Program

TBA

About This Performance

The guitar is more popular than ever! Bring your family to join members of San Francisco Performances’ extended family—current and former resident artists— for a joyful morning of singing and strumming.

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artist biography

The Hungarian born Katona Twins, Peter and Zoltán, have given recitals throughout the world including performances at Carnegie Hall in New York; the Purcell Room of the Royal Festival Hall and Wigmore Hall in London; the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Suntory Hall in Tokyo; the Forbidden City in Beijing; the Alte Oper in Frankfurt and the Philharmonie in Cologne.

The twins have won numerous prizes, both individually and together. In 2004 they were awarded the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni prize, the first guitarists in the trust's history. In 1998 they won the Concert Artists Guild Competition held in New York thereby securing management throughout the USA; tours soon followed as did their Carnegie Hall debut. In 1997 they were winners at the Young Concert Artist Trust auditions in London and that brought with it London-based worldwide management. In the same year they successfully auditioned for the Park Lane contemporary music group. Earlier in their careers the twins won the S.T. Johnson Foundation prize in 1995 and The Laura Ashley prize in 1996. In 1993 they won first prize at the most prestigious guitar duo competition in Montelimar, France. In the same year Peter & Zoltán won first prize at the international guitar duo competition held in Bubenreuth, Germany and were awarded the Cultural Prize of the City of Kassel, Germany.

The wide repertoire of the duo spans from Scarlatti to Piazzolla’s tango music. Their programmes also include concertos for two guitars and orchestra by Rodrigo, Vivaldi, Piazzolla and Tedesco. Michael Berkeley, Judith Bingham, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez and several other contemporary composers have written for and dedicated works to the Katona Twins.

From the age of ten the twins have studied both individually and as a guitar duo in Budapest, Frankfurt and at the Royal Academy of Music in London. During their studies they benefitted from classes with Julian Bream and John Williams.

The Katona Twins have been invited on numerous occasions to record for the BBC and other international television and radio stations. Their CD releases include music by Scarlatti and Handel; Rodrigo; Albéniz and pieces by Piazzolla, Granados, de Falla and Mozart.


The American baritone, Christòpheren Nomura, has been described by The Boston Globe as "a face to watch—and a voice to hear. His musical intentions are both subtle and direct. He has a wonderfully expressive face and a first-class baritone voice—warm, robust and clear."

Nomura made his professional operatic debut in the boy's choir of the San Francisco Opera at age 6, performed his first solo role in Die Zauberflöte, at age 11 and continues to perform in traditional and contemporary operatic roles. He was the 1992 Young Concert Artists International Auditions winner and the recipient of the Paul A. Fish Memorial Prize. A recipient of many awards and honors, in addition to his recognition by Young Concert Artists, the baritone was the First Place winner in the Internation Vocal Competition Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria and a recipient of the J. William Fulbright grant to pursue musical studies and performance in Germany.

Nomura made his New York recital debut at the Tisch Center for the Arts at the 92nd Street Y and his Washington DC recital debut at the Kennedy Center under the auspices of the Lindemann Vocal Chair of YCA. Since beginning his professional career in 1988 the baritone has given over one hundred recitals in North American venues extending from the Gardner Museum in Boston to the Vancouver Recital Society. In Europe he has given recitals in France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and England. Nomura also represented the Information Agency of the USA as an artistic ambassador to eastern Europe. Other international appearances included recitals at the Takefu International Festival in Japan and in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Nomura's discography includes Die schöne Müllerin with pianist Kayo Iwama, Sony Madama Butterfly, Carmina Burana arias on TDK, and Candlelight Carols, a Trinity Church Christmas recording on London.