Chef Becky Brown, Experience Designer Mercedes Curran, and Salastina team up once more for the most opulent, decadent, nostalgic, immersive, and beautiful holiday event ever. The Da Camera Society again opens its doors to the stunning Doheny Mansion for the occasion.

Built in 1899, the Doheny Mansion’s Pompeian Room is replete with actual gilded details, colored marble floors, and a golden, ombre glass dome that is simply resplendent at midday. And naturally, it’ll be appropriately decked out for Christmas. Enjoy Becky’s 5-course gourmet holiday brunch while losing yourself in music composed when the venue was built.

The Yuletide Carolers musically greet you in Victorian garb. Come in costume yourself, if you wish!

NOTE: Ticket sales close FRIDAY AT NOON. Tickets are non-refundable. At checkout, you may choose either the standard or vegan menu. Substitutions politely declined.

Artists:
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, Co-Artistic Directors and Resident Violinists
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist Linnea Powell, Guest Violist Cristina Montes Mateo, Guest Harpist

Menu: First course
Standard: Smoked trout rillettes on brioche, celery leaf salad
Miso Deviled eggs with cured ikaru
Vegan: Caramelized Marsala mushrooms, white bean puree, garlic confit

Second course Standard: Red oak salad, citrus vinaigrette, oro blanco, aged Gouda 
Vegan: Red oak salad, citrus vinaigrette, oro blanco

Third course Standard: Scottish salmon, McGrath farms beet puree, brown butter, satsuma emulsion  Vegan: roasted beet medley, satsuma emulsion, cashew cheese, walnuts 

Fourth course:  Standard: New Zealand lamb chops, celery root, medjool date chutney, toasted pepitas, mint  Vegan: seared king oyster mushrooms, celery root puree, medjool date chutney, pepitas, fried sage 

Fifth course:  Standard: Pumpkin cheesecake, ginger cranberry jam, ginger snap crumble, chantilly cream
Vegan:  Ginger cranberry sorbet with olive oil 

Salastina proudly presents this performance in partnership with The Da Camera Society.

On this mystical compline program, Salastina’s Composer Mentor Derrick Skye’s latest string quartet Deliverance is a portal to another time. Its musical DNA came from select works of other Baroque composers whose works share the program. Together, the program illustrates centuries-old music's timeless resonance – and the endless possibilities for re-imagining its magic and mystery. 

A complimentary wine reception with the artists will follow. More info on Mary Chapel and parking here.

Program:
Hildegard von Bingen: O Frondens Virga
Thomas Tallis: Audivi Vocem
Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina: Missa Nigra Sum - Sanctus
Johann Sebastian Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor
Derrick Skye: Deliverance (West Coast premiere)
Gregorio Allegri: Miserere

Artists:
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, Co-Artistic Directors and Resident Violinists
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist
Derrick Skye, Resident Composer
Luke Maurer, Guest Violist

6:30 PM - 7 PM: Early Access for Members at the Supporter + Level

Salastina proudly presents this performance, sponsored by the Music Department at Mount Saint Mary’s University.

Begin your holiday season joyfully with a unique, bespoke wine and music experience supporting Salastina’s Vital Sounds Program.

Our colleague and friend Natalie Leggett, a beautiful violinist and wine expert, connects a sense of Home in music to that of terroir in wine. Each of our four wine and music pairings has a mutually-amplifying, beautiful story to savor. The musical program includes selections from Eric Whitacre's You Feel Like Home: Suite from The Sacred Veil, which Salastina premiered and recorded earlier this year, as well as “Going Home” From Antonin Dvorak’s beloved New World Symphony. Small plates will also be provided.

The Cellar in Old Town Pasadena is the perfect cozy, intimate spot to enjoy these inspired wine and music pairings.

All donations received through this event support Salastina's Vital Sounds Program. Vital Sounds provides free, virtual, one-on-one bedside concerts to critically ill patients at Huntington Health and UCLA Medical Center five days a week.

All proceeds benefit Salastina's Vital Sounds Program. Ticket costs are tax-deductible, less $246 per attendee, as allowed by law. If you attend with someone else, you’ll both qualify for a year of Digital Member Benefits.

Salastina thanks Board Member Dr. Nirav Kamdar for generously underwriting this event.

Few musicians possess the cojones and humility to perform music blind. And by “blind,” we do NOT mean sightreading; the musicians have practiced and rehearsed!

Rather, we mean the musicians don’t know what they’re playing. Not the composer, the piece title, when and where it was written… nada.

Sounds Mysterious is a musical scavenger hunt in which the musicians and audience solve those mysteries together.

This time, all of Salastina’s Resident Artists have chosen a short piece to stump everyone else in the ensemble.

The music our Resident Artists have chosen is readily accessible, consummately listenable, and delightfully unexpected. We can't be more specific about the repertoire. But we can promise:

• laughter, collegiality, and plenty of razzing amongst the musicians

• ample opportunities to hear audience members’ intuitions and insights -- and share your own

• the joy of musical discovery

Mimosa and pastry reception with the artists to follow.

Artists:
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, Co-Artistic Directors and Resident Violinists
Meredith Crawford, Resident Violist
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist
HyeJin Kim, Resident Pianist
Benjamin Smolen, Resident Flutist
Brian Lauritzen, Resident Host

Program:
Mystery Work for Flute, Violin, and Piano, chosen by Benjamin Smolen (Nino Rota Trio - I. Allegro non troppo)
Mystery Work for Flute, Violin, and Piano, chosen by HyeJin Kim (Mel Bonis Suite en trio, Op. 59 II. Pastorale)
Mystery Work for Violin and Viola, chosen by Brian Lauritzen (Courtney Bryan And What I Mean is This)
Mystery Work for Violin and Piano, chosen by Yoshika Masuda (Rita Strohl, Solitude)
Mystery Work for Cello and Piano, chosen by Maia Jasper White (Leone Sinigaglia 2 Stücke, Op. 16: II. Humoreske)
Mystery Work for Piano Trio, chosen by Meredith Crawford (Ludwig Philipp Schawenka Piano Trio No. 1 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 100: II. Allegro)
Mystery Work for Piano Quintet, chosen by Kevin Kumar (Jean Cras Piano Quintet: II. Calme et paisible)

Play with the pros in Co-Artistic Director Maia Jasper White’s living room.

Salastina’s roster of Resident Artists will play through any piece of your choosing with you, allowing for instrumentation. (Our forces: string quartet, piano, and flute.) Simply let us know what you’d like to play no later than three days before the event to give us time to locate the sheet music.

This event is free for Members. Non-members must become Members for the year to participate. Membership begins at $20/month and is fully tax-deductible.

Sounds Mysterious is a game in which Brian assigns us a piece of music that none of us recognize. He even redacts the composer’s name. We rehearse it, perform it, and attempt to guess the composer along with you. The delight of surprise and interactive “whodunnit” guessing game make for an engaging spin on the live concert experience.

Artists:
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, Co-Artistic Directors and Violinists
Meredith Crawford, Resident Violist
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist
HyeJin Kim, Resident Pianist
Brian Lauritzen, Resident Host

Salastina Members may watch the livestream for free in our Members-Only Lounge.

Slow your heartbeat and set it aflutter with a selection of soul-soothing and soul-stirring Romantic, pop, classical, and movie score favorites. The intimate, vibe-y, chandelier-lit venue in the heart of Hollywood puts you up close to the performers: a string quartet, pianist, and flutist who've recorded your favorite film soundtracks. Enjoy complimentary wine and chocolate-covered strawberries upon arrival, and mingle with the artists after the show.

Artists:
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, Co-Artistic Directors and Violinists
Meredith Crawford, Resident Violist
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist
HyeJin Kim, Resident Pianist
Ben Smolen, Resident Flutist


Please note tickets need to be purchased in advance; there are no door sales or livestream for this concert.

$20 Reserve parking is available for purchase below.

December 2, 2023 @ 2:30 PM - Pasadena
Doheny Mansion at Mount Saint Mary’s University
+ Livestream

One Performance Only!

All the glory of Handel’s timeless Messiah, but make it chamber music. This chestnut gets the one-on-a-part treatment – and the nimbleness and luminosity that affords. Salastina loyalists will enjoy the return of last season’s most popular Happy Hour guest, the effervescent Belgian soprano Laurence Servaes, alongside the return of stunning mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski. With Brian Lauritzen providing historical and emotional context along the way, you'll get to know the piece better than you ever have before. And yes: please sing along during the Hallelyou-know-what. Mulled wine reception to follow.

Salastina proudly presents this performance in partnership with The Da Camera Society in celebration of its 50th Anniversary Season.

Program:
George Frideric Handel: Messiah

Artists:
Kevin Kumar, Co-Artistic Director and Violinist
Tereza Stanislav, Guest Violinist
Meredith Crawford, Resident Violist
Charlie Tyler, Guest Cellist
HyeJin Kim, Resident Pianist (… on harpsichord)
Brian Lauritzen, Resident Host
Laurence Servaes, Soprano
Clara Osowski, Mezzo-Soprano
Richard Pittsinger, Tenor
Johnathan McCullough, Bass-baritone

Salastina Members may watch the livestream for free in our Members-Only Lounge.

In-person tickets are currently SOLD OUT. Please sign up for the waitlist below.

Paris-based rockstar of the harpsichord Jean Rondeau performs a full live, in-person recital of works by Haydn, Clementi, and Mozart. The event includes conversation with the artist and a mimosa and pastry reception.

Program:
Joseph Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 31
Muzio Clementi: Gradus ad Paranassum op. 44, N°45 - Preludio Andante malinconico in C minor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Sonata No.16 in C Major, K. 545
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Rondo in A minor K. 511
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Fantaisie in D minor K. 397

Salastina Members may watch the livestream for free in our Members-Only Lounge. Please note this special performance is ONLY available to rewatch for 72 hours.

Who is the Stradivarius of our time? Mario Miralles is one answer. His instruments are coveted by string players worldwide; you’ve heard them on all the world’s major stages. And his waiting list is miles long.

A wildly generous anonymous donor commissioned Mario to build a violin, viola, and cello for Salastina’s Resident Artists’ use. This is a gift beyond any of our wildest dreams, and the process has been riveting.

Yoshi’s cello is already finished; if you’ve been to any of our concerts this season, you’ve heard it! By the time of this event, Maia’s violin will be finished, and Meredith’s viola will be gestating. (If you’re wondering about Kevin: he already owns one, having purchased it several years ago.)

This event is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to hear about the different stages of a luthier’s process. The musicians for whom he’s building the instruments will speak to what the process is like from their perspective, and what they’re looking for in an instrument. Mario, a notoriously private figure, can then address how he translates those abstract artistic wishes into physical reality. And of course… you’ll hear them!

Click here for more information about Frautschi Hall at CalTech’s Hammeetman Center, including a campus map and parking information.

Join us for live performance and intimate, frank conversation with Laurence Servaes, a Belgian soprano and composer who is truly stunning in every way. She and pianist Louise Thomas will perform a selection of chansons, art songs, contemporary works, and Laurence's original compositions. The music and the subject matter cover a wide range of human experience and emotion. Laurence describes the program she's chosen as "bonbons of beauty."

To celebrate our first-ever in-person Happy Hour, this event is FREE to attend in-person and FREE to watch online.

In-person tickets are sold out! Queue up at 10:30 for our standby list. Because this is a free performance, there will inevitably be a few no-shows. If you arrive early, it's likely you'll get in. Standbys will be admitted on a first-come-first-served basis.

As always, Salastina Members may watch the livestream free in our Members-Only Lounge.

Calling all Amateur Instrumentalists Intermediate-level and above!

Want to experience the thrill of playing alongside Salastina's Resident Artists and Co-Artistic Directors in an intimate, private, casual setting? Join us for a chamber music reading party at a private home near the Segerstrom Center in Santa Ana.

Bring any music you'd like to play with us. We'd recommend piano and string trios by Beethoven, quartets by Haydn and Mozart, and anything else you feel comfortable and confident playing through with us -- and in front of those gathered for the occasion.

Because space is limited, priority will be given to Salastina Members. The exact address will be given to attendees 24 hours before the event.

There is no cost to attend. RSVP by September 8th. Be sure to include your instrument, approximate skill level, the info on any pieces you’d like to play, and the number of guests in your party.

Open up CMLA's Music Box and enjoy a whistle-stop journey through chamber music! Our carefully-curated 75-minute program, spanning from the Baroque to the modern era, is below. 

SALASTINA

Claude Debussy: Syrinx 

Max Reger: Three Duos, Opus 131b No. 2 - II. Poco Allegro 

Georg Philipp Telemann: Canonic Sonata No. 2 in D major I. Spirituoso - II. Larghetto - III. Allegro assai

Artists:
Benjamin Smolen, flute
Maia Jasper White, violin

COLBURN SCHOOL

Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor Op. 8 

Artists:
The Olive Trio, Gold Medalists at the 2022 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition
Anaïs Feller, violin
Mira Kardan, cello
Daniel Wang, piano

JACARANDA MUSIC

Valentin Silvestrov: The Messenger

Artist: Steven Vanhauwaert, piano

LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Caroline Shaw: Plan & Elevation: The Grounds of Dumbarton Oaks; II. The Cutting Garden

Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F; I. Allegro moderato. Très doux

Artists: 
Margaret Batjer, violin
Susan Rishik, violin
Yura Lee, viola
Trevor Handy, cello

CAMERATA PACIFICA

Maurice Ravel: La Valse

Artist: Soyeon Kate Lee, piano

PITTANCE CHAMBER MUSIC

Franz Schubert: Shepherd on the Rock

Artists:
Liv Redpath, soprano
Stuart Clark, clarinet
Jeremy Frank, piano

Masks must be worn inside all buildings on the Colburn campus. Full safety protocols are available here.

Join us every Tuesday for Salastina’s Happy Hour: bringing you free, live musical performance, spirited conversation, and interaction with musicians and fellow music lovers.

Can't make it in person to our Sounds Delicious: Outlander -- and don't mind watching other people eat? Tune in free during our regular Happy Hour to enjoy the music and ambiance. We're only sorry we can't provide you with Chef Becky's delicious and inspired 4-course meal. While our in-person audience sates their appetites between musical selections, the musicians will talk with our virtual audience.

Calling all history nerds, Outlander fans, and romantics in general! Travel back in time and around the world with us at this special outdoor dinner concert in a private, tree-lined courtyard in the hills.

Journey in the fictional footsteps of Claire and Jamie Fraser through the real-life music and food of mid-18th century Scotland, France, and the Caribbean; colonial America; and Boston in the 1960s. And of course, we’ll include plenty of composer Bear McCreary’s original music for the show.

We are thrilled to once again partner with Chef Becky Brown, the chef who brought our Harry Potter and Game of Thrones dinner concerts to culinary life, and Mercedes Curran, who created their fabulous atmospheres. This time, we’ll benefit from the input of food historian Marissa Nicosia as well.

Menu

Welcome
🎼 Scottish reel
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🍳Scotch egg with fennel sausage 

Course 1: Scotland, 1743
🎼 Outlander Medley (Skye Boat Song, Dance of the Druids, Fallen through Time, Comin’ Thro’ the Rye)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🥬 Gratin of rumbledethumps with turnip, napa cabbage, and Weiser Farms creamer potatoes 

Course 2: France, 1744
🎼 Jean-Philippe Rameu: Chaconne from Dardanus
🇫🇷 🦀 Herbed crepe stuffed with fresh crab served with smoked tomato cream and tender leaf lettuces

Course 3: Battle of Culloden, 1756 to Boston, 1960
🎼 Outlander Medley (An Fideagh Argridh/Rule Brittania, Woman of Balnain) to Walter Piston: String Quartet No. 1
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🥩 🇺🇸 Creekstone Ranch dry-aged beef ribeye, peppercorn sauce, truffled “Glasgow salad” (pommes frites)

Course 4: The New World, 1766
🎼 Chevalier de Saint-Georges: String Quartet No. 1 in G minor to Mark O’Connor: Appalachia Waltz to Bear McCreary: Fraser’s Ridge Theme
🇯🇲 🍍 🍰 🇺🇸 Pineapple upside-down rum cake, macadamia nut brittle, crème fraiche ice cream 

Artists:
Maia Jasper White and Kevin Kumar, violinists
Rob Brophy, violist
Caleb Vaugh-Jones, cellist
Jenni Olson, flutist

A note for the uninitiated: Outlander is a historical drama television series based on the ongoing novel series of the same name by Diana Gabaldon. After serving as a British Army nurse in World War II, Claire Randall is enjoying a second honeymoon in Scotland with her husband Frank, an MI6 officer looking forward to a new career as an Oxford historian. Suddenly, Claire is transported back in time to 1743 — and into a mysterious world where her freedom and life are threatened. To survive, she marries Jamie Fraser, a strapping Scots warrior with a complicated past and disarming sense of humor. A passionate relationship ensues, and Claire is caught between two vastly different men in two inharmonious lives. Ultimately, she becomes embroiled in the Jacobite uprising; the drama brings her and Jaime to Paris, the Caribbean, and the New World. It’s fun, sexy, and super addicting.

After the year we’ve had, we could all use a little R&R. Some deep breaths. A cathartic ugly-cry.

Join us for a slow-movement orgy we’ve taken to calling “Salastina.calm.”

Program:
Reena Esmail: Saans
Claude Debussy: Syrinx
Johann Sebastian Bach: Suite for Solo Cello in D minor - I. Prelude
Hildegard von Bingen: Antiphon
Osvaldo Golijov: Tenebrae - Part II
Dmitri Shostakovich: Elegy for String Quartet
George Walker: Lyric for String Quartet
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Vocalise
Louise Farrenc: Trio for Piano, Flute, and Cello - II. Andante
Thomas Adès: Arcadiana - VI. O Albion
Johannes Brahms: String Quartet No. 1 in C minor - II. Romanze. Poco adagio
Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Piano Quintet in E major, Op. 15 - II. Adagio. With great calm, always extremely expressive

Artists:
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, violinists
Meredith Crawford, violist
Yoshika Masuda, cellist
HyeJin Kim, pianist
Benjamin Smolen, flutist
Brian Lauritzen, host

After the year we’ve had, we could all use a little R&R. Some deep breaths. A cathartic ugly-cry.

Join us for a slow-movement orgy we’ve taken to calling “Salastina.calm.”

Program:
Reena Esmail: Saans
Claude Debussy: Syrinx
Johann Sebastian Bach: Suite for Solo Cello in D minor - I. Prelude
Hildegard von Bingen: Antiphon
Osvaldo Golijov: Tenebrae - Part II
Dmitri Shostakovich: Elegy for String Quartet
George Walker: Lyric for String Quartet
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Vocalise
Louise Farrenc: Trio for Piano, Flute, and Cello - II. Andante
Thomas Adès: Arcadiana - VI. O Albion
Johannes Brahms: String Quartet No. 1 in C minor - II. Romanze. Poco adagio
Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Piano Quintet in E major, Op. 15 - II. Adagio. With great calm, always extremely expressive

Artists:
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, violinists
Meredith Crawford, violist
Yoshika Masuda, cellist
HyeJin Kim, pianist
Benjamin Smolen, flutist
Brian Lauritzen, host

Join us every Tuesday for Salastina’s Happy Hour: bringing you free, live musical performance, spirited conversation, and interaction with musicians and fellow music lovers.

“For me, personally, music has been a way to inspire others” – Randall Goosby’s own words sum up perfectly his commitment to being an artist who makes a difference. Signed exclusively to Decca Classics in 2020 at the age of 24, American violinist Randall Goosby is acclaimed for the sensitivity and intensity of his musicianship alongside his determination to make music more inclusive and accessible, as well as bringing the music of under-represented composers to light.

Join us every Tuesday for Salastina’s Happy Hour: bringing you free, live musical performance, spirited conversation, and interaction with musicians and fellow music lovers.

Emi loves to make music. That's pretty much it, but if you want a little more proof look no further than the hours of cassette tapes she burned through as a five-year-old, performing her heart out for no one but her younger sister.

 Since then, she's brought her love of music and performing to wider audiences around the globe, sharing the stage as a flute player, singer, and composer with performers including Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon, James Taylor, and four U.S. Presidents, (though her inner teenager will tell you her career highlight was being called on stage to sing Oops I Did It Again at a Britney Spears concert.) She is a member of AMOC, the 2022 Ojai Music Festival Director.

This event is in partnership with the Ojai Music Festival. Salastina thanks Ara Guzelimian and Gina Gutierrez of the Ojai Music Festival for making this event possible.

Join us every Tuesday for Salastina’s Happy Hour: bringing you free, live musical performance, spirited conversation, and interaction with musicians and fellow music lovers.

Musicians, composers… how does music really get made in our world? It's all thanks to the tireless efforts of arts leaders like Simon Woods and Karin Brookes.

Orchestras have been part of Simon Woods' life for more than 40 years. From playing clarinet, to conducting, composing, producing over 200 CDs, and running four orchestras, he has never strayed far from this art form he loves. And although a Brit running an American association might seem odd, he’s a naturalized U.S. citizen, and is proud to be able to support the amazing orchestras of this country. When off duty, he’s most likely to be found cooking or playing Bach Preludes and Fugues on the piano.

Simon also has the distinction of being Mr. Karin Brookes, the newly-appointed administrative director of the Historical Performance program at Juilliard. Karin served as Executive Director of the national advocacy group Early Music America for 4 years. Before coming to the United States, she was assistant to Christopher Hogwood and manager of the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge. Karin has degrees in French and music from the Universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge, and a master of journalism degree from Temple University.

Join us every Tuesday for Salastina’s Happy Hour: bringing you free, live musical performance, spirited conversation, and interaction with musicians and fellow music lovers.

A stunning young soprano leggero, Liv has already graced the stages of the Met, the LA Phil, the Deutsch Oper Berlin... you name it. Oh, and she also went to Harvard and covers Joni Mitchell like nobody's business. 🤯

Log on for intimate conversation and live performance with this whipsmart-yet-unassuming and golden-voiced goddess.

Join us every Tuesday for Salastina’s Happy Hour: bringing you free, live musical performance, spirited conversation, and interaction with musicians and fellow music lovers.

In advance of coming to LA to perform with us live in-person, Charles is our first Return Happy Hour guest. For this Happy Hour, he performs live and offers a sneak peak of the following weekend’s live concerts.

Join us every Tuesday for Salastina’s Happy Hour: bringing you free, live musical performance, spirited conversation, and interaction with musicians and fellow music lovers.

A true expert in the field, Curtis Berak supplies musical organizations all over the West Coast with instruments required to perform certain pieces of Baroque and Renaissance music. He began his career as a painter before falling in love with harpsichord building — and ancient music more generally. Stepping into his Skid Row studio is like entering a time machine to the 16th/17th centuries. Join us for a studio tour and inside look at his construction process. Whether you have or haven’t, er, hurd of a hurdy-gurdy, you won’t want to miss this remarkably unique figure in today’s musical landscape.

Program:
Sounds Genius: Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1
Sounds Genius: C.P.E. Bach’s Flute Concerto in D minor, Wq 22

You're welcome to come in costume to compete for fame and glory everlasting in our costume contest. Bonus points if your costume is musically themed.

Artists:
HyeJin Kim, pianist
Benjamin Smolen, flutist
Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, violinists
Meredith Crawford, violist
Yoshika Masuda, cellist
Maksim Velichkin, harpsichordist
Brian Lauritzen, host