I experienced the trio for the first time at the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts on January 5 and it was absolutely wonderful. I was invited by a friend from church and now I would like to share this gift and experience with family and friends.
I thoroughly enjoyed your gala. I found your “recertification” frame for the concert hilarious and a great way to connect with the audience. We hear a lot about outreach to build an audience for classical music, but what I think is most important is “in-reach” – connecting to people in your immediate social vicinity and connecting the music to life today. Congratulations.
Bravo! Bravissimo! What an enchanting evening — truly wonderful. I’m so glad I could share in the gala celebration. And, I brought a friend who had never been to a Saint Michael concert. You now have a new groupie. She was blown away.
The new composition was extraordinary. How great that you could have the composer there that evening. I’m sure he was thrilled. And the vocalist was absolutely incredible. Not sure where you found her, but the collaboration is perfect. The percussionist and the bassist too are incredible.
Just a magical evening all the way around. I was thrilled to be there.
It’s Monday but I’m still thinking about your wonderful and amazing concert Saturday night at the gala. I can’t stop smiling. There was just so much to take in: the amazing singer (have her back!), and the music of the new composer. He is clearly very very talented and highly deserving of the medal you hung from his neck. What a great idea, to have Saint Michael Laureates.
And then the conviviality during the reception was joyful and nobody wanted to go home.
Every piece was riveting. Even the earliest baroque music, clear through the barnstorming with the jazz. But when the woman came on again to sing Over the Rainbow I lost it. What an incredibly emotional rendering of that chestnut.
Thank you for a marvelous concert Saturday night! Every piece was totally enjoyable and moving. I’m still grinning from it and I felt inspired to be a better person.
what a fantastic evening! the programming was a delight! you guys all played so beautifully and with such spirit! hearing the divine kari kirk was amazing! she added so much with her stunning performances……
What a hit last night! ….adding to the trio with bass and drums clearly caught the audience’s attention, and the vocalist just took it up another notch!! She was terrific and had such a vocal range!
Last night was an evening of exquisite and beautiful music!! What a treat to enjoy Kari Kirk’s stunning and angelic voice — Kari’s singing touched the hearts of us all… Such a treat — thank you!!
Dear Saint Michael’s Trio,
Last evening’s performance was amazing — Carri Kirk’s singing was exquisite!!! Your music was inspiring and touched many hearts!!! Thank you for sharing your love of Music and the Arts with us here in Silicon Valley!!!
Last night was pure bliss. The selection of “literature” from classical chamber music to Stevie Wonder amazed. Kerry Kirk was utterly awe-inspiring – Edith Piaf and Judy Garland would want to claw her eyes out for outdoing them with their hits. I, too, was a weeping fool by the big finish with you all. I can’t remember a more enjoyable night of live music. Thank you!!!
I am absolutely in awe as I reflect on last nights performance at the Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. The proud mayor, and the glorious Keri were great little punches and the composer’s award was brilliant.
When you played the new Wilson piece with the hand claps, two random children seated quite apart from one another began clapping with their hands in the air. Ohhhh so adorable.
The music carried me away. It lulled me, challenged me and inspired me.
I had the fortune of attending last night’s concert in Mountain Viiew. It was my first observance of the Saint Michael Trio. And it was a pure delight. The music was moving and transcending, especially as it moved from soft, gentle tones to explosive tempo in the original pieces. The music was played with heart, soul and feeling and that is precisely how the music moved through me as I listened in the upper balcony. Kari Kirk provided an angelic voice , which along with the music, left tears in my eyes, especially during the haunting rhythms of “Over the Rainbow.” A beautiful concert from musicians who not only play their instruments but who are one with them. Thank you Saint Michael Trio for such a rewarding experience.
Dear Saint Mike: I wanted you to know how much we enjoyed the concert at the Center for Performing Arts tonight. I’m amazed at the talented and tonight, beautiful rabbits you continue to pull out of your magical hat. Kari’s voice and her wonderful vocal lilt and impressions she adds so fits the quality of the Trio! The last number literally left me eye-watering in its beauty. Thanks so much.
Where on earth did you find Kari Kirk? She was sensational. The mayor! The composer! You just kept pulling tricks out of the hat. I loved every minute of it, but especially the fantastic music.
Hello:
I have been trying to get tickets over the last few weeks to the Jan. 5 Gala. No success.
Today, I finally went to the Box office in person, to find out thatit was sold out.
Would there be a possibility to buy 1 ticket in advance, becasue I cannot stand in line for an extended time.
I would much appreciate a response,
Maria Erdi
Was riveted by your brilliant and fascinating Debussy Informance, aired from Menlo College by the Palo Alto Media Center this evening. I was glued to the TV – and was magnetized by the explanation of the three scales that Debussy used: heptatonic, pentatonic (black notes), and Oh no! I’ve forgotten the name of the third scale! Anyway, I am now inspired not only to read about Debussy’s life and innovations, but also to listen to his piano trio on Youtube (Is the St.Michael Trio on Youtube?), and to begin learning some music theory. Infinite thanks for all your work and educating – and fun – that you bring to us.
Many, many thanks for a superb performance at The Hamilton on Wednesday! I have never seen our residents so enthusiastic and full of praise for an event. Your musicality and virtuosity, along with your incredible ability to connect with the audience are amazing.
I went to Stanford last night for a Saint Michael Trio concert – one of their incomparable “informances” on Mendelssohn. It was fabulous!
My friends and I are so thrilled and enthusiastic about them. They truly are unique and SO talented. I go to many good musical performances but I’d rate them at the top of the list.
I don’t know why I ever think your next concert can’t possibly be any better than the last one. You outdid yourself tonight at Stanford.
Your Mendelssohn “informance” was FABULOUS!
Talk about the genius category…
Listened to “Magic Hour” from your Mood Swings CD during the drive to school–helped put my kids in a good mood after their usual morning grumpiness. Thanks Saint Mike!
The “French Fusion” CD of St. MIke is enough to make me wish to learn the piano, violin and cello!
I might describe like retro chamber music from another era in jazz-fusion original compositions distinctly modern. Even this decription does not suffice. Warmth and energy from the sounds.
Saint Michael Trio’s music will make your spirits soar. Lively and joyful at some points, emotional and interpretative at others – their “French Fusion” CD has something for everyone. I was impressed by the wonderful musicianship of this trio!
I listened to your “Mood Swings” CD today. What a pleasure. It did, as the cover properly boasted, produce a mood change. I listened as I was driving home from a tense situation but was able to focus only on your music. I knew that it would be accomplished, but it turned out to be more: a delight, a lovely and lively tapestry. You have given me pleasure.
We first heard your music while channel surfing. You were on community access, and it stopped us dead in our tracks. That doesn’t happen often! (“Who IS that?!”) We were thrilled to hear you in person at Channing House.
What a gift your music is. I once listened to music of all kinds all the time, but after a long illness find I don’t emotionally connect with music the same way. Your music is an exception. It is loved by all generations in our home.
We LOVE you guys! We saw you at the Channing House and are definitely hoping to be there at the Mtn View Ctr this year. I tell everyone about you because there are so many kids who have diverse interests in this area, and you are an inspiration for kids who love music and science. Plus the music is so listenable, our 11-year-old has it on the Apple TV playing all the time.
Your Debussy informance at Menlo College couldn’t have had more perfect timing, as I had just come back from a semester’s study of Debussy. I couldn’t help but notice that the style of your presentation exemplified many of the aesthetic qualities of Debussy’s craft. As such, I appreciated your “impression” of the man and his music not only for its faithfulness, but also for its elegance, humor, and accessibility.
I’m the composer of the RUNAWAY BUNNY. I just saw a DVD version of the concert here in NYC. What a pleasure! That must have been an AMAZING concert! I hope the audience enjoyed it as much as I did!!!
Thank you so much for the nourishing concert today. We so much appreciate hearing your instruments and the music in such immediate surroundings. It’s a real gift to all of us who attend.
We bought the “Mood Swings” disc, and we’re enjoying it very much. Thank you.
Your wonderful performance at Saratoga Foothill Club was outstanding! Your combination of great music, good humor, information, entertainment, talent and ability is legendary and I can’t find enough superlatives to describe the pleasure you bring.
I love St. Michael the archangel and I love your music.. How did you come up with the name? Please, please, please, could you come to Mountain Home, Arkansas to play for some wonderful homeschool teenagers?
Love ya,
I want you to know that I have felt so uplifted all week by your outstanding music. Attending your concert made me realize I need to take more time in my life to appreciate the arts and experience beauty. A few of your gorgeous selections brought me to tears — it’s so amazing what power music has to express human emotion. I really appreciate the time and effort you all invest into creating such beautiful music.
We absolutely loved your performance Saturday night at Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. We heard you when you were just starting out, and we heard you at Menlo College, but we are thinking you three have moved beyond that to an extreme level. We are glad to hear you are branching out to more locations so more people can enjoy your wonderful performances. We will be able to say we knew you when! Can’t wait to hear you at Stanford.
A bit of the lyrics from your encore piece reminds me of an apt expression of my feelings tonight: you were all aglow…and deservedly so. Congratulations on bringing to pass a wonderful creation that teaches, elevates, and contributes….all, and yet only, for the
love of it. Though they might exist, I’ve not heard of such a musical endeavor before. Congratulations to all of you!
That was some concert Saturday night. You really wowed us all and had us eating out of your hand!
What a great coup for you 3 and all the work you’ve put into the trio. Thank you for making such exciting music available to us and in such a fun way. Imagine filling up the Performing Arts Center! That was amazing and wonderful.
Best wishes as you continue on this remarkable journey.
I attended your gala fifth anniversary at the Performing Arts Center in Mountain View and it was a wonderful amazing evening, from the music (so amazing) to the lovely reception with sparkling drinks and chocoloates. It was just so lovely in every way and everybody around me was saying how much they love St Michaels trio. Even the ushers were saying how nobody sells out the hall any more and that people were all dressed to the nines and having such a nice time. They never see that. St Michaels trio has a special kind of magic.
Dear Saint Michael Trio: I attended your five year anniversary concert, and it was marvelous. I had a great time- and enjoyed every minute of it. I bought your jazz cd, and I have been listening to it every since.
You truly have a musical gift- thank you so much for sharing it with everyone and inspiring all of us!
I’m completely enamored with Saint Mike’s new CD. It has all my favorites, from Morten Lauridsen to . . . Led Zeppelin? “Mood Swings” is right. No longer content with mere musical expression, technical facility, and tight ensemble, the Saint Michael Trio now demonstrates its leadership by taking chamber music to a brand new audience. George Gershwin, Stevie Wonder, Sweet Georgia Brown . . . I’ve had the disc on continuous repeat all week. I’m adding it to the play list for my next party. A treasure!
Saint Michael Trio’s new CD is amazing. The range of different kinds of music that this group can toss out is just extraordinary. Every piece is perfect, a mix of fascinating rhythms, haunting lyrical passages, energy and feeling. The background music for Schindler’s List and for Cinema Paradiso is unforgettable. I got a disc, listened to it over and over (couldn’t stop), then ordered a bunch to give as Christmas gifts. I think my friends will love them.
WOW – I’m now a die-hard Saint Michael Trio fan. My sister Mimi and I just got back from the Montalvo event – first time I’ve heard you perform – and definitely not the last. I was enthralled. Intimate venue, inspired (who ever would have guessed they work so well together) music selection and lively educational patter. Such a fun way to learn about music. It was great to sit so close to the ‘action’ and feel so much a part of the wondrous synergy and elegant music making. We loved it!!! Thank you for gracing the world with your talent.
The Saint Michael Trio is amazing and so is this new CD, “Warning–May Cause Mood Swings.” The first two tracks of Georgia Brown and Cinema Paradiso sum up the playing: music that puts a spring in your step and then brings a tear to your eye. It’s like that all the way through this disc. I must have listened to Cinema Paradiso alone a half-dozen times. Hiccup De Tango made me laugh out loud (really!) and I never would have thought Stevie Wonder and Led Zeppelin would sound so great for strings. This CD definitely causes mood swings and always to the best points along the emotional scale. I think this is a great selection for first-time listeners to piano trio chamber music.
Saint Mike, your enthusiasm for performance and deep passion for music are beautifully captured in your new record, “Warning–May Cause Mood Swings.” Playful and powerful, bound to move you.
Congratulations on your release of your excellent “Warning” CD. It has many of my favorites that I so much wanted a recording of when I first heard them years ago. Thanks much! As much as I have enjoyed your Debut CD, your “Warning” CD has me reeling with joy. I simply cannot wipe the silly grin off of my face whenever I am listening to it. Such fun! I can distinctly remember Michel spinning his cello, Danny hitting the high notes, and Rusty tickling the ivories on such lively pieces. Ha!
Secondly, that was quite a surprise when you gathered all of your talented helpers at St. Marks….and then allowed me to come up and share the stage with them. That was quite fun. I also really appreciate your framed signed CD gift, which I have already mounted on the wall in my den. If I helped inspire you all to get the new CD “in gear”, then I will be happy to continue to do so with more donations for such a wonderful cause. It surely paid off!
The three of you really have a talent for teaching many how to appreciate chamber music…along with a bit of jazz thrown in. What a gem. I truly hope you three will continue for many years to enjoy your quest to educate and entertain the public, to gather more admirers and supporters of your foundation, and to have fun doing so.
Indeed tonight’s concert WAS lovely! The varied selections showcased the range of what you offer on the CD. I have been listening to it and I really like what you have selected that will cause my mood swings to only raise!
I was especially touched when you asked composer Mary Finlayson to come and join you. Her music soars with the rest of the selections you played. I know she was shyly pleased to be recognized.
I have loved every Saint Michael trio concert I have attended. Thank you for brightening the world.
Fantastic concert for our Music at Kohl Mansion donors event last night. The sound was exquisite in the Great Hall. Full of energy and fun, with fine playing. Come again. Thank you.
We loved the Haydn “trial” on Sunday. Mr. Hancock is a natural teacher and the playing was superb. We brought guests from out of the country and they too were greatly impressed. Thank you Saint Michael Trio.
My neighbor couldn’t get over the Saint Michael Trio concert last week. We talked musically all the way home. And here’s the thing: as we walked away from chatting in the lobby she asked me again for your names. When she heard, she said “I thought I recognized them.” And proceeded to tell me about you guys playing in the Bing atrium at Stanford Hospital a year ago when her husband was there. She heard the music from his room and came out to listen. She said it was so beautiful –”it melted and healed, and then tore you up at the same time.” Sadly, her husband passed away that very night. She felt you had played him to heaven.
Thanks for a very entertaining concert last night.
I would like the doctor to borrow a better fiddle for the performances. His technique is perfect. He should be playing a Stradivarius. Perhaps check ebay or Craigslist for a used Strad or Guarneri?
Sirs: Your playing at the Triple Helix event at Stanford was most inspiring. Such interesting repertoire. Magnifique. Please bring your music to France.
Saint Michael Trio rocks. What a great idea, putting Haydn on trial like that. It was so interesting how you showed all his different contributions and then played everything. Nobody does what you guys do. You rock.
I saw Mr. Hancock and St Michael Trio last night at Menlo College do this very cool program “acquitting” Hadyn from peopel who think he was a lesser composer.
But then I was in Oakland tonight, and there was Mr. Hancock again, only this time he was playing Rhapsody in Blue with the Oakland Symphony, the one at the Temple Hill. Baroque one night, jazzy Gershwin the next night. Mr. Hanckock how do you do that?
And you are a consummate showman. It was as fun watching it as hearing it.
Wow. I went to the mock “trial” Saint Michaels Trio held at Menlo College last night, defending the music of Haydn. It was amazing. I always thought Haydn was a lesser composer. People always told me “If it’s beautiful and complicated it’s Mozart and if it’s simple and pretty it’s Haydn” but they were wrong! Saint Michael helped me see that Haydn is a great composer in his own right. What Saaint Michaels does is truly amazing. These guys are the greatest.
The Saint Michael Mother’s Day concert at Montalvo Arts Center was incredible! I took my wife because it was mother’s day and I knew she would enjoy it, but I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did! The Trio isn’t like a stuffy classical music outfit. They’re interesting and engaging and informative. And they got everybody sighing “Awww” when they brought their own mothers up, flown in special for the occasion. It was also amazing to hear the world premiere of the new composer, a woman who was in attendance. Her music is very appealing. I’m a new St Michael Trio fan.
I have been telling my family about the St. Michael Trio for some time, so I brought my daughter and son-in-law to the Mother’s Day Concert at Montalvo Sunday, and they enjoyed it as much as I did. I flinched when I heard the words ‘modern composer’ but Mary Finlayson’s music was delightful – hope we hear more of her music. Thanks for another great concert and a wonderful afternoon.
Loved the Mother’s Day concert at Montalvo yesterday. It was a great idea to focus on female composers of the past, and also perform the work of contemporary composer Mary Finlayson, who was in the audience. That was fantastic! It was fun when Russell’s mom (who had come all the way from Seattle!) sat down at the piano and played a jazzy little piece with Michel and Daniel, too. Ending the concert on a light-hearted note with a re-tooled version of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely?” was an unexpected surprise. Thanks for a wonderful afternoon celebrating Moms. My mom and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I saw Saint Michael’s trio and they blew me away. THey play classical music and help you understand it and then they play stuff like Led Zeppelin and you can’t believe they’re doing it and it sounds so good. These guys are amazing.
Just read your winter newsletter. The trio is doing really great things. I wish that I lived closer so that I could hear every concert. Keep up the good work. Cindy
What a treat your concert was at the Hinkley Building at BYU. And I really enjoyed your commentary. I learned so much. Good music is rejuvenating! Thank you all.
We thoroughly enjoyed the St. Michael’s Trio. We enjoyed Russell Hancock’s wit and humor and found all three of the gentlemen to be charming. Loved the choice of music–it had a little bit of everything–to please everyone.
I so enjoyed hearing SMT yesterday. I have never been to a concert where I have loved every musical selection so much! I’m looking forward to the next cd– when will it debut?
DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO MEET THESE GUYS. Beyond their incredible talent on their respective instruments, beyond Mr. Hancock’s entertainingly informative presentation, beyond the wonderful sound what I loved the most is their mission. In hopes to educate and grow appreciation for what they see as a genre of music that is largely overlooked and under-appreciated, these gentlemen combine fine chamber music with insightful and educational discussion with the goal that you’ll walk away a little bit more like Mendelssohn. They inspired me to emulate the good qualities of Mendelssohn as he emulated those before him. Fabulous.
I cannot stop enthusing enough about the concert at Menlo College last tnight! It made me so warm and happy, and maybe the best of all was that you brought those young people on stage to play with you. THat is the most wonderful thing, that you are sharing this experience with yougn people. St. Michaels is extraordinary for so many reasons but that one might trump everything becasue you are bringing along the young people.
Thank you again for your chamber music recital this afternoon at Ralston Hall. It was particularly good to hear the music of Brahms and Schumann in that intimate environment.
As you may recall I was a little confused about the Opus No. of the Schumann Piano Quartet in E-flat Major and can now confirm that there was a slight error in your program in that the Piano Quartet movements you played are from Op. 47 and not Op.44. The Piano Quintet in the same key, E-flat Major, is Op. 44.
Anyway I had a most enjoyable afternoon and look forward to the chance to hear the Saint Michael Trio performing again in the near future.
I was at your special "informance" program at Notre Dame University Ralston today and want to thank you veryy much for hitting me right smack in the heart. Nobody has ever opened up music like that for me before. Saint Michaels is very very special to do that, not just the playing but the talking and explaining. it was all amazing.
"Mendelssohn Explained" at Villa Montalvo was terrific!
I brought my wife and three young sons, and we all enjoyed the music and commentary. A great programming concept and fantastic delivery. We hope to remember this concert as one of the formative experiences toward a life-long love of classical music for my kids.
I would have loved to stay to offer my congratulations after the concert, but I was so proud that my kids had stayed quiet and attentive throughout the concert, that I had to reward them with a prompt departure.
Thanks for the enjoyable afternoon and we hope to attend more SMT performances in the future.
I want to thank Saint MIchael’s trio for talking about the music and explaining it. You make it come to life! Concerts are boring but when I coem to Saint Michaels concerts I am riveted and its becausd you explain what’s happening and show how it all works. I’m even bringing my kids to your concerts now and they didn’t want to come because they knew it would be boring but now they love coming. I took music classes when I was in college and they were never this interesting. The talking part is as good as the music! (And the music is really great). Thanks Saint Michaels Trio.
Thanks for a delightful concert tonight. The music was excellent and your commentary made it especially enjoyable and fun–I always love the stories of the Schumanns and Brahms, they are among my favorite composers, not only for their music but for their personal romatic stories as well. You and your colleagues brought their music to life tonight!
Thank you so much for the wonderful concert. I enjoyed every piece and the diverse musical journey. Thank you for teaching us so well the sequence and impact of history and movements. So many people were singing your praises as we all marveled and felt so fortunate to be there. Thank you for so generously giving of your time, talents, and energy to teach and delight and bless others.
yesterday I had a great pleasure to be at the concert Saint Michael Trio in Menlo College Atherton CA. I would like to say thank you for the excelent choice of music, brilliant interpretations of it and the quality time I got. You are great musicians!
Thank you for the wonderful concert last night! I loved the trip through history and your explanation of the movements I had learned about in humanities classes in regards to art. It was so nice to add the musical dimension! And so beautifully rendered.
And your performance of the last number only made all the audience love chamber music even more. It was the perfect lesson that good people are fun. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
As a card-carrying member of the St. Michael Mob, I’m back to congratulate you on another job well done!
Your program tonight was a tour de force of the past 250 years, musically speaking. I loved every minute of it. Not only was it informative but so entertaining. Your sense of humor is captivating – not to mention your musical talent. What a show!!
I attended the St. Michael Trio concert at BYU and I really, really enjoyed it! It was so great to know that the performers don’t devote every single minute of their lives to music, too, that they are well-rounded. Very inspirational.
Unusually uplifting and inspiring. I feel smarter having witnessed these gifted artists. Their calculus is as smooth as an easy dish of addition. Assembly Hall, SLC UT.
That was a most excellent bit of lively music yesterday at NDNU, particularly at such a noble venue. I have attended all of your Menlo College performances over the past few years (I’m an alumnus of the college) and have even seen you at a couple of paid performances. Needless to say, I have thoroughly enjoyed your music, you insight and explanations on musical arrangement, and all of the fun at your gatherings.
My question to you is whether you have any plans on releasing another CD, perhaps one with several of your "light hearted" pieces? Don’t misunderstand me please; I really enjoy your difficult, thought provoking renditions such as the Mendelssohn entourage last year and so on. I have your debut album. But I also really enjoyed your Sweet Georgia Brown, Hiccup de Tango, Claude Bolling jazz, and other such lively renderings. You play them with such flair that I find myself reminiscing, humming, and foot-tapping them out quite often. I’d really love to get many of them on a CD if possible.
I think your entire approach to reviving chamber music, the school programs, and the community is simply wonderful. I can’t imagine where you all find the time to do this all amongst the daily job scene, but more power to you. I truly hope you can continue with such splendor for years to come. Thanks again, and I look forward to our next rendezvous!
Last night’s concert was wonderful. Thank you so much for not only the music, but deepening the appreciation through the insights, notes, personal touches.
The Saint Michael Trio is off the charts. Besides the incredible talent, you have jelled so beautifully as a unit. Not just three incredible musicians, but una voce. You ended the Mendelssohn year in spades.
I can hardly wait to see what 2010 brings to the table!
Bravo! I very much enjoyed the concert which you presented on Friday, November 20, especially the commentary which accompanied the music. I will look forward with great anticipation to hearing about The Saint Michael Trio and their performances in the future. Once again, it was a thrilling performance.
St Michal you guys are just amazing. THanks for making Mendelson so interesting. It’s so much better than just listening to it. And the part about the Bach chorale in the last section was really moving. What a magical and educating evenign you gave us. Im’ telling everybody to see St Michal
what amazing experience from the St Michaels Trio at Menlo College. To hear everything explained was so great. I learned more from that concert and got more inspirred than all the music history classes i took in college.
What a special evening of music you and the St. Michael Trio gave us! It was outstanding. I can’t even begin to find the words to express my admiration and enthusiasm for the wonderful joy, intellectual stimulation and just plain FUN you brought to all of us. Thank you so much for your marvelous gift.
I attended your concert about Mendelson in Los Altos and was enthralled. I’ve never been to a music event that interesting. Thanks for all the explaining and making the composer real. I hope I can come to part 2 when you do it at Menlo College.
Wow. What an awesome experience. I liked it best that they explained everything they were playing and showed us all the history and influences on the composer. It was too funny when the piano player was talking about Beethoven ("she stomped on my heart!") This was not like any concert I’ve ever been to.
I heard St Michael trio present the entire Mendelssohn piece in a concert at Los Altos and it was incredible. It was so much more than a concert. The music was superb but the narration in between the pieces was so informative and interesting and it made everything come alive. I never got so much out of a concert before.
Incredibly moving experience, watching and listening to the trio, upfront, and personal. Their artistry combined with an emotional interpretation of the Mendelssohn pieces made for an unforgetable evening.
St Michael was awesome tonight at Tateuchi Hall. You guys did it all! Everything from serious classical (you rocked it) to jazz to you cracked me up with the hiccup routine! Where in the world did you come up with that piece? Saint Michael Trio is amazig.
Genious! What a fantastic lecture/concert you gave this evening. I’ve never heard a better musical seminar than the Saint Michael Trio presented tonight. I could hardly contain myself in my seat.
Thankyou many times over for sharing your great musical gifts. I don’t know how the three of you have time for your day jobs.
What a GREAT tribute to Mendelssohn’s life and works. I thoroughly enjoyed your program – as always – yet even more. The format was fantastic and a wonderful gift to someone like myself who enjoys music but knows little to nothing about its history or its making. Thank you guys so much for your generous gift(s).
Pejmon Sadri
Excellent music, entertainment and performed in the most gracious manner. Thank you, thank you and thank you agan. I saw the original performance and was most impresed.
My sons are studying piano and they heard your concert at Menlo College. The other day they heard you playing on the radio and they were so proud! They came running to tell me.
Thank You For coming to jordan today! Your Preformance was awesome! My favorite music that you played were the jazz ones. You are the BEST music players i’ve ever heard! You ROCK:-) :p Your music was overall fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Saint Michael’s Trio rocked!! Thanks for coming over to Jordan Middle school to perform to us. I especially liked the Piazzolla and Scherzo. Your jazz music was outstanding. It is so awesome that you got to come to our summer school. I never knew people with other jobs other than music can play music like professional musicians!!! Special Thanks to the Trio who came to perform for us at summer school. I would love to see your concert in September. Good Luck!! YOU ROCK!!!!!!:)
I listen to your CD in my car all the time! And when I have passengers with me I play it for them and they don’t believe me when I tell them I’ve met you guys!
Thank you for a stunning evening of music including selections we would probably have never heard elsewhere! We all hope you have plans to do a cd of that program…but, of course, with the addition of your Sweet Georgia Brown . . . . Mega Bravos, Lynn Szekely
I want to thank you guys for playing Cinema Paradiso at your concert. I think that is the most beautiful piece ever. It was so gorgeous the way you played it. It was mesmerizing. I love that movie and the music is to die for. You guys really know how to play it so it brings out all the emotion. My heart thanks you.
I heard these guys last night for the first time and was blown out of the water. I didn’t know what to expect, but I sure didn’t expect to be rocked out of my socks. They seem like normal guys–and they are normal guys–but when they start playing something happens. They make you laugh, and then they turn around and plays something that makes you cry or gives you shivers. It was incredible. I love it when life brings you sweet surprises.
The Saint Michael Trio is the most fabulous group of Musicians around. How lucky we are to have such talented and generous folks sharing their talents with us!
I got talked into going to the concert last night and I didn’t think I would enjoy it. Guess what? I was enthralled. This isn’t boring at all. What St Michel does is quite exciting and very entertaining. Graet enegy guys. Beautiful sounds.
I may have misspoken after the Presidio concert last night. Fred Astaire introduced "Lovely to Look At" in the film "Roberta." He sang "The Way You look Tonight" in "Swingtime." I sometimes confuse the two — as well as other things. No confusion about how enjoyable the concert was.
You guys are really great! My friend took me to your concert in Tateuchi Hall and I thought it would be boring, but it wasn’t! It was amazing! When do you guys find time to practice? since you have busy careers and families and everything? We were talking out in the audience and we were trying to figure out how you manage it all. Whatever, I hope you keep playing and I’m going to be listening to your CD now.
I was listening to you play the Mendelssohn on your CD in the car today, and it is like listening to fire! It’s such an amazing piece (the C minor) and you guys are dazzling with it. I love the St Michael Trio!!!
hi Masters!! i´m from México and i hear you on youtube, im a pianist and i play in a trio, actually we are playing the Piazzolla´s four seasons. And i really love your interpretation!!….and i have a question, do you give master classes?
Hello Saint Michael Trio! I bought your CD and it’s terrific. I listened to it in my car driving from here to Santa Barbara and back again. I know it backwards and forwards now! I’m going to give one to each of my kids for Christmas. It’s really wonderful.
What was the second piece you played last Friday? I think I heard that at my sister’s wedding and it wiped me out. Are you going to record that any time soon?
I experienced the trio for the first time at the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts on January 5 and it was absolutely wonderful. I was invited by a friend from church and now I would like to share this gift and experience with family and friends.
I thoroughly enjoyed your gala. I found your “recertification” frame for the concert hilarious and a great way to connect with the audience. We hear a lot about outreach to build an audience for classical music, but what I think is most important is “in-reach” – connecting to people in your immediate social vicinity and connecting the music to life today. Congratulations.
Bravo! Bravissimo! What an enchanting evening — truly wonderful. I’m so glad I could share in the gala celebration. And, I brought a friend who had never been to a Saint Michael concert. You now have a new groupie. She was blown away.
The new composition was extraordinary. How great that you could have the composer there that evening. I’m sure he was thrilled. And the vocalist was absolutely incredible. Not sure where you found her, but the collaboration is perfect. The percussionist and the bassist too are incredible.
Just a magical evening all the way around. I was thrilled to be there.
Hello Saint Michael Boys:
It’s Monday but I’m still thinking about your wonderful and amazing concert Saturday night at the gala. I can’t stop smiling. There was just so much to take in: the amazing singer (have her back!), and the music of the new composer. He is clearly very very talented and highly deserving of the medal you hung from his neck. What a great idea, to have Saint Michael Laureates.
And then the conviviality during the reception was joyful and nobody wanted to go home.
Every piece was riveting. Even the earliest baroque music, clear through the barnstorming with the jazz. But when the woman came on again to sing Over the Rainbow I lost it. What an incredibly emotional rendering of that chestnut.
Long live the Saint Michael trio.
Nice app too.
Thank you for a marvelous concert Saturday night! Every piece was totally enjoyable and moving. I’m still grinning from it and I felt inspired to be a better person.
We attended the Saint Michael Trio performance on Saturday. We had such a fun time. It was so thoroughly enjoyable and enriching.
what a fantastic evening! the programming was a delight! you guys all played so beautifully and with such spirit! hearing the divine kari kirk was amazing! she added so much with her stunning performances……
What a hit last night! ….adding to the trio with bass and drums clearly caught the audience’s attention, and the vocalist just took it up another notch!! She was terrific and had such a vocal range!
Loved the new Bunch piece!
Last night was an evening of exquisite and beautiful music!! What a treat to enjoy Kari Kirk’s stunning and angelic voice — Kari’s singing touched the hearts of us all… Such a treat — thank you!!
Dear Saint Michael’s Trio,
Last evening’s performance was amazing — Carri Kirk’s singing was exquisite!!! Your music was inspiring and touched many hearts!!! Thank you for sharing your love of Music and the Arts with us here in Silicon Valley!!!
Last night was pure bliss. The selection of “literature” from classical chamber music to Stevie Wonder amazed. Kerry Kirk was utterly awe-inspiring – Edith Piaf and Judy Garland would want to claw her eyes out for outdoing them with their hits. I, too, was a weeping fool by the big finish with you all. I can’t remember a more enjoyable night of live music. Thank you!!!
What a stunning program you had last evening! We sat in amazement at the wonderful variety and great delivery skills. We loved it.
I am absolutely in awe as I reflect on last nights performance at the Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. The proud mayor, and the glorious Keri were great little punches and the composer’s award was brilliant.
When you played the new Wilson piece with the hand claps, two random children seated quite apart from one another began clapping with their hands in the air. Ohhhh so adorable.
The music carried me away. It lulled me, challenged me and inspired me.
I had the fortune of attending last night’s concert in Mountain Viiew. It was my first observance of the Saint Michael Trio. And it was a pure delight. The music was moving and transcending, especially as it moved from soft, gentle tones to explosive tempo in the original pieces. The music was played with heart, soul and feeling and that is precisely how the music moved through me as I listened in the upper balcony. Kari Kirk provided an angelic voice , which along with the music, left tears in my eyes, especially during the haunting rhythms of “Over the Rainbow.” A beautiful concert from musicians who not only play their instruments but who are one with them. Thank you Saint Michael Trio for such a rewarding experience.
Dear Saint Mike: I wanted you to know how much we enjoyed the concert at the Center for Performing Arts tonight. I’m amazed at the talented and tonight, beautiful rabbits you continue to pull out of your magical hat. Kari’s voice and her wonderful vocal lilt and impressions she adds so fits the quality of the Trio! The last number literally left me eye-watering in its beauty. Thanks so much.
Such a smash hit at the gala tonight!
Where on earth did you find Kari Kirk? She was sensational. The mayor! The composer! You just kept pulling tricks out of the hat. I loved every minute of it, but especially the fantastic music.
Saint Michael Trio, your music is the music I expect to hear in heaven!
The Saint Michael Trio’s wit, culture, vim, and moxie unite for a theatrical, and dare I say educational, tour de force rarely seen in Silicon Valley.
Does anybody there have tickets for the Gala?
My kingdom for two tickets!
Hello:
I have been trying to get tickets over the last few weeks to the Jan. 5 Gala. No success.
Today, I finally went to the Box office in person, to find out thatit was sold out.
Would there be a possibility to buy 1 ticket in advance, becasue I cannot stand in line for an extended time.
I would much appreciate a response,
Maria Erdi
Hello Amigos. I am Edgardo Rodriguez and I listen to your CD in Cristo Sandoval. It is such beautiful music!
I’m trying to get tickets to the St. Michaels Trio gala. The website says it is sold out. Will there be rush tickets? Any standing room?
Was riveted by your brilliant and fascinating Debussy Informance, aired from Menlo College by the Palo Alto Media Center this evening. I was glued to the TV – and was magnetized by the explanation of the three scales that Debussy used: heptatonic, pentatonic (black notes), and Oh no! I’ve forgotten the name of the third scale! Anyway, I am now inspired not only to read about Debussy’s life and innovations, but also to listen to his piano trio on Youtube (Is the St.Michael Trio on Youtube?), and to begin learning some music theory. Infinite thanks for all your work and educating – and fun – that you bring to us.
Many, many thanks for a superb performance at The Hamilton on Wednesday! I have never seen our residents so enthusiastic and full of praise for an event. Your musicality and virtuosity, along with your incredible ability to connect with the audience are amazing.
Your performance at The Hamilton today was THE BEST EVER presented here! You all are not only so accomplished, but so unique. We all loved it.
With gratitude,
Carol Gilbert
Your concert Friday night at Stanford was spectacular. Your mission to excite joy in chamber music took a giant leap forward.
And what an enormous audience! You are setting everyone on fire.
You’re not like anything else around.
I just want to say “wow!” Great performance at Stanford last Friday! It really was superb. Great turnout, great response, great evening.
Thanks for the joy and education you give to so many of us.
I went to Stanford last night for a Saint Michael Trio concert – one of their incomparable “informances” on Mendelssohn. It was fabulous!
My friends and I are so thrilled and enthusiastic about them. They truly are unique and SO talented. I go to many good musical performances but I’d rate them at the top of the list.
There you go again…!!!!!
I don’t know why I ever think your next concert can’t possibly be any better than the last one. You outdid yourself tonight at Stanford.
Your Mendelssohn “informance” was FABULOUS!
Talk about the genius category…
Your art has enhanced my life, Trio.
Thank you,
Marilyn
by far the most illuminating chamber concert i’ve ever attended. and i’ve interned at Carnegie Hall.
Listened to “Magic Hour” from your Mood Swings CD during the drive to school–helped put my kids in a good mood after their usual morning grumpiness. Thanks Saint Mike!
The “French Fusion” CD of St. MIke is enough to make me wish to learn the piano, violin and cello!
I might describe like retro chamber music from another era in jazz-fusion original compositions distinctly modern. Even this decription does not suffice. Warmth and energy from the sounds.
Saint Michael Trio’s music will make your spirits soar. Lively and joyful at some points, emotional and interpretative at others – their “French Fusion” CD has something for everyone. I was impressed by the wonderful musicianship of this trio!
I listened to your “Mood Swings” CD today. What a pleasure. It did, as the cover properly boasted, produce a mood change. I listened as I was driving home from a tense situation but was able to focus only on your music. I knew that it would be accomplished, but it turned out to be more: a delight, a lovely and lively tapestry. You have given me pleasure.
We first heard your music while channel surfing. You were on community access, and it stopped us dead in our tracks. That doesn’t happen often! (“Who IS that?!”) We were thrilled to hear you in person at Channing House.
What a gift your music is. I once listened to music of all kinds all the time, but after a long illness find I don’t emotionally connect with music the same way. Your music is an exception. It is loved by all generations in our home.
We LOVE you guys! We saw you at the Channing House and are definitely hoping to be there at the Mtn View Ctr this year. I tell everyone about you because there are so many kids who have diverse interests in this area, and you are an inspiration for kids who love music and science. Plus the music is so listenable, our 11-year-old has it on the Apple TV playing all the time.
Your Debussy informance at Menlo College couldn’t have had more perfect timing, as I had just come back from a semester’s study of Debussy. I couldn’t help but notice that the style of your presentation exemplified many of the aesthetic qualities of Debussy’s craft. As such, I appreciated your “impression” of the man and his music not only for its faithfulness, but also for its elegance, humor, and accessibility.
I’m the composer of the RUNAWAY BUNNY. I just saw a DVD version of the concert here in NYC. What a pleasure! That must have been an AMAZING concert! I hope the audience enjoyed it as much as I did!!!
Thank you so much for the nourishing concert today. We so much appreciate hearing your instruments and the music in such immediate surroundings. It’s a real gift to all of us who attend.
We bought the “Mood Swings” disc, and we’re enjoying it very much. Thank you.
Your wonderful performance at Saratoga Foothill Club was outstanding! Your combination of great music, good humor, information, entertainment, talent and ability is legendary and I can’t find enough superlatives to describe the pleasure you bring.
Thank you for a memorable evening in Saratoga at the Foothill Club. I’m looking forward to more.
I love St. Michael the archangel and I love your music.. How did you come up with the name? Please, please, please, could you come to Mountain Home, Arkansas to play for some wonderful homeschool teenagers?
Love ya,
cindy demers
I want you to know that I have felt so uplifted all week by your outstanding music. Attending your concert made me realize I need to take more time in my life to appreciate the arts and experience beauty. A few of your gorgeous selections brought me to tears — it’s so amazing what power music has to express human emotion. I really appreciate the time and effort you all invest into creating such beautiful music.
We absolutely loved your performance Saturday night at Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. We heard you when you were just starting out, and we heard you at Menlo College, but we are thinking you three have moved beyond that to an extreme level. We are glad to hear you are branching out to more locations so more people can enjoy your wonderful performances. We will be able to say we knew you when! Can’t wait to hear you at Stanford.
Thank you for an inspired and outstanding performance at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, and a gracious reception following.
A bit of the lyrics from your encore piece reminds me of an apt expression of my feelings tonight: you were all aglow…and deservedly so. Congratulations on bringing to pass a wonderful creation that teaches, elevates, and contributes….all, and yet only, for the
love of it. Though they might exist, I’ve not heard of such a musical endeavor before. Congratulations to all of you!
That was some concert Saturday night. You really wowed us all and had us eating out of your hand!
What a great coup for you 3 and all the work you’ve put into the trio. Thank you for making such exciting music available to us and in such a fun way. Imagine filling up the Performing Arts Center! That was amazing and wonderful.
Best wishes as you continue on this remarkable journey.
I attended your gala fifth anniversary at the Performing Arts Center in Mountain View and it was a wonderful amazing evening, from the music (so amazing) to the lovely reception with sparkling drinks and chocoloates. It was just so lovely in every way and everybody around me was saying how much they love St Michaels trio. Even the ushers were saying how nobody sells out the hall any more and that people were all dressed to the nines and having such a nice time. They never see that. St Michaels trio has a special kind of magic.
Dear Saint Michael Trio: I attended your five year anniversary concert, and it was marvelous. I had a great time- and enjoyed every minute of it. I bought your jazz cd, and I have been listening to it every since.
You truly have a musical gift- thank you so much for sharing it with everyone and inspiring all of us!
Your concert at the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts on Saturday was beyond words. BRAVO!!
Honestly, you took the roof off tonight! Nothing more I can say.
(You keep mentioning summer camps for youth. I have a candidate when you’re open for business.)
I’m completely enamored with Saint Mike’s new CD. It has all my favorites, from Morten Lauridsen to . . . Led Zeppelin? “Mood Swings” is right. No longer content with mere musical expression, technical facility, and tight ensemble, the Saint Michael Trio now demonstrates its leadership by taking chamber music to a brand new audience. George Gershwin, Stevie Wonder, Sweet Georgia Brown . . . I’ve had the disc on continuous repeat all week. I’m adding it to the play list for my next party. A treasure!
Saint Michael Trio’s new CD is amazing. The range of different kinds of music that this group can toss out is just extraordinary. Every piece is perfect, a mix of fascinating rhythms, haunting lyrical passages, energy and feeling. The background music for Schindler’s List and for Cinema Paradiso is unforgettable. I got a disc, listened to it over and over (couldn’t stop), then ordered a bunch to give as Christmas gifts. I think my friends will love them.
WOW – I’m now a die-hard Saint Michael Trio fan. My sister Mimi and I just got back from the Montalvo event – first time I’ve heard you perform – and definitely not the last. I was enthralled. Intimate venue, inspired (who ever would have guessed they work so well together) music selection and lively educational patter. Such a fun way to learn about music. It was great to sit so close to the ‘action’ and feel so much a part of the wondrous synergy and elegant music making. We loved it!!! Thank you for gracing the world with your talent.
The Saint Michael Trio is amazing and so is this new CD, “Warning–May Cause Mood Swings.” The first two tracks of Georgia Brown and Cinema Paradiso sum up the playing: music that puts a spring in your step and then brings a tear to your eye. It’s like that all the way through this disc. I must have listened to Cinema Paradiso alone a half-dozen times. Hiccup De Tango made me laugh out loud (really!) and I never would have thought Stevie Wonder and Led Zeppelin would sound so great for strings. This CD definitely causes mood swings and always to the best points along the emotional scale. I think this is a great selection for first-time listeners to piano trio chamber music.
Saint Mike, your enthusiasm for performance and deep passion for music are beautifully captured in your new record, “Warning–May Cause Mood Swings.” Playful and powerful, bound to move you.
Hallo Rusty, Michel, and Danny!
Congratulations on your release of your excellent “Warning” CD. It has many of my favorites that I so much wanted a recording of when I first heard them years ago. Thanks much! As much as I have enjoyed your Debut CD, your “Warning” CD has me reeling with joy. I simply cannot wipe the silly grin off of my face whenever I am listening to it. Such fun! I can distinctly remember Michel spinning his cello, Danny hitting the high notes, and Rusty tickling the ivories on such lively pieces. Ha!
Secondly, that was quite a surprise when you gathered all of your talented helpers at St. Marks….and then allowed me to come up and share the stage with them. That was quite fun. I also really appreciate your framed signed CD gift, which I have already mounted on the wall in my den. If I helped inspire you all to get the new CD “in gear”, then I will be happy to continue to do so with more donations for such a wonderful cause. It surely paid off!
The three of you really have a talent for teaching many how to appreciate chamber music…along with a bit of jazz thrown in. What a gem. I truly hope you three will continue for many years to enjoy your quest to educate and entertain the public, to gather more admirers and supporters of your foundation, and to have fun doing so.
Thanks again, and I’ll see you once again soon.
All the best, Jack
Indeed tonight’s concert WAS lovely! The varied selections showcased the range of what you offer on the CD. I have been listening to it and I really like what you have selected that will cause my mood swings to only raise!
I was especially touched when you asked composer Mary Finlayson to come and join you. Her music soars with the rest of the selections you played. I know she was shyly pleased to be recognized.
I have loved every Saint Michael trio concert I have attended. Thank you for brightening the world.
Saint Michael Trio is the best!
Long live the Saint Michael Trio!
great music making and a good show – nice to dispense w/ opus #’s and all that apparatus.
Fantastic concert for our Music at Kohl Mansion donors event last night. The sound was exquisite in the Great Hall. Full of energy and fun, with fine playing. Come again. Thank you.
Saint Michael Trio you are incredible. beautiful playing and great gab too. I heard you at Notre Dame and it was amazing.
We loved the Haydn “trial” on Sunday. Mr. Hancock is a natural teacher and the playing was superb. We brought guests from out of the country and they too were greatly impressed. Thank you Saint Michael Trio.
I am a big fan..have been giving out the Saint Michael Debut album as gifts for months…looking forward to the new album.
My neighbor couldn’t get over the Saint Michael Trio concert last week. We talked musically all the way home. And here’s the thing: as we walked away from chatting in the lobby she asked me again for your names. When she heard, she said “I thought I recognized them.” And proceeded to tell me about you guys playing in the Bing atrium at Stanford Hospital a year ago when her husband was there. She heard the music from his room and came out to listen. She said it was so beautiful –”it melted and healed, and then tore you up at the same time.” Sadly, her husband passed away that very night. She felt you had played him to heaven.
Friday’s concert was magnificent! It was soul restoring and moved me to tears. It was just what I needed. Thank you so very much!
Thanks for a very entertaining concert last night.
I would like the doctor to borrow a better fiddle for the performances. His technique is perfect. He should be playing a Stradivarius. Perhaps check ebay or Craigslist for a used Strad or Guarneri?
We absolutely loved the Saint Michael Trio concert last night.
Saint Michael Trio blew me away. Those guys are amazing. I’ve never had that much fun at a concert. Such variety! There was something for every one!
Sirs: Your playing at the Triple Helix event at Stanford was most inspiring. Such interesting repertoire. Magnifique. Please bring your music to France.
Saint Michael Trio rocks. What a great idea, putting Haydn on trial like that. It was so interesting how you showed all his different contributions and then played everything. Nobody does what you guys do. You rock.
I saw Mr. Hancock and St Michael Trio last night at Menlo College do this very cool program “acquitting” Hadyn from peopel who think he was a lesser composer.
But then I was in Oakland tonight, and there was Mr. Hancock again, only this time he was playing Rhapsody in Blue with the Oakland Symphony, the one at the Temple Hill. Baroque one night, jazzy Gershwin the next night. Mr. Hanckock how do you do that?
And you are a consummate showman. It was as fun watching it as hearing it.
Thank you for an amazing extremely informative and fun presentation about Haydn.
Wow. I went to the mock “trial” Saint Michaels Trio held at Menlo College last night, defending the music of Haydn. It was amazing. I always thought Haydn was a lesser composer. People always told me “If it’s beautiful and complicated it’s Mozart and if it’s simple and pretty it’s Haydn” but they were wrong! Saint Michael helped me see that Haydn is a great composer in his own right. What Saaint Michaels does is truly amazing. These guys are the greatest.
St Michael was amazing at Montalvo on Mothers’ day. Thanks for an afternoon of pure enchantment.
The Saint Michael Mother’s Day concert at Montalvo Arts Center was incredible! I took my wife because it was mother’s day and I knew she would enjoy it, but I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did! The Trio isn’t like a stuffy classical music outfit. They’re interesting and engaging and informative. And they got everybody sighing “Awww” when they brought their own mothers up, flown in special for the occasion. It was also amazing to hear the world premiere of the new composer, a woman who was in attendance. Her music is very appealing. I’m a new St Michael Trio fan.
I have been telling my family about the St. Michael Trio for some time, so I brought my daughter and son-in-law to the Mother’s Day Concert at Montalvo Sunday, and they enjoyed it as much as I did. I flinched when I heard the words ‘modern composer’ but Mary Finlayson’s music was delightful – hope we hear more of her music. Thanks for another great concert and a wonderful afternoon.
Loved the Mother’s Day concert at Montalvo yesterday. It was a great idea to focus on female composers of the past, and also perform the work of contemporary composer Mary Finlayson, who was in the audience. That was fantastic! It was fun when Russell’s mom (who had come all the way from Seattle!) sat down at the piano and played a jazzy little piece with Michel and Daniel, too. Ending the concert on a light-hearted note with a re-tooled version of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely?” was an unexpected surprise. Thanks for a wonderful afternoon celebrating Moms. My mom and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I saw Saint Michael’s trio and they blew me away. THey play classical music and help you understand it and then they play stuff like Led Zeppelin and you can’t believe they’re doing it and it sounds so good. These guys are amazing.
Just read your winter newsletter. The trio is doing really great things. I wish that I lived closer so that I could hear every concert. Keep up the good work. Cindy
What a treat your concert was at the Hinkley Building at BYU. And I really enjoyed your commentary. I learned so much. Good music is rejuvenating! Thank you all.
We thoroughly enjoyed the St. Michael’s Trio. We enjoyed Russell Hancock’s wit and humor and found all three of the gentlemen to be charming. Loved the choice of music–it had a little bit of everything–to please everyone.
I so enjoyed hearing SMT yesterday. I have never been to a concert where I have loved every musical selection so much! I’m looking forward to the next cd– when will it debut?
The concert last night was wonderful…I can’t remember anything that I have enjoyed so much at the club.
The St. Michael Trio was absolutely marvelous. I had a smile on my face the whole concert and was amazed at the quality of their music.
DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO MEET THESE GUYS. Beyond their incredible talent on their respective instruments, beyond Mr. Hancock’s entertainingly informative presentation, beyond the wonderful sound what I loved the most is their mission. In hopes to educate and grow appreciation for what they see as a genre of music that is largely overlooked and under-appreciated, these gentlemen combine fine chamber music with insightful and educational discussion with the goal that you’ll walk away a little bit more like Mendelssohn. They inspired me to emulate the good qualities of Mendelssohn as he emulated those before him. Fabulous.
Wow! What a show at Menlo College. I can’t find enough superlatives. The two high school students were real finds.
I cannot stop enthusing enough about the concert at Menlo College last tnight! It made me so warm and happy, and maybe the best of all was that you brought those young people on stage to play with you. THat is the most wonderful thing, that you are sharing this experience with yougn people. St. Michaels is extraordinary for so many reasons but that one might trump everything becasue you are bringing along the young people.
Your concert at Menlo College was so many things: mesmerizing, surprising, uplifting. It was an evening of enchantment.
Thank you again for your chamber music recital this afternoon at Ralston Hall. It was particularly good to hear the music of Brahms and Schumann in that intimate environment.
As you may recall I was a little confused about the Opus No. of the Schumann Piano Quartet in E-flat Major and can now confirm that there was a slight error in your program in that the Piano Quartet movements you played are from Op. 47 and not Op.44. The Piano Quintet in the same key, E-flat Major, is Op. 44.
Anyway I had a most enjoyable afternoon and look forward to the chance to hear the Saint Michael Trio performing again in the near future.
Thanks,
Martin Lilley
I was at your special "informance" program at Notre Dame University Ralston today and want to thank you veryy much for hitting me right smack in the heart. Nobody has ever opened up music like that for me before. Saint Michaels is very very special to do that, not just the playing but the talking and explaining. it was all amazing.
Your concert at Notre Dame University today was beyond great. It was magnificent!
VERY INTERESTING
"Mendelssohn Explained" at Villa Montalvo was terrific!
I brought my wife and three young sons, and we all enjoyed the music and commentary. A great programming concept and fantastic delivery. We hope to remember this concert as one of the formative experiences toward a life-long love of classical music for my kids.
I would have loved to stay to offer my congratulations after the concert, but I was so proud that my kids had stayed quiet and attentive throughout the concert, that I had to reward them with a prompt departure.
Thanks for the enjoyable afternoon and we hope to attend more SMT performances in the future.
I was privileged to be in the audience at Villa Montalvo yesterday, and it was spectacular. Saint Michael Trio brought Mendelssohn to life.
I heard the trio last night for the first time and was blown away. You guys are incredible.
I want to thank Saint MIchael’s trio for talking about the music and explaining it. You make it come to life! Concerts are boring but when I coem to Saint Michaels concerts I am riveted and its becausd you explain what’s happening and show how it all works. I’m even bringing my kids to your concerts now and they didn’t want to come because they knew it would be boring but now they love coming. I took music classes when I was in college and they were never this interesting. The talking part is as good as the music! (And the music is really great). Thanks Saint Michaels Trio.
We were talking among ourselves last night and decided we want to get t-shirts that say "Saint Michael Trio" and be your groupies
You boys outdid yourselves tonight. What glorious music! And it WAS complicated; but is no longer, thanks to your entertaining narrative.
Thanks for a delightful concert tonight. The music was excellent and your commentary made it especially enjoyable and fun–I always love the stories of the Schumanns and Brahms, they are among my favorite composers, not only for their music but for their personal romatic stories as well. You and your colleagues brought their music to life tonight!
Thank you so much for the wonderful concert. I enjoyed every piece and the diverse musical journey. Thank you for teaching us so well the sequence and impact of history and movements. So many people were singing your praises as we all marveled and felt so fortunate to be there. Thank you for so generously giving of your time, talents, and energy to teach and delight and bless others.
The concert last night was very awesome! So much talent!
yesterday I had a great pleasure to be at the concert Saint Michael Trio in Menlo College Atherton CA. I would like to say thank you for the excelent choice of music, brilliant interpretations of it and the quality time I got. You are great musicians!
Your concert was, as usual, outstanding. Please keep me on your mailing list.
Your “Stairway to Heaven” was the best. version. EVER !!! Rock on Saint Michael Trio!
Thank you for the wonderful concert last night! I loved the trip through history and your explanation of the movements I had learned about in humanities classes in regards to art. It was so nice to add the musical dimension! And so beautifully rendered.
And your performance of the last number only made all the audience love chamber music even more. It was the perfect lesson that good people are fun. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
As a card-carrying member of the St. Michael Mob, I’m back to congratulate you on another job well done!
Your program tonight was a tour de force of the past 250 years, musically speaking. I loved every minute of it. Not only was it informative but so entertaining. Your sense of humor is captivating – not to mention your musical talent. What a show!!
Just wanted to thank you for a spectacular concert last night at Menlo College. I absolutely loved the choices and your playing was extraordinary.
I attended the St. Michael Trio concert at BYU and I really, really enjoyed it! It was so great to know that the performers don’t devote every single minute of their lives to music, too, that they are well-rounded. Very inspirational.
Went to the concert at the Assembly Hall in Sat Lake City. Wow. What an ensemble!
Your concert at Brigham Young University was inspiring! What a show!
Thank you for that nourishing, beautiful concert. It was a tonic for me.
Unusually uplifting and inspiring. I feel smarter having witnessed these gifted artists. Their calculus is as smooth as an easy dish of addition. Assembly Hall, SLC UT.
That was a most excellent bit of lively music yesterday at NDNU, particularly at such a noble venue. I have attended all of your Menlo College performances over the past few years (I’m an alumnus of the college) and have even seen you at a couple of paid performances. Needless to say, I have thoroughly enjoyed your music, you insight and explanations on musical arrangement, and all of the fun at your gatherings.
My question to you is whether you have any plans on releasing another CD, perhaps one with several of your "light hearted" pieces? Don’t misunderstand me please; I really enjoy your difficult, thought provoking renditions such as the Mendelssohn entourage last year and so on. I have your debut album. But I also really enjoyed your Sweet Georgia Brown, Hiccup de Tango, Claude Bolling jazz, and other such lively renderings. You play them with such flair that I find myself reminiscing, humming, and foot-tapping them out quite often. I’d really love to get many of them on a CD if possible.
I think your entire approach to reviving chamber music, the school programs, and the community is simply wonderful. I can’t imagine where you all find the time to do this all amongst the daily job scene, but more power to you. I truly hope you can continue with such splendor for years to come. Thanks again, and I look forward to our next rendezvous!
Last night’s concert was wonderful. Thank you so much for not only the music, but deepening the appreciation through the insights, notes, personal touches.
The Saint Michael Trio is off the charts. Besides the incredible talent, you have jelled so beautifully as a unit. Not just three incredible musicians, but una voce. You ended the Mendelssohn year in spades.
I can hardly wait to see what 2010 brings to the table!
Bravo! I very much enjoyed the concert which you presented on Friday, November 20, especially the commentary which accompanied the music. I will look forward with great anticipation to hearing about The Saint Michael Trio and their performances in the future. Once again, it was a thrilling performance.
St Michal you guys are just amazing. THanks for making Mendelson so interesting. It’s so much better than just listening to it. And the part about the Bach chorale in the last section was really moving. What a magical and educating evenign you gave us. Im’ telling everybody to see St Michal
what amazing experience from the St Michaels Trio at Menlo College. To hear everything explained was so great. I learned more from that concert and got more inspirred than all the music history classes i took in college.
What a special evening of music you and the St. Michael Trio gave us! It was outstanding. I can’t even begin to find the words to express my admiration and enthusiasm for the wonderful joy, intellectual stimulation and just plain FUN you brought to all of us. Thank you so much for your marvelous gift.
I attended your concert about Mendelson in Los Altos and was enthralled. I’ve never been to a music event that interesting. Thanks for all the explaining and making the composer real. I hope I can come to part 2 when you do it at Menlo College.
Wow. What an awesome experience. I liked it best that they explained everything they were playing and showed us all the history and influences on the composer. It was too funny when the piano player was talking about Beethoven ("she stomped on my heart!") This was not like any concert I’ve ever been to.
I heard St Michael trio present the entire Mendelssohn piece in a concert at Los Altos and it was incredible. It was so much more than a concert. The music was superb but the narration in between the pieces was so informative and interesting and it made everything come alive. I never got so much out of a concert before.
Incredibly moving experience, watching and listening to the trio, upfront, and personal. Their artistry combined with an emotional interpretation of the Mendelssohn pieces made for an unforgetable evening.
Your Montalvo performance was sensational. I’ve been to performances at the Villa for years and years and yours is the one that moved me the most.
What an amazing concert!!! You guys should be playing in Carnegie Hall!
St Michael was awesome tonight at Tateuchi Hall. You guys did it all! Everything from serious classical (you rocked it) to jazz to you cracked me up with the hiccup routine! Where in the world did you come up with that piece? Saint Michael Trio is amazig.
Genious! What a fantastic lecture/concert you gave this evening. I’ve never heard a better musical seminar than the Saint Michael Trio presented tonight. I could hardly contain myself in my seat.
Thankyou many times over for sharing your great musical gifts. I don’t know how the three of you have time for your day jobs.
What a GREAT tribute to Mendelssohn’s life and works. I thoroughly enjoyed your program – as always – yet even more. The format was fantastic and a wonderful gift to someone like myself who enjoys music but knows little to nothing about its history or its making. Thank you guys so much for your generous gift(s).
Pejmon Sadri
Excellent music, entertainment and performed in the most gracious manner. Thank you, thank you and thank you agan. I saw the original performance and was most impresed.
My sons are studying piano and they heard your concert at Menlo College. The other day they heard you playing on the radio and they were so proud! They came running to tell me.
I’m listening to your CD in Brazil and I love it. It is one of only five CDs I have with me right now, and it is brilliant.
I loved your performance last week at Jordan!!!
Heard you at Jordan and loved it!!!
Your concert at Jordan was great!!! I’m definitely going to see your concerts!
The best I’ve ever heard. Wonderful. Come back to Jordan to perform again!
Thank You For coming to jordan today! Your Preformance was awesome! My favorite music that you played were the jazz ones. You are the BEST music players i’ve ever heard! You ROCK:-) :p
Your music was overall fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You Rock!!!
The Saint Michael’s Trio rocked!! Thanks for coming over to Jordan Middle school to perform to us. I especially liked the Piazzolla and Scherzo. Your jazz music was outstanding. It is so awesome that you got to come to our summer school. I never knew people with other jobs other than music can play music like professional musicians!!! Special Thanks to the Trio who came to perform for us at summer school. I would love to see your concert in September. Good Luck!! YOU ROCK!!!!!!:)
great Job at Jordan Middle School. Thanks for coming. You were awesome. Best of luck on your next performances.
AMAZING!!!!!!!
your the best players I ever heard! thanks for coming to jordan summer school to perform. Your awesome players. Keep it up!!!!!!!
I listen to your CD in my car all the time! And when I have passengers with me I play it for them and they don’t believe me when I tell them I’ve met you guys!
Thank you for a stunning evening of music including selections we would probably have never heard elsewhere! We all hope you have plans to do a cd of that program…but, of course, with the addition of your Sweet Georgia Brown . . . . Mega Bravos, Lynn Szekely
Cinema Paradiso was amazing. Will you guys PLEASE put that on your next recording?
I want to thank you guys for playing Cinema Paradiso at your concert. I think that is the most beautiful piece ever. It was so gorgeous the way you played it. It was mesmerizing. I love that movie and the music is to die for. You guys really know how to play it so it brings out all the emotion. My heart thanks you.
When you guys play, it’s not like the music is coming out of the instruments. It’s like the music is coming out of YOU!
CONGRATULATIONS for a fabulous concert this evening!! I’m a Piazzolla fan. The Saint Michael Trio is on the road to greatness!
Thank you for a delight-filled evening – neat selections and beautifully-blended ensemble!
The evening flies by, it is such a joy to experience. I love the variety.
We are totally enjoying our Saint Michael Trio experiences. The SMT is a treat to listen to and learn from.
We heard you in concert last night at the LDS church and we were astonished beyond words.
Wow.
In a word, WOW! I am at a loss for superlatives. You guys are unreal.
I heard these guys last night for the first time and was blown out of the water. I didn’t know what to expect, but I sure didn’t expect to be rocked out of my socks. They seem like normal guys–and they are normal guys–but when they start playing something happens. They make you laugh, and then they turn around and plays something that makes you cry or gives you shivers. It was incredible. I love it when life brings you sweet surprises.
The Saint Michael Trio is a Bay Area treasure!
Can’t get enough. Keep it coming!
The Saint Michael Trio is the most fabulous group of Musicians around. How lucky we are to have such talented and generous folks sharing their talents with us!
I got talked into going to the concert last night and I didn’t think I would enjoy it. Guess what? I was enthralled. This isn’t boring at all. What St Michel does is quite exciting and very entertaining. Graet enegy guys. Beautiful sounds.
I have never enjoyed chamber music as much as I enjoyed it last night. Your concert at the Presidio was amazing.
I may have misspoken after the Presidio concert last night. Fred Astaire introduced "Lovely to Look At" in the film "Roberta." He sang "The Way You look Tonight" in "Swingtime." I sometimes confuse the two — as well as other things. No confusion about how enjoyable the concert was.
I heard you playing at the Presidio tonight and it was completely engrossing.Thank you for a wonderful evening.
I have had the pleasant opportunity to see this wonderful trio live.
They have captured the "live performance" feel on their CD.
One aspect to the CD that you cannot see is that the performers sometimes play from memory!
The Bay Area is certainly blessed to have such engaging artists and you certainly would enjoy their CD.
You guys are really great! My friend took me to your concert in Tateuchi Hall and I thought it would be boring, but it wasn’t! It was amazing! When do you guys find time to practice? since you have busy careers and families and everything? We were talking out in the audience and we were trying to figure out how you manage it all. Whatever, I hope you keep playing and I’m going to be listening to your CD now.
I was listening to you play the Mendelssohn on your CD in the car today, and it is like listening to fire! It’s such an amazing piece (the C minor) and you guys are dazzling with it. I love the St Michael Trio!!!
hi Masters!! i´m from México and i hear you on youtube, im a pianist and i play in a trio, actually we are playing the Piazzolla´s four seasons. And i really love your interpretation!!….and i have a question, do you give master classes?
Thanks!!
Sorry for my english!
Hiram Z.
Do you guys play any Christmas music? Anything we can download?
Saint Michael Trio rocks.
Hello Saint Michael Trio! I bought your CD and it’s terrific. I listened to it in my car driving from here to Santa Barbara and back again. I know it backwards and forwards now! I’m going to give one to each of my kids for Christmas. It’s really wonderful.
Did you guys arrange Schindler’s List?
Wow! You guys are AMAZING! :]]
I like the end part of that piece of piazzolla
Saint Michael Trio! You guys are awesome! You play great stuff, and you play so well together! I love when you play the Way You Look Tonight!
What was the second piece you played last Friday? I think I heard that at my sister’s wedding and it wiped me out. Are you going to record that any time soon?
Dude! You guys are the best! I heard you at Menlo last week and I never new classical music could sound that great. Mega thanks!!!!