Sierra Ensemble is an innovative violin, French horn, and piano trio based in Richmond, California. Performing worldwide and throughout the United States since 1998, Sierra has built audience and expanded repertoire through numerous composer commissions and education projects. Sierra has been awarded grants from both CEC ArtsLink and U.S. Department of State. These grants funded two groundbreaking residency programs at universities in Turkey in May and June 2013. Deeply committed to music education and development of young artists, Sierra served as Ensemble in Residence for the John Adams Young Composers Program, at the Crowden Music Center in Berkeley in 2012. Recent local performances include appearances in Berkeley at the East Bay Music Collective in January, and a free livestream concert at the Center for New Music, San Francisco in July, In addition, the American Federation of Musicians, San Francisco Local, via the Music Performance Trust Funds, sponsored Sierra Ensemble in a free livestream concert to East Bay schools in April 2021. Sierra Ensemble is currently recording the Brahms Horn Trio. Their performance, noted for "... glowing dexterity ... a first-class blend of sensitive Brahms...," is set be released in early 2022.
Richard Aldag’s Trio For Violin, French horn and Piano was commissioned by Sierra Ensemble with the support of the Musical Grant Program, which is administered by InterMusic SF, and supported by the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, and San Francisco Grants for the Arts.
Tolga Özdemir’s Chaopolis was commissioned by Sierra Ensemble and funded by the Turkish American Composer’s Project in Istanbul, Turkey.