The goal of the San Francisco International Music Festival (sfmf) is to preserve the art form of piano duo by bringing people of all ages together through performance, international festivals, educational experiences and outreach programs. Celebrating its 11th year, sfmf sponsors The Milton & Peggy Salkind International Piano Duo Festival, which is the United States’ first and foremost international music festival solely dedicated to the art of piano duo. Sfmf is proud to present the 5th season of this unique piano duo concert series that captures the spirit of the region that originally inspired the creation of the festival in the United States. The 5th Salkind Festival (August 7-10, 2014) featured A Baltic Voyage, which showcased the rich musical heritage of the countries that border the Baltic Sea - Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Poland and Germany.
"The festival audiences were not only gifted with the musical treasures of
"A Baltic Voyage," but were witness to artistic history being made."
San Francisco Classical Voice (SFCV)
News - Upcoming Events
One of the composers highlighted at the 2014 Salkind Festival was Egils Straume from Latvia. Sfmf co-founders, Catherine & Anthony Angelo are currently working on a collaborative project with the Latvian composer. The Angelos were introduced to Straume’s music in 2007 by the distinguished Latvian pianist, Raffi Kharajanyan and have since performed his music in the U.S. and in Russia.
The upcoming performance project will feature Straume's works in two concerts: 8:00 p.m., September 29, (Napa Valley Opera House,) and 8:00 p.m., September 30, (San Francisco Conservatory of Music). The program will include four world premieres and several American premieres. The Angelo Duo will join with woodwind artist Richard Mathias to perform two works: "In Memoriam" for piano duo and alto sax and "Composition for Block Flute & Piano Duo," which will be an American premiere.
Leanne Rees, an American pianist and composer attended one of the concerts that featured Straume’s composition, "Variations on a Latvian Folk Song." She was so inspired by Straume’s music that she contacted him to commission a new work for two pianos. Leanne has been working with Straume for the past year on a collaborative project, which will be presented in the two upcoming concerts in the Bay Area. The program will feature four world premieres and one American premiere of Straume’s compositions. The artists include Leanne Rees and Egils Straume Piano Duo, The Angelo Piano Duo, Richard Mathias, saxophone and block flute, and the Grammy Award winning clarinetist, Eddie Daniels performing Straume’s Clarinet Concerto with Bernard Rubenstein conducting the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra.
Preview: "This Festival Has it All, Even Ballet" - SF Classical Voice
Review: "Duos to Die For at Salkind Piano Duo Festival" - Ken Iisaka, SFCV
Review: "Salkind Festival Makes It Big" - Janos Gereben, SFCV
For more information on A Baltic Voyage - FESTIVAL
Click on link for a complete Festival Schedule
About Sfmf
The San Francisco International Music Festival (sfmf) was conceived and founded in 2002 by Bay Area performing artists and teachers, Catherine and Anthony Angelo, "The Angelo Piano Duo." Alumni of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Angelo Duo has performed in Australia, England, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
Influenced by the artistic and cultural experiences performing at international piano duo festivals in Europe and Russia, The Angelo Duos’ vision was to establish a San Francisco-based international festival that captured the spirit of these overseas festivals and highlight the seldom-heard piano duo genre.
Sfmf was formally launched as a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization in 2003 with an 8-member board of directors and support from The Ross McKee Foundation. Sfmf has received corporate support from The Alex.B. Brown Division of Deutsche Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, and community support from many individual donors.
Sfmf sponsors a bi-annual international piano duo festival, The Milton & Peggy Salkind Internaitonal Piano Duo Festival, annual Young Artists' Concerts, the bi-annual Salkind Junior Festival and an outreach program.
Mission
The San Francisco International Music Festival strives to advance the performance of music in its various forms. Through festival programming featuring artists from around the world, sfmf fosters creative interaction among artists of diverse backgrounds, while also providing opportunities for young musicians to perform and work side by side with established artists.
