Margaret Tait
John Wilson
Monday, May 6, 2024
12 PM
Cellist Margaret Tait joined the San Francisco Symphony directed by Seiji Ozawa in 1974. Although engaged throughout her career as an orchestral musician, she has a deep and abiding love for chamber music. She is a founding member of the Aurora String Quartet, performing worldwide for twenty-two years. Margaret recently relocated to San Diego and focuses on performing works for solo cello and chamber ensembles.
A “marvelous musical mad scientist” (Music Critics Association of North America) with a repertoire ranging from the Baroque to the Contemporary, American pianist John Wilson has performed extensively in North America, with highlights including his recent solo debut at Lincoln Center, performing Stravinsky’s “Three Movements from Petrushka” among other works, and at Carnegie Hall with the Chamber Orchestra of New York playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9, “Jenamy”, and at the San Francisco Symphony, playing solo works by Debussy and the Martinu Double Concerto for Piano, Strings and Timpani. His playing was described by the San Francisco Classical Voice as “having all the beauty and delicacy one would expect from Debussy.”
Wilson has had the pleasure of being a part of numerous world premieres, performing including those by Michael Tilson Thomas, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Timo Andres, Judith Lang Zaimont, Steve Reich and many others.
As a soloist he has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of New York, New World Symphony, Classical Music Institute Orchestra of San Antonio, Napa Valley Symphony Orchestra, and both the New Amsterdam Symphony and Orchestra Camerata Notturna in New York, NY. He most recently won 1st prize in the 2019 International Respighi Prize Competition.
He recently performed on the 2023 European tour with the San Francisco Symphony performing chamber and orchestral works under Esa-Pekka Salonen. A devoted chamber musician and collaborator, he has appeared in chamber ensembles with musicians of the San Francisco Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and, and has appeared in recital with violinist Joshua Bell, cellist Johannes Moser, violinist Anthony Marwood and sopranos Audra McDonald and Bernadette Peters.
John has recorded for Avie Records, Affetto, MSR Classics, and performances can be heard on BBC 3 Radio, Medici.tv and WQXR. Future recordings to be released on September 15, 2023 is his second solo album featuring works and transcriptions of Rachmaninoff and Gershwin, on Avie Records, Brahms and Schubert ensemble works on Delos Productions, and the complete works for flute and harpsichord by J.S Bach on Affetto Records. He has performed as guest Principal Keyboard with the Chicago Symphony, is Principal Keyboard of the Marin Symphony, a keyboardist with the San Francisco Symphony, and the San Diego Symphony.
Free concerts at noon every Monday from fall through spring . . . no wonder the Mini-Concerts are the longest-running and one of the most popular classical music series at the library! This series was founded by Glenna Hazleton in 1970 at the Athenaeum, and has been going strong ever since. The concerts feature both local and touring musicians, prize-winning students, university music faculty members, local chamber ensembles. . . and the repertoire also includes jazz, folk and world music. There are no reservations, no tickets . . . just line up at the side door of the Athenaeum before noon. (Donations are always welcome!) Mini-Concerts take place every Monday at noon and last about an hour.
The concerts will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for these events. Doors open at 11:50 a.m. Seating is first-come; first-served. These events will be presented in compliance with State of California and County of San Diego health regulations as applicable at the time of each concert.