Jason Victor Serinus

Jason Victor Serinus regularly reviews music and audio for Stereophile, SFCV, Classical Voice North America, AudioStream, American Record Guide, and other publications. The whistling voice of Woodstock in She’s a Good Skate, Charlie Brown, the longtime Oakland resident now resides in Port Townsend, Washington.

Articles By This Author

Aiming for the Stars

Jason Victor Serinus - March 4, 2008
In programming an American Bach Choir concert with the ambitious title "Vocal Visionaries," conductor Jeffrey Thomas set his sights high. Not only did he choose choral music that, in his opinion, displays the transcendent, visionary gifts of its composers, but he also strove to transport his audience with radiant vocalism.

Ridin' High

Jason Victor Serinus - February 26, 2008
Lucas Meachem sauntered onto the stage of Temple Emanu-El's Martin Meyer Sanctuary on Sunday as though walkin' into the High G Saloon. Swinging open wide the doors that separated him from everyone seated in the joint, he declared, "I'm Lucas. I'm from North Carolina, and I'm going to be singing some great songs tonight.
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Review

Out There ... But Where?

Jason Victor Serinus - February 12, 2008
As Bang on a Can approaches its 20th anniversary, the group's founders — composers Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe — can rightly rejoice that their creation has become a major presence in the new-music scene. Dedicated to "commissioning, performing, creating, presenting, and recording contemporary music" (that's what the official bio says), the organization has expanded to encompass th
Feature

In the Company of New Music

Jason Victor Serinus - February 5, 2008
If the name Composers Inc. evokes thoughts of a corporate approach to music making, think again. This may very well be the most open-minded, eclectic new-music series in town. Composers Inc. was formed in 1984 as a nonprofit advocate for living American composers.
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Review

Messiaen, Heaven Sent

Jason Victor Serinus - January 29, 2008
“Was he hitting all the notes?” I asked the highly respected Bay Area pianist who was assiduously following Messiaen’s score in the seat in front of me at UC Berkeley's Hertz Hall. “Hitting all the notes?” he replied with more than a touch of incredulity.
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Review

Terry Riley's Brilliant Sun Rings

Jason Victor Serinus - January 22, 2008
“I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t be distracted by the visuals,” my companion explained after the concert. All well and good, if in fact music had been the primary component of this performance of Terry Riley’s Sun Rings (2002).
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Review

High Artistry

Jason Victor Serinus - January 15, 2008

Even before countertenor David Daniels reached center stage, it was clear that we were in for a special afternoon. The grin on his face, matched by the smile from accompanist Martin Katz, was unforced, relaxed, and filled with confidence. Daniels was letting us know that he expected to be in top form, and take us on a joyride.

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Review

Songs Stuck Between Two Worlds

Jason Victor Serinus - January 8, 2008

Kitka has come a long way since a presumably Birkenstock-clad group of women founded it in 1979. Dedicated to exploring music rooted in Eastern European women's vocal traditions — think Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares with a Western twist — the Oakland-based ensemble, whose name means "bouquet" in Bulgarian and Macedonian, has accomplished the near-impossible: sounding surprisingly authentic.

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Review

Sing It Like a Man

Jason Victor Serinus - December 11, 2007
How many singers have chosen to center their Bay Area recitals around Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe (Poet's love)? Last year, baritones Gerald Finley, Daniel Cilli, and Thomas Hampson, as well as tenor Rolando Villazón, gave this defining cycle of 16 songs a shot.
Review

Postclassical Entertainment

Jason Victor Serinus - December 4, 2007
One thing’s for certain: Alarm Will Sound wants its audience to have a good time. Committed to what the group describes as "innovative performances of today’s music,” the former artists-in-residence at Dickinson College (Carlisle, Penn.) often indulge in a host of choreographed visual effects more associated with rock and pop ensembles than with classical music.