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Seth Montfort's reviews: (see bio at bottom of page)
"Dazzling" Contra Costa Times, "Spectacular" Sun Times, “perfect interpreter for Gershwin” San Francisco Chronicle, “Montfort’s performance proved the great value of letting classical artists cut loose.” Performers’/Artists’Voice, "one of our local heroes...consistently presenting high quality concerts to the public at affordable prices" AOL Digital City
The San Francisco Concerto Orchestra, a 501c(3) nonprofit corporation, was founded by Seth Montfort to showcase the individual talents of its members, and winners of its own Bay Area, National and International Competitions for Musicians.The musicians of the orchestra take turns being spotlighted as concerto soloists, conductors, and composers. The Orchestra ranges in size from 15 to 75 players, most of whom are members of Bay Area orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony, Ballet, and Opera Orchestras, as well as the San Jose, Oakland, and Marin Symphonies. Since its beginning in 1990 it has given over 250 concerts providing over 500 musicians experience and exposure performing concerti, arias, conducting, and premiering their own compositions. As "Artistic Director," Montfort, does not choose most of the repertoire performed on the concerts. The professional musicians in the orchestra "pay their dues" by supporting each other's projects through their playing in the orchestra. In turn they are each able to use the orchestra to perform music of their choice that features them. The "quality control" has been up to each soloist, conductor, or composer in the orchestra, and the reviews have been consistently very favorable. The Orchestra has been described by the San Francisco Chronicle as "solidly impressive," and by the San Jose Mercury News as "stellar." The Orchestra's concerts are not noted for sounding antiseptic! The orchestra has often been favorably reviewed even though it performs on only one or two rehearsals before each concert! The Sun Times described the orchestra as having an "intangible magic" and said "to hear them is to hear music straight from the heart." Perhaps that is why hundreds of professional musicians regularly choose to volunteer their time playing in the orchestra whenever their busy schedules permit them to. In 2001 the Orchestra gave its first three International Exchange Concerts, in which members invited their distinguished friends and colleagues from abroad to collaborate with them in performances of music from their homelands. In addition, hundreds of musicians of all ages have participated in the Orchestra's local and international competitions. In these events every contestant was given the opportunity to perform as soloist with orchestra, record their own CD, and perform on a videotaped concert in which they were interviewed, talk show style in front of a live audience, by Al Covaia after they performed. Reporting on the finals of the 1998 International Piano Competition, The Contra Costa Times commented, "The real winners were the audience members, who witnessed such distinctive interpretations."
The San Francisco Concerto Orchestra is a trademark of The San Francisco
Concerto Orchestra, inc., a 501c(3) nonprofit corporation.
Seth Montfort, Pianist, Composer, & Artistic Director of The San Francisco Concerto Orchestra
Seth Montfort, won his first competition at age 11, performing Scott Joplin. A representative of the Boulder (Colorado) Philharmonic heard him at the finals, and suggested he enter their concerto competition. Since he was not yet sure what a “concerto” was he asked if he could play ragtime! He was first exposed to a piano concerto at age 15, at a Denver Symphony concert. A few months later, wanting to perform a concerto with The Denver Symphony himself, he entered The Denver Symphony’s Concerto Competition, won, and as a result made his debut performing Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand with the Denver Symphony! He kept winning competitions, and as a result performed with The National Repertory Orchestra and several other orchestras in Colorado.
After focusing exclusively on composition for many years he returned to the stage at age 25 and immediately won 6 more prizes in local, national and international competitions. But, after so many years away from performing, he found himself lacking experience and repertoire. To make up for lost time, he has since performed over 50 hours of music from memory. To date, he has given nearly one thousand piano recitals and over 100 performances as a soloist in concerti by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Saint Saens, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakoff, Grieg, Delius, Scriabin, Ravel, Gershwin, Farwell and McFarland with The Denver Symphony, The National Repertory Orchestra, The Jefferson Symphony, The Diablo Symphony, The Redwood Symphony, The Kensington Symphony, The North Bay Philharmonic and The San Francisco Concerto Orchestra. In addition to performing a large body of standard European repertoire and the complete works of Gershwin, he has specialized in Chopin, Liszt, European repertoire that sounds American and a vast body of memorable, once famous, currently neglected North and South American virtuoso piano repertoire.
He has performed in most of the Bay Area’s biggest halls, but has never abandoned his primary devotion to composition. His original compositions include two large-scale piano sonatas, two large scale piano symphonies, a song cycle with orchestra, Idle Recital (an unfinished collection of one hundred shorter piano works) and a three act piano ballet written with Victoria Morgan, former Ballet mistress of the SF Opera and premiered as a work in progress during a residency at Djerassi Foundation, artist colony.
As a Presenter, Founder & Artistic Director Of The San Francisco Concerto Orchestra and International Competitions for Musicians, Montfort is devoted to creating independent environments to present his work and the work of other accomplished musicians. He has presented hundreds of musicians in around 300 orchestral concerts as well as hundreds of solo and chamber recitals, and numerous local, national, and international competitions. Many acclaimed musicians served as judges in these competitions, along with The San Francisco Concerto Orchestra, and the audience. The Orchestra is made up of Professional musicians from all of the Bay Areas Biggest Orchestras including The San Francisco Symphony, Opera and Ballet Orchestras. It has been described by the San Francisco Chronicle as "solidly impressive," and by the San Jose Mercury News as "stellar."
Mr. Montfort tries to keep his own values out of the way of other musician’s goals but also presents many events that have particular importance to him. He won second place playing Rhapsody in Blue in the Santa Barbara Symphony’s Young Artist Competition, but was given advice by judges of other competitions that Gershwin was not respectable repertoire for the competition circuit. As founder and Artistic Director of The San Francisco Concerto Orchestra’s International Competitions for Musicians he created a Gershwin division. The competition included a festival celebrating the exact 100th birthday of Gershwin, held at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco and Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. Montfort and the winners of the piano competition all received rave reviews from the Contra Costa Times for a performance of the complete works for piano and orchestra by Gershwin.
Copyright 2004-2006
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Front Parlor of Victorian Englander House
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Click on Links below for:
415,362,6080 US U.S.
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Seth Montfort & The San Francisco Concerto Orchestra Liszt in Leather tm Orchestra Concert Saturday, January 7, 2006, 5PM: Pianists Seth Montfort, (pictured), & The DIVA from Philly, Annette Dimedio, return to perform Liszt's Concertos #1 & #2 in Liszt in Leather, with the SF Concerto Orchestra in leather, etc., at 6PM, Montfort will perform Liszt's Christmas Tree Suite at St. John's, San Francisco. DiMedio & Montfort will also perform piano solos & duets at San Francisco's Victorian Englander House Fri, Jan. 13, 2006, 8PM
Click CALENDAR link above for details
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Seth Montfort's reviews: “Dazzling” Contra Costa Times, “Spectacular” Sun Times, “perfect interpreter for Gershwin” San Francisco Chronicle, “Montfort’s performance proved the great value of letting classical artists cut loose.” Performers’/Artists’Voice, "one of our local heroes ... consistently presenting high quality to the public at affordable prices." AOL Digital City
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NEW! Seth Montfort's first 2 live CDs are now for sale @ all Victorian Englander House concerts for $14.95 each, cash or check (if purchasing by mail, add $2.95 per order for Shipping & Handling in continental USA). These live CD's (almost 80 minutes each) are Highlights from Seth Montfort's recent fabulous 10 hour piano marathon at The Victorian Englander House TM on September 24 & 25, 2004.
Compact Disk One includes:
1. Fandango Huapango, Montfort 1:46
2. Brazilian Cycle (Ciclo Brasileiro) Villa-Lobos
1 Native Planting Song (Plantio Do Caboclo) 4:23
2 Minstrel Impressions (Impressoes Seresteiras) 7:51
3 Jungle Festival (Festa No Sertao) 5:23
4 Dance of the White Indian (Dansa Do Indio Branco) 4:18
3. Aztec Piano Symphony, Montfort 32:49
4. Balada Mexicana, Ponce 9:14
5. Grande Tarentelle, Gottschalk 6:42
Total Time – Approx 76 minutes, 26 seconds
Compact Disk Two includes:
1. Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise in Eb, Opus 22 Chopin 16:55
2. Totentanz, (Liszt’s own transcription for solo piano) 20:22
3. Rhapsody in Blue (Gershwin’s own transcription for solo piano) 17:02
4. Ballade No. 1 in g minor Opus 23 Chopin 11:28
5. The Battle of Manassas Blind Tom 7:41
6. Fandango Huapango Montfort 2:04
Total Time – Approx 75 minutes, 32 seconds
Recorded at Victorian Englander House before a live audience
Mail checks payable to: San Francisco Concerto Orchestra, 807 franklin St.,
San Francisco, CA 94102 USA englanderh@aol.com (415) 362-6080
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