violinist who most often takes your breath away
Gramophone Magazine
Prepare for an enchanting night of unparalleled musical excellence with the renowned violinist Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio. Described by Gramophone Magazine as a "violinist who most often takes your breath away," Sant'Ambrogio is celebrated for her expressive and passionate performances. This concert offers a rare opportunity to witness a virtuoso who brings both profound artistry and emotional depth to every performance.
Join us on Saturday October 5 at the Uptown Ballroom for an evening that promises to captivate and inspire. Sant'Ambrogio, who has dazzled audiences across the globe from Mexico to Sweden, will showcase her extraordinary talents as both a soloist and chamber musician. With an impressive career that includes stints with The Cleveland Orchestra and the San Antonio Symphony, she brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to the stage.
As the professor of Violin and Viola at the University of Nevada, Reno, and artistic director of the Cactus Pear Music Festival, Sant'Ambrogio combines her profound knowledge with a vibrant passion for music. Her discography, including acclaimed recordings of Brahms and Mozart, reflects her deep understanding and exceptional skill.
The evening will feature selections from her diverse repertoire, offering a glimpse into the brilliance that has earned her acclaim in venues like Lincoln Center and Kennedy Center. Whether you're a seasoned connoisseur or a newcomer to classical music, this concert promises an unforgettable experience filled with breathtaking performances and intimate moments.
Don’t miss your chance to experience the artistry of Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio live. Secure your tickets now and be part of a musical event that celebrates the rich legacy and extraordinary talent of one of today’s most acclaimed violinists.
Book your tickets today and immerse yourself in the magic of Great Music, Up Close with Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio
Join us on Saturday October 5 at the Uptown Ballroom for an evening that promises to captivate and inspire. Sant'Ambrogio, who has dazzled audiences across the globe from Mexico to Sweden, will showcase her extraordinary talents as both a soloist and chamber musician. With an impressive career that includes stints with The Cleveland Orchestra and the San Antonio Symphony, she brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to the stage.
As the professor of Violin and Viola at the University of Nevada, Reno, and artistic director of the Cactus Pear Music Festival, Sant'Ambrogio combines her profound knowledge with a vibrant passion for music. Her discography, including acclaimed recordings of Brahms and Mozart, reflects her deep understanding and exceptional skill.
The evening will feature selections from her diverse repertoire, offering a glimpse into the brilliance that has earned her acclaim in venues like Lincoln Center and Kennedy Center. Whether you're a seasoned connoisseur or a newcomer to classical music, this concert promises an unforgettable experience filled with breathtaking performances and intimate moments.
Don’t miss your chance to experience the artistry of Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio live. Secure your tickets now and be part of a musical event that celebrates the rich legacy and extraordinary talent of one of today’s most acclaimed violinists.
Book your tickets today and immerse yourself in the magic of Great Music, Up Close with Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio
Artist Biographies
Praised as an “expressive and passionate chamber musician” by the San Antonio Express-News Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio enjoys a varied performing and recording career as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader. Professor of Violin and Viola at the University of Nevada, Reno and member of the Argenta Trio, she is also Artistic Director Emerita of Cactus Pear Music Festival, which she founded in 1997 while serving as Concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony. She is currently Concertmaster of the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra and Artistic Director of Chamber Music Reno. She began her orchestral career as First Assistant Principal Second Violin of The Cleveland Orchestra, under Christoph von Dohnanyi, she toured and recorded internationally with this ensemble for eight seasons. • Ms. Sant’Ambrogio has a discography of over seventy-five orchestral and chamber music CDs. Audiophile Review described her Johannes Brahms: The Violin Sonatas CD as “Fine readings of great finesse, rich coloring and complete understanding.” Her other releases include Late Dates with Mozart; and Going Solo: Unaccompanied Works for Violin & Viola on the MSR Classics label, and Argenta Trio: The Piano Trios of Felix Mendelssohn on Bridge Records. Her Soaring Solo: Unaccompanied Works for Violin & Viola CD was released in the spring of 2016. Stephanie appears on Albany Records recently-released 2018 CD Love Comes in at the Eye. She has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the U.S. as well as in Mexico, Canada, Estonia, Sweden, Ghana, Italy, Peru and Chile. In 2010, she won the Alan Bible Teaching Excellence Award at UNR and was also appointed Concertmaster of the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra by Music Director Theodore Kuchar. In addition to her active performing career, Stephanie is devoted to teaching serious young violinists, many who have won positions in America’s symphonies and universities. • Cactus Pear Music Festival, presents chamber music performances, Young People’s Concerts, Kinder Konzerts, a full scholarship Young Artist Program, American composer commissions and master classes in the South Texas region. In 2004, she was named a Ford Salute to Education Award winner for her outstanding contributions to music education through her creation of Cactus Pear Music Festival and her life’s dedication to teaching violin. In addition to her performances as violinist, violist and Artistic Director of Cactus Pear Music Festival, Ms. Sant’Ambrogio performs and teaches at various festivals including: Music in the Vineyards (CA); Bach, Dancing and Dynamite Society (WI); Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival (WA); Nevada Chamber Music Festival (NV); Round Top Festival Institute (TX) and Tuckamore Festival (Newfoundland, Canada). • Her chamber music activities have included performances and recordings with such noted artists as William Preucil, Ida Kavafian, James Buswell, Richard Goode, David Schifrin, Walter Trampler, Anne Epperson, Jon Kimura Parker and Gunther Schuller. She is featured in chamber music recordings under the Arabesque, Bridge Records and MSR Classics labels, and her live concert performances are frequently heard on National Public Radio’s Performance Today. Ms. Sant’Ambrogio has performed as first violinist with the Miami String Quartet and has been a guest artist with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, performing at both the Lincoln and Kennedy Centers. She toured Italy with Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project, toured extensively throughout Ohio with Cleveland’s Myriad, and for ten years performed with the Amici String Quartet, of which she was a founding member. Ms. Sant’Ambrogio studied with and was the graduate assistant to Donald Weilerstein at The Eastman School of Music, where she received her Master of Music degree. Previously she received her Bachelor of Music degree with distinction from Indiana University as a scholarship student of Laurence Shapiro and James Buswell. • The name Sant’Ambrogio is frequently found in concert programs throughout America. John Sant’Ambrogio, former Principal Cellist of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, gave his daughter Stephanie her first violin lessons at the age of five. Her sister Sara is a cellist with the Naumberg Award-winning Eroica Trio. For thirty years the Sant’Ambrogio family directed Red Fox Music Camp, which was founded by grandmother Isabelle, a concert pianist. The legacy of teaching music has been passed down in the Sant’Ambrogio family for four generations. Ms. Sant’Ambrogio plays a violin crafted in 1757 by J.B. Guadagnini of Milan, Italy, and a viola by Jacek Zadlo of Chicago, 2008. She and her graphic designer husband Gary Albright enjoy traveling with their daughters twenty two-year-old Isabel and twenty-year-old Gabrielle.
Acclaimed by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as "a commanding solo player, the most supportive of accompanists, and a leader in chamber music," pianist Jeffrey Sykes has performed across four continents and collaborates regularly with leading instrumentalists and singers. Recent performances include a recital on Chicago’s prestigious Dame Myra Hess concert series; a tour of France that culminated in performances at the Musée des Impressionismes in Giverny, home of Claude Monet; and song recitals at the African American Art Song Alliance in Irvine, California.
A founding member of the San Francisco Piano Trio, Sykes is also co-founder and artistic co-director of the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society of Wisconsin (www.bachdancing.org), a highly-acclaimed and innovative chamber music festival now in its 34th season. The festival is noted for creating an approach to chamber music that makes it more easily accessible to audiences. He is a regular guest artist with the Brooklyn Chamber Music Society; the Olmos Ensemble in San Antonio, Texas; and Music in the Vineyards in Napa Valley, California. In 2007, he served as the guest artistic director of Music in the Vineyards. In the fall of 2022, he was honored to be selected as the artistic director of San Antonio’s Cactus Pear Music Festival, now in its 28th season. He has recorded for the Albany, CRI, Mandala, Centaur, and Cactus Pear labels.
For eighteen years, Dr. Sykes served as the music director of Opera for the Young, a preeminent producer and presenter of opera for children that has introduced more than two million children to opera. A passionate educator, he teaches piano, voice, and chamber music at the University of California–Berkeley and California State University–East Bay. He coaches regularly for professional and adult amateur chamber music groups across California. A recipient of the Fulbright and Jacob Javits Fellowships, he completed his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Acclaimed by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as "a commanding solo player, the most supportive of accompanists, and a leader in chamber music," pianist Jeffrey Sykes has performed across four continents and collaborates regularly with leading instrumentalists and singers. Recent performances include a recital on Chicago’s prestigious Dame Myra Hess concert series; a tour of France that culminated in performances at the Musée des Impressionismes in Giverny, home of Claude Monet; and song recitals at the African American Art Song Alliance in Irvine, California.
A founding member of the San Francisco Piano Trio, Sykes is also co-founder and artistic co-director of the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society of Wisconsin (www.bachdancing.org), a highly-acclaimed and innovative chamber music festival now in its 34th season. The festival is noted for creating an approach to chamber music that makes it more easily accessible to audiences. He is a regular guest artist with the Brooklyn Chamber Music Society; the Olmos Ensemble in San Antonio, Texas; and Music in the Vineyards in Napa Valley, California. In 2007, he served as the guest artistic director of Music in the Vineyards. In the fall of 2022, he was honored to be selected as the artistic director of San Antonio’s Cactus Pear Music Festival, now in its 28th season. He has recorded for the Albany, CRI, Mandala, Centaur, and Cactus Pear labels.
For eighteen years, Dr. Sykes served as the music director of Opera for the Young, a preeminent producer and presenter of opera for children that has introduced more than two million children to opera. A passionate educator, he teaches piano, voice, and chamber music at the University of California–Berkeley and California State University–East Bay. He coaches regularly for professional and adult amateur chamber music groups across California. A recipient of the Fulbright and Jacob Javits Fellowships, he completed his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Esperanza Winery
Esperanza Vineyard, nestled in the picturesque Texas Hill Country, began its journey on March 3, 2000, with just 1 acre dedicated to Merlot, French Colombard, Cynthiana, and Villard Blanc. Over the years, the vineyard has expanded to include a fruit orchard and additional blocks like The Great Oak and Jeff’s Ridge, now thriving with Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Tempranillo. With exciting developments on the horizon, including an outdoor complex for gatherings and live music, as well as plans for a pub and tasting room, Esperanza Vineyard invites you to experience the beauty of the land and the joy of community—join us for tours and volunteer opportunities where you’ll be rewarded with food, wine, and unforgettable memories!
Visit the Esperanza tasting room at 115 Main Street.
Visit the Esperanza tasting room at 115 Main Street.
