Crowden Music Center Celebrates 40th Anniversary With Hertz Hall Concert in May

The Bay Area’s homegrown classical music luminaries will take the stage at Hertz Hall on Saturday, May 25, 2024, for Crowden’s 40th Anniversary Concert. Crowden, renowned as an innovative incubator of remarkable children, musicians, and composers, is culminating its year-long 40th anniversary celebration this Memorial Day weekend with the Anniversary Concert at Hertz Hall on May 25, 6:30pm, followed by a Reunion Brunch at Crowden the next day, May 26, 11am.

 “Our 40th Anniversary Concert boasts an amazing list of performers spanning Crowden’s illustrious history, including globally acclaimed concert artist and pedagogue Nora Chastain, Pittsburg Symphony Concertmaster David McCarroll (‘99), stunning violinist Karla Donehew Perez (‘99) and her Grammy-nominated Catalyst Quartet, Menuhin Competition winner Kenneth Renshaw (‘08), Abby Rojansky (‘03) of the prestigious Verona Quartet, local favorite Friction Quartet, virtuoso pianist Audrey Vardanega (‘09), and acclaimed violinist Ariana Kim, among others,” shares Crowden Artistic Director Eugene Sor. “The future of music will be represented not only by our stellar young musicians and alumni, but Crowden composers as well. We are especially proud to present a world premiere and 40th anniversary commission by alum Samuel Adams (’00), and an already canon string quartet by fellow alum Gabriella Smith (’05)—both emerging composers currently receiving global attention as important new voices. It is also our honor to present our inspiring Crowden School musicians performing Four Traditional Piecesby Crowden’s 40th Anniversary Concert Honoree, incredible patron of the arts and transformational benefactor of Crowden, composer Gordon Getty.”

Crowden named Gordon Getty as its 40th Anniversary Concert Honoree in commemoration of Ann and Gordon Getty’s monumental extended relationship with Crowden. In 2021, the Crowden Board of Trustees established the Ann and Gordon Getty Fund with the couple’s $10 million donation, geared towards expanding access to the magic of a Crowden education. Crucial support from the Gettys over the course of Crowden’s history also helped enable the purchase of its historical landmark campus, and the founding of its John Adams Young Composers Program. The Gettys’ generosity to the Crowden community encompasses the young talent emerging over the decades—prominent Crowden alumni ranging from Adams and Smith to Kenneth Renshaw have been presented in concert in the Gettys’ home salon.

 John Adams and Bonnie Hampton are Crowden’s 40th Anniversary Honorary Co-Chairs. Musical luminaries including Yo-Yo Ma, Esa Pekka Salonen, Frederica von Stade, Joshua Robison, and Michael Tilson Thomas (among many others) have joined Crowden’s 40th Anniversary Honorary Committee to support the Bay Area gem, which serves a combined audience of 8,000 Bay Area music learners with a rich array of workshops, classes, and concerts each year. Originally founded in 1983 as a middle school dedicated to improving the intellectual development and social-emotional lives of adolescents through music, the Crowden School remains the only school of its kind in the country. Today, it serves students in grades 3–8 with an inspiring, whole-child education rooted in the collaborative art of chamber music. “At the Crowden School, every day begins with music,” explains Head of School Dan Meyers. “This simple practice has powerful benefits for our students: activating both sides of their brains, inspiring their creative energy, and encouraging them to find resonance with each other. Then, students bring that engagement and excitement into their academic classrooms. Working collaboratively, Crowden School students use the process of inquiry and discussion to explore essential questions, design experiments, analyze literature, and discover the joys of learning across disciplines.”

Arches, Crowden School alumnus Samuel Adams’ new work for two violins and string orchestra, was commissioned in honor of Crowden’s 40th anniversary. “Arches is a new score that celebrates forty remarkable years of music-making at Crowden, remarks Adams. “I envisioned the energetic and kaleidoscopic music as a kind of bridge connecting the school’s past, present, and future. On the surface, the piece works like a Baroque “double” violin concerto, with violinists David McCarroll and Nora Chastain performing the leading roles. However, the work is scored in such a way that the musical ideas are passed around the multigenerational orchestra, creating a series of musical impulses that flow through the ensemble composed of faculty, alumni, and—most importantly—a wonderfully talented group of current students. It was a total joy to create, and I look forward to celebrating with the whole Crowden community this coming May.”

Tickets to Crowden’s 40th Anniversary Concert are available for purchase online at crowden.org/40. Tickets are $50, $35 for students/seniors, and $10 for youth ages 8-18. Limited premiere seats are available for $100 and include an invitation to an exclusive “Meet-the-Artists” reception at the UC Berkeley Faculty Club following the concert. Proceeds benefit Crowden’s educational programs and scholarships.

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