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

Feature

Oakland East Bay Symphony: Gold at 20

Jason Victor Serinus - March 3, 2009

Oakland, long recognized as one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States, is a microcosm of the new face of America. For Oakland's arts organizations to remain relevant to the city's multicultural population, they must pioneer new forms of outreach and expression.

Review

Poetic Anniversary

Jason Victor Serinus - February 25, 2009

Mendelssohn’s great violin concerto, premiered in 1845 with the same Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig heard on this CD, has been subject to any number of interpretations.

Review

Cecilia the Magnificent

Jason Victor Serinus - February 24, 2009

How can a critic fully convey the scope of Cecilia Bartoli’s magnificent artistry without running out of superlatives?

Review

It Don’t Mean a Thing if You Ain’t …

Jason Victor Serinus - February 17, 2009

Baritone Quinn Kelsey has a gorgeous voice. It’s large and sonorous, with a distinctive, slightly throaty (aka husky) quality, and a top so beautiful at forte that it could melt the hardest heart. Such a fine instrument, allied to an energetic stage presence, recently made for a most endearing Marcello in San Francisco Opera’s first-cast La Bohème, and an unusually warm, beautiful contribution to Michael Tilson Thomas’ recent San Francisco Symphony performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8.

Review

Treading a Thin Line

Jason Victor Serinus - February 10, 2009

There comes a time in every alluring young female singer’s life when it is time to grow up.

Review

Vocal Magnificence

Jason Victor Serinus - January 27, 2009

At baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky's all-Russian recital in Davies Symphony Hall, only the blind could focus on voice and musicianship alone.

A Beautifully Voiced Recital

Jason Victor Serinus - January 20, 2009

Soon into tenor Brian Thorsett's benefit recital Friday in Calvary Presbyterian Church, I could not help but reflect on the arc of a singer's maturity. Some artists emerge at a young age with voice, technique, and intelligence so fully developed that one can only marvel as they continue to grow and mature.

Singing for the Joy of It

Jason Victor Serinus - December 16, 2008

What would Bay Area choral groups do without Christmas? Even if our amateur choruses can’t compete with the professionals, the warmth and good cheer they generate among audience members, plus the delicious postconcert receptions, go a long way toward justifying the price of admission. A good example is Voices of Musica Sacra, a chamber chorus of some 40 volunteer members.

Change in the Garret

Jason Victor Serinus - December 2, 2008

Miracles do repeat themselves ... sometimes. Reportedly, the heartwarming sweep of San Francisco Opera music director designate Nicola Luisotti's magnificent conducting became even more revelatory after opening night as he proceeded to push SFO's first cast (Gheorghiu, Beczala, Kelsey, Amsellem, Gradus) of Puccini's La Bohème to its limits.

Singing With Love

Jason Victor Serinus - November 25, 2008

Moments arise when the usual checklist of critical absolutes gets set aside and you just listen and sit back and enjoy. Such was the case at the first of two fall concerts by the San Francisco Bay Area Chamber Choir (SFBACC).