Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series Season Announcement

NEWS from St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church, Los Olivos

For Immediate Release: July 22, 2019

For Further Information Contact: 

Email: syvconcerts@smitv.org

Linda Burrows, SYV Concert Series Coordinator: call/text 805-705-0938

Dr. Robert Cassidy, SYV Concert Series Artistic Director: 805-455-5474

The Rev. Dr. Randall Day, St. Mark’s Priest & Rector: 805-688-4454

www.SMITV.org and www.SMITV.org/syv-concert-series.html

Acclaimed Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian Opens 40th Season of Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series on September 21, 2019 at 7pm at St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Church

CAPTION: Internationally lauded Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian accompanied by pianist Dr. Robert Cassidy will perform in the first program of the 40th annual Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series on Saturday, September 21, 2019 at St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Church in Los Olivos.  Dr. Cassidy is the Artistic Director of the series. (Hi-res images available from laura@mariahmarketing.com)

Los Olivos, Santa Barbara County, California – The public is invited to attend five world class performances during the upcoming 40th anniversary season of the Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series starting on Saturday, September 21, 2019 and concluding on Friday, April 24, 2020.  Since its inception by founder Rose Knoles at nearby Dunn School in 1981, this series has brought widely known classical artists to perform in intimate spaces in the Santa Ynez Valley. Noted for its stunning acoustics and serene ambiance, St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church, located at 2901 Nojoqui Avenue in Los Olivos, has been the home of this popular concert series since 2007. Linda Burrows, Series Coordinator shares, “The opportunity to experience great artists of passion and integrity performing masterworks is a tremendously moving and inspiring experience.”

On Saturday, September 21, 2019 at 7:00 p.m., a special gala concert will open the 40th season of the Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series featuring internationally recognized soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian in a program of gypsy songs and tangos. She will be accompanied by Concert Series Artistic Director Dr. Robert Cassidy on piano; as well as Benjamin Jacobson on violin and Jonathan Moerschel on viola, both hailing from the Calder Quartet. 

Following the performance there will be a complimentary champagne reception with the artists and a tribute to the Series Founder and Artistic Director Rose Knoles who led the Series for 35 years.

Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian is a winner of the 1997 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the same year she graduated from the University of Toronto cum laude with a Biomedical Engineering Degree. Her broad musical career spans opera, concerts, recordings and film.  Some of Bayrakdarian’s notable accomplishments include the world premiere production of William Bolcom’s A View from the Bridge in 1999; receiving first prize from Plácido Domingo’s prestigious Operalia competition in 2000, and her debuts with San Francisco Opera as Valencienne in The Merry Widow, and the Metropolitan Opera. Soon thereafter, Mozart became a specialty: Zerlina in Don Giovanni (New York, Houston, Salzburg), Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro (Los Angeles, London), and Pamina in The Magic Flute (New York, Toronto). Bayrakdarian was a featured vocalist on the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack of the blockbuster film The Two Towers from The Lord of the Rings trilogy and on the soundtrack of Atom Egoyan's Ararat. She collaborated with the electronica band Delerium, which garnered a Grammy nomination. She appeared in the BBC-produced short film HOLOCAUST–A Music Memorial Film from Auschwitz, and her Gemini-nominated film Long Journey Home, documenting her first visit to her homeland, Armenia. Additional forays include her albums Tango Notturno and Joyous Light, a recording of Armenian medieval sacred music. Bayrakdarian currently serves on the Voice Faculty at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB).

Pianist Robert Cassidy has received widespread praise for his performances and recordings of both solo piano repertoire and chamber music.  A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Piano Performance from the Manhattan School of Music; and Doctor of Arts in Piano Chamber Music and Accompanying/Piano Performance from Ball State University. His recent recordings of the Debussy Preludes have received worldwide acclaim for their sensitivity and insightful interpretations. Cassidy has performed nationally and internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. In addition to his performances, Cassidy continues his active teaching career and is currently Director of Piano Chamber Music for Santa Barbara Strings. Cassidy collaborates regularly with musicians from the Camerata Pacifica. Having a pulse on the current trends in the music business, Cassidy is drawing on his past work experiences at Lincoln Center, Inc., IMG Artists, and the American Pianists Association to develop innovative programming and cultivate future audiences for the Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series.

The Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series will also present these renowned artists in the 40^th season:

• Saturday, November 9, 2019, at 7:00 p.m.: Jackie Brand, violin, Erik Rynearson, viola and Trevor Handy, cello, all of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Robert Cassidy on piano will present an evening of chamber music featuring the Mozart Piano Quartets and Martinu’s Second String Trio.
• Friday, February 7, 2020, at 7:00 p.m.: Organist Thomas Joyce and trumpeter Bill Williams in concert featuring solos and duets from the last three centuries.
• Friday, March 20, 2020, at 7:00 p.m.: Grammy–award winning violinist and producer Johnny Gandelsman of Brooklyn Rider, and the Silk Road Ensemble and a gifted solo artist will present three Bach cello suites on violin.
• Friday, April 24, 2020, 7:00 p.m.: The Radian String Quartet with Mary Beth Woodruff, violin, Jane Chung, violin, Basil Vendryes, viola, and Andrew Smith, cello, will present an evening of string quartet masterworks.

Doors for each concert open 30 minutes prior to the start with tickets being sold at the door as well as online in advance at https://www.smitv.org/concert-series-tickets.html A complimentary reception with the artists follows each concert. Patron tickets are $35 and general admission tickets are $20. Thanks to a grant from St. Mark’s Women’s Guild, concert admission is FREE for ALL students (with any student ID).  For patron seating or any questions, please call/text SYV Concert Series Coordinator Linda Burrows at 805-705-0938 or e-mail syvconcerts@smitv.org                                                  

About St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church:  Formed in 1926 and serving the Santa Ynez Valley at its present location in downtown Los Olivos since 1979, St. Mark’s practices a spacious Christianity and welcomes people of all faiths or none. St. Mark’s is a no-fee community center for non-profit groups and community meetings, an arts venue for musical and cultural events, a welcome center for residents and area visitors, and a home to an Episcopal parish. St. Mark’s is also grateful to be home to the area’s Jewish community. St. Mark’s top-flight, non-sectarian professional preschool serves Santa Ynez Valley families with quality early-childhood education. Open doors, restrooms, free Wi-Fi, a shady courtyard, gardens, a labyrinth and water for pets are available for visitors and area residents all day, every day. For more information, please visit www.SMITV.org

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