Jun 23, 2008

'Musical Soiree' toasts pitch-perfect season

By Adria Murray / Society Columnist

On the balmy evening of June 11 guests took in the summertime weather, sipping lemonade and enjoying chilled shrimp appetizers at a cocktail reception celebrating the close of the Peninsula Symphony's 59th season. Held in the private Atherton garden of Karen and Ellis Alden, "Musical Soiree" featured a lovely program of chamber music performed by members of the symphony.

Beginning the evening benefit program, guest pianist Heidi Hau led the Mozart Piano Quartet in G minor featuring violinist Patricia Burnham, violist Wendy Cornish and cellist Glenn Fisher. Sitting under a tent and all dressed in shades of purple, the four players were a beautiful complement, musically and visually, to the surrounding garden and setting sun.

Following the piece, symphony board chairman Dick Bennett rose to join in the applause, taking the mic to thank the musicians as well as the many longtime donors and season ticket subscribers in attendance. Without the support of its donors, Bennett said, the symphony could not continue its Bridges to Music educational outreach, which brings free classical music concerts and lectures to local schools and community venues.

As part of its coming 60th anniversary season, executive director Margaret Rinderknecht said the symphony will focus much of its fundraising on the outreach program, benefiting elementary schools Willow Oaks in East Menlo Park, Hoover in Redwood City, Lakewood in Sunnyvale, Horrall in San Mateo and Theuerkauf in Mountain View.

On June 29 at 3 p.m., the symphony will perform a free Summer Pops Concert at Palo Alto's Oak Creek Apartments at 1600 Sand Hill Road. The pops concert is "part of our outreach program," Bennett said, "It is our belief that music touches everyone - it's so fundamental."

For the second part of the concert, a brass quintet led by French horn player Brian Holmes performed pieces by Victor Ewald and Scott Joplin, as well as crowd pleasing numbers "Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," with vocal accompaniment by Holmes' wife, symphony violist Jolynda Tresner. The audience even joined in, singing "One, two, three strikes you're out at the old ballgame."

Trombonist John Farey, tuba player Robert Barnes, and trumpeters Robert Fitt and Jon Pankin rounded out the lineup of the Brian Holmes Brass Quintet. "It's called that because there are five people in it," Holmes quipped.

Symphony music director and conductor Mitchell Sardou Klein informed the crowd that at the Holiday Concert in November the symphony will perform a world premiere composition by Holmes, titled "Amherst Requiem."

Dorothy Lunn recognized Volunteer of the Year Amelia Yee for her "dedication of time and talent" as the usher coordinator for the symphony. Yee gathered a crew of nearly 20 volunteers to assist at each of the season's four concerts.

Having post-concert drinks at twilight were longtime symphony supporters Mary Gundelach, Stanley Dirks, David Smith and Damon Simpson, along with Katherine Bukstein, symphony board vice president, and Elsie Robertson, auxiliary president.

And the music carried on with the birds in the trees chirping until nightfall, as the crickets came in with the second movement.


Adria Murray's society column appears every Sunday in the Daily News. Send event information to 255 Constitution Dr., Menlo Park, CA 94025, or e-mail amurray@dailynewsgroup.com or call 650-391-1340.