Sunday Musical Matinee: "Classical Reimagined"

Come join us for a live, in-person concert filled with beautiful music and interesting insights. With the support of generous donors, The Osher Marin JCC's Kurland Center for Adult Learning & Living requests the pleasure of your company for a free, live concert! Sunday Musical Matinee: "Classical Reimagined" Sunday, September 27 1:00pm In-Person at the Osher Marin JCC South, 36 Tiburon Blvd. (Mill Valley, CA) Join us for the return of this much-beloved due: harpist Amelia Romano and multi-instrumentalist Asaf Ophir, who take well known pieces from the baroque to the modern repertoire and adapt them for harp and woodwinds, sometimes adding a completely original woodwind voice to compositions originally written for solo piano. This new program is further complimented with original works written, especially for their ensemble. Tickets are limited and must be reserved in advance. Please be sure to read our "New Ticket Policy" (below). The Program • Dangerous Waters - Diana Stork • Down Yonder - Amelia Romano • Crazy Day - A Romano • Pavane - Gabriel Faure • Duke of Fife’s - James Scott-Skinner • Auldyn/Lisnagun - Brendan Ring • Voyage Pour L’Irlande - Pierre Bensusan • Oblivion - Astor Piazzola • Legacy - A Romano • Paquito - Andy Scott • Takes 2 - A Romano • Sonatina 1 - J.L. Dussek About The Artists Amelia Romano A composer, arranger and trailblazer in the lever harp world, Amelia Romano is a concertizing lever harpist. The lever harp is often played by folk musicians and designed to play folk music from countries including Ireland and Scotland. In this context, oftentimes the lever mechanisms at the top of the instrument are set in the key of the song and left that way throughout the folk song. Conversely, on the classical pedal harp, one can easily change notes by stepping on the pedals. Amelia’s vision has taken on both harp worlds and tackles complex classical passages on the lever harp by shifting the mechanisms mid-song, which is fascinating to watch. While pedal harps weigh 80 pounds, lever harps weigh 25 making them very portable. Romano lived in South Africa for a year and has toured in Europe, the southern United States and Pacific Northwest, bringing her enthusiasm for lever harps to classical music, wherever she goes. Her latest album, “Levers Engaged: Classical Works Re-imaged for Harp,'' and sheet music collection, “Classical Re-imaginations," present the instrument as a valid voice in classical music. Amelia is equally at home writing Latin America inspired works for solo harp as she is adapting classical pieces for chamber collaborations. Amelia offers virtual workshops and seminars centered around best lever-shifting practices and tools for adapting and performing chromatic works on the instrument. Romano received her master’s degree in Classical Lever Harp Performance at San Francisco State University under the tutelage of Karen Gottlieb, retired harpist of the San Francisco Symphony. Asaf Ophir The son of an Israeli film composer, Asaf Ophir was exposed to many styles of music from an early age: His father’s love for jazz, the Jewish music of his heritage, a classical upbringing, and the Middle Eastern backdrop of his childhood. From the very beginning, he was drawn to many different sources and genres, as well as to different musical instruments. Ophir began his professional career in Israeli musicals while studying at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, and later at the Jerusalem Academy. Arriving in the United States in 2014, he began to perform in musicals around the Bay Area such as the award winning Love Sick in 2017, and The People in the Picture in 2018. Finding a home away from home, Ophir can most often be seen in world music projects on Jewish, Arabic, and Balkan stages. Ophir has performed on such distinguished stages as Habima, HaCameri, and Jerusalem Theaters in Israel, as well as the Paramount Theater, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Great American Concert Hall, Freight and Salvage, Brava Theater, and others. Throughout his career he has shared the stage with artists such as Miri Mesika, Avi Kushnir, Galit Giat, David De’or, Rana Farhan, and Barbra Streisand. The San Francisco Chronicle writes: "Asaf Ophir gives the clarinet the timbre of a trumpet, then a violin, then a raspy scream… the instrument’s wail almost becomes too plaintive and beautiful to bear.” Seating, Tickets & Notes: Seating General seating is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 12:45pm. Please do not arrive earlier. Tickets Thanks to generous donors to the Osher Marin JCC's Adult Programs, tickets for this concert are free. • Limit two (2) tickets per person. • Advance registration required. • Tickets are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. • Since space is limited, please register for tickets only if you're 100% sure the tickets will be used. • Tickets are not issued. Instead, your name will be on the concert guest list at the door. • Program is subject to change without notice. New Ticket Policy: To ensure that free tickets are actually used, guests are required to... • purchase a paid ticket in advance to reserve their space(s), and • check in in-person at the event with Gabby, Anissa, or designated JCC staff member. • Note: After the concert, tickets will be refunded to those who checked in in-person. Those who do not check in in-person, at the event (as indicated above) will forfeit their ticket(s). Tickets are non-refundable & non-transferable to other concerts, however, they may be given to other guests. To support these free concerts, please make a tax-deductible donation designated to "Adult Programs" at www.marinjcc.org/donate. Sunday Musical Matinees are created and offered by the Osher Marin JCC's (San Rafael, CA) Kurland Center for Adult Learning & Living. ALL ARE WELCOME to join in our activities! JCC members, non-members, those who live near or far, people of all backgrounds, faiths, ethnicities, hair styles, fashion choices, chocolate preferences, etc. "The more the merrier!"