A school for children in grades four through eight, Crowden School has an exceptional record of producing musicians, and the school's Crowden Music Center has been hosting performances and rehearsals for countless musicians from the Bay Area for three decades.
Next month, the center's 30th season begins in the recently completed Jacqueline and Peter Hoefer Auditorium, the 200-seat venue for ensemble, choral, and chamber orchestra performances. It features the Meyer Sound Constellation system of 29 miniature MM-4XP and directional MM-4XPD loudspeakers, 14 MM-10 subwoofers, and 24 microphones.
As before, performers can use the stage, share the open floor with the audience, or the entire floor becomes a rehearsal stage for a full symphony orchestra.
Crowden's 30th anniversary season has a stellar trio of co-chairs: John Adams, Gordon Getty, and Michael Tilson Thomas — all three with years of participation in the school; Adams' children got their musical start at Crowden. Some of the season's events:
- 4 p.m. Oct. 6, "Sundays @ Four": The Baumer Quartet headlines dedication of the auditorium
- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 20, Community Music Day
- 4 p.m. Jan. 19, 2014, Bonnie Hampton and Friends
- 4 p.m. March 23, Kenneth Renshaw and Arkadi Serper
- 5 p.m. March 29, Crowden 30th anniversary gala (Craneway Pavilion)
- 4 p.m. May 11, Alexander String Quartet
- 7 p.m. May 24, Crowden 30th anniversary concert (Hertz Hall)