A Musical Offering
◴ Sunday, December 20th • 1PM
⚲ The Hillside Club, Berkeley
Join us at the historic Hillside Club for an afternoon of music and conversation—featuring an eclectic range of artists and works, the concert will kickoff an exciting new monthly music series at the Club.
Throughout the afternoon we will speak to the vision and ongoing cultural work of Musaics, as each performer shares the story and inspiration behind the works they present.
Drinks and snacks will be served
Program
Audrey Vardanega
Praised as a “[musically] eloquent” (San Francisco Classical Voice) player “with the kind of freedom, authority, and strength…that one expects from the world’s finest pianists” and a “bewitching musical presence,” American pianist and arts entrepreneur Audrey Vardanega has performed as a solo and collaborative pianist across Europe, China, and the United States.
In response to her passion for bringing artists together for opportunities for performance, the creation of new work, and interdisciplinary collaboration, Audrey founded Musaics of the Bay in 2019.
Tanya Tomkins
Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the Valley of the Moon Music Festival, cellist Tanya Tomkins is equally at home on Baroque and modern instruments. She has performed on many chamber music series to critical acclaim, including the Frick Collection, “Great Performances” at Lincoln Center, the 92nd Street Y, San Francisco Performances, and the Concertgebouw Kleine Zaal.
She is renowned in particular for her interpretation of the Bach Cello Suites, having recorded them for the Avie label and performed them many times at venues such as New York’s Le Poisson Rouge, Seattle Early Music Guild, Vancouver Early Music Society, and The Library of Congress.
Kazemde George
Saxophone
Kazemde George is an Jazz saxophonist, composer, and educator based in Oakland, California. Raised in Berkeley by Caribbean parents, Kaz attended college in Boston where he completed the Harvard/New England Conservatory (NEC) Joint program, receiving his Bachelors in Neurobiology (Harvard) and his Masters in Jazz Composition (NEC).
Through his travels, Kaz has expanded his focus from Hip-Hop and Jazz to include the full spectrum of musical styles which blossomed from the African Diaspora, including Afro-Cuban, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Brazilian, and African-American traditions. As he sees it, the study of these musical styles serves as a way to regain cultural histories that were lost through the processes of African-American Slavery.
Christos Vayenas
Impresario, pianist and curator Christos Vayenas' musical language draws inspiration from the Romantic and Symbolist eras of the past, as well as the improvising traditions of the world. A strong advocate for creative programming and cross-disciplinary collaboration, Christos is committed to transforming the way in which we create, perform and experience the arts. In addition to his work as the Director of Curation at Musaics, he is the founder of the NYC-based arts organization The Autumn Salon.
Khatchadour Khatchadourian
Voice and Duduk
Khatchadour is a Lebanese-Armenian vocalist and duduk wooodwind player based out of San Francisco Bay Area. His vocal repertoire is grounded in both the Armenian and Arab vocal traditions. Growing up within the Armenian diaspora on the Lebanese coast, and later having spent many years in Aleppo, Syria, Khatchadour’s voice pays homage to these landscapes along with that of the South Caucasus, and Anatolia, where he traces his family ancestry.
Khatchadour’s passion for the duduk, an Armenian double reed woodwind, began in 2007, and has since, taken him on musical journeys across Armenia and Southern France. He studies under master duduk player, Levon Minassian. Additionally, for the past few years, Khatchadour has been immersed in the study of Persian vocal Radif, and sings in Farsi, under the instruction of master vocalist, Mahsa Vahdat.