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Monday, February 23 7:30 p.m. This special “lineage” program combines world-class performers and pedagogues in their debut performance as a trio, featuring romantic lyricism alongside playful folk melodies, culminating in Dvorak’s always riveting “Dumky” piano trio. Program: Antonin Dvořák (1841–1904) - Sonatina for Violin and Piano in G Major, op. 100 (1893) Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) - Cello Sonata No. 2 in F Major, op. 99 (1886) Intermission Dvořák - Piano Trio No. 4 in E Minor, op. 90, “Dumky” (1890) Recognized worldwide as a musical phenomenon, Grammy-nominated Andrés Cárdenes parlays his myriad talents into one of classical music’s most versatile careers. A ferocious, passionate and personally charismatic artist, Cuban-born Cárdenes has garnered international acclaim from critics and audiences alike for his compelling solo violin, conducting, viola, chamber music, concertmaster, and recorded performances. Since capturing the second prize in the 1982 Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition in Moscow, Cárdenes has appeared as a soloist with over one hundred orchestras on five continents. His discography includes over three-dozen recordings of concerti, sonatas, short works, orchestral, and chamber music on the Ocean, Naxos, Sony, Arabesque, Albany, Delos, RCA, ProArte, Telarc, Artek, Melodya, and Enharmonic labels. Cárdenes currently serves as Artistic and Music Director of the Josef Gingold Chamber Music Festival of Miami, and has held jury positions for major international competitions, including the Tchaikovsky and Stradivarius. He is Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at Lynn Conservatory and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Carnegie Mellon University. Indonesian-born pianist Ines Irawati is in demand as a solo recitalist, a collaborative pianist, and a vocal coach. Her recent engagements include performances for TEDxSan Diego, Art of Élan, and Musikamar; concerts in Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT); and appearances throughout Southern California. She is a member of the Hidden Valley Virtuosi and a founding member of the acclaimed Aviara Trio. She founded MusiKamar, a music series which brings exquisite chamber music performances to smaller and intimate spaces. Irawati has served as musical and artistic director of San Diego Opera Young Artist Training Program, where she curated the company’s outreach concert series, Opera Exposed! and its production of Seymour Barab’s children’s opera "Little Red Riding Hood." She has been involved in multiple projects with Bodhi Tree Concerts, including as music director for the San Diego premieres of chamber operas by Nicolas Reveles and Ricky Ian Gordon. Irawati studied at Cleveland Institute of Music with Olga Radoslavjevich and at Yale University with Claude Frank, Peter Frankl, and Kikuei Ikeda of the Tokyo String Quartet. She lives in San Diego with her husband and two children and their two dogs. Steven Doane has been Professor of Cello at the Eastman School of Music for over 40 years and is currently Visiting Professor and Fellow at the Royal Academy of Music in London. An active soloist, chamber musician, and master teacher, he frequently performs and teaches in the United States and UK, with appearances in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Dublin. Doane’s solo debut was with the Rochester Philharmonic in Don Quixote at Carnegie Hall, and he has since performed in major venues including New York’s Alice Tully Hall and London’s Wigmore Hall. A former member of the Naumburg Award-winning New Arts Trio and the Los Angeles Piano Quartet, he has collaborated with leading ensembles such as the Floretan Trio and the Endellion, Ying, Pacifica, Miro, and Audubon Quartets. Doane has recorded works by Fauré, Britten, Bridge, and Rachmaninoff with pianist Barry Snyder for Bridge Records. He performs on a cello by David Tecchler of Rome dated 1720. All concerts are preceded by a pre-concert talk at 6:45 p.m. and are followed by a reception with the artists in the Sharon & Joel Labovitz Entry Hall. Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Facebook / Instagram

The awe-inspiring San Diego Bay plays host to the Grand Tasting at the Port of San Diego, a picture perfect celebration of everything delicious. The Grand Tasting is the city’s biggest foodie party of the year, featuring celebrated chefs and restaurants, domestic and international wine, beer and spirit purveyors, and gourmet food companies amidst a stunning coastal backdrop with sailboats floating by. Indulge in a gastronomic playground of opportunity with over 200 wineries, breweries and spirit purveyors to sip from and over 80 of the West Coast and Baja’s top chefs and restaurants serving up creative and diverse cuisine to taste through. Experience gourmet foods, art, live musical entertainment, and the thrilling “Chef of the Fest Competition,” an action-packed culinary showdown where chefs battle it out for your vote to be crowned “2025 People’s Choice – Chef of the Fest”, earn bragging rights for a year, a plaque to prove it, and up to $5,000 in cash and prizes. The 21st annual San Diego Food + Wine Festival, Nov 2–9, 2025. San Diego Food + Wine Festival | San Diego on Facebook / Instagram / TikTok

To celebrate Banned Books Week (October 5–11), we invite you to join us for a special reading from the Top 100 Banned Books. Hosted by Judy Reeves and Kristen Fogle, six of our instructors and board members–Mark Clements, Buck Grayhall, Kate Kesner, Adhara Mereles, Lindsey Salatka, and Addis Sansone– will share selections, and you can also test your knowledge in Banned Books Trivia for a chance to win fun prizes. San Diego Writers, Ink on Facebook / Instagram

Join our Halloween community event in Encinitas: Healers on The Hill Costumes welcome! One flat fee to sample a variety of wellness services: • Alexander Technique (postural re-education) Kimberly Peterson MS is an ATI-certified Alexander Technique teacher. The Alexander technique invites somatic energy and movement. Through gentle hands-on, with clear directions for an educational experience that calms the nervous system and releases pain and tension. • Assisted Stretching Laura Evans is a Stretch Therapist offering gentle, guided stretching to release tension, increase mobility,Hands-on assisted stretching to restore balance, and help you feel your best. • Electro Equiscope (pain management) Brandi Sanchez is an Electro-Equiscope Technician. "The Equiscope delivers microcurrents that work with the body’s natural electrical systems to reduce inflammation, support cellular repair, and restore balance.” • Exomind or Emsella Treatment Choose between Dr. Faris Sandhu's treatment modalities: Exomind – this groundbreaking treatment is designed to optimize cognitive clarity, mental resilience, sharper focus, elevated mood and renewed energy by targeting the way your body and brain communicate. Emsella – a breakthrough, FDA-cleared treatment for pelvic floor health for men and women. • Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture Dr. Lidia Domagalska is offering Facial Rejuvenation with Acupuncture/Cupping/Oxygen Dome. The treatment combo results in clearing congestion, stimulating cellular renewal, collogen production give you a healthy natural glow. • Fire Cupping John Domagalska is offering cupping massage treatment. Fire Cupping establishes healthy circulation, relaxes muscles and naturally eases pain. It promotes the body’s healing processes, improves range of motion in the joints, supports the immune system and overall well-being. • Voyager Tarot Card Reading or Chakra Clearing Writer and energy practitioner Laurie Lamson offers a choice between two services: Voyager Tarot Card Reading – quick yet deep reading with the Voyager deck – a modern interpretation of the tarot . Chakra Clearing – a spa treatment for your chakras to dissolve stress, negative thoughts, and stuck emotions. You’ll also be eligible to win prizes: • The Nurture Collective's Salt Room Treatment • Laurie's book: Inner Yoga: 25 Simple Self-Care Tools for Creative People and more!

Superstar cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia returns to open our season with a dreamy duo program of French sonatas, unique transcriptions, and Stravinsky’s "Suite Italienne" (adapted from his ballet "Pulcinella"). Cañón-Valencia is a BBC Next Generation Artist and Tchaikovsky Competition silver medalist; his skill is hailed by The Strad as “technically flawless … totally under the skin of the composers’ idioms.” Program: Henri Duparc (1848–1933) - Lamento from "Melodies" Claude Debussy (1862–1918) - Cello Sonata Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) - “Posthume” Sonata Francis Poulenc (1899–1963) - "Suite Française" - "Pause" - "Ravel" - "Pavane pour une infante défunte" - "Pièce en forme de Habanera" Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) - "Suite Italienne" Colombian cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia is a prolific soloist, composer, commissioner, recording artist, painter, and photographer. A 2022 BBC New Generation Artist, he was born in Bogotá in 1995 and made his debut with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá at age six before going on to win the Silver Medal at the 2019 XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition, the 2018 Starker Foundation Award, third prize at the 2017 Queen Elisabeth International Competition, and first prize at the Carlos Prieto International Cello Competition, among many other accolades. During the 2025–2026 season, Cañón-Valencia takes on an international schedule, including solo recitals in Spain and Portugal, a performance with the Macedonian Philharmonic, and a seat on the jury for the Budapest International Cello Competition. In the United States, he performs with the Kansas City Symphony, Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony, and Camerata Pacifica. He also appears in recitals with pianist Victor Asuncion at Stanford and in La Jolla. His Latin American schedule takes him to the Puerto Rico Symphony, the Festival de Música de Morelia in Mexico, and the Cartagena Music Festival in Colombia. Cañón-Valencia’s solo career has taken him worldwide, with multiple world and regional premieres. In 2025–2026, he premieres Amparo Angel’s Cello Concerto at the Morelia Festival in Mexico. Previously, he performed World premieres, including Carlos Andrés Mejía’s cello concerto “Aurora” at Colombia’s Pereira Music Fest, Jorge Pinzón’s cello concerto “Rapsodia a los 4 Elementos” at the Cartagena International Music Festival, and Carlos Izcaray's commissioned cello concerto Stringmaster with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. In 2024, Cañón-Valencia released his debut single on Deutsche Grammophon, a recording of Arvo Pärt’s Fratres with pianist Naoko Sonoda. Two additional singles will follow. He has recorded four additional complete albums, the most recent being "Ascenso on Sono Luminus" (2022). Cañón-Valencia has been sponsored by the Mayra & Edmundo Esquenazi Scholarship through the Salvi Foundation since 2011. Learn more at www.santiagocanonvalencia.com. Hailed by the Washington Post for his “poised and imaginative playing,” Filipino American pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion has appeared in concert halls in Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, Turkey, and the United States as a recitalist and concerto soloist. He made his orchestral debut at age 18 with the Manila Chamber Orchestra and his New York recital debut in Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in 1999. In addition, he has worked with conductors including Sergio Esmilla, Enrique Batiz, Mei Ann Chen, Zeev Dorman, Arthur Weisberg, Corrick Brown, David Loebel, Leon Fleisher, Michael Stern, Jordan Tang, and Bobby McFerrin. A chamber music enthusiast, he has performed with artists such as Lynn Harrell, Zuill Bailey, Andres Diaz, James Dunham, Antonio Meneses, Joshua Roman, Cho-Liang Lin, Giora Schmidt, and the Dover, Emerson, Serafin, Sao Paulo, and Vega String Quartets. He was a member of the chamber music faculty of the Aspen Music Festival, and the Garth Newel Summer Music Festival. He was also the pianist for the Garth Newel Piano Quartet for three seasons. Festival appearances include the Amelia Island, Highland-Cashiers, Music in the Vineyards, and Santa Fe. His recordings include the complete Beethoven Sonatas with cellist Tobias Werner, Sonatas by Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff with cellist Joseph Johnson, the Rachmaninoff Sonata with cellist Evan Drachman, and the Chopin and Grieg Sonatas, also with cellist Evan Drachman. He is featured on the award-winning recording "Songs My Father Taught Me" with Lynn Harrell, produced by Louise Frank and WFMT-Chicago. Asuncion is the founder and artistic and board director of FilAm Music Foundation, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to promoting Filipino classical musicians through scholarship and performance. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts in 2007 from the University of Maryland at College Park under the tutelage of Rita Sloan. He is a Steinway artist. All concerts are preceded by a pre-concert talk at 6:45 p.m. and are followed by a reception with the artists in the Sharon & Joel Labovitz Entry Hall. Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Facebook / Instagram

Join us for a concert-lecture by pianist Daniel Beliavsky while he explores and performs well-known works by Chopin, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, and Shostakovich. Through performance and discussion, Dr. Beliavsky will demonstrate how these artists, each inhabiting unique musical, philosophical, and political trajectories from periphery to mainstream, contributed enormously to the pillars of Western modernism. Program: Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) - "Nocturne" in E Minor, op. 72, no. 1 (1827) - "Ballade No. 1" in G Minor, op. 23 (1835–1836) - "Nocturne" in B Major, op. 32, no. 1 (1837) - "Polonaise" in A-flat Major, op. 53, (“Heroic”) (1842) Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915) - "Étude" in C-sharp Minor, op. 2, no. 1 (1887) - "Étude" in D-sharp Minor, op. 8, no. 12 (1894) Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) - "Prélude" in C-sharp Minor, op. 3, no. 2 (1892) - "Prélude" in G Minor, op. 23, no. 5 (1901) Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) - "Prélude and Fugue No. 1" in C Major, op. 87 (1950) - "Prélude and Fugue No. 24" in D Minor, op. 87 (1951) About Daniel Beliavsky Daniel Beliavsky, Ph.D., is an educator, concert pianist, music theorist, composer, and filmmaker. He has performed in Europe and throughout the United States both with orchestra and in recital. Notable engagements include concerto performances with the Milwaukee and New Jersey Symphony Orchestras and the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra. His discography includes the world-premiere recording of composer Lukas Foss’s complete piano works, early works by Donald Harris and David Del Tredici, and music by J.S. Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, Franz Schubert, Frédéric Chopin, and Modest Mussorgsky. Beliavsky’s recordings are available on all major streaming services. Beliavsky produces music documentaries through his production company, Opus1films, which in 2011 released "Sonata (1957)," a film about the distinguished American composer Donald Harris’s opus one, the Sonata for piano, and about Harris’s early career in Paris. That film was shown at Lincoln Center in New York City and was broadcast on public television. More recently, Beliavsky completed "Secret Music and Gay Body of Music," a feature film and a short film respectively, about Pulitzer Prize–winning composer David Del Tredici and the social and cultural impact of his music. These films have won multiple accolades and have been screened at film and music festivals, including QFest Houston, Berlin Shorts, and the Wisconsin Film, Mostly Modern Music, American Music, Lonely Seal International Film, Toronto LGBTQ+ Film, San Diego International Film, Rotterdam Independent Film, and San Francisco Arthouse Short Festivals. Recently, Secret Music was screened at Lehigh University and the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Additionally, Beliavsky has been producing educational videos for the San Diego Opera on the operas the company is showcasing during the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 seasons. These videos may be found on both the SDO’s and Beliavsky’s YouTube channels. Now Chair of the Fine Art and Music Department at Yeshiva University in New York City, Beliavsky has been a visiting professor of music theory, piano performance, aesthetics, writing about music, and history at several universities, including The City College of New York, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Stern College, Montclair State University, The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, Mannes College, and New York University. Tickets: $35/$45/$12 The concert-lecture will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for this event. Your name will be on an attendee list at the front door. Doors open at 7 p.m. Seating is first-come; first-served. Priority seating will be given to Donor level members and above. Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Facebook / Instagram

10 a.m.–4 p.m. » Meet Francophone Authors Connect with authors, discover new works, and dive into the world of French-language literature. Free and open to all! RSVP to help us prepare for the event and to receive reminders. Join the Alliance Française of San Diego (AFSD) and the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library from October 2 to 4, 2025, for the inaugural San Diego French Literature and Arts Festival—a vibrant three-day celebration of Francophone literature, film, and the arts. Organized by the Alliance Française San Diego in collaboration with esteemed partners including Gallimard, Villa Albertine, and the Athenaeum, this cultural event promises inspiration and discovery. Open to all, the festival brings together Francophone authors, educators, artists, and students for a rich, immersive experience across San Diego. We are proud to welcome acclaimed author Éric Fottorino as our Literary Guest of Honor, and Ann Craig as our Honorary Patron alongside a distinguished lineup of local and international voices. Éric Fottorino is an acclaimed French journalist, novelist, and co-founder of some of France’s most innovative literary publications. A former reporter, editor-in-chief, and publisher at Le Monde, he is the author of over forty books, including sixteen novels published by Gallimard. His work has earned him numerous literary awards, including the Prix Femina and the France Télévisions Prize. Passionate about cycling, storytelling, and the power of the written word, Fottorino brings a singular voice to contemporary French literature. He is also the co-creator of Le 1, America, Zadig, and Légende—print magazines that champion in-depth journalism and creative expression. We are honored to welcome Éric Fottorino as the Guest of Honor of the San Diego French Literature and Arts Festival. His presence celebrates the enduring connections between journalism, literature, and the arts, and offers our community a unique opportunity to engage with one of France’s most respected literary figures. Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Facebook / Instagram

If Proposition 50 survives the legal challenges, the new voting map could lead to the lone Republican seat in San Diego — the 48th Congressional District represented by Darrell Issa — flipping to the Democrats.

Artists in more than 40 states are spending Friday and Saturday participating in the "Fall of Freedom" – which they say represents a creative resistance to authoritarianism.

The championships are in their 20th year, but San Diego is hosting for the first time.