Celebrated pianist YEFIM BRONFMAN returns to CAMA’s Masterseries at the Lobero Theatre for the first time in over 25 years with a program of pianistic fireworks! Renowned for his technical brilliance and profound musicality, he is an international keyboard legend and considered one of the greatest pianists of his generation. The opportunity to hear him in recital doesn’t come around very often, so his performances attract an eager crowd of dedicated keyboard fans. Born in 1958 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Yefim Bronfman immigrated from the Soviet Union to Israel in 1973 and later to the United States, where he honed his musical skills at prestigious institutions such as The Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music (where he is now a faculty member). Over the past five decades, he has built a distinguished international career featuring collaborations with the world’s premier orchestras and conductors. His artistry has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Avery Fisher Prize and a Grammy® for his recording of Bartók’s three piano concertos with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

PROGRAM:

MOZART: Sonata in F Major, K332
DEBUSSY: Images, Book II
TCHAIKOVSKY: Grand Sonata in G Major, Op.37

Gilles Apap, violin
Inna Faliks, piano
Xiaoli Cioffi, erhu

Gap Tooth Mountain Ramblers

Peter Feldmann, mandolin
Jim Wimmer, fiddle
Gilles Apap, fiddle
Tom Wolverton, banjo
Michael Mendelson, guitar/fiddle

Phil Salazar Bluegrass Band

Phil Salazar, fiddle
Gilles Apap, fiddle
Roger Phillips, banjo
David Jackson, string bass
Tom Corbett, mandolin/guitar
with Peter Feldmann, mandolin

Transylvanian Mountain Boys

Gilles Apap, violin
Chris Judge, guitar
Brendan Statom, string bass

Few musicians have achieved the balance and breadth in their careers that French violinist Gilles Apap has. He is a world-renowned and sought-after classical soloist, an innovative crossover artist and group leader, and a long-time musical hero in Santa Barbara, where he settled in 1986 at just 22 years of age, soon serving as the concertmaster of the Santa Barbara Symphony for over a decade. He is known internationally for his ongoing musical journey, marked by collaborations with musicians and orchestras from around the world, delivering distinctive performances that combine classical repertoire with his love of traditional music—from Europe to India to America—such as Romani, Irish, swing, or bluegrass. The result is a unique merging of the borderlines between musical styles and the skill to bring joy to every concert hall. CAMA looks forward to Gilles’ homecoming to Santa Barbara and to the beloved Lobero “…for old times’ sake.”

PROGRAM: “…for Old Times’ Sake”

Gilles Apap, violin and Inna Faliks, piano

Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924):
Berceuse, Op. 16

Fritz Kreisler (1875–1962):
Praeludium and Allegro (In the style of Pugnani)

Georges Enescu (1881–1955):
Impressions d’Enfance, Op. 28

Ástor Piazzolla (1921–1992):
Escualo (“Shark”)

Niccolò Paganini (1782–1840), arr. Franz Liszt (1811–1886):
Grandes Études de Paganini, S. 141, No. 3, “La Campanella”
(Inna Faliks, piano solo)

Gap Tooth Mountain Ramblers

Tunes from the Old-Time tradition of Appalachian music.

Gilles Apap, violin and Xiaoli Cioffi, erhu

Traditional Chinese and Tibetan Folk Music

Transylvanian Mountain Boys

Music blending Eastern European Romani melodies, Moldovan folk music, Django Reinhardt-style jazz, and 1940s big band jazz standards.

Phil Salazar Bluegrass Band

Instrumental favorites of the great American music…..‌BLUEGRASS!

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Sponsor:

Anonymous
Mahri Kerley

Co-Sponsors:

Jill Felber Bambach & Paul Bambach
Edward S. DeLoreto

Anne Akiko Meyers is one of the world’s most esteemed violinists, celebrated for her expressive depth and technical prowess. She has collaborated with today’s most important composers, conductors, and orchestras, creating a remarkable collection of new violin repertoire for future generations, including Arturo Márquez’s Fandango, a violin concerto written for her in 2021, which received a 2024 Grammy® Award nomination for her recording with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Ms. Meyers’ CAMA recital debut program will include a premiere of Philip Glass’s New Chaconne, as well as Márquez’s Danzón No.2 in a new arrangement by the composer. Anne Akiko Meyers will play the exquisite 1741 “ex-Vieuxtemps” Guarneri del Gesù, considered by many to be the finest sounding violin in existence for its powerfully luxuriant sound and mint state of preservation. Joining Anne Akiko Meyers is Italian pianist Fabio Bidini, a distinguished faculty member at the Colburn School in Los Angeles.

PROGRAM:

CORELLI: “La Folia” Sonata, arr. ANDY POXON
GLASS: “New Chaconne” (Premiere)
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No.5 in F Major, “Spring” (Frühlingssonate)
LAURIDSEN: “Sure On This Shining Night” and “Dirait-On”
MÁRQUEZ: Danzón No.2, arr. ARTURO MÁRQUEZ (Premiere)