Music at Kohl Mansion concert series to begin in Burlingame

All five upcoming concerts will begin at 7 p.m., but those attending will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the music and artistry both before and after, Moy said.

Music at Kohl Mansion offers a 5 p.m. public master class in the mansion’s library for all upcoming concerts except in April, when high-school age musicians will play for and be coached by professionals.

At 6 p.m., concert attendees are invited to attend a preconcert lecture hosted by Chris Costanza, renowned cellist and full-time artist in residence at Stanford University, who will also be making his Music at Kohl Mansion debut at the May concert.

Constanza describes the 30-minute lectures as “demystifying” for audiences, who have the opportunity to get to know the music — which ranges from classical works to new chamber music — before listening.

“It’s not to simply give historical context,” he said. “It’s finding a thread, something to latch onto — [that] makes the music more interesting to the audience.”

While it will be Costanza’s first time performing at Kohl Mansion May 5, he’s well acquainted with many of the other artists set to perform, some of whom he’s even played with prior in his career.

“They’re all fabulous, first-rate musicians,” he said. “It’s really a privilege to interact with them, talk about what they’re playing, see them play. [It’s] a lovely and very successful pairing for audiences.”

The Frautschi, Manasse, Nakamatsu Trio — a violin, clarinet and piano group — will perform Jan. 28. The Horszowski Trio, featuring violin, cello and piano, will perform Feb. 25. The Poulenc Trio, which will perform on oboe, bassoon and piano with soprano Shawnette Sulker, takes the stage March 17. Pianist Joyce Yang will perform April 7, and pianist Ilya Yakushev, alongside members of the St. Lawrence string quartet — including Costanza — will play May 5.

Audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy post-concert reception and refreshments with the musicians.

The work of Music at Kohl also goes beyond the walls of the mansion and into the community, with resident concert artists also going to perform at libraries, elder centers and public schools, Moy said.

“We’re very, very committed to our community work in the county … making future listeners out of the littlest kids and making sure we all do our part to make sure the concert hall is filled 20 years from now,” she said.

The San Mateo library is one of the program’s most long-standing partnerships for free musical events, according to Moy, with the Horszowski Trio appearing on Fev. 24 and pianist Ilya Yakushev and St. Lawrence string quartet members appearing 3 p.m. May 4.

For Costanza, these community events are an integral aspect of keeping San Mateo County engaged and excited by new iterations of classical and chamber music.

“What can we do to reach our audiences?” he said. “I’ve never been a naysayer regarding classical music, but it is a little bit harder than it used to be to get audiences to come to concerts. We have to do what we can and think outside the box.”

No matter how you engage with classical music, from live orchestras performing film scores to community events — or of course, the Music at Kohl Mansion chamber music concert series — Costanza is happy to see audiences listening.

“Innovative things are going on around the world, keeping chamber music alive,” he said.

For a detailed list of upcoming performances, visit musicatkohl.org.