Our recording session at Ex'pression College for the Digital Arts

We had the best time spending hours in the recording studio this week with Sean Cusak and his buddies Joe et al.  They were super nice, cool and the best audience we could have played for for this occassion.  After a rough cut, Sean commented that "mirror in mirror (Arvo Pärt's Spiegel im Spiegel) is possibly the most awesome sound I've ever witnessed in person"  And that was even after 3 takes!

Very cool, guys.

Hope to have a CD out for our fans soon.

Nobilis Trio Master Class

We met some great artists and got some really useful feedback from the Nobilis Trio on our Shostakovich.  Thanks to the Kurasawa Piano Music Foundation led by Alex Kurasawa (President) and Barbara Day Turner (Conductor of the San Jose Chamber Orchestra) for organizing the event.  We look forward to more interactions with both the KPMF and Nobilis, particularly Stephen Prutsman, the pianist, who lives right here in our own 'hood.  Though, it would be great to visit Borromeo, Italy (where violinist Ruggero Allifranchini is from) and Armenia (where Suren Bagratuni hails from) one day ... Thanks for the experience!

California Lawyers for the Arts Annual Meeting

Thanks again to the CLA (and especially Bob Pimm) for inviting us to play at their Annual Meeting at Ex'pressions College for the Digital Arts today.  After some very meticulous planning (great job, Claire!) we were so pleased to have pulled off a fun concert without a hitch.  And Ex'pressions provided a great atmosphere - interesting students, great space, and a really inspiring staff (thanks, Shiloh!).  We had a very appreciative audience and met some exciting people affiliated with the music business with whom we look forward to collaborating in the future.  Thanks too to Piedmont Piano (Jim and Mike) for the Fazioli - you've broadened our world of pianos!

Show in a Show Aftermath

Davis was alive and well Saturday night with a great turnout of almost 80 people! We were lucky enough to have Maryvonne le Dizes, Julia's violin teacher from her teenage years in attendance, as well as Pablo Ortiz, Professor of Composition at UC Davis, Pablo Ortiz, whose pieces we performed.  Our hosts, Maria and David were generous and meticulous in their planning - we could not have asked for a better venue.  And, Maria's artwork boldly displyed throughout the large loft space were indeed a significant show on their own.  Gabriel's first official performance with BELLA went swimmingly and we look forward to our next concert and upcoming recording session together!

The expansive loft performance space at MOA and BELLA with Pablo Ortiz, guest composer for the evening and Professor of Composition at UC Davis.

SHOW IN A SHOW

 You're invited to our first ever SHOW IN A SHOW! As BELLA performs on Saturday, December 4 at the MOA (Maria Ogrydziak Architecture) Studio in Davis, CA. It's a gallery opening/salon kind of shindig, bringing design and music together.

WHEN: Saturday, December 4th at 7pm

WHERE: MOA Studio, 241 B Street, Davis, CA 95616

RSVP: maria@oarch.com

The event is graciously hosted by David and Maria Ogrydziak. Maria is opening up her self-designed, SOHO-inspired studio space for its performance and gallery debuts.

BELLA, with Julia Ogrydziak on violin, Mimi Lee on piano, and Gabriel Beistline on cello will play and discuss works by Beethoven, Piazzolla, Part, and UC Davis' very own Pablo Ortiz. And you will almost be able to smell the ocean and feel the cool sea air as we are thrilled to feature the watercolors of Maria Ogrydziak.

There will be snacks, there will be conversation, there will even be some culture. What's not to love?

- BELLA + Maria Ogrydziak

--------------------
About BELLA
www.bellatrio.us

About MOA (Maria Ogrydziak Architecture)
www.oarch.com

Welcome Gabriel, BELLA's New Cellist

We are thrilled to introduce Gabriel Beistline as the newest member of BELLA!  He will be replacing Bridget Chang.  Gabriel hails from Austin, TX and studied at NEC and Rice. With his intimate knowledge of the Boston area, he has no problems keeping up with the Boston/Cambridge references we all have from school. He also lives at 501, which is a number we all share in our addresses - so we are thinking perhaps we need to change our name to the 501's, or maybe Levi's, or just the Originals. Hmmm. Plus, Gabriel is dog lover, and to TOP IT ALL OFF, he played in a trio which accidentally ended up being called the BELLA trio, after starting off as the BELA Quartet. So, yes, it was meant to be.

Oh, and did we mention he is an awesome cellist? We are up and running without skipping a beat, and we are incredibly excited to have him on board.

Read Gabriel's bio »

Harvard Club Annual Dinner 2010

BELLA was honored to be asked to play for the 2010 Harvard Club of San Francisco Annual Dinner, hosted by the University Club. With Featured Speaker Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook; Award Recipient, James Eberhard, Chairman and Founder of Mobile Accord; and Honored Alumnus, David Chiu, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, we were in great company!

BELLA + SurfaceDesign

Our recent salon at the MacKenzie residence in San Francisco was great! Thanks so much to our hosts, and also thanks to Roderick Wyllie and James Roderick, Principals at SurfaceDesign, who collaborated with BELLA to provide an exhibit of their works to accompany the event.

With a sweeping view of the city below us, playing in the clouds was a real San Francisco treat.

BELLA + Neutra Salon

The perfect day, and the perfect venue for this salon in a classic modernist house in the South Bay, graciously hosted by Vivian Lee and the Harvard Club of Silicon Valley in her Neutra-designed home.

Yehudi Menuhin Chamber Music Festival

This weekend BELLA was invited to play at the Yehudi Menuhin Chamber Music Festival held at SF State. We got fabulous coachings and played in two masterclasses with SF State's quartet-in-residence the Alexander String Quartet, Juilliard Professor Toby Appel, Laurel Ensemble's Lori Lack, and SF State's Associate Professor of the School of Music and Dance Jassen Todorov.

The feedback and coachings were truly stellar. From teaching Julia to play with her mouth open (thanks Toby) to telling us we can take as much rubato as we want (yay!), to seeing personal videos of Tango on the streets and at Milongas (thanks Jassen), BELLA grew a lot this weekend. Thanks again to the Alexander String Quartet for putting this amazing festival on, inviting us, and taking time out to work with us for so many hours. You guys are the best!