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An inspiring week of music unfolds through dynamic performances for solo piano, two pianos, and four hands—spanning continents, styles, and eras. From the vibrant colors of Latin America to the elegance of the classical tradition and the irresistible rhythms of American classics, each concert offers a distinct and memorable musical journey.

New Horizons: A Journey for Two Pianos at Oaktree Pavilion
Elizondo • Bach • Piazzolla
A rich and compelling two-piano program that moves from the vibrant colors of Mexico to the grandeur of Bach’s Passacaglia, and into the fiery rhythms of Argentine tango. Bold, expressive, and deeply engaging.

American Pie: From Gershwin to the Silver Screen (Solo Keyboard) Outdoor at the Bazar
Gershwin • Joplin • Billy Joel
A high-energy, feel-good program full of rhythm, charm, and virtuosity—from jazzy Gershwin preludes and classic ragtime to the iconic sounds of Broadway and film. Bold, stylish, and irresistibly fun.

Around the World in Four Hands (Piano Duet) Outdoor Concert
Mozart • Mahle • Piazzolla
An intimate and joyful four-hand program that travels from the elegance of Mozart to the vibrant colors of Brazil and the passion of tango. Playful, communicative, and perfect for a relaxed evening under the stars.

Duo Mundi: George & Gulimina
Duo Mundi captivates audiences worldwide with their dynamic artistry and bold, innovative programming. Praised for performances that “…breathe the same artistic air…with an adrenaline of communication that captivates audiences of every generation,” the duo creates beautifully synchronized experiences that engage both the eye and ear.

Since their inception, they have performed to standing-room-only audiences across Mexico, China, Brazil, Switzerland, and Italy, including a feature on Italian national television (RAI2). Their 2023 debut at Steinway Hall in New York City marked a major milestone, followed by appearances at the Oculus at One World Trade Center, The Village Trip Festival, and Third Street Settlement Music School. They have also presented a groundbreaking Steinway & Sons SpirioCast connecting audiences in Boston and Philadelphia.

On the West Coast, they have appeared at Santa Barbara’s historic Lobero Theatre and performed throughout Seattle and Baja California. Their reach extends beyond the stage through radio broadcasts such as All Classical Portland’s Thursdays @ Three. Dedicated educators and cultural ambassadors, they present masterclasses and lectures internationally and have reached over a thousand students through outreach initiatives in Belize. In 2024, they launched a Klavierfest at Bowdoin College exploring the impact of A.I. on music. With each performance, Duo Mundi continues to redefine the piano duo experience, bridging cultures and generations.

George Lopez
George Lopez is Artist in Residence and Symphony Orchestra Director at Bowdoin College. Known for his “kaleidoscopic colors and clarity of conception” (Los Angeles Times), he is celebrated for his refined and thoughtfully curated performances. His debut at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam was praised as “authentic and memorable” for his interpretations of Bach and Chopin.

His expansive repertoire includes the complete Mozart sonatas, Beethoven piano concertos, Rachmaninoff’s Etudes-Tableaux, Chopin’s Etudes and Ballades, and Bach’s Klavierübungen, performed across organ, harpsichord, and piano. He has performed internationally throughout Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia, and the United States, appearing at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, Benaroya Hall, and Ambassador Hall.

Lopez has been featured at major festivals worldwide and has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the National Symphony of São Paolo and the Prague Chamber Orchestra. He collaborates regularly with members of leading ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony. He holds top honors from the École Normale de Musique in Paris and the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam, and is a dedicated mentor to the next generation of musicians.

Gulimina Mahamuti
Gulimina Mahamuti has performed on international stages from Carnegie Hall to major venues in Montreal, Copenhagen, Beijing, Istanbul, and Budapest. As a soloist, she has appeared with orchestras including the Southeast Kansas Symphony, Mansfield Symphony, and Harbin Philharmonic.

Her performances have been featured on radio and media outlets across the U.S., China, and Turkey, including Maine Public Radio and San Francisco’s classical stations, as well as a two-part television documentary in China.

She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, becoming the first Uyghur pianist from China to receive this degree in the United States. She also holds two master’s degrees with highest honors. A passionate educator and advocate for diverse musical traditions, she teaches at Bowdoin College and has published in Clavier Companion, along with her acclaimed album Xinjiang Piano Music from Western China.

Step into the magic of La Bohème for a very special week at Rancho La Puerta. Acclaimed artists Anya Matanović, Efraín Solís, Kayleigh Decker, Cheryl Lin Fielding at the piano, and more will fill the week with beautiful music, unexpected pairings, intimate performances, and delightful Bohème-inspired surprises. Come curious -whether you’ve loved opera for years or have never experienced it before, this is a week designed to welcome you in, sweep you away, and leave you wanting more.

Anya Matanovic is an American soprano praised for her “thrilling vocal color” and compelling stage presence. She has performed leading roles with major opera companies including the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Utah Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, New York City Opera, and the New Israeli Opera. Her signature roles include Mimì in La bohème, Violetta in La traviata, Musetta, Gilda, Gretel, and Pamina. She has also appeared in concert with orchestras including the Cleveland Orchestra and Cincinnati Symphony.

Kayleigh Decker, mezzo-soprano, is praised for her “shimmering mezzo-soprano” and a voice of “pure vocal gold.” A superb song interpreter, she has appeared with leading opera companies including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dallas Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Welsh National Opera, Staatsoper Hamburg, Staatsoper Stuttgart, and Opéra de Monte-Carlo. Her concert appearances include performances with the San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. A former Caramoor Schwab Vocal Rising Star and Ryan Opera Center ensemble member, Decker has performed leading roles in operas by Mozart, Rossini, Handel, and others. Her recent engagements include Mercedes in Bizet’s Carmen with Cincinnati Opera and Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Kayleigh Decker),

Efraín Solís is a baritone praised by the San Francisco Chronicle for his “theatrical charisma and musical bravado.” A graduate of the San Francisco Opera Adler Fellowship, he has performed with leading opera companies including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and Opera San José. His roles include Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Escamillo in Carmen, Schaunard in La bohème, and the title role in Don Giovanni. He is also an active recitalist and concert performer.

Cheryl Lin Fielding, the Artistic Director of the Parnassus Society, is acclaimed for her “warm, grand, and rich” pianism (New York Sun). A distinguished pianist, collaborative artist, and concert producer, Cheryl has performed at prestigious venues such as Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, and Tanglewood Music Center. Her international performances include concert tours in Europe, Asia, and South America. As the artistic leader of the Parnassus Society, she curates dynamic programs that elevate both emerging talent and world-class artists, creating powerful musical experiences that unite performers and communities. Cheryl’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of artists is reflected in her work at Dolora Zajick’s Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, and at UCLA, where she serves as a vocal coach and Continuing Lecturer in the Herb Alpert School of Music.

Michele de la Reza is a celebrated choreographer, performer, and educator, best known as the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Attack Theatre, a nationally recognized dance company known for its bold and physical storytelling. Attack Theatre collaborates with opera, symphonies, museums and theater companies, sharing new interdisciplinary works throughout the US, Europe and Asia.  A Juilliard-trained dancer with a Master’s in Developmental Movement, Michele has performed and created work across the U.S., Europe and Asia with New York’s Perks DanceMusicTheatre and Pittsburgh’s Dance Alloy and Attack Theatre. With her partner Peter Kope, she has received numerous accolades, including three Pennsylvania Council on the Arts fellowships and the Hardie Educator of the Year award; and choreographed the Broadway production of “Squonk” at the Helen Hayes Theater.. As a Teaching Professor of Dance at Carnegie Mellon University, Michele brings an inclusive approach to movement that welcomes performers of all backgrounds. Her passion for dance and joy in expression makes her Broadway dance classes a true highlight—inviting participants to experience the thrill of iconic choreography in a relaxed, fun, and empowering environment.

Stephen Neely, PhD is a dynamic educator, author, conductor, and performer who brings a lifetime of musical and theatrical experience to his teaching. He is the Milton and Cynthia Friedman Associate Professor of Music at Carnegie Mellon University, where he directs the Marta Sanchez Dalcroze Training Center and teaches Dalcroze Eurhythmics—a method that uses movement to deepen musical understanding. With over two decades directing opera workshops and choirs, including 23 years at Pittsburgh’s High School for the Creative and Performing Arts and 11 years as Chorusmaster for Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Stephen has a passion for helping people of all levels connect with music through voice and movement. His lively, embodied approach to singing invites participants to feel the joy of Broadway classics from the inside out. A TEDx speaker and author, he shares his work around the world in music, theater, and design education.

Since making her Carnegie Hall debut in 2011, prize-winning pianist Rieko Tsuchida has performed internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. Ms. Tsuchida made her professional concerto debut in 2011 performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the California Symphony. She has also performed as a soloist with the Ashdod Symphonic Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, and San Domenico Orchestra. Her many prizes include the SONY USA Foundation Grant in 2016 from the Salon de Virtuosi, YoungArts NFAA Finalist, and 3rd Prize in the IIYM International Piano Competition. She has also been invited to perform at other prestigious festivals and venues such as the Verbier Festival Academy, Salle Gaveau, and more.

Duo Karolina Mikołajczyk & Iwo Jedynecki is one of the most vibrant and innovative chamber ensembles of the current generation of classical musicians. Recognized by artists such as Krzysztof Penderecki and Maxim Vengerov, in 2024 they have been awarded Poland’s most prestigious prize for classical music – the ‘Polityka Passport’ – with duo being praised for its ‘versatility and ability to navigate through diverse musical realms; virtuosity, unbridled imagination, and ingenuity in selecting and creating new repertoire for the distinctive combination of violin and accordion’. This accolade follows a long line of Grand Prix and First Prizes at international music competitions in addition to performances at prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, Esplanade Concert Hall (Singapore), The Edge Melbourne (Australia), Teatro del Lago (Chile), Guangzhou Opera House (China) and a sell-out debut performance at the Warsaw Philharmonic.

The duo has meanwhile thrilled audiences with recitals across the world, from Switzerland to Cuba to the United Arab Emirates to Brunei, totalling 32 countries on five continents as of today. Their repertoire ranges from Bach’s Goldberg Variations, through violin sonatas of Mozart, Beethoven, Franck and Penderecki, thrilling arrangements of other Baroque, Classical, Romantic and 20th Century works to contemporary music, including commissioned pieces and three double concertos. Thanks to Iwo Jedynecki’s accordion transcriptions, both well-loved and little-known repertoire gain bold, new interpretations and original sounds, all the while boasting delightfully diverse colouring.

Hailed for his “trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character” (The New YorkTimes), clarinetist Anthony McGill is one of classical music’s most recognizable and brilliantly multifaceted figures. In addition to his dynamic international solo and chamber music career, McGill is Principal Clarinet of the New York Philharmonic—the first African-American principal player in the organization’s history.

McGill appears regularly as a soloist with top orchestras, including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras. Highlights of the 2025–26 season include solo appearances with the New York Philharmonic; the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, where he and his brother Demarre McGill will premiere a new concerto for clarinet and flute by Billy Childs under the direction of Jonathon Heyward; The Knights at Carnegie Hall; and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in premiere performances of Gabriel Kahane’s If love will not swing wide the gates. As a chamber musician, McGill tours with Trio Afiori — a new ensemble he co-founded with mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron and pianist Gloria Chien — for a weeklong residency with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and performances at Chamber Music Northwest and across the U.S., featuring the premiere of a new work by Valerie Coleman. Additional chamber music highlights include The Annual Isaac Stern Memorial Concert at Carnegie Hall alongside Maxim Vengerov, Vilde Frang, James Ehnes, Daniel Müller-Schott, and Yefim Bronfman; continuing his decades-long collaboration with the Pacifica Quartet; performances with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; and recital appearances in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and beyond.

From a coal-mining town in western Pennsylvania to the bright lights of Broadway in New York City,  Brent Alan Huffman has built a lifestyle and career around music.  A Carnegie Mellon University graduate, he led a successful career on Broadway and in domestic and international touring productions,  serving as conductor, music director, and/or pianist for Disney’s Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sister Act, Little Shop of Horrors, Grease, and Leap of Faith.  As a singer, he is heard on the film soundtracks of Disney’s Enchanted, Tangled, and Beauty and the Beast.

BA now writes and performs his original songs in concerts and services, with a unique combination of soaring vocals, passionate piano playing, and a heartfelt connection to his audiences.  His songs are both personal and universal, with intentional lyrics set to beautiful melodies.

Monique Mead is a violinist, educator, and researcher whose work bridges artistic excellence with human thriving. An advocate for the healing power of music, she draws on three decades of international performing experience and a career devoted to using music to connect, heal, and uplift communities.

Her innovative projects—ranging from performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto 50 times in 250 days, to interactive concerts for families with autism, to the creation of neighborhood porch concerts during the pandemic—reflect her commitment to exploring how music fosters resilience and belonging.

Since 2011, Monique has served as Teaching Professor and Director of Music Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University as, where she launches new music initiatives and guides students in forging their unique paths as musicians. She is also a sound practitioner with an active sound healing studio at the Awareness & Wellness Center in Pittsburgh where she offers weekly sound bath experiences as well as international practitioner training in the Mead Sound Method, based in research, neuroscience, and musicality.

Her work has been featured by NPR, CBS, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and continues to push the boundaries of performance, research, and community engagement to elevate music as a catalyst for healing.

Miracle in a Box
John Callahan introduces this 56-minute video, narrated by John Lithgow.  A film by Oscar-winning documentarian, John Korty. The restoration of a Steinway becomes a lyrical meditation on following the heart’s true passion in this beautifully crafted documentary. A wonderful Bay Area tale, the film traces the path of a 1927 grand piano owned by a music teacher who bequeathed her treasure to her alma mater, UC Berkeley, with the stipulation that the university ultimately reward it to “a worthy student of piano.” Before it can be given away, however, it must be restored, and here the essence of the story unfolds, as Korty follows the piano’s rebirth under the masterful care of Oakland’s venerable Callahan Piano Service.

The Secrets of the Steinway Grand Revealed
What makes a Steinway Grand so special that 98% of the pianos in Concert Halls around the world are Steinways? Concert Piano Technician John Callahan will take you inside Rancho’s Steinway Model B and show you why. John and his team have replaced every one of the 10,000+ moving parts in this instrument over the past several years. He will explain how and why – and what makes these fascinating instruments the top choice of so many pianists.

John Callahan, the Owner/ Operator of Callahan Piano Service since 1975, is a member of the Piano Technicians Guild and received the highest classification of Registered Piano Technician in 1978. Under his guidance, Callahan Piano Service has grown to be the largest piano service organization in the San Francisco Bay Area with over 11,000 customers including numerous churches, recording studios, recital halls, and musicians.

The Three Levels of Listening
Keith’s Brain Week journey uses listening as a pathway to neuroplastic change.

His three sessions move progressively outward:
Internal Listening → Focused Listening → Global Listening

Participants learn to quiet internal noise, develop present-moment awareness, and ultimately expand their perception beyond themselves.

 Rewire – Internal Listening
“Quiet the Noise: Learning to Hear Yourself Again”
Reclaiming Inner Clarity Through Foundational Listening
We often move through life listening primarily to the loudest voice inside our heads—the running commentary, self-criticism, worries, and repetitive thoughts.

• Participants explore:
• • How internal dialogue influences emotional regulation
  • The difference between supportive inner guidance and unregulated inner noise
  • How mental clutter affects decision-making and well-being
  • How to recognize habitual thought patterns
  • How listening inwardly can create greater clarity and self-awareness

Experiential Practice: Internal Listening
Participants are guided through practices designed to notice internal dialogue without automatically believing or reacting to it.

Key takeaway:
Before we can listen differently to the world, we must learn to hear ourselves.

Renew – Focused Listening
“Tune In: Learning to Be Fully Present”
Strengthening Mind–Body Awareness Through Attentive Listening
Focused listening brings attention into the present moment. It offers a practical pathway from distraction toward awareness, helping participants reconnect mind, body, sensation, and experience.

• Participants explore:
• • Where attention naturally goes
  • How and why attention drifts
  • The relationship between attention and emotional regulation
  • Mind–body awareness
  • The connection between conscious and unconscious processes
  • How present-moment awareness influences perception, memory, and emotional response

Experiential Practice: Focused Listening
Participants practice bringing sustained attention to sound, sensation, breath, and the present moment.

Key takeaway:
Where attention goes, experience follows.

Reimagine – Global Listening
“Hear the Whole You: Listening With Mind, Body & Spirit”
Expansive Awareness for Navigating Life’s Stress and Possibilities
Global listening expands awareness beyond the individual thought or sound. It invites participants to listen simultaneously to themselves, others, their environment, and their own deeper sense of knowing.

• Participants explore:
• • Listening beyond the surface
  • The integration of mind, body, and intuition
  • How expanded awareness can support decision-making
  • Cognitive flexibility and creative thinking
  • Listening as a pathway to imagination
  • How a different way of listening can create a different way of seeing life

Experiential Practice: Global Listening
Participants engage in an integrative listening experience designed to expand awareness and encourage curiosity, creativity, and possibility.

Key takeaway:
When we listen differently, we begin to imagine differently.

Keith MacPherson
Vocalist • Guitarist • Teacher
Keith Macpherson is a Canadian mindfulness coach, speaker, and author who has spent more than two decades empowering individuals through mindfulness-based practices. His work centers on guiding people toward clarity, presence, and meaningful transformation in their personal and professional lives. In 2018, Keith authored the bestselling book Making Sense of Mindfulness: 5 Principles to Integrate Mindfulness Practice into Your Daily Life, offering a practical framework and thoughtful insights for cultivating awareness in everyday living. A certified professional coach (CPCC) and certified leadership coach with The Leadership Circle, Keith works with individuals and organizations across Canada, the United States, Mexico, Africa, Dubai, and Great Britain. His authenticity and warmth are reflected in his daily intentions shared on social media, his regular column Keith’s Corner in corporate wellness publications, and his one-on-one and team coaching, workshops, and live lectures. At the heart of all his work is a clear vision: to expand access to mindfulness and support mental well-being on a global scale. Music has been a lifelong parallel path for Keith. A top finalist on the television series Canadian Idol, he gained national recognition for his soulful voice and authentic presence. He is also a founding member of the duo Keith and Renee, whose international touring, album releases, and original songwriting have earned a devoted following. Drawing from this rich musical background, Keith brings together music and reflection in a way that mirrors his mindfulness work—creating experiences that are heartfelt, grounding, and deeply human.

Music as a Pathway to Attention, Emotion, Creativity & Connection
Sæunn’s contribution makes the neuroscience of Brain Week audible and embodied.

Her three musical experiences parallel the Rewire → Renew → Reimagine journey, moving from concentrated listening, to emotional exploration, to collective creation.

Rewire – Bach Cello Suites
Deep Listening: Attention, Pattern & Memory
Three masterpieces from the 1700s by one of the greatest composers in Western music, performed on solo cello.

• Participants are invited to slow down and experience the extraordinary complexity of Bach’s music through a single instrument.
• The experience explores:
  • Deep listening — sustaining attention and noticing subtle detail
  • Pattern and memory — recurring themes, variation, anticipation, and resolution
  • Attention and perception — experiencing how focused listening changes what we notice
  • Music and the brain — the widespread neural engagement created by musical experience

Experiential Practice: Deep Listening
Participants listen for patterns, changes, repetition, tension, and resolution—experiencing attention as an active practice.

Key takeaway:
Attention can be trained.

Renew – The Inner Journey
Improvised Cello & The Hero’s Journey
An evening of improvised cello music inspired by mythic storytelling and Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey.

• Participants encounter universal themes of departure, transformation, challenge, surrender, and return.
• The experience explores:
• • The inner journey — using story as a framework for personal reflection
  • Music in the moment — spontaneous composition shaped by the story, atmosphere, and people present
  • Emotion through music — experiencing music as a pathway into and through emotion
  • The relationship between music, memory, emotion, and regulation

Experiential Practice: Musical Reflection
Participants are invited to listen inwardly as the music unfolds, connecting sound with memory, emotion, imagery, and personal meaning.

Key takeaway:
Music can help us access, experience, and transform emotion.

Reimagine – Pauline Oliveros & Deep Listening
From Listener to Creator
An interactive musical experience inspired by Pauline Oliveros’ Sonic Meditations.
This session builds directly on Keith’s concept of Global Listening, expanding awareness from individual listening toward a shared sonic environment.

• Participants explore:
• • Global listening — hearing the larger sonic environment rather than focusing only on one sound
  • From listener to creator — moving from passively receiving music to actively shaping it
  • Vocalization, improvisation, and simple sound-making
  • Creativity and cognitive flexibility
  • Music as a pathway to social connection and shared presence

Experiential Practice: Collective Music-Making
Participants become part of the musical experience through simple exercises in listening, sound, vocalization, and improvisation.

Key takeaway:
When we become creators rather than merely observers, new possibilities emerge.

Æunn Thorsteinsdóttir
Cellist • Musician • Educator
Known for her “emotional intensity” (Los Angeles Times), Icelandic cellist Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir moves fluidly between centuries-old repertoire and spontaneous creation. As a soloist, she has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, and Iceland Symphony, and appeared at Carnegie Hall, Elbphilharmonie, and Disney Hall.  Her recordings include Marrow, a critically acclaimed interpretation of Bach’s six cello suites (“a front runner among recent recordings” — The Arts Desk); Vernacular, a collection of Icelandic works for solo cello; and Quake, a Grammy-nominated concerto by Páll Ragnar Pálsson. A passionate advocate for new music, she has premiered and recorded works by composers including Daníel Bjarnason and Anna Thorvaldsdóttir.  Sæunn is the founder of The Music Portal, a virtual concert space for her improvisations, and the creator of Soul Resonance, a 1:1 musical experience inspired by each client’s emotional landscape. She has held faculty positions at the University of Washington and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Artistic Advisor of the Við Djúpið Music Festival as well as the newly appointed Artistic Director of Tertulia, NYC. When not performing, you can find her in her homeland or traveling the world searching for the perfect pain au chocolat.  www.saeunn.com