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Current Season – 2026/2027

Navarro Trio Ensemble w/Roy Zajac

(Piano, Cello, & Clarinet)

Marilyn Thompson, Piano | Jill Rachuy Brindel, Cello | Roy Zajac, Clarinet

Sun, Nov 1, 2026 | 2:00pm
Schroeder Hall, Green Music Center, Sonoma State
(in partnership with SSU School of Music)

“POSTCARDS FROM EUROPE“

Georgina Sanchez (1985) – Pregón de Danza (Duet for Clarinet & Cello)

Nino Rota (1911-1979) – Trio for Clarinet, Cello & Piano – Allegro, Andante, Allegrissimo

Bruch (1838-1920) – Pieces for Clarinet, Cello & Piano, Op. 83 – Andante, Allegro con moto, Rumänische Melodie (Andante), Nachtgesang (Andante con moto), Allegro vivace, ma no troppo

About the Navarro Trio Ensemble & Roy Zajac

Co-founded in 1992 by pianist Marilyn Thompson and cellist Jill Rachuy Brindel, the Navarro Trio is currently celebrating its 34th season as Chamber Music Artists-in-Residence at Sonoma State

With more than three decades of performing the entire standard piano trio repertoire, the Trio has established itself as a cornerstone of regional musical excellence, guiding listeners through the rich history of chamber music with profound nuance and artistry.

For this specialized engagement, the Ensemble collaborates with clarinetist Roy Zajac, Principal Clarinetist of the Santa Rosa Symphony, and instructor at SSU, expanding their acoustic canvas into dynamic masterworks for mixed chamber ensemble.

$20 – Tickets – This Performance Only – Thank You SSU School of Music!

Lara Downes

Sun, Jan 24, 2027 | 3:00pm
Church of the Roses, Santa Rosa

“FINDING HOME” – A reflection on global journeys, shared humanity, and the echoes of ancestral memory, telling stories of migration, exile, and transformation.

Michael Sahl: Tango from the Exiles’ Cafe
Kurt Weill: Lost in the Stars
Kian Ravaei: Variations on This Land Is Your Land
H.T. Burleigh: From the Southland
Florence Price: Clouds
Huang Ruo: Diffluent
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: I Naviganti
Miguel del Aguila: Music in a Bottle
Margaret Bonds: Troubled Water
Caleb Burhans: In Time of Desperation
Oscar Peterson: Hymn to Freedom
Ricky Ian Gordon: Finding Home

Billboard chart-topping pianist, curator, author, and broadcast host Lara Downes brings her singular artistic vision and expressive virtuosity to the intimate chamber music stage. Celebrated for her vibrant concert programming and communicative warmth, Downes crafts captivating recitals that weave rich musical storytelling with timeless classical repertoire and new discoveries. Her dynamic career includes solo and collaborative appearances at world-renowned venues such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and Wigmore Hall. Named Classical Woman of the Year by NPR’s Performance Today, Downes has been hailed as “a musical ray of hope” by NBC News and “a classical music instigator pushing the music forward with great gusto” by the NY Amsterdam News. For chamber audiences, her performances offer an unforgettable journey through the tapestry of American music, celebrating artistic dialogue, technical elegance, and living musical traditions.

Drachman Trio

(Cello, Violin & Piano)

Evan Drachman, Cello | Qing Li, Violin | Chelsea Wang, Piano

Sat, Feb 13, 2027 | 2:00pm
Church of the Roses, Santa Rosa

Beethoven – Piano Trio No. 7 in B-flat major, Op. 97 “Archduke” – Allegro moderato, Scherzo (Allegro), Andante cantabile, ma però con moto, Allegro moderato

Dvořák – Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. B. 166 “Dumky” – Lento maestoso (Allegro quasi doppio movimento), Poco adagio (Vivace non troppo, Vivace), Andante (Vivace non troppo, Allegretto), Andante moderato (Allegretto scherzando, Quasi tempo di marcia), Allegro, Lento maestoso

More Info Coming Soon

Amit Peled

Sat, Mar 27, 2027 | 2:00pm
Church of the Roses, Santa Rosa

Robert Schumann  (1810-1856) –  Five Pieces in Folk Style, Op. 102, Langsam

Feliks Rybicki  (1899-1978) –  Romance

David Popper (1843-1913) – Hungarian Rhapsody, Op.68

Samuel Barber (1910-1981) – Sonata for Cello & Piano, Op. 6

Ernest Bloch (1880-1959) – From Jewish Life – Supplication, Jewish Song, Prayer

Amit Peled is a cellist, conductor, and pedagogue who has performed in international venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, Salle Gaveau in Paris, Wigmore Hall in London, the Seoul Arts Center, and the Konzerthaus Berlin. He has released over a dozen recordings on the Naxos, Centaur, Delos, and CTM Classics labels.

He is an advocate for contemporary music and has premiered numerous works written specifically for him as both a cellist and conductor. Peled serves as Professor of Cello at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and has presented master classes globally, including at the Marlboro, Newport, Heifetz, Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia Cove, and Keshet Eilon festivals.

As a conductor, Peled is the founder and Artistic Director of the Mount Vernon Virtuosi, a chamber orchestra focused on artistic mentorship and community engagement. The orchestra operates the Music House Initiative, a residency program providing musicians with housing and financial support to serve as community music ambassadors. Peled is also the former Music Director of CityMusic Cleveland and maintains an active international guest conducting schedule.

Dalí Quartet

Ari Isaacman-Beck, First Violin | Carlos Rubio, Second Violin | Adriana Linares, Viola | Jesús Morales, Cello

Sat, Apr 24, 2027 | 2:00pm
Community Church of Sebastopol

Juan Crisótomo de Arriaga – String Quartet No. 2 in A Major

Silvestre Revueltas – String Quartet No. 2 “Magueyes”

Sonia Ivette Morales-Matos – Fiesta No. 1 for String Ensemble

Beethoven – String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Opus 132

The Dalí Quartet places Latin American quartet repertoire on equal standing with the Classical and Romantic canon. Through their Classical Roots, Latin Soul programming, they have toured across the United States, Canada, and South America. They have performed for concert series in New York, Buffalo, Toronto, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, Cleveland, Seattle, and San Juan.

Their repertoire spans traditional masters from Haydn and Brahms to Latin American composers Amaya and Piazzolla. The quartet regularly collaborates on adventurous programming, including works with percussionist Orlando Cotto, and quintets with pianist Vanessa Perez and clarinetist Ricardo Morales (Principal Clarinet of The Philadelphia Orchestra). They also maintain an ongoing collaboration with Van Cliburn Gold Medalist pianist Olga Kern, with whom they have toured from coast to coast and recorded the Brahms and Shostakovich piano quintets for the Delos label. Their latest album, Voces Latinas, is available on Centaur Records.More Info Coming Soon

Aznavoorian Sisters

(Cello & Piano)

Ani Aznavoorian, Cello | Marta Aznavoorian, Piano

Sat, May 15, 2027 | 2:00pm
Church of the Roses, Santa Rosa

Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) – Suite Populaire Espagnol – El Paño Moruno Asturiana, Jota, Nana, Canción, Polo

Arno Babadjanian (1921-1983) – Aria & Dance, Elegy 

Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840) – Variations on One String on a Theme by Rossini (“Moses”)

Komitas (1869-1935) – Armenian Songs – Krunk (The Crane)

Stacy Garrop (b.1969) – Repair the World (Tikkun Olam) (2023) 

Brahms (1833-1897) – Sonata for Cello and Piano No.2 in F major, Op. 99 – Allegro vivace, Adagio affettuoso, Allegro passionato, Allegro molto

The Aznavoorian Sisters have toured throughout the United States, Europe, and Armenia. They have performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the White House, and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Some of their festival and concert appearances include the Ravinia Festival, Wolf Trap, and the La Jolla Chamber Music Society. Both sisters won the National Foundation for the Arts Award and were appointed Presidential Scholars in the Arts. They have also held numerous educational residencies, including with the Seattle Chamber Music Society, and were selected to showcase at the 2023 Chamber Music America Conference.

In 2022, they released their debut album, Gems from Armenia, on the Cedille Records label. The album features Armenian music and a world-premiere composition written specifically for them, and it received outstanding reviews in the press. Outside of performing, Marta and Ani work with programs to create musical training pathways for students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. To support this mission, they founded The Keynote Foundation, which funds these students to help them reach their musical potential.

ALL PROGRAMS SUBJECT TO CHANGE