Sunday, January 15, 2012, 4pm

Alexander Barantschik joined the San Francisco Symphony as concertmaster in September 2001, having served as concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic. Born in Saint Petersburg in 1953, he attended the Saint Petersburg Conservatory and performed with major Russian orchestras, including the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, before immigrating in 1979. His awards include first prizes in the International Violin Competition in Sion, Switzerland, and the Russian National Violin Competition. Barantschik has performed as soloist with the San Francisco Symphony in the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, Bach’s Concerto No. 3 for Two Violins (with Gil Shaham), Schnittke’s Violin Concerto No. 4, Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3, Brahms’s Double Concerto for Violin and Cello, Britten’s Double Concerto, Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19 and all the Bach Brandenburg concertos. He has performed throughout Europe with such artists as André Previn, Mstislav Rostropovich, Maxim Vengerov and Yuri Bashmet.

The American pianist, Robin Sutherland, studied with Rosina Lhevinne at the Juilliard School and with Paul Hersh at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. While still an undergraduate, he was appointed principal pianist of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (SFS) by Seiji Ozawa. The recipient of numerous awards, Sutherland was selected at 17 to be sole participant from the USA at the International Bach Festival, held at Lincoln Center. He was a finalist in the International Bach Competition in Washington DC. Robin Sutherland is co-director of the Telluride Players and a regular performer at the Bay Chamber Concerts in Rockport, Maine. Many composers have dedicated works to him, and among the world premieres in which he has participated was that of John Adams’s Grand Pianola Music, with members of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.

Join us for this rare opportunity to hear them as a duo.