Welcome to SYVCS Encores!
Through this virtual concert hall, we are proud to share exceptional performances by world renowned classical artists in the St. Mark’s in the Valley Episcopal Church. Esteemed concert videographer, Ben Maas, captures the beauty and majesty of the artists' performances. ENCORES! exists to share these performances broadly to enrich people's lives and hearts through the transformative beauty of music.
We are deeply grateful to The Robert & Mercedes Eichholz Foundation, which shares our vision and stepped alongside us to sponsor creating an archive of professionally filmed outstanding performances from the SYV Concert Series to make these artists’ brilliant performances easily, broadly, and freely available to music lovers, students, teachers, seniors, and other artists.
Love Songs & Dances -
An Evening of Liebeslieder
Filmed at St. Mark’s in the Valley on February 12, 2022 by Benjamin Maas, Fifth Circle Audio.
This concert focused with great joy on works by Brahms including Zigeunerlieder, Op 103, selections from Hungarian Dances and Neue Liebeslieder- Walzer, Op. 65; arias and a duet from Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, and beloved love songs from musical theater performed by:
John Churchwell, Music Director of San Francisco Opera, Senior Faculty at Music Academy of the West & San Francisco Opera: Esther Tonea, soprano and Victor Cardamone, tenor, 2021-2022 Adler Fellows with the San Francisco Opera
Guest Artist Robert Cassidy, SYVCS Artistic Director
Coming soon from Encores!
This is America – An Anthology 2020-2021
February 16, 2022
Grammy award and 2024 MacArthur Fellow violinist and producer, Johnny Gandelsman, performing works for solo violin from his commissioned works This is America – An Anthology 2020-2021.
Schubertiade Part II
February 18, 2024
A program created by SYV Concert Series Artistic Director Robert Cassidy and performed in February 2024 with the following renowned musicians: Kristin Lee, violin, Karen Dreyfus, viola, Ani Aznavoorian, cello, and Nico Abondola, double bass (all of whom have taught at and or performed at the Music Academy of the West). This outstanding concert featured Schubert’s Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 99 and Piano Quintet in A Major, D. 667 (Forellenquintett).
John Holiday & Kevin J. Miller in Recital
December 1, 2024
John Holiday, countertenor, and Kevin J. Miller, piano performed a gorgeous and moving program of historical significance. It included Four Songs from The Weary Blues song cycle by Florence Price, The Sea Ghost and selections from Six Songs on poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay by Margaret Bonds and songs from Lyric Suite by Robert L. Morris followed by spirituals, traditional, American songbook and contemporary songs.