Tag Archives: Big Sur

Big Sur Foragers Festival Dates Announced: January 17-20, 2019

Foragers Festival Fungus Face Off to be Held at Big Sur River Inn Saturday, January 19, 2019

Big Sur, CA, September 18, 2018 – The historic Big Sur River Inn serves as the host and backdrop of one of the Big Sur Foragers Festival’s most popular events, the “Fungus Face-Off,” set for Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019.

The Face-Off at the River Inn, set under the oaks overlooking the Big Sur River, features celebrated local chefs competing for the best foraged dish, and will include food tastings, fine wines, craft beers, raffles, a silent auction and more.

This event sells out early, and tickets will be on sale at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-sur-foragers-festival-2019-tickets-47639320490

The River Inn has a significant presence in Big Sur history and lore. The inn’s history goes back to 1888, when Jay Pheneger acquired a 160-acre parcel from the federal government and gave his name to the creek that bounds the River Inn on the south.

Homesteaders Barbara and Michael Pfeiffer bought the property, and in 1926, Michael, and Barbra’s son John took over the land on which the Big Sur River Inn now stands. The inn was opened in 1934 by his daughter Ellen Brown. She opened her living and dining rooms to the public and began serving hot apple pie, which is still served today and gave the place its first name, Apple Pie Inn. Lodging units were built and Big Sur’s first resort was established.

In 1943, Ellen’s sister, Esther Pfeiffer Ewoldson and her husband, Hans, took over the operation. Esther replaced her mother as Big Sur Postmaster and the Post Office was moved to the River Inn, situated where the front office of the motel is now.

With a lot of help, Hans built the General Store and lodging units 10 through 15. He rebuilt the dining room and “fixed it up fancy.”

The Pfeiffer and the Ewoldson families started a tradition at the Big Sur River Inn of fine food, excellent service, and warm hospitality. In 1988, the Perlmutter family, along with a small group of close friends, formed a partnership to carry on that tradition.

This year, the Big Sur River Inn extends its tradition of hospitality to host the Big Sur Foragers Festival.

The Foragers Festival has traditionally served as a fundraiser for the Big Sur Health Center. The community’s non-profit health center will receive the proceeds from the foraging events to continue to support the presence of local health care services in the Big Sur area.

The four-day festival affords Big Sur area restaurants the opportunity to host the culinary expertise of notable chefs, who will be preparing unique fare ranging from rustic to elegant, paired alongside the central coast region’s amazing selection of wine and beer.

In addition to the Fungus Face-Off, events will include:

>A Thursday Night Fundraiser at Lugano’s Swiss Bistro. Details to come.

>Friday night winemaker’s dinners as locations around Monterey County include Il Grillo in Carmel-by-the-Sea

>Saturday Foraging walk led by local experts. “Wild Mushroom Walks and Talk” led by Steve Copeland of Big Sur Guides and his team of expert mushroom foragers.

>Sunday we are finalizing several brunch fundraisers around Monterey County.

Stay tuned for more details coming soon. For event details and venue information, visit www.bigsurforagersfestival.org.

Contact:

Marci Bracco Cain

Chatterbox PR

Salinas, CA 93901

(831) 747-7455

http://www.bigsurforagersfestival.org

2018 Big Sur Foragers Festival Takes Place January 12-14, 2018

Thursday and Friday Night Fundraising Dinners, Special Raffle, Fungus Face Off, Mushroom Walk and Talks and More!

Big Sur, CA, December 24, 2017 – Big Sur Foragers Festival is excited to announce the return of their feature venue, the Fungus Face Off, to longtime partner, Ventana Big Sur, for 2018. The community’s non-profit, Big Sur Health Center, will receive the proceeds from all of the festival events to help support the continued presence of local healthcare services in the Big Sur area.

2018 Includes:

  • Thursday Night:  Join us at Lugano Swiss Bistro on Thursday, January 11th. The restaurant will be donating 25% of all sales on Fondue as well as all items off the menu including beer and wine on Thursday, January 11th to the Big Sur Foragers Festival benefiting the Big Sur Health Center. Lugano’s will also have live music that evening.  Dine, Laugh, Dance, Enjoy and Support the Big Sur Health Center!
  • Friday Night:  Rio Grill Restaurant will be donating 10% of all dinner sales on Friday, January 12th up to $500 to benefit the Big Sur Health Center and help kick off the Big Sur Foragers Festival weekend!
  • Stay tuned for details on a special Friday Night dinner at Il Grillo in Carmel-by-the-Sea.  Il Grillo will be teaming up with Chappellet Vineyards for a special fundraiser winemaker dinner on Friday, January 12th.
  • Stay tuned for details on a special events to take place at Post Ranch in honor of the Big Sur Foragers Festival.
  • Don’t Miss Out in the Special Raffle!

Foragers Festival Raffle

Tickets $5.00 Each ~ 6 for $25.00 ~ Need Not be Present to Win

 

Raffle Item #1:

Dine Around Package

$100 Haute Enchilada

$100 Portobello’s Salinas

$100 Montrio Bistro, Rio Grill or Tarpy’s

$300 Value

 

Raffle Item #2:

Casa Cactus Cabo Pulmo

3 Nights stay in Cabo Pulmo Baja Mexico (Air fare not included)

$350 value

 

Raffle Item #3:

VIP Tasting Experience at Bernardus Winery for up to 10 with wines paired with Artisan Cheese, Charcuterie and Chocolate Tasting

$500 Value

 

Raffle Item #4:

The Arts

8 Tickets to Monterey Museum of Art

4 Tickets to Monterey Symphony

National Steinbeck Center (Books, 4 Admission Passes, 2 Festival Passes and Guided Tour by the Director

$500 Value

 

Raffle Item #5:

Hofsas House Hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea ($150)

Dinner at Bistro Moulin Monterey ($100)

$250 Value

  • The sixth annual Fungus Face Off will take place at Ventana Big Sur Ocean Meadow Lawn. The Big Sur Health Center is looking forward to returning to Ventana Big Sur for 2018.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW

Participants Include:

Chefs/Restaurants

  • Alvarado Street Brewery
  • A Taste of Elegance
  • Big Sur Bakery
  • Big Sur River Inn
  • Carmel Valley Ranch
  • Fernwood
  • Post Ranch
  • Roy’s
  • The Sur House at Ventana Big Sur

Wineries and Breweries

  • Alvarado Street Brewery
  • Baker and Brain
  • Bernardus  Winery
  • Blair Wines
  • Boony Doon Vineyards
  • Chappellet Vineyards
  • Chesebro
  • Comanche Cellars
  • Fillipponi Winery
  • Fly Wheel Wine
  • Firestone Walker
  • Mad Otter Ale
  • Mesa del Sol
  • Morgan Winery
  • Paul Lato Wines
  • Tablas Creek
  • Twisted Roots

Marketplace Vendors and Tastings

  • Carmel Berry Co.
  • Carmel Honey Company
  • Fattoria Muia
  • Quail and Olive
  • Percy Pies

Wild Mushroom Walk and Talk

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-sur-foragers-festival-tickets-38958154890?aff=utm_source%3Deb_email%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Dnew_event_email&utm_term=eventurl_text

 

Contact:

Marci Bracco Cain

Chatterbox PR

Salinas, CA 93901

(831) 747-7455

pr@straightlinepr.com

http://www.bigsurforagersfestival.org/

BIG Sur, SMALL Crowds

Big Sur has become a virtual island because of a bridge collapse and a landslide that blocks a huge section of Highway 1.

Salinas, CA, July 13, 2017 – Big Sur has become a virtual island because of a bridge collapse and a landslide that blocks a huge section of Highway 1. With the closures, Big Sur has almost stepped back in time, with fewer visitors and cars, quieter and more peaceful.

But almost all businesses are open, from restaurants and lodging to galleries and gift shops, which offers the smart traveler a golden opportunity to experience the Big Sur of yesteryear.

Avoid airline and airport hassles and TSA lines and patdowns by taking a drive down the coast to Big Sur instead of flying elsewhere. From San Jose and the Bay Area, it only takes a few hours and a tank of gas to get to one of the most beautiful and serene places on earth.

Dip your feet into the flowing Big Sur River, grab an Adirondack chair for a front-row seat to the sights and sounds of nature, and relax by the fire on the patio of The Roadhouse or your cabin.

Have breakfast or lunch at the critically acclaimed Big Sur Roadhouse, or pick up food to go for a picnic along the Big Sur river, under the inspiring redwoods or at the beach.

Call us now for availability and enjoy the wonders of Big Sur as you have never experienced them before. Guests who call in July to reserve dates will be entered in a raffle to win 1 of 10 bottles of award winning Bernardus Wines. The focus of Bernardus Wines is to create wines that flatter the palate and stimulate the imagination.

A Special Treat From Us To You…

Enjoy a complimentary upgrade at check-in if available & enter our raffle for a complimentary bottle of Bernardus wine in room upon arrival. Simply put “Bernardus Promo” in the Notes field at time of booking when making reservations online, or please be sure to discuss it when making a phone reservation. Promotion excludes holidays and weekends. Valid for Redemption: July 11th, 2017 – October 30, 2017. Offer valid on the following days: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun.

Contact:

Marci Bracco Cain

Chatterbox PR

Salinas, CA 93901

(831) 747-7455

http://www.glenoaksbigsur.com/

Monterey Symphony’s six-concert season opens in October, celebrates Shakespeare, Big Sur

The magic of one of the world’s most-celebrated coastlines was the inspiration for Big Sur: The Night Sun, an original piece by Emmy Award-winning composer John Wineglass that will highlight the first of six concerts comprising the 71st season of the Monterey Symphony.

Monterey, CA, August 17, 2016 – The magic of one of the world’s most-celebrated coastlines was the inspiration for Big Sur: The Night Sun, an original piece by Emmy Award-winning composer John Wineglass that will highlight the first of six concerts comprising the 71st season of the Monterey Symphony. The three-time Daytime Emmy winner composed the music in honor of the Carmel Centennial Celebration, with the support of the Big Sur Land Trust, to premier at the Symphony’s season-opening program, scheduled Oct. 21-23.

The season, entitled “Shakespeare in Music,” will run through May under the direction of Monterey Symphony Music Director and Conductor Max Bragado-Darman. Each concert will feature at least one work influenced by Shakespeare.

MAIN CONCERTS:
Concert times
The six concert programs, which run October 2016 through May 2017, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. at Sherwood Hall in Salinas on Fridays, and at Carmel’s Sunset Center on Saturdays (8 p.m.) and Sundays (3 p.m.). A pre-concert lecture will be offered an hour before each event.

Youth Concerts
The Symphony’s long tradition of youth outreach and education continues this season with eight free Monday Youth Concerts on October 24, November 21, and April 24 at Sunset Center and March 20 at Sherwood Hall. Youth Concerts are held on Mondays at both 9:30 and 11:00 a.m., allowing thousands of students from Monterey, San Benito and south Santa Cruz Counties to experience the magic of Great Music Live. Contact dross@montereysymphony.org to reserve space for your school group.

Tickets
All Subscription packages (6 concerts/4 concerts/3 concerts) are available now by phone or online. The 4 concert mini-series option requires selection of the concerts when purchased and the same seats are guaranteed for each concert; whereas the 3 concert flexpass option allows concert selection at any time with the same seats attempted, but not guaranteed.

Single Tickets may be purchased beginning September 1 by phone at 831-646-8511 or online at www.montereysymphony.org. Tickets will also be sold 90 minutes before show time at the box office at Sherwood Hall or Sunset Center.

General admission tickets for Friday concerts at Sherwood Hall (940 N. Main Street, next to the Salinas Sports Complex) are priced at $25.

Tickets for 8pm Saturday and 3pm Sunday concerts at the Sunset Center (San Carlos at Ninth Avenue, Carmel) are priced at $80, $60, $40 and $30.

SUNSET CENTER

Saturdays at 8:00 PM 6 CONCERTS 4 CONCERTS 3 CONCERTS SINGLE TICKETS
Sundays at 3:00 PM Full Series Mini Series Flexpass

TIER 1 $474 $316 $237 $80
TIER 2 $354 $236 $177 $60
TIER 3 $234 $156 $117 $40
TIER 4 N/A N/A N/A $30

SHERWOOD HALL 6 CONCERTS 4 CONCERTS 3 CONCERTS SINGLE TICKETS
Fridays at 7:30 PM Full Series Mini Series Flexpass
GENERAL ADMISSION $120 $80 $60 $25

Concert I: Oct. 21-23
The Monterey Symphony gloriously opens its 71st season with Big Sur: The Night Sun, a commissioned orchestral work from local Emmy-winning composer John Wineglass, written for the Carmel Centennial Celebration in conjunction with the Big Sur Land Trust. Wineglass, a Washington D.C. native, lives today on California’s spectacular Central Coast, 20 minutes from Point Lobos, one of the breathtaking locations he says inspired Big Sur: The Night Sun, which he characterizes as a “symphonic tone poem.”

Ludwig van Beethoven’s magnificent concerto for Piano, Violin and Cello in C Major, Op. 56, the “Triple Concerto”, will showcase the talents of three rising stars: Anna Petrova, piano; Rebecca Anderson, violin; and JeongHyoun Christine Lee, cello, in an exciting performance of the only concerto that Beethoven composed for more than one instrument.

In a season that honors Shakespeare in Music, exactly 400 years after the great artist’s death, the second suite from Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet adds a moving and profound tone. This work utilizes some rarely used instruments in the orchestra, such as tenor saxophone and cornet, and concludes a colorful and riveting season opener!

Pianist Anna Petrova, a native of Bulgaria, has been honored at numerous international competitions, including the José Roca (Valencia), Val Tidone (Italy) and Maria Yudina (St. Petersburg) Competitions, and was a semifinalist at the prestigious Queen Elizabeth International Piano Competition in Belgium in 2010, where she performed as soloist with the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia under Paul Goodwin.

Violinist Rebecca Anderson is a versatile soloist and chamber musician whose recent performances range from solo appearances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, contemporary music premieres with A Far Cry and eighth blackbird, and collaborative projects with Questlove and Ben Folds. She has appeared as a soloist with the Oregon Symphony, Olympia Symphony, and Columbia Symphony orchestras, and in Europe with a recital concert at the Conservatorio de Bologna in Italy. Most recently, she was a first-prize winner at the 2013 American String Teachers Association National Solo Competition for senior division violin.

Cellist JeongHyoun Christine Lee, a native of Seoul, Korea, has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, Korean Broadcast Symphony Orchestra, and Calgary Symphony Orchestra, among others, and has served as the Co-Principal of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. Lee has performed in Europe and Asia with Curtis on Tour and was recently featured as a Young Artist at Music from Angel Fire and a Caramoor Rising Star at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. She recently performed with Juilliard’s contemporary ensemble, AXIOM, and has attended summer festivals such as the Taos School of Music, Encore, the Great Mountains Music Festival, Orford, and Hotchkiss Summer Portals. She has participated in Prussia Cove Master Classes with Ralph Kirshbaum and the Académie Musicale de Villecroze with Miklós Perényi.

Preview Luncheon with Guest Artists
Wednesday, October 19, 2016 at 11:30 a.m.
Glen Deven Ranch, Big Sur, CA
$50/person
Register at 831-646-8511 or www.montereysymphony.org/special-events

Symphony of Flavors
Pre-show soiree pairing local musicians with featured local wine, beer, and tasty bites included with concert ticket
Saturday, October 22, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.

Sunset Center Terrace
Concert II: Nov. 18-20
The Romantic music of Johannes Brahms and Felix Mendelssohn distinguish the Monterey Symphony’s second concert of the season, opening with Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56 by Brahms, an elegant and well-orchestrated theme and variations on the popular “St. Anthony Chorale” featuring the Honors Orchestra of Youth Music Monterey County in their annual Side-by-Side Program appearance, playing onstage with Monterey Symphony mentors.

This concert will also feature the Overture, Op. 21 and Incidental Music, Op. 61 from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with a burgeoning stage that highlights the local talents of singers Mary Young Bragado and Angelique Zuluaga, actors Michael Jacobs and Doug Toby, and community chorus I Cantori di Carmel, directed by Dr. Sal Ferrantelli. You will not want to miss this exciting and entertaining collaboration celebrating Shakespeare in Music!

Mezzo-Soprano Mary Young Bragado, wife of the Monterey Symphony’s Music Director Max Bragado-Darman grew up in Princeton New Jersey and graduated as a singer/choral conductor from the University of Michigan. She has directed numerous works throughout the U.S. and in Spain. She has sung in recital and with many choral groups in the U.S. and Europe. Including the prestigious University of Michigan Chamber Choir, the Kenneth Jewell Chorale in Detroit, and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus.

Soprano Angelique Zuluaga has performed opera, oratorio, and chamber music throughout the U.S. and South America and can be found frequently collaborating with composers in new works. Performance highlights include: soloist in Brahms’ Requiem with the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir; Handel’s Ode to St. Cecilia with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Zankel Hall under the direction of Ton Koopman; and soprano soloist with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas’ St. Matthew Passion Brazilian tour under the direction of Kent Nagano.
Actor Michael Jacobs received his B.A. from Whitman College, then went on to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts/West and became a member of the first graduating class in 1976. In New York, he studied at the Herbert Berghof Studios with Uta Hagen and Michael Beckett and in California he became a member of the Shakespeare Santa Cruz Company for 3 years, working and studying with members of the Royal Shakespeare Company from England. In 1987, he was cast in The Normal Heart at the GroveMont Theatre, which began a 27-year stint as actor-in-residence for what is now the Pacific Repertory Theatre.

Doug Toby worked as an actor in the film industry for several years and appeared in a number of films and television shows such as Hill Street Blues, The Rockford Files, and the 1984 film Red Dawn. Doug has been involved with many amateur productions since relocating to Monterey County including the Renaissance Festival and the annual Mystery plays of the Friends of the Monterey Symphony.
I Cantori di Carmel (Italian for The Singers of Carmel) conducted by Dr. Sal Ferrantelli, has been bringing choral classics to the Monterey Peninsula since 1981, performing concerts twice annually, in the spring and fall, at the Carmel Mission Basilica and at other venues throughout the year.

Preview Luncheon with Guest Artists
Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at 11:30 a.m.
Sardine Factory, Cannery Row in Monterey, CA
$50/person
Register at 831-646-8511 or www.montereysymphony.org/special-events

Symphony of Flavors
Pre-show soiree pairing local musicians with featured local wine, beer, and tasty bites included with concert ticket
Saturday, October 22, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.
Sunset Center Terrace
Post-concert Supper Club with Guest Artists
Sunday, November 20, 2016 at 5:30 p.m.
Il Fornaio, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
$70/person
Register at 831-646-8511 or www.montereysymphony.org/special-events

Concert III: Feb. 17-19
The Monterey Symphony opens its third program of the season with one of Arturo Toscanini’s favorite works: the Coriolan Overture, Op. 62 by Ludwig van Beethoven. The tragic story of Gaius Marcius Coriolanus – who unsuccessfully invaded Rome – was dramatized by both William Shakespeare and Viennese poet and author Heinrich Joseph von Collin.

Acclaimed violinist Sergej Krylov will dazzle audiences with his exhilarating performance of the Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op.47 by Jean Sibelius, the only concerto composed by the brilliant Finnish composer. Rounding out this program will be the legendary Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90 by Johannes Brahms, an audience favorite that has thrilled listeners since it premiered in 1883. Do not miss this opportunity to hear three monuments of musical perfection!

Sergej Krylov, born in Moscow, began playing violin at age 5 as the son of an outstanding violin maker, Alexander Krylov, and a famous Russian pianist and teacher, Liudmila Krylova. He performs with world-famous orchestras such as the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra, the Russian National Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg, and the Chamber Orchestra “Moscow Soloists,” among others. He was lauded by late conductor Mstislav Rostropovich as “one of the top five contemporary violinists”.

Concert IV: March 17-19
Bruno Aprea will guest conduct the Monterey Symphony for the fourth program of the season, featuring works by Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, and Bernstein. The fiery overture from Giuseppe Verdi’s La Forza del Destino – or ‘the force of destiny’ – sets the tone for this musically broad and brilliant concert.

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s fantasy overture Romeo and Juliet and two movements from the dramatic symphony Romeo and Juliet (“Love Scene” and “Romeo Alone”) by French composer Hector Berlioz, one of the greatest orchestrators of all time, amplify this performance of powerful and passionate themes. The Symphonic Dances from the ever-popular West Side Story by American composer Leonard Bernstein will conclude this rich and rousing concert.

Bruno Aprea, former Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Palm Beach Opera, began his musical career as a pianist studying under his father, Tito Aprea, at the Conservatoire of S.Cecilia in Rome. He met with considerable success at a very young age, paving the way to a career on the international concert circuit and playing on numerous occasions with the Accademia di S.Cecilia Orchestra.
He conducted at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, in a Gala evening with Mirella Freni and in a number of concerts at the Opera of Monte Carlo, including one in aid of Unesco, broadcast in Eurovision in 1979. In Italy he conducted all the main symphonic orchestras and toured in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Romania. In Israel, invited by Shlomo Mintz, he conducted the Israel Chamber Orchestra of Tel Aviv, in South Africa the SABC of Johannesburg, and in Brazil, invited by Eleazar de Carvalho, the Orquestra Sinfonica of Sao Paolo. He has also conducted the Philarmonia Hungarica, the Presidential Symphonic Orchestra of Ankara and the Bilbao Symphonic Orchestra.

Concert V: April 21-23
The fifth concert program in the Monterey Symphony’s Season of Shakespeare opens with the demanding arias of Desdemona from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Otello, with guest coloratura soprano Cyndia Sieden. Included are the famous “Willow Song” and the “Ave Maria” from Act IV.
Cyndia Sieden also appears in the monumental Symphony No. 4 in G Major by Gustav Mahler, one of his shorter symphonic works. Although the soprano is featured in the fourth and final movement only, this entire symphony was based on the song “The Heavenly Life,” which he composed for an earlier song cycle titled Des Knaben Wunderhorn. Don’t miss this chance to hear Mahler’s magical symphony and highlights from one of Verdi’s most mature roles in a spectacular Spring concert!

Soprano Cyndia Sieden studied with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf in master classes in Carmel Valley, CA in the early 1980s and has moved among the Baroque, classical, romantic and modern/contemporary repertoire at most of the world’s great opera houses, including Munich’s Bavarian State Opera, Paris’ Opéra Bastille, Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu, Brussels’s La Monnaie, and London’s Royal Opera House and English National Opera, as well as in Beijing and Australia. Her Metropolitan Opera debut was in the title role of Alban Berg’s Lulu, and she returned there in 2008 for the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte. With a great sympathy for the works of Richard Strauss, she often performs Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos (Munich, Japan, Vienna), Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier (Paris Châtelet) and Aminta in Die schweigsame Frau (Palermo).

Concert VI: May 19-21
Come hear Michael Noble – winner of the prestigious Carmel Music Society Piano Competition in 2013 – perform Antonin Dvorák’s Piano Concerto in G Minor, Op. 33 with the Monterey Symphony! Dvorák’s violin and cello concertos receive ample stage presence, but the concerto for the piano is the most balanced of the three and a favorite of audiences and musicians alike.

The season of Shakespeare in Music concludes with the overture from Otto Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, a German Singspiel based on the infamous Shakespeare comedy, and Belgian composer César Franck’s Symphony in D Minor, his most famous orchestral work. Make sure you do not miss this opportunity to hear an evening of beautiful, lively, and splendidly crafted music. Come close the 71st season of the Monterey Symphony in this concert programmed to delight fans of great classical music, live!

Pianist Michael Noble gave his first recital when he was six and has gone on to perform concerts across Europe, Asia, and North America. In addition to winning the Carmel Music Society competition in 2013, he was also the first-prize winner in the Crescendo Music Awards (Tulsa, OK) in 2009, and is a two-time laureate of the Chopin International Competition of the 1,000 Islands. He is a graduate of Idyllwild (Calif.) Arts Academy where he was awarded the Outstanding Musician Award of 2005-2006. In 2008, he attended the Paris Conservatoire to work with Nicholas Angelich, and made his debut with the Tulsa Symphony in 2011.

CHAMBER CONCERT SERIES:

Tickets
Single Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased by phone at 831-646-8511 or online at www.montereysymphony.org. Tickets will also be sold 90 minutes before show time at the venue.

General admission tickets for concerts at All Saints’ Episcopal Church (Dolores & Ninth Ave, Carmel) are priced at $25 for general admission and $10 for students and active military.

General admission tickets for concerts at the Sunset Center (San Carlos at Ninth Avenue, Carmel) are priced at $50 for Premium Seating and $25 for general admission.

CHAMBER CONCERT PROGRAM 1 – CHAMBER MUSIC WITH CLARINET
All Saints Episcopal Church, Carmel
October 7, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

The first program in the Monterey Symphony’s 2016/17 Chamber Series will feature the clarinet, including works by Kokai, Debussy, and Brahms. The music on this program may not often be heard, but it will be masterfully presented by musicians from the orchestra, including Concertmaster Christina Mok, violin; Steve Sanchez, clarinet; Tina Minn, violin; Chad Kaltinger, viola; and Drew Ford, cello.

CHAMBER CONCERT PROGRAM 2 – MYRIAD FACES OF RUSSIA
All Saints Episcopal Church, Carmel
October 18, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

Presented as a part of the ICONS in Transformation International Contemporary Art Exhibit at All Saint’s Episcopal Church that runs from September 25 – November 20, 2016. An exhibition of contemporary art and traditional icons with 130 selects pieces by Russian-born artist, Ludmila Pawlowska.

This all-Russian program presented by our October concert Guest Artists: Anna Petrova, piano; Rebecca Anderson, violin; and JeongHyoun Christine Lee, cello; will feature composers from around the turn of the twentieth century – Arensky, Stravinsky, and Prokofiev. Stravinksy’s Suite Italienne is an arrangement of music from his ballet Pulcinella for cello and piano, and the deep and dark Prokofiev Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano was composed for friends lost during the Stalin regime. The Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor by Arensky may not be well-known, but it is a highlight of the program!

CHAMBER CONCERT PROGRAM 3 – CHRISTMAS POTPOURRI
All Saints Episcopal Church, Carmel
December 8, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
This delightful program features concertos, sonatas, interludes and tangos! Corelli’s “Christmas Concerto” and Bach’s Brandenburg No. 5 highlight this concert program that parries itself with the Hampton String Quartet’s Mozartian rendition of holiday favorites. Do not miss this performance of passionate players including guest artist Michael Peterson, harpsichord, and Monterey Symphony musicians including Dawn Walker, flute; Concertmaster Christina Mok, violin; Jessica Poll, violin; Chad Kaltinger, viola; Isaac Pastor-Chermak, cello; and Bruce Moyer, bass, in a concert that will also include works by Ibert, Leclaire, and Piazzolla.

CHAMBER CONCERT PROGRAM 4 –
CURTIS ON TOUR: CURTIS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Sunset Center, Carmel
January 13, 2017 at 8:00 p.m & January 14, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.

Presented in cooperation with the Sunset Center.

CURTIS ON TOUR: CURTIS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA – the Nina von Maltzahn Global Touring Initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music
Do not miss this special treat to hear some of America’s greatest young musicians from the renowned Curtis Institute of Music! Featured will be legendary violinist Shmuel Ashkenasi and violist and Curtis president Roberto Diaz, along with five outstanding violin students performing Mozart’s five violin concertos – a truly unique and profoundly musical event!

Max Bradago-Darman, Music Director and Conductor of Monterey Symphony
Max Bragado-Darman has served as the Music Director and Conductor of the Monterey Symphony since July 2004. Mr. Bragado-Darman was Music Director and Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Castile and León in Valladolid, Spain, for nine years. From its formation in 1991, he built it into one of the most prestigious orchestras in Spain. Under his direction, the orchestra performed for enthusiastic audiences in all the major cities of Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and Germany. He recorded with this ensemble many unknown works of the Spanish repertoire as well as most of the orchestral works of Turina and Rodrigo on the Naxos label.

In May 1995, Max Bragado-Darman was appointed Music Director and Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra. Under his direction, the orchestra grew in popularity due to his rapport with audiences, the community in general, and his innovative programming. He has worked with distinguished artists such as Alicia de Larrocha, Teresa Berganza, Horacio Gutièrrez, Elmar Oliveira, Dubravka Tomsic, Andre Watts, Angel Romero, Gary Graffman, and Aaron Rosand among many others.

As a guest conductor, Max Bragado-Darman has performed in the United States with the symphony orchestras of Honolulu, San Diego, Nashville, Delaware, West Virginia, Cedar Rapids, Savannah, Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, Austin, Fresno, and Boulder. He has led the National Orchestra, the Radio Television Orchestra and most other orchestras of Spain, as well as orchestras in Portugal, England, Argentina, Germany, and Mexico. In the fall of 2003, he made his debut at the distinguished Wexford Opera Festival with the Granados opera “Maria del Carmen,” in a version he researched and edited himself.

His conducting career has been guided by the knowledge he received from teachers and musicians such as Robert Fountain, Robert Baustian, George Szell, Igor Markevich and Franco Ferrara. Most recently, Max Bragado-Darman has appeared on the podiums of orchestras in Monterrey, Mexico and Mexico City. In the spring of 2009, in the heart of Andalucia he took on the challenge of presenting a fusion of flamenco and classical music featuring a pianist, guitarist, dancer, and full symphony orchestra. He has been the conductor for the prestigious “Iturbi Piano Competition” in Valencia, Spain for the last two editions.

Max and Mary Bragado have two children: Julio who was formerly a dancer with The American Ballet Theatre and is now studying acting in New York City, and Ilia who teaches dance in Valladolid, Spain and is married to José Manuel Concejo. They have two grandsons, 7 year old Max and 5 year old Alejandro. Both grandchildren are enchanted with their “Abuelito” and “Granny.”

The mission of the Monterey Symphony is to engage, educate and excite our community through the performance and continual discovery of symphonic music.

The Monterey Symphony, under the artistic leadership of Music Director & Conductor Max Bragado-Darman, is the only fully professional, full-season orchestra serving the communities of the Monterey Bay, Salinas, Salinas Valley, Big Sur, and San Benito County. It provides triple performances of a six-concert subscription series at Carmel’s Sunset Theater and Salinas’s Sherwood Hall, as well as youth education programs that include visits to classrooms by musicians and culminate in full-orchestra concerts for school children.

The Monterey Symphony is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation, supported in part through the fundraising efforts of the Friends of the Monterey Symphony, and through grants from The Arts Council of Monterey County, The Berkshire Foundation, The Buffet Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County, The Community Foundation for Monterey County, Frisone Family Foundation, Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, The Harden Foundation, The Todd Lueders Fund for the Arts of the Community Foundation for Monterey County, The Monterey County Weekly Community Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County, The Monterey Peninsula Foundation, Music Performance Trust Fund, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, The Pebble Beach Company Foundation, The Nancy Buck Ransom Foundation, Samson Foundation, The Robert and Virginia Stanton Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County, Warren and Katharine Schlinger Foundation, Alexander F. Victor Foundation, and many other generous foundations and individual donors.

For additional information, please call 831-646-8511 or visit our web site: www.montereysymphony.org.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.montereysymphony.org

Gateway to Big Sur presented by Hyatt Carmel Highlands and The Big Sur Food and Wine Festival to Kick Off on Thursday, November 6, 2014, at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands

Chefs and Wineries Announced

Carmel Highlands, CA, October 08, 2014 – Hyatt Carmel Highlands, located at 120 Highlands Drive in the Carmel Highlands, long known as the legendary location for culinary talent and host of the world famous Masters of Food and Wine will serve as the lead sponsor and host of the opening event of the Big Sur Food and Wine Festival.

Tickets will be on sale through EventBrite for $125.00. Tickets can be purchased at https://gatewaytobigsur.eventbrite.com

Join us on Thursday, November 6th from 5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. for the Gateway to Big Sur presented by the Hyatt Carmel Highlands and Big Sur Food and Wine Festival. The Gateway to Big Sur entices the palate in a celebration of local flair and regional flavor in the epicenter of culinary innovation.

Here is a preview of some of the top caliber restaurants that will be participating:

Restaurants to include:
• 1300 on Fillmore
• Andres Bouchee
• Aubergine
• Bernardus Lodge
• Big Sur Roadhouse
• Black River Caviar
• Carmel Valley Ranch
• Cuvaison
• Dosa San Francisco
• Esalen Institue
• Grasing’s
• jennini kitchen + wine bar
• la Balena
• Mundaka
• Pacifics Edge – Hyatt Carmel Highlands
• Passionfish
• Porters in the Forest
• The Cheese Shop
• The Preserve
• The Hitching Post II
• Treebones

Wineries include:
• Albatross Ridge
• Birichino
• Calera Wine Company
• Chanin
• Chappellet Vineyard
• Cold Heaven Cellars
• Continuum (Carlo Mondavi)
• Crocker & Starr
• Dirty & Rowdy
• Domaine Select – 1st Winery
• Domaine Select – 2nd Winery
• Foxen
• Galante Vineyards
• Hartley Ostini
• Kunin
• Liquid Farm
• Madeleine Winery
• Maison Marques and Domaines – Roederer Champagne
• McIntyre
• Morgan Winery
• Mount Eden
• Paso CAB Collective
• Paul Lato Wines
• Perception
• Pisoni
• ROAR
• Shared Notes
• Tablas Creek Vineyard
• Talbott Vineyards
• Talley Vineyards
• Vineyard Brands
• Wedell Cellars
• Wind Gap Wines

Hyatt Carmel Highlands will be donating a portion of the proceeds from this event on November 6th to our charity partner the Big Sur Health Center.

The 2014 Big Sur Food and Wine Festival takes place November 6 – 9 throughout the coast of Big Sur. For more information, please contact Toby Rowland-Jones at 831-667-0800 or toby@bigsurfoodandwine.org, or visit www.bigsurfoodandwine.org

Background on Pacific’s Edge:
Pacific’s Edge is an award winning, glass-walled restaurant with spectacular ocean vistas. Our “California Coastal” cuisine provides the freshest local ingredients, meats and seafood, with dishes that meld a seasonal focus with sophisticated comfort food in a convivial ambiance that makes it appealing for everyday dining or any special occasion. Pacific’s Edge has received AAA 4 Diamond awards year after year, and has been named one of the Top 100 Restaurants in the United States by Zagat and one of the Top Ten Restaurants with a View by USA Today. Wine Spectator has lauded our wine list throughout the years with both Grand and Best of Award of Excellence awards.

About Hyatt Carmel Highlands, Overlooking Big Sur Coast
Perched on the hillside of the Carmel Highlands with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, Hyatt Carmel Highlands combines true Carmel luxury with an approachable and sophisticated spirit. A haven for artists and discerning travelers since its opening in 1917, Hyatt Carmel Highlands features 48 luxuriously renovated guestrooms, including 11 suites, 32 Ocean View rooms and 5 Garden View rooms. In addition, Hyatt Carmel Highlands offers spectacular dining at the award-winning Pacific’s Edge restaurant and California Market, 4,800 square feet of meeting space, in-room spa services, heated outdoor swimming pool, three spa tubs and a StayFit fitness facility. Situated only four miles from downtown Carmel, Hyatt Carmel Highlands idyllic setting and personalized service has attracted families, weddings, honeymooners and privileged travelers for nearly a century. Hyatt Carmel Highlands is recognized among the world’s finest hotels as part of Condé Nast Traveler’s 2010 Gold List and Travel + Leisure’s 2009 “T+L 500” World’s Best Hotels. www.hyattcarmelhighlands.com.

Media Contact for Hyatt Carmel Highlands and November 6 Event:
Contact Marci Bracco Cain (831) 747-7455 marci@chatterboxpublicrelations.com

Media Contact for Big Sur Food and Wine Festival:
Contact Toby Rowland-Jones – 831-667-0800– toby@bigsurfoodandwine.org

For Media Interviews or Media Tickets for the Thursday, November 6th event at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands, contact Marci Bracco Cain, Chatterbox PR (831) 747-7455 or marci@chatterboxpublicrelations.com.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox
Carmel, CA 93923
831-747-7455
http://www.hyattcarmelhighlands.com