Inspired by a documentary, Salastina’s Resident Flutist Benjamin Smolen sought out and befriended Walter Arlen — an Austrian-born, gay Jewish composer who fled the Nazis, ultimately spending most of his life and career in Southern California.

Sadly, Ben did not have the chance to perform Walter’s music before the composer passed away last September at age 103.

Ben curates this posthumous celebration of the works and friendships of a man who continues to inspire him. 

Mimosa and pastry reception with the artists to follow.

Program:
Walter Arlen: Monotypes
Roy Harris: American Ballads
Hector Villa Lobos: Jet Whistle
Carlos Chavez: Lento from String Quartet No. 3
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Ein Quartett-Satz on the Name of Walter Arlen
Walter Arlen: Sonnett for Violin and Piano

Artists:
Benjamin Smolen, Resident Flutist
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, Co-Artistic Directors and Resident Violinists
Meredith Crawford, Resident Violist
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist
HyeJin Kim, Resident Pianist

10 AM: Early Access for Members at the Supporter + Level

Please note that this concert is now taking place at Barrett Hall at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music.

Want to fill your heart, mind, and soul to bursting? If you can handle the intensity of an all-day marathon of the complete piano trios of Johannes Brahms, consider this your formal invitation.

Concert 1 @ 3:30 PM

Concert 1 includes the beloved B Major Piano Trio and the epic E Flat Major Trio for Piano, Violin, and Horn. Take a dinner break at any Pasadena restaurant nearby (many great ones are within walking distance) before indulging in another gluttonous feast of Brahms’ German Romanticism.

Complimentary wine reception with the artists to follow each performance.

Program: Concert 1
Johannes Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8
Johannes Brahms: Horn Trio in E-flat major, Op. 40

Artists: Concert 1
Kevin Kumar, Co-Artistic Director and Resident Violinist
Zach Mowitz, Guest Cellist
David Cooper, Guest Horn Player
Rodolfo Leone, Guest Pianist
Brian Lauritzen, Resident Host

3 PM: Early Access for Members at the Supporter + Level

Concert 2 @ 7:30 PM

Save room for dessert: Concert 2 includes the C Major and C Minor Piano Trios and the Trio for Piano, Clarinet, and Cello.

Complimentary wine reception with the artists to follow each performance.

Due to our guest artist’s contractual obligations, we regret that we cannot livestream Concert 2.

Program: Concert 2
Johannes Brahms: Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, Op. 101
Johannes Brahms: Clarinet Trio in A minor, Op. 114
Johannes Brahms: Piano Trio No. 2 in C Major, Op. 87

Artists: Concert 2
Randall Goosby, Guest Violinist
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist
HyeJin Kim, Resident Pianist
Sergio Coelho, Guest Clarinetist
Brian Lauritzen, Resident Host

6:30 PM: Early Access for Members at the Supporter + Level

Join us for our virtual event for conversation with and world premieres from this year’s Sounds Promising cohort. This year’s young composers were based in New Zealand, Prague, Indiana, London, and both US Coasts. Featuring premieres by Mathis Saunier, Sydney Wang, Shane Scott Cook, Luca Pasquini, and Jackson A. Waters.

Read more about our Sounds Promising cohort here.

Join us for our virtual event for conversation with and world premieres from this year’s Sounds Promising cohort. This year’s young composers were based in New Zealand, Prague, Indiana, London, and both US Coasts. Featuring premieres by Yuxuan Lin, Benjamin Beckman, Kirsten Strom, Chloe Liuyan Liu, and Austin Ali.

Read more about our Sounds Promising cohort here.

Few musicians possess the cojones and humility to perform music blind. And by “blind,” we do NOT mean sightreading; the musicians have practiced and rehearsed!

Rather, we mean the musicians don’t know what they’re playing. Not the composer, the piece title, when and where it was written… nada.

Sounds Mysterious is a musical scavenger hunt in which the musicians and audience solve those mysteries together.

This time, all of Salastina’s Resident Artists have chosen a short piece to stump everyone else in the ensemble.

The music our Resident Artists have chosen is readily accessible, consummately listenable, and delightfully unexpected. We can't be more specific about the repertoire. But we can promise:

• laughter, collegiality, and plenty of razzing amongst the musicians

• ample opportunities to hear audience members’ intuitions and insights -- and share your own

• the joy of musical discovery

Mimosa and pastry reception with the artists to follow.

Artists:
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, Co-Artistic Directors and Resident Violinists
Meredith Crawford, Resident Violist
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist
HyeJin Kim, Resident Pianist
Benjamin Smolen, Resident Flutist
Brian Lauritzen, Resident Host

Program:
Mystery Work for Flute, Violin, and Piano, chosen by Benjamin Smolen (Nino Rota Trio - I. Allegro non troppo)
Mystery Work for Flute, Violin, and Piano, chosen by HyeJin Kim (Mel Bonis Suite en trio, Op. 59 II. Pastorale)
Mystery Work for Violin and Viola, chosen by Brian Lauritzen (Courtney Bryan And What I Mean is This)
Mystery Work for Violin and Piano, chosen by Yoshika Masuda (Rita Strohl, Solitude)
Mystery Work for Cello and Piano, chosen by Maia Jasper White (Leone Sinigaglia 2 Stücke, Op. 16: II. Humoreske)
Mystery Work for Piano Trio, chosen by Meredith Crawford (Ludwig Philipp Schawenka Piano Trio No. 1 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 100: II. Allegro)
Mystery Work for Piano Quintet, chosen by Kevin Kumar (Jean Cras Piano Quintet: II. Calme et paisible)

Sounds Mysterious is a game in which Brian assigns us a piece of music that none of us recognize. He even redacts the composer’s name. We rehearse it, perform it, and attempt to guess the composer along with you. The delight of surprise and interactive “whodunnit” guessing game make for an engaging spin on the live concert experience.

Artists:
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, Co-Artistic Directors and Violinists
Meredith Crawford, Resident Violist
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist
HyeJin Kim, Resident Pianist
Brian Lauritzen, Resident Host

Salastina Members may watch the livestream for free in our Members-Only Lounge.

Slow your heartbeat and set it aflutter with a selection of soul-soothing and soul-stirring Romantic, pop, classical, and movie score favorites. The intimate, vibe-y, chandelier-lit venue in the heart of Hollywood puts you up close to the performers: a string quartet, pianist, and flutist who've recorded your favorite film soundtracks. Enjoy complimentary wine and chocolate-covered strawberries upon arrival, and mingle with the artists after the show.

Artists:
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, Co-Artistic Directors and Violinists
Meredith Crawford, Resident Violist
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist
HyeJin Kim, Resident Pianist
Ben Smolen, Resident Flutist


Please note tickets need to be purchased in advance; there are no door sales or livestream for this concert.

$20 Reserve parking is available for purchase below.

A contemplative Happy Hour exploring the porous boundary between mortality and the beyond. Musical selections include the slow movement of Beethoven’s String Quartet Opus 132 and the world-premiere instrumental-only chamber arrangement of Eric Whitacre’s profoundly moving choral work, The Sacred Veil. The setting – a marble sanctuary suffused with the rainbow light of hundreds of stained glass windows – sets the scene. Reception with the artists to follow. 

Program:
Juhi Bansal: Cathedral of Light
Olivier Messiaen: Louange from The Quartet for the End of Time
Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet Op. 132, III "Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in der Lydischen Tonart," Molto adagio – Andante
Eric Whitacre: You Feel Like Home: Suite from The Sacred Veil for Piano Quintet

Artists:
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, Co-Artistic Directors and Violinists
Meredith Crawford, Resident Violist
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist
HyeJin Kim, Resident Pianist
Eric Whitacre, Composer

Salastina Members may watch the livestream for free in our Members-Only Lounge.

Join us for a Virtual Watch Party of the newly-released film Maestro starring Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein. A free Zoom roundtable discussion immediately follows.

The film is 2 hours and 9 minutes long; we will begin our roundtable discussion on Zoom at 8:15.

How to watch:

• stream on Netflix (requires your own subscription)

You may either:

• Join us in our Zoom room at 6 PM PT, hit “play” on the film on your own device at the same time as everyone else, and use Zoom’s chat box as we watch the film together

• OR watch the film on your own ahead of time, joining us on Zoom for the Roundtable Discussion only at 8:15 PM PT

If you haven't received a Zoom room link, please click the registration link in your ticket email receipt.

December 2, 2023 @ 2:30 PM - Pasadena
Doheny Mansion at Mount Saint Mary’s University
+ Livestream

One Performance Only!

All the glory of Handel’s timeless Messiah, but make it chamber music. This chestnut gets the one-on-a-part treatment – and the nimbleness and luminosity that affords. Salastina loyalists will enjoy the return of last season’s most popular Happy Hour guest, the effervescent Belgian soprano Laurence Servaes, alongside the return of stunning mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski. With Brian Lauritzen providing historical and emotional context along the way, you'll get to know the piece better than you ever have before. And yes: please sing along during the Hallelyou-know-what. Mulled wine reception to follow.

Salastina proudly presents this performance in partnership with The Da Camera Society in celebration of its 50th Anniversary Season.

Program:
George Frideric Handel: Messiah

Artists:
Kevin Kumar, Co-Artistic Director and Violinist
Tereza Stanislav, Guest Violinist
Meredith Crawford, Resident Violist
Charlie Tyler, Guest Cellist
HyeJin Kim, Resident Pianist (… on harpsichord)
Brian Lauritzen, Resident Host
Laurence Servaes, Soprano
Clara Osowski, Mezzo-Soprano
Richard Pittsinger, Tenor
Johnathan McCullough, Bass-baritone

Salastina Members may watch the livestream for free in our Members-Only Lounge.

In-person tickets are currently SOLD OUT. Please sign up for the waitlist below.

Join us for our rescheduled Part 2 of our conversation with and world premieres from this year’s Sounds Promising cohort. The young composers featured in this Happy Hour: Mieke Doezama (Hawaii), William Jae (Rochester, NY), Zygmund de Somogyi (London, UK), Isaac Uria de Silva (Ecuador), and Aaron Israel Levin (New Haven, CT). Read more about our Sounds Promising cohort here.

Members Early-Access at 1:30 PM

Find the world premieres of our Sounds Promising composers below.

Salastina’s contribution to the statewide California Festival of contemporary classical music is in partnership with Leela Dance Collective, a Hindustani Kathak dance company. Encounters With Beauty is a world-premiere piece of choreography set to music by our dear friends and LA-based composers Derrick Skye and Reena Esmail. Drinks reception, replete with Indian munchies, to follow.

What to Know Before You Go at the Edye Second Space

Artists:
Saavani Thigale, Hindustani vocalist
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, Co-Artistic Directors and Violinists
Meredith Crawford, Resident Violist
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist
Derrick Skye, Composer

Leela Dance Collective
Rukhmani Mehta and Seibi Lee, Co-Artistic Directors and Dancers
Rachna Nivas, Dancer
Joanna Meinl, Dancer
Sonali Toppur, Dancer
Ahana Mukherjee, Dancer
Carrie Jennings, Dancer

Salastina Members may watch the livestream for free in our Members-Only Lounge.

Paris-based rockstar of the harpsichord Jean Rondeau performs a full live, in-person recital of works by Haydn, Clementi, and Mozart. The event includes conversation with the artist and a mimosa and pastry reception.

Program:
Joseph Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 31
Muzio Clementi: Gradus ad Paranassum op. 44, N°45 - Preludio Andante malinconico in C minor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Sonata No.16 in C Major, K. 545
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Rondo in A minor K. 511
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Fantaisie in D minor K. 397

Salastina Members may watch the livestream for free in our Members-Only Lounge. Please note this special performance is ONLY available to rewatch for 72 hours.

Join us for our rescheduled event in our virtual room for conversation with and world premieres from this year’s Sounds Promising cohort. The young composers featured in this Happy Hour: Riccardo Perugini (Florence, Italy), Jazreel Low (Singapore), Jonah Cohen (New York City), Celina Kintscher (Los Angeles), and Nicholas Ma (Montreal).

Read more about our Sounds Promising cohort here, and see the playlist of their world premieres below.

Members Early-Access at 1:30 PM

Find our Sounds Promising composers world premieres below.

Salastina’s Resident Flutist Benjamin Smolen guides us through the flute works of Shostakovich’s BFF, Mieczysław Weinberg, a composer with whom he became enamored while studying in Moscow. Mimosa and pastry reception to follow.

Program:
Mieczysław Weinberg: 12 Miniatures for Flute and Strings
Mieczysław Weinberg: Flute Concerto No. 1, Op. 75

Artists:
Ben Smolen, Resident Flutist and Soloist
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, Co-Artistic Directors and Violinists
Meredith Crawford, Resident Violist
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist
Ted Botsford, Guest Bassist

Salastina Members may watch the livestream for free in our Members-Only Lounge.

Salastina Member’s are invited to be a fly of the wall for our 2023 Sounds Promising Composer Workshops.

Members can rewatch this workshop in the Members Lounge.

Salastina Member’s are invited to be a fly of the wall for our 2023 Sounds Promising Composer Workshops.

Members can rewatch this workshop in the Members Lounge.

Salastina Member’s are invited to be a fly of the wall for our 2023 Sounds Promising Composer Workshops.

Members can rewatch this workshop in the Members Lounge.

Salastina Member’s are invited to be a fly of the wall for our 2023 Sounds Promising Composer Workshops.

Members can rewatch this workshop in the Members Lounge.

Salastina Member’s are invited to be a fly of the wall for our 2023 Sounds Promising Composer Workshops.

Please join via the Zoom link in the Member’s Lounge.

Composed during an incredibly difficult period of converging crises in Mahler’s life, this piece — based on classical Chinese poetry — is about the beauty and transience of life. It’s sublimation at its finest.

Arnold Schoenberg, of all people, arranged what Leonard Bernstein called Mahler’s “greatest symphony” for chamber ensemble. Specifically: 2 singers, string quintet, piano, winds, percussion… and no conductor (because #chambermusic, duh).

Do not miss this one-night-only performance at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. To get in the mood before dinner, you are welcome to wander the Huntington’s grounds from 3:00 - 5:00 PM free with your concert ticket purchase.

From 5:00 - 7:30 PM, you may either bring your own picnic dinner to enjoy at the tables at the inside entrance of the Huntington OR enjoy dinner out in nearby San Marino, South Pasadena, or Pasadena proper.

Pre-concert drinks and post-concert wine and hors-d’oeuvres reception.

What to Know Before You Go

Program:
Gustav Mahler, arranged by Arnold Schoenberg and Rainer Reihn: Das Lied von der Erde

Artists:
Clara Osowski, Mezzo Soprano
Thomas Cooley, Tenor
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, Co-Artistic Directors and Violinists
Meredith Crawford, Resident Violist
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist
Ted Botsford, Double Bassist
Ben Smolen, Resident Flutist/Piccolo player
Lara Wickes, Guest Oboist/English Horn player
Don Foster, Guest Clarinetist
Alex Rosales Garcia, Guest Bassoonist
Dylan Skye Hart, Guest French Horn player
Micah Yui, Guest Pianist
John Sawoski, Guest Keyboardist
Eddie Meneses and Jonathan Wisner, Guest Percussionists
Camilla Tassi, Projection Designer
Brian Lauritzen, Resident Host

Salastina Members may watch the livestream for free in our Members-Only Lounge.

Get a sneak peek of the NHSQ’s 2023 Summer Festival. This year’s focus: early 20th Century French music. How do they say… le sigh?

The members of this quartet are all dear friends and colleagues from LA’s recording studios. And they are beasts of musicians. After a little conversation and a performance of some of their festival repertoire, we’ll sightread some electrifying octet music together. And as with all of our Happy Hours this season: enjoy music, mingling, mimosas, and munchies.

Salastina Members may watch live for free in our Members-Only Lounge. Non-Members may purchase tickets below.

Who is the Stradivarius of our time? Mario Miralles is one answer. His instruments are coveted by string players worldwide; you’ve heard them on all the world’s major stages. And his waiting list is miles long.

A wildly generous anonymous donor commissioned Mario to build a violin, viola, and cello for Salastina’s Resident Artists’ use. This is a gift beyond any of our wildest dreams, and the process has been riveting.

Yoshi’s cello is already finished; if you’ve been to any of our concerts this season, you’ve heard it! By the time of this event, Maia’s violin will be finished, and Meredith’s viola will be gestating. (If you’re wondering about Kevin: he already owns one, having purchased it several years ago.)

This event is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to hear about the different stages of a luthier’s process. The musicians for whom he’s building the instruments will speak to what the process is like from their perspective, and what they’re looking for in an instrument. Mario, a notoriously private figure, can then address how he translates those abstract artistic wishes into physical reality. And of course… you’ll hear them!

Join us for a stunning and colorful preview of our collaboration with Leela Dance Collective, a Hindustani Classical Dance troupe.

For this world premiere piece of choreography, Leela takes its inspiration from Derrick Skye's American Mirror, which weaves musical traditions from around the world into an multi-layered, opulent musical languages all its own.

The stunning venue, built in 1899, reflects this simpatico synergy of styles -- uniting Romantic Revival, Gothic, Chateauesqe, Moorish, and California Mission styles with light, color, and sheer luxury.

And as with all of our Happy Hours this season: enjoy music, mingling, mimosas, and Indian munchies. You won’t be sari you came!

Salastina Members may watch live for free in our Members-Only Lounge. Non-Members may purchase livestream tickets below. In-person tickets are currently SOLD OUT. Click below to join the waitlist.

Program:
Derrick Skye: American Mirror

Artists:
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, Co-Artistic Directors and Violinists
Meredith Crawford, Resident Violist
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist