2023-2024 performance season

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

 7:00 p.m 

When it comes to movers and shakers in the bluegrass world, Full Cord is a super-group on the rise. Mandolinist Brian Oberlin notes the band’s music “is new and fresh to the ears of seasoned bluegrass fans,” the bluegrass traditions in Full Cord have deep roots. The group’s members – Oberlin, guitarist Eric Langejans, bassist Todd Kirchner and fiddler Grant Flick – boast decades of musical artistry, with experience in popular performing bands from Michigan to Oregon. And with the recent addition of award-winning, Colorado-based banjoist Ricky Mier, Full Cord is poised to take the next step in its journey as a bluegrass powerhouse: The band’s debut album on Nashville’s Dark Shadow Recordings is set to drop in 2023. Full Cord’s songwriting has reached a new “tipping point,” Katie Kirchner suggests, enhanced by the group’s vast repertoire and robust experience in numerous band projects over the years. 

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

7:00 p.m.  

Engaging and eclectic, the Mirari Brass Quintet brings a spirit of joyful collaboration and innovation to music spanning many centuries and genres. The commissioners of multiple new works for brass, the group performs a spectacular tight-rope act, balancing intensity with levity and refined virtuosity with pure fun. Founded in 2009, Mirari has performed extensively across the United States, forging connections with audiences through lively and polished performances. In addition to being outstanding performers, the members of the Mirari Brass Quintet share a unique passion for music education and are all collegiate professors of music. As a central tenet of the group, and by their name’s definition, all Mirari members share an admiration and respect for each other not only on stage and in music, but also in friendship.

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

7:00 p.m.

Originally from Bakersfield, California, Jimmy Cuellar began his mariachi career as a teenager alongside his father Jaime Cuellar and was a founding member of Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuellar. His dedication to his musical craft drove “El Pollo” to fine-tune his skills on the violin, guitarron, vihuela, guitar and guitarra de golpe, securing him a ten-year tenure with Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano. Composer, arranger, multi- instrumentalist, three-time Grammy Award nominated and three time Grammy Award Winner, Mr. Cuellar understands the importance of education. Having received his Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Long Beach’s Bob Cole Conservatory of Music in 2009, “El Pollo” decided to continue his musical education and enroll with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where he is pursuing a Masters in Music Composition. Along with Kareli Montoya, he runs Thee Academy, one of the most prominent joint Folklorico/Mariachi schools in the West.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

7:00 p.m.

Quarteto Nuevo merges western classical, eastern European folk, Latin and jazz with an organic feel that packs a wallop! The ensemble’s razor-sharp precision is enhanced by jazzy interludes, lightly rumbling percussion motifs and mesmerizing rhythms. They effectively meld the music of ancient worlds and faraway places with a contemporary groove that enchants audiences of all ages! Winners of the Beverly Hills National Auditions, Quarteto’s master musicians create emotionally-charged soundscapes with instruments and sensibilities that represent very different world cultures. Their unique instrumentation – soprano saxophone/alto flute (Damon Zick), cello (Jacob Szekely), guitar (Kenton Youngstrom) and hand percussion (Felipe Fraga) – richly colors their wide-ranging repertoire, from Heitor Villa-Lobos’ “Bachianas Brasileiras” and Chick Corea’s “Children’s Song No. 6” to Traditional Macedonian “Gadjarsko” and original works “Hector, Desmond and Titus”, “Rain Song” and “Dizer O Que”.