Guest Performers

On Sunday, September 28, guest pianist/composer Stephanie Varozza will be performing her own works as part of the Crocker Classical Music Series, at 3:00pm in the Music Recital Hall. Ms. Varozza is a San Francisco Bay Area artist whose original work has been described as “the jazz that Beethoven and Liszt would be playing if they were alive today.” She attended U. C. Berkeley, where she earned her B.A. in music and completed two years of graduate study in composition. While at U. C. Berkeley, Ms. Varozza received several prizes for performance, including the U. C. Berkeley Hertz Fellowship and, twice, the Eisner Prize for Music. She has performed extensively in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento, CA regions. In addition to performing her own work, Ms. Varozzahas frequently performed the classical repertoire in solo recitals and with orchestras and choral groups. Her compositions for piano and small instrumental groups, including commissioned works, have been heard in such settings as the New Music Showcase at Hertz Hall and the Berkeley Piano Club.

Guest flutist Kathryn Peisert will be performing on Tuesday, September 30, at 7:30pm in the Music Recital Hall. She will be performing Katherine Hoover's "Kokopelli", Roussel's "Joueurs de Flute", Muczynski's "Moments" Rhene Baton's "Passacaille", and Burton's "Sonatine". Ms. Peisart is a professional freelance musician based in Northern California. She is experienced in all aspects of flute repertoire from Baroque to the 21st century, including jazz. Recently, Kathryn was one of three flutists selected by Sir James Galway to perform in his masterclass held at Pepperdine University in December 2007. She has studied with Grammy-nominated jazz flutist Lori Bell. Ms. Peisart has performed with the Davis Chorale, SONOR (UCSD's faculty new music ensemble), the New England Philharmonic, Boston Civic Symphony, Boston University Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, the King's College Symphony Orchestra in London, the Young Musician's Foundation Debut Orchestra in Los Angeles, and the American Youth Symphony in Los Angeles. She also played for the soundtrack recording of the independent film, "The Item" (recorded in Los Angeles, music by Howard Drosser), which went to the Sundance Film Festival in 2000.

On Sunday, October 26, guest cellist Ruslan Biryukov and pianist Mary Au will be performing sonatas by Francois Francoeur, Claude Debussy and Cesar Franck as part of the Crocker Classical Music Series, at 3:00pm in the Music Recital Hall. Mr. Biryukov has been a master teacher in music festivals in Europe and Russia. He has held teaching positions at the Ippolitov-Ivanov State Institute of Music in Moscow, Russia and the Music Academy in Lovran, Croatia. He received his formal music education at Baku Music Academy in Azerbaijan, Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory in Russia, and the USC Thornton School of Music, and earned international recognition by winning major awards in Azerbaijan and by the inclusion of his name in the Gold Book of Russia's international program "New Names". Heralded as a charismatic performer who captivates the attention of his audiences, Ruslan Biryukov is a much sought-after young musician who is committed to a lifetime of music making by sharing the art of music with worldwide audiences from all walks of life in recital halls, schools and other unconventional settings through regularly scheduled performances, outreach recitals and community service concerts. Pianist Mary Au is a much sought after pianist whose artistry embodies her worldwide experience. She has worked in recital and master classes with esteemed artists Christine Brewer, Nathaniel Rosen, Natalia Gutman, Steven Isserlis, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Ruslan Biryukov. A former executive of the GRAMMY Awards, Ms. Au's mentors include Kevin Fitz-Gerald, Daniel Pollack, Gordon Green, Brooks Smith, Alice Schoenfeld and Eleonore Schoenfeld.

On Sunday, November 23, guest handbell choir RiverBells will be performing as part of the Crocker Classical Music Series, at 3:00pm in the Music Recital Hall. Founded in 1998 by their director/ composer, Paul W. Allen, RiverBells is a professional-quality,
community English handbell ensemble sponsored in part by the Elk Grove Unified School District, and located in the south Sacramento area. They consists of fifteen ringers, several of whom are
directors of other handbell ensembles. The group performs with six octaves of Schulmerich handbells and six octaves of Malmark choir chimes. Their focus includes performances of both original music written specifically for the English handbell and arrangements for the English handbell covering many different musical genres. For the past four years, RiverBells has been specifically developing their repertoire of swing and big band compositions from the 1930's and 1940's.

On Sunday, December 21 , guest artists Duo Concertante will be performing as part of the Crocker Classical Music Series, at 3:00pm in the Music Recital Hall. The duo consists of pianist Wolfgang Fetsch and violinist Anita Felix, a father-daughter team. Duo Concertante came into existence in 1994. Their music outreach has extended from Mendocino to San Diego, including San Francisco, Fresno, Berkeley, Monterey, San Joaquin valley and to Colorado. Anita Felix, Concertmaster of the Sacramento Gold Country Chamber Orchestra and Folsom Lake Symphony Orchestra, is currently in her seventh season with the Sacramento Philharmonic and performs regularly with the orchestras of the Sacramento Opera, Sacramento Choral Society, Sacramento Ballet and the Elk Grove Strauss Festival. Born in Germany, Wolfgang Fetsch began his musical education with his father, pianist-conductor Rudolf Fetsch. He continued his studies at Indiana University, earning the doctorate in Piano Literature and Performance. He performed extensively as recitalist and soloist with orchestras in the United States and Japan and taught in North Carolina, Texas and California. The University of the Pacific has also honored him with the Distinguished Faculty Award.

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