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July 28, 2022

Dear Sierra Chamber Society Patron/Fan/Friend…

The Sierra Chamber Society is proud to announce its 2022/23 Concert Season, our 36th.  I will be previewed program dates and order below in a moment…

It is that time of year, after two years “respite,” when I must beseech each and everyone of you to donate.  I will not belabor the effects of the last three troubled seasons.  Suffice it to say the SCS has, without donor appeal, through strict frugality, managed to maintain its marginal working bank balance.  Thanks to all of you who helped sustain us in the interval.

Nor do I wish to belabor my plea.  I’m quite sure that all of you understand.  Most recently, to those who attended the spectacular performance of Robert Sirota’s and my long-awaited collaboration, Contrapassos for Voice and String Quartet on July 22, canceled and re-booked no less than three times in the last so many years, to those who couldn’t attend as well, we garnered an audience of sixty.  Now, this is actually a quite respectable number among chamber music endeavors, not just in the Bay Area where there are several such series to choose from although, honestly, none of which holds a candle to ours as regards quality and consistency.

To wit, the SCS netted just under one-thousand dollars versus our usual three-to-four thousand in idyllic pre-COVID times.  We cannot long exist on such gates.   Of course, we are lucky that our ever-present donors, among the historically many who, perhaps, continue to feel unsafe in an enclosed environment, even knowing our audience is highly vaccinated and masked indoors at all times, have graciously sustained us in these hard times.  Now, more than ever, the Sierra Chamber Society relies on both its generous donors and…  FILLED SEATS!!!  As Director of this precious, albeit fragile, enterprise, I implore each and every one of you...  Please.  Please.  Pull’EASE, bring a friend.  Better a baker’s dozen!!!   

In truth, Robert and I would have been thrilled to have just one or two appreciative attendees in the audience, to witness this supremely striking event.  Indeed, appreciative you were, judging from the reverential silence, standing ovation, wowed comments that followed fast on the Wings of Song.  

Bob and I were in fact blown away at the dress rehearsal.  Afterwards, Bob commented to me: “If it’s half as good tomorrow, I’ll be thrilled.”  No surprise, given the caliber of these talented and devoted musicians, the performance, featuring the formidable Telegraph String Quartet, Abigail Fischer, soprano soloist, whose voice the New York Times has called, “Luminous...Cello-Mello” the Boston Globe, “Sumptuous!”, was easily twice as impressive, spectacularly so.

This brings us to the Sierra Chamber Society’s 2022/23 Concert Season, our 36thClick here to view our season 36 schedule.

 The SCS is thrilled to see noted musicologist teacher, program annotator for the Seattle Symphony, Steven Lowe rejoin us, offering delightful, spirited, deeply-researched pre-concert talks at 2 PM, preceding each performance, lasting approximately thirty minutes. 

Of note, the Sierra Chamber Society is the cheapest ticket, i.e. THE best value by a wide margin, among like endeavors throughout the Bay Area.As always...  Season subscribers enjoy a substantial discount.  As noted above, in addition to an enlarging audience, the SCS relies on its SEASON SUBSCRIBERS not just to help sustain us through each season, but to generate a fiscal plan for the future. 

I sincerely hope that you’ll become/remain a contributor as we pick up the pieces and pickup our FOURTH decade in the chamber music business just where we left off!  Allow me point out the obvious…  Please check to see if your employer might offer MATCHING DONATIONS.  Finally, you can help to ensure the Sierra Chamber Society’s legacy by making us a vital part of your estate planning.  If you would like to know more about any of these options, please inquire at info@sierrachamber.com.  A board member will contact you.  Tickets will be available at our website as of Monday August 15.  

Last but far from least, please be sure to visit www.sierrachamber.com regularly throughout the concert season for important messages and updates. 

In closing, I am excited to announce that my multi-talented son, Jordan Asher Cavalier, a UX, i.e. User Experience, Graphic Designer, has designed our new website, and will become the new Webmaster!  Speaking of “multi-talented,” Jordan is a virtuoso nyckelharpist.  Look it up.  You will be surprised by the sheer beauty, let along the long history of this ancient instrument

Wishing us all good health in the upcoming years…

Stevan Cavalier
Director, Sierra Chamber Society
info@sierrachamber.com
All SCS concerts Sundays at 3 PM at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2100 Tice Valley Blvd, Walnut Creek, one “block” East of the Rossmoor Pkwy. turnoff.

The Sierra Chamber Society proudly invites you to subscribe to its 2021-22 (34th) concert season. You can look forward to both familiar and surprising works. The Sierra Chamber Society  welcomes back our enduring friends from the San Francisco Symphony,  and distinguished guests, including our friends, the acclaimed Telegraph String Quartet, winners of the 2016 International Naumburg competition, and soprano soloist Abigail Fischer.

The SCS continues to offer  FLEX TICKETS, i.e. although tickets will be dated as usual, you will be able to use  any  number of  this season’s  tickets at  any  concert  this season.   Use them one at a time, all at one performance, or in any combination.    

If you are unable to attend, giving your tickets to friends is a wonderful way to share your enthusiasm for the Sierra Chamber Society.Season Subscribers enjoy a substantial discount. In addition, the SCS  relies on SEASON SUBSCRIBERS to sustain it through each season.

These have been hard times. Our coffers are low and seating is limited by Covid regulations. We hope that you’ll be a contributor as we pick up the pieces and resume our 4th decade in the chamber music business!Plan to attend delightful preconcert talks at 2 PM before each program featuring noted musicologist Steven Lowe, program annotator for the Seattle Symphony. Please allow me to stress that DONATIONS are our life’s blood, allowing for seasonal programming and assuring our future.   In addition to making a personal donation, if your employer has a  matching gift  program, your gift could be doubled.  Finally, you can help to ensure the Sierra Chamber Society’s Legacy by making us a part of your  estate planning. If you would like to know more about any of these options, please inquire at info@sierrachamber.com. A board member will contact you
January 17, 2023

If you have not been receiving our emails, please make sure they are not ending up in your spam folder! Thank you!

Our final program for February 5th, 2023 will be as follows:

Claude Debussy - Sonata for Violin and Piano
Ralph Vaughan Williams - "Phantasy" Quintet for Strings
Antonin Dvorak - String Quintet Op. 97 in E flat

Thank you, and we will see you then!


November 1, 2022

The Sierra Chamber Society is pleased to announce its 36th Concert Season, as well as the
long-anticipated formation of the newly minted Sierra Chamber Society String Quartet,
comprised of distinguished Bay Area chamber music soloists, led by Hsin-Cindy Wu on violin.
Cindy is concertmaster of the Hidden Valley Chamber Music Festival, Carmel, performing as
concertmaster of the Mostly Mozart festival orchestra, Monterey. Cindy is also a frequent guest with Music from Menlo and Live from Lincoln Center. Joining her are:

Yuri Cho, founding lead violinist of the Afiara String Quartet. David Samuels, viola, is violist of the Alexander String Quartet.

Tanya Tomkins, cello, performs as principal cellist with the Philharmonia Baroque, as well as with the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble. Tanya, along with noted fortepiano player, Eric Zivian, is the founder and long-time co-director of the Monterey Chamber Music Festival in Mendocino.

Once again, the Sierra Chamber Society welcomes SCS stalwarts, Marc Shapiro, currently acting as principal pianist of the San Francisco Symphony and Jerome Simas, who performs as Principal Bass-Clarinet with the San Francisco Symphony. I so hope you’ll join the Sierra Chamber Society in its exciting 36th Concert Season!


Stevan Cavalier, M. D.
Founder, Director, Principal Pianist emeritus.
Sierra Chamber Society.

...

Dearest SCS Patron,

The Sierra Chamber Society is open for business!!! After a THRILLING performance of our long-anticipated Contrapassos for Voice and String Quartet, by prominent contemporary American composer,Robert Sirota, www.robertsirota.com, libretto by Stevan Cavalier, which left both Bob and I totally exhausted, after the long wait, albeit IMMENSELY satisfied.
I so hope you were able to attend the performance which Contrapassos for Voice and String Quartet, performed by the FORMIDABLE Telegraph String Quartet, www.telegraphquartet.com joined by rising New York City-based star, Abigail Fischer, www.abigailfischer.com, Robert Sirota’s and my work FINALLY received its World Premiere.

In case you missed it, thanks to Eric Chin, violinist with the TSQ and also an audio engineer, there will be a top-drawer audio / video reproduction to be posted on YouTube in a matter of weeks. An announcement will be made at the brand new www.sierrachamber.com, built and maintained by Jordan Asher Cavalier.

Speaking of NEXT SEASON, take a gander at the truly AMAZING projections for the Sierra Chamber Season’s 2022/23 Concert Season, our 36th!!! A button click away, which artistic planners, Joe Way, program-annotator SUPREME, first and foremost among them, have created but also, as the Sierra Chamber Society is a truly DEMOCRATIC organization, on the Live From Lincoln Center model, key
San Francisco Symphony, several of which, i.e. Marc Shapiro, pianist, Jerome Simas, principal bass clarinetist, Barb Andres, youngest cellist ever to be awarded a seat with this world class ensemble, a SCS stalwart for twenty-five-plus years, you know well, have created.

Regarding TICKETS, Sierra Chamber Society ticket prices, for both SEASON SUBSCIBERS as well as individual ticket purchasers, remain UNCHANGED. With high hopes, I must not forget to mention at least annually two important facts: First, like every arts organization I know, the Sierra Chamber Society relies on SEASON TICKET purchasers to sustain itself, not to mention to enable FINANCIAL PLANNING for the future. Second, as always, the Sierra Chamber Society will continue to offer FLEX tickets, meaning that each ticket is good for any performance of the season. In case you can’t make a performance, the SCS very much appreciates you giving them to a friend, a VITAL way to expand
our audience, which took a serious hit in the last three years.

As Founder, Director and Pianist emeritus of the Sierra Chamber Society, I so look forward to welcoming you to our 2022/23, 36th concert season.

With warmest regards...

Stevan
MASKS CURRENTLY REQUIRED DUE TO SEASONAL FLU AND RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES

All SCS concerts Sundays at 3 PM at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2100 Tice Valley Blvd, Walnut Creek, one “block” East of the Rossmoor Pkwy. turnoff.

The Sierra Chamber Society proudly invites you to subscribe to its 2021-22 (34th) concert season. You can look forward to both familiar and surprising works. The Sierra Chamber Society  welcomes back our enduring friends from the San Francisco Symphony,  and distinguished guests, including our friends, the acclaimed Telegraph String Quartet, winners of the 2016 International Naumburg competition, and soprano soloist Abigail Fischer.

The SCS continues to offer  FLEX TICKETS, i.e. although tickets will be dated as usual, you will be able to use  any  number of  this season’s  tickets at  any  concert  this season.   Use them one at a time, all at one performance, or in any combination.    

If you are unable to attend, giving your tickets to friends is a wonderful way to share your enthusiasm for the Sierra Chamber Society.Season Subscribers enjoy a substantial discount. In addition, the SCS  relies on SEASON SUBSCRIBERS to sustain it through each season.

These have been hard times. Our coffers are low and seating is limited by Covid regulations. We hope that you’ll be a contributor as we pick up the pieces and resume our 4th decade in the chamber music business!Plan to attend delightful preconcert talks at 2 PM before each program featuring noted musicologist Steven Lowe, program annotator for the Seattle Symphony. Please allow me to stress that DONATIONS are our life’s blood, allowing for seasonal programming and assuring our future.   In addition to making a personal donation, if your employer has a  matching gift  program, your gift could be doubled.  Finally, you can help to ensure the Sierra Chamber Society’s Legacy by making us a part of your  estate planning. If you would like to know more about any of these options, please inquire at info@sierrachamber.com. A board member will contact you