Festival Mozaic

It was a year ago this week that we presented our last live performance, a collaboration with Movement Arts Collective and cellist Jonah Kim at the Harold J. Miossi CPAC at Cuesta College. We can't wait to see everyone again in person when it is safe and permitted!

We are proud to partner with the Colburn School to share the public premiere of Bach’s Goldberg Variations for String Trio featuring three Festival Mozaic artists: violinist Grace Park, violist Ben Ullery, and Robert DeMaine, Cellist!

We have lost an amazing gentle soul and a true artistic giant. Thank you for the tunes and good vibes.

On February 13, the Colburn School's Next Up Series kicks off with a performance of Dmitry Sitkovetsky’s arrangement reimagining Bach’s epic keyboard masterpiece, the Goldberg Variations. Performed by the Festival's own artists: violinist Grace Park, Robert DeMaine, Cellist and violist and Colburn alum Ben Ullery. Register for free tickets for this virtual concert here: https://bit.ly/39fhm6O

From all of us at Festival Mozaic, we wish you a happy and prosperous new year in 2021! As we eagerly look ahead toward the return of live performance, we’re sending out our final call for gifts to sustain us in the New Year - we hope you will join us in our commitment to bringing world-class performances and musical events to San Luis Obispo County. Donate today at http://www.festivalmozaic.org.

In the final Mozaic Moment of the year, we look back to a recent performance of Francaix's Octet in the 2019 summer festival. Jean Francaix, a French composer, famously quipped "My works are not considered contemporary, but I am not yet dead!" Indeed, when you listen to this piece, it is easy to forget that it was written less than 50 years ago. Thank you for your support throughout the past year. Best wishes to you and your families during this happy season!

In today's Mozaic Moment, let's rewind to a performance of the Brahms Piano Quartet in C minor from the 2016 summer festival. Johannes Brahms was famously in love with Robert Schumann's wife, Clara. Robert Schumann often used five notes to signify the five letters of the word "Clara" in many of his works. Brahms appropriated a variation of those notes in this work which can be heard throughout the piece.

In this week's Mozaic Moment we look back to the Bach English Horn Sonata, performed by Robert Walters of the Cleveland Orchestra and harpsichordist Noam Elkies at the 2015 Summer Festival. Originally composed for the viola da gamba, this sonata (like many of Bach's works) is performed frequently on other instruments. We hope you enjoy this performance!