Mainly Mozart Introduces New Chamber Music Series: "Sommelier Series: The Concertmasters"

    SAN DIEGO, CA, October 14, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Mainly Mozart – the San Diego nonprofit behind the highly acclaimed, annual Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival – has announced an exciting new chamber music series, Sommelier Series: The Concertmasters, launching Fall 2024. Three intimate concerts, Nov. 16, Jan 11 and Feb 8, will take place at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club and feature concertmasters from the Philadelphia Orchestra, Dallas Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic, paired with top sommeliers who have chosen wines inspired by each concert's program. Tickets are on sale now for all three concerts in the series at www.mainlymozart.org/wine.

Chef Claudia Sandoval, "MasterChef" winner and judge, who is also the Culinary Director and Executive Producer for Mainly Mozart's "Culinary Concerto" Gala, is coordinating the sommeliers and wineries for the new series. Each concert will begin with an hour-long wine and appetizer reception at 6pm followed by a discussion with the sommelier, hosted by Chef Sandoval, preceding an intermission-free concert at 7pm. Wine will be poured between musical selections, and sommeliers and musicians will illustrate the connection of the wine to the pieces being performed.

"We used the inspiration of March's Culinary Concerto gala which paired world-class music with fine wine and fare, in creating the Sommelier Series," said Nancy Laturno, Mainly Mozart co-founder and CEO. "There's such a rich history and depth of feeling that exists with classical music. It is a uniquely emotive art form and we believe that this will be a sensory experience that you'll never forget."

November 16: Philadelphia Orchestra Concertmaster David Kim and Sommelier Rafael Peterson
Sommelier Series: The Concertmasters hosts its first event November 16 with Philadelphia Orchestra Concertmaster David Kim, performing with his orchestral colleagues Burchard Chang, viola and Priscilla Lee, cello. The concert will feature works by Beethoven, Handel and Dohnanyi. The wines for the concert will be curated by Sommelier Rafael Peterson of H Mercer Wine and Spirits, former Dining Room Captain at Addison and Wine Director of Born and Raised.

Program:
E. Dohnanyi: Serenade for String Trio
Handel/Halvorsen: Passacaglia
Beethoven: String Trio in C minor No. 3

January 11: Dallas Symphony Concertmaster Alexander Kerr and Co-Concertmaster Nathan Olson with Sommelier Gabriela Gaeta-Ninet
The series continues January 11 with Dallas Symphony Concertmaster Alexander Kerr joined by Dallas Symphony Co-concertmaster Nathan Olson and Pianist Anton Nel. Mr. Nel, a Naumburg International Piano Competition winner and acclaimed Beethoven interpreter, was Mainly Mozart's first-ever featured soloist during its 1989 inaugural June festival. The wines for the evening will be curated by Sommelier Gabriela Gaeta-Ninet, the first person from Mexico to achieve the title of "French Wine Scholar with Highest Honors."

Program:
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor
Mozart: Violin Sonata in B-flat major
Moszkowski: Suite for Two Violins and Piano in G Minor

February 8: Los Angeles Philharmonic Concertmaster Martin Chalifour with Wines Curated by Marino Monferrato
The third and final concert in the series is February 8 and will showcase Los Angeles Philharmonic Concertmaster and Mainly Mozart favorite Martin Chalifour, accompanied by Pianist Steven Vanhauwaert, in a program including works by Dvorak, Brahms and Ravel. The wines for the evening will be curated by Marino Monferrato - the official Maître D'hôtel of Chef Gordon Ramsay's hit Fox show "Hell's Kitchen."

Program:
Bach: Sonata in B flat major
Dvorak: Romantic Pieces op. 75
Lalo: Symphonie espagnole op. 21
Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte (arr. Kochanski)
Dvorak: Slavonic Dance in E minor No. 2
Brahms: Hungarian Dance in D minor No. 2

Seating will be at tables-of-four with a limited number of individual seats available, with tickets ranging from $125 to $500 per concert. The event will take place at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, 15150 San Dieguito Road, Rancho Santa Fe.

Tickets:
3-Concert Subscriptions for table-of-four:
Platinum Seating - $6,000
Gold Seating - $3,000

3-Concert Subscriptions - Individual
Platinum Seating - $1,500/person
Gold Seating - $750/person
General Seating - $375/person

Single Concert - Table-of-Four
Platinum Seating - $2,000
Gold Seating - $1,000

Single Concert - Individual
Platinum Seating - $500
Gold Seating - $250
General Seating - $125

About Mainly Mozart
Since 1988, Mainly Mozart has brought the San Diego community together to experience the finest in orchestral music, intimate concert experiences and extraordinary music education for young people. In that time, the famed Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival has made its name as the largest gathering of Concertmasters and Principal Players in the United States, boasting top level players from the world's greatest orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, LA Phil, Philadelphia Orchestra and dozens more. For more information, visit www.mainlymozart.org. Keep up with news and announcements on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok.

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