The sixth season of Mattina Musica continues on Feb. 1, part of the Sid Williams Theatre Society’s Blue Circle Series, with outstanding violist Marcus Takizawa.
Italian for “Morning Music”, Mattina Musica is a six-concert series of classical music taking place on select Monday mornings, hosted by pianist Sarah Hagen, and co-presented by Hagen and the Sid Williams Theatre Society.
For their February concert, Takizawa and Hagen have selected a fabulously virtuosic sonata by Mendelssohn, the charming Notturno of Beethoven, and Arthur Benjamin’s spirited Jamaican Rumba.
A graduate of The Juilliard School, Takizawa is the assistant principal viola with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, a core member of the Turning Point Ensemble, and performs in the Onyx Trio with Joy Yeh (harp) and Mark Takeshi McGregor (flute). He also performs in the band chordophone, performing and writing music for viola and electronics using Ableton Live. Known for his exceptional skill, artistry and unique versatility, Takizawa can be seen playing classical music engagements, contemporary music, and performing his own compositions using electronics and live instruments.
He has studied with Karen Tuttle and Gerald Stanick, and members of the Chicago, Guarneri, and Juilliard String Quartets. Takizawa has been a finalist at several music competitions including the Eckhardt-Gramatte, ASTA, and Irving Klein International String Competitions.
From the Comox Valley, Hagen enjoys a busy and varied concert schedule that has taken her from the Sid Williams to Carnegie Hall.
Awarded as the BC Touring Council’s 2015 Touring Artist of the Year, her performances have been described as “outstandingly inventive” (University of Waterloo Gazette), “played flawlessly” (ReviewVancouver) and that ‘“...the level of passion that Hagen possesses - when it comes to experiencing, interpreting and expressing art - is something quite extraordinary” (The Guardian (Charlottetown).
Highlights of her current season include a reunion with Los Angeles Philharmonic concertmaster Martin Chalifour for recitals in January and a Mozart Piano Concerto with the Nanaimo Chamber Orchestra in March.
Tickets for this Blue Circle Series performance are $22 for members, $27 for general public, and $20 for students and groups of 10 or more. Members can add this show to a SID TIX pack for just $20. Coffee and tea is served at 9:45 a.m. and music begins at 10:30 a.m. For more information on the Mattina Musica series and other upcoming performances, visit www.sidwilliamstheatre.com or call 250-338-2430.