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Monterey Symphony Chamber Players
May 9, 2017
Monterey Symphony Chamber Players

Christina Mok, Violin; Dawn Walker, Flute; Max Bragado-Darman, Piano; Bruce Moyer, Double Bass;

 

W. A. Mozart: Sonata for Violin and Piano in E minor, KV 304

W. A. Mozart: Duo arrangements from “The Magic Flute”

Astor Piazzolla: Tango Etude No. 3 (Flute) & No. 5 (Violin)

W. A. Mozart: Duo arrangement from “The Marriage of Figaro”

Astor Piazzolla: Three Tangos for Violin and Double Bass

 

Christina Mok

Winner of the BBC Young Artists’ Forum Audition, Christina had her training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. After spending several years playing in many of the major British orchestras, she moved to California in 2000 and joined the San Jose Symphony, as Associate Concertmaster. Christina has 20 years of experience in orchestral leadership. Since 2001, she has been the concertmaster of the Stockton Symphony, and she’s been the concertmaster of the Monterey Symphony since 2010. Apart from her orchestral work, she has been active as a chamber musician and a soloist. She has appeared as a soloist with the Russian Federal Symphony Orchestra, the Janacek Philharmonic, and the Seoul Symphony Orchestra, to name a few, and her recitals have been broadcast on the BBC and RTHK. For her solo appearance with the Symphony Silicon Valley, the San Jose Mercury declared, “She was a spellbinder as she dug in and let it fly…There was no need to long for Itzhak Perlman or Gil Shaham.” She currently curates and leads a chamber series called the Monterey Symphony Chamber Players. Christina is passionate about nurturing the next generation into the world of classical music. She is the creator of the musical presentation, “Christina’s Travel Stories I & II,” which she brings to her local elementary schools.

Dawn Walker

Dawn Walker has performed as the Monterey Symphony’s principal flute since 1990. She received her Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts with academic honors and distinction in performance. She is a protégé of Claude Monteux, son of the legendary Pierre Monteux. Dawn has performed as a soloist with the new Century Chamber Orchestra of San Francisco, Carmel Bach Festival, and the Santa Cruz Symphony. She frequently performs as principal flute with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Ballet Orchestra and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. Dawn has toured the United States as principal flute with the Western Opera orchestra and has been a member of the Carmel Bach Festival for more than five years. Dawn is active as a solo recitalist and freelance performer throughout California. In addition to her vital performing role, Dawn was named orchestra librarian in 2007.

Bruce Moyer

Bruce Moyer is principle double bass with the Monterey Symphony, the Symphony of Silicon Valley, and the Carmel Bach Festival. His past affiliations include Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the Sacramento Symphony and as principal bass of the Portland (ME) Symphony. He freelances with every major ensemble in the San Francisco Bay area and teaches at Santa Clara, San jose State and Stanford universities. Bruce collects and restores antique basses and currently performs on an Andrew Hyde, Northampton, MA, c.1900 double bass and on a Nanur Bruckner, Pest, Hungary c. 1890 double bass.

Max Bragado-Darman

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 is a dancer with The American Ballet Theatre and Ilia who teaches dance in Valladolid, Spain and is married to José Manuel Concejo. They have two sons, two-year-old Max and 8 month old Alejandro. Both are enchanted with “Abuelito” and “Granny.”