more Christmas carols and Robin brought the sacred into our midst by singing Ave Maria.

Hannes Busch, accompanied by John Cozza, gave excellent performances of several German carols.


If you missed the festivities, I hope you make it next year. Otherwise, see you at the January home concert.

- Bruce

Thanks one more time, Bruce, for blogging the last meeting of 2007. We invite all Sacramento Saturday Club members to submit their own impressions and reviews of each meeting.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Rictor Noren & Ellen Deffner

Bruce provides us with yet another performance post, from Sunday, November 18, 2007. This was not a Saturday Club meeting, but the performance featured a former Club member:

Former Junior Saturday Club member, Rictor Noren, gave a recital for Georgetown's Music on the Divide series, on Sunday, 11/18/07. Rictor is a gifted and animated violin and viola soloist and is currently on the faculty at the Boston Conservatory and the New England Conservatory of Music.

Mr. Noren was accompanied by the internationally lauded, Ellen Deffner, pianist.


Pieces performed were: Sonata for Viola and Piano, by Rebecca Clarke; Fantasy Pieces op. 73 bis, by Robert Schumann; Suite No. 1 1007, by Johann Sebastian Bach; and Suite Italienne, by Jiovanni Pergolesi/Igor Stravinsky.




Mr. Noren and Ms. Deffner received a standing ovation, for their gifts, to the audience, of skilled and evocative performances. They provided a peaceful and reflective encore, in the form of Ashokan Farewell, by Jay Unger.



During the intermission, and for the reception following the recital, tasty pastries, beverages, and hot entrees were provided by the women of the Music on the Divide Guild. Of course, I gave Rictor and Ellen applications, to become performing members of SSC.

- Bruce Hubbard

Barbara Wieman & James Gentry

Bruce Hubbard provides our second post for the November Home Concert, Saturday, November 17, 2007:

I begin with an apology: I forgot my camera, so I don't have any pictures for the November Home Concert.

With stars shimmering in the cloudless, black tableau of night, the Sacramento Saturday Club home concert took place on a crisp, cool evening - a declaration that winter is fast approaching.

Members and guests arrived, with rosy cheeks, at the beautiful home of the Anderson family.

Barbara Wieman, accomplished pianist, teacher, and longtime SSC member and supporter, was first to perform for the evening's program. She provided excellent interpretations of M. Ravel's Sonatine (Moderate), F. Schubert's Impromptu, Op. 90, No.4 (Allegro), F. Chopin's Nocturne Op. 15, No. 1, and L.V. Beethoven's Sonata No. 8, Po. 13 (Grave/Allegro Molto). Thank you, Barbara!

Longtime SSC member, James Gentry, baritone, and his accompanist, Melanie Bietz, pianist, completed the evening's program. Mr. Gentry, attired in frontiersman garb, gave a hearty performance of Four Old American Songs, by A. Copland. He then got into character, by changing into Baroque attire, complete with long, blonde hair, for a humerous offering of G.F. Handel's Aria from Acis and Galatea. Mr. Gentry's last selection, J.J. Niles, Four Gambling Songs, saw him back in the lime light, wearing the costume of a riverboat gambler. What creativity, fun, and talent these two artists, James Gentry and Melanie Bietz, provided our audience. Thank you, James and Melanie!

A big thank you to Programming Board Member, Pauline Cazanis, for contacting and scheduling this evening's performance.

A big thank you to the Anderson family, for their hospitality.

And, of course, a big thank you to the hospitality team, Arlene Bradshaw and Joan McCloud (and Merlin and Elliot), for the "yummies."

- Bruce Hubbard


For those of us unable to attend, Bruce's post is a wonderful reminder of what we missed. Thank you!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Leah Nieman, piano

Our Inaugural Concert Post comes from Bruce Hubbard:


The Sacramento Saturday Club held its first concert/meeting of 2007-2008 on Saturday, October 20, at the beautiful home of CSUS Music Department faculty members and well-known and talented musicians, John Cozza and Robin Fisher.

Ms. Leah Nieman, an accomplished pianist and musical educator, was the soloist for the evening’s gathering. She was warmly greeted by approximately 45 attending Saturday Club members. Ms. Nieman’s program consisted of Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin’s Sonata No. 2 in G# minor, sometimes referred to as the “Sonata Fantasy,” and Robert Schumann’s Fantasy in C Major, Opus # 17.

Before performing both pieces, Ms. Nieman provided interesting background information about the composers and the specific pieces. Both the sonata and fantasy were wonderfully evocative and beautifully performed.

Greeted with resounding and enthusiastic applause, Ms. Neiman, as an encore, performed Felix Mendelssohn’s “Spinning Song,” from the Song without Words Collection.

The meeting arrived at its sweet conclusion in the Cozza-Fisher’s dining room, thanks to the wonderful talents and diligent work of Mrs. Arlene Bradshaw and Mrs. Joan McCloud, the organization’s Board members for hospitality. Guests enjoyed sinfully delicious chocolate cake, among other treats and beverages.

- Bruce Hubbard


Thanks, Bruce, for taking the time to share your thoughts and photos.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Welcome!


Since 1893, the Sacramento Saturday Club has contributed to
"the musical improvement of its members and the stimulation of musical interests in Sacramento." Now, in 2007 (a full one hundred and fourteen years later,) we begin sharing the musical and social highlights of Club activities through pictures, reviews and stories.

Please join us, members and non-members, musicians and non-musicians, Sacramentans and non-Sacramentans, as we blog the fun and delight of each Saturday Club performing season.