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Performing centuries-old music on period instruments alongside contemporary compositions would seem like an unlikely match, but a group of SFCM alumni have shaped that into a new, compelling concert series. 

2023 grads Yunyi Ji (harpsichord and piano) and Hasan Abualhaj (historical cello) debuted a concert series this summer, , with the goal of inspiring new perspectives through pairing historical performance with modern compositions. . Their launch concert, appropriately titled Genesis, took place on July 27 at Saint Joseph’s Arts Society, with Stolen Time, Parallax's SFCM alumni-led ensemble-in-residence. Taking the stage with Ji and Abualhaj were Bryan Lin (‘17, composition), Jessie Nucho (‘15, flute), Andrew Friedman (‘18, clarinet), Pauline Kempf (‘22, baroque violin), Caitlin Keen (‘12, viola), Justine Preston (‘16, viola), Kyle Stachnik (‘23, cello), Jamael Smith (‘18, bassoon), Timothy Sherren (‘14, guitar), Mika Nakamura (‘18, percussion), Taylor Joshua Rankin (‘17, composition), side-by-side with Gail Hernández Rosa and Daniel Turkos of local ensemble Beneath A Tree.

Parallax Concerts' debut lineup. (Credit: Anastasia Blackman)

"We share the idea that historical performance and music by living composers can platform uniquely compelling narratives to both seasoned classical audiences and to people being exposed to classical music for the first time," Abualhaj says.

A large part of Abualhaj and Ji's mission is to foster a sense of community in the Bay Area which more often than not can be lacking when organizations rely on out-of-town talent. "We have this opportunity where we've worked with phenomenal people to be studying the craft from—like [SFCM Historical Performance Chair Corey Jamason, Elisabeth Reed, and Elizabeth Blumenstock—to be able to apply that in a meaningful and artistic way, and have an impact in the area's musical community," Abualhaj says.

Yunyi Ji and Hasan Abualhaj (Credit: Anastasia Blackman)

Ji explained, "We want to avoid picking repertory and then graft a theme onto that. So, this being the first concert with the theme of 'Genesis,' we started the program with a solo instrumentalist and finished it with 13 musicians onstage—this idea of surprising paths and trajectories evolving from one origin."

The concert's programming created a sense of progression in more than just instrumentation. The opening pieces were by Domenico Gabrielli, a virtuosic cellist and composer in the era of the instrument's technological leaps forward, followed by Isabella Leonarda, the earliest-known female composer to publish instrumental sonatas. From there, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 filled out the first half of the evening, mirrored in the second half by Gabriella Smith's 2012 work Brandenburg Interstices, which takes its cues from Brandenburg No. 5. Erin Graham's 2023 piece Unnerve followed before the evening closed with the world premiere of Taylor Joshua Rankin's Gauze and Particulate.

Typical of a budding ensemble, the performers wear multiple hats as administrators and producers, and a large part of Parallax Concert’s objective is to empower local arts spaces through performance. "We're working a lot with interdisciplinary artists and co-ops and getting connected with galleries," Ji says. "I think these spaces work in a more organic, authentic, and decentralized way through their deep integration with the community, and have this boundless creativity because of it."

Ultimately, he says, "This series is a way to platform creativity the way that musicians want and take the programming power back into the musicians' hands."

Learn more about studying historical performance at SFCM.