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Mana Trio
April 23, 2019
Mana Trio

Michael Hernandez, Soprano Saxophone; Michael Mortarotti, Alto Saxophone; Amy Zanrosso, Piano

Johann Joachim Quantz: Sonata in C Minor

Jean Baptiste Singelée: Duo Concertante, Op. 55

Johannes Brahms: Horn Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 40

Hailed as a “World class performer!” and “An extraordinary talent!”  Michael Hernandez has been heard in concert halls throughout Germany, Switzerland, Poland, France, Holland, Austria, Italy, the UK, Canada, and the United States. He has also been broadcasted several times nationwide on NPR’s Performance Today. Recently Hernandez has appeared with the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, The Phoenix Symphony Guild, New Century Chamber Orchestra, The National Music Festival Orchestra, The Hot Springs Music Festival Orchestra, The Santa Cruz Symphony, The San Jose State University Wind Symphony, The Monterey Symphony, and the West Valley Symphony.

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Hernandez has enjoyed collaborating with many well-known Bay Area organizations such as Empyrean Ensemble, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, New Century Chamber Orchestra, Santa Cruz Symphony, Composers Inc., MEDIATE Art Group, Center for New Music, Monterey Symphony and the SF stARTup Fair.

Recent recital highlights include performances at the Center For New Music (CA), Hanns Eisler Musikhochschule (Germany), Ducal Castle (Poland), Bartholomeus Gashuis (Netherlands), SpectrumNYC (NY), Music in the Mansion (CA), the Downtown Chamber Series, Ethos New Music Festival (NY), FeNAM/Festival of New American Music (CA), Trinity Chamber Concerts of Berkley (CA), El Dorado Chamber Concerts (CA), The Artist Series (FL), SoundWired Chicago (IL), Jacksonville’s Friday Musicale (FL), Community Concerts at Second of Baltimore (MD), Roche Family Visiting Artist Series (PA), Fairmont Chamber Music Society (WV), and many others.

As founding soprano saxophonist of the critically acclaimed Mana Quartet, Michael has been invited to hold residencies at dozens of music festivals and universities including Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Hot Springs Music Festival, National Music Festival, Music in the Mountains, The Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, The Festival of New American Music, Ethos New Music Festival, and the Oklahoma State Contemporary Music Festival.

Hernandez is a D’Addario Performing Artist and plays exclusively on Reserve Classic Reeds and performs on an historical saxophone built to the acoustical specifications of the instrument’s inventor, Adolphe Sax. Michael currently serves on the faculty of San Jose State University.

San Francisco-based alto saxophonist Michael Mortarotti enjoys an active performing career that has taken him throughout the United States, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. As alto saxophonist of the Mana Quartet, Michael has been featured on numerous festival and recital programs, including the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Music on the Edge Concert Series, and as a concerto soloist with the National Music Festival Orchestra, Lubbock Symphony, Echo Chamber Orchestra and the Hot Springs Music Festival Orchestra.

A recipient of the Alice Coleman Grand Prize at the Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition, he has earned a place among past winners such as pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, contemporary chamber ensemble eighth blackbird, and the Tokyo String Quartet. His composer collaborations have led to the premiere of over 30 new works in recent years while allowing him creative partnerships with outstanding performers like the Calder String Quartet and Brazilian guitarist Camilo Carrara. These collaborations can be heard on the NAXOS label and on NPR’s Performance Today.

D’Addario Woodwinds Performing Artist, Michael performs exclusively on D’Addario Reserve Classic Reeds.

Amy Zanrosso, a powerful and dynamic musician, has worked within a wide range of musical genres – classical, contemporary, musical theatre, German cabaret, and tango. Much in demand as a collaborator, and a chamber musician at heart, Amy has shared the stage with acclaimed soloists and principal members of numerous symphony orchestras. She has appeared as soloist with the Symphony of the Kootenays and the Russian Chamber Orchestra and has worked with Gustavo Dudamel for chorus rehearsals of Beethoven’s 9thSymphony. In 2016 Amy went on tour to China with the GRAMMY award-winning Pacific Boychoir and was also the pianist for Chorissima – the five-time GRAMMY award-winning San Francisco Girl’s Chorus Premier Ensemble throughout the 2017-18 season. In her years in Montréal, she specialized in repertoire for cello and piano and was invited to assist at masterclasses led by internationally acclaimed pedagogues and performers such as Philippe Muller, Pieter Wispelwey, Matt Haimovitz, Peter Wiley and Paul Katz.

Originally from British Columbia, Canada, Amy completed her Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Victoria with her unparalleled mentor, Bruce Vogt. She furthered her studies in Italy, working with Maria Tipo and Michele Campanella and then returned to Canada to complete a Master’s Degree at McGill University in Montréal during which she studied with Dorothy Morton and Louis-Phillipe Pelletier.

Amy is currently based in Oakland, California, and is a faculty member at the Pre-College of the San Francisco Conservatory of music. As well as freelancing in the Bay Area, she is part of a number of local ensembles, most notably The RossoRose Duo with violinist Alisa Rose and The iO Piano Quartet whose focus is fundraising for the San Francisco Musical Fund Society with all proceeds going towards music scholarships for young Bay Area students.

Amy is steadily realizing her master plan of learning and performing all existing piano chamber music and when not practicing Beethoven or Brahms, she can be found hanging out with her husband and dog or riding her bike to rehearsals.