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

Review

Winges Takes Flight

Jason Victor Serinus - March 30, 2009

Mark Winges, composer for and advisor to the chamber choir Volti, certainly knows how to initiate an intriguing conversation. The proof can be heard on his second CD, But This Is This. Released on the Chicago-based Centaur label, the music on this all-instrumental recording is a bona fide Bay Area effort.

Review

Another Happy Return

Jason Victor Serinus - March 25, 2009

The production may be unique, but it’s not just the computer animation, puppetry, and “authentic” musical approach that make this week's staging of a great Baroque opera so special.

Review

Everything Is Illuminated

Jason Victor Serinus - March 22, 2009

Is it a sign of things to come? After announcing his hopes to eventually expand the San Francisco Opera Orchestra’s scope to include orchestral performances, SFO Music Director Designate Nicola Luisotti stepped before the San Francisco Symphony for the first time in an all-orchestral program at Davies Symphony Hall.

Review

Unforgettable Artistry

Jason Victor Serinus - March 21, 2009

Why did we have to wait until after Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's passing to receive so many live, undoctored documents of her greatness?

Review

Soul-Touching Profundity

Jason Victor Serinus - March 17, 2009

Estonian-born Arvo Pärt is especially prized for the universal resonance of his haunting blend of Russian Orthodox Christian mysticism and modern harmonies. Even those with strong aversions to the Church’s long history of reactionary and punitive intervention in social and political affairs are often transported by the transcendental nature of the 74-year-old composer’s music.

Preview

Nicola Luisotti Conducts the San Francisco Symphony

Jason Victor Serinus - March 11, 2009

“The man breathes music,” exclaimed one longtime San Francisco Opera Orchestra member after Music Director designate Nicola Luisotti conducted performances of Puccini’s La Bohème a few months back. Since Luisotti clearly has the grand sweep of music in his blood, why should he limit himself to opera?

Preview

Murray Perahia

Jason Victor Serinus - March 11, 2009

The last two decades have not been easy for Murray Perahia. Complications from the much-publicized cut to his right thumb, followed by surgery for a bone spur, have continued to haunt him, causing at least rounds of cancellations. But Perahia has reacted to his misfortune by embracing his challenges as opportunities for growth. He initially devoted his hiatus to deep study of the works of J.S.

Review

Charming Communicator

Jason Victor Serinus - March 9, 2009

How many tenors who hail from New Zealand can put across the Neapolitan songs of Francesco Paolo Tosti as if born and raised in southern Italy? James Benjamin Rodgers can.

Preview

Chanticleer's Composers for Our Age

Jason Victor Serinus - March 9, 2009

Our very own internationally renowned male a cappella ensemble Chanticleer celebrates the close of its 30th anniversary season with three commissions by composers of the same age. The program, titled "Composers/Our Age," showcases new works by Tarik O'Regan, Shawn Crouch, and Mason Bates.

Review

Our Youth Have It All

Jason Victor Serinus - March 3, 2009

For an orchestra that devotes a full third of its budget to youth outreach and music education, the Oakland East Bay Symphony’s “Celebrating Youth” concert was a major event. The culmination of decades of outreach to youth in the most challenged neighborhoods of Oakland and Livermore, the concert displayed the extraordinary level of musical excellence that youth can achieve when given opportunities for musical expression.