From Warsaw, Poland to Cupertino, USA Eric Lu Brings His Brilliance
November 15, 2025 at 7:30pm
Hot from winning the Gold Medal at The Warsaw International Chopin Piano Competition (October 2-23, 2025) Eric Lu is heading to Silicon Valley! Orchestrated by the Steinway Society of the Bay Area, the concert is almost sold out… but I hear there is a chance there will be an added performance!!! Keep your fingers crossed!
The scheduled repertoire will feature: Chopin, Polonaise Op.71 No. 2; Chopin, Piano Sonata No. 3; Schumann, Arabesque; Schubert, Four Impromptus, D. 935. Born in Massachusetts in 1997, Lu first rose to prominence as a laureate of the 2015 Chopin Competition. He has since received the International German Piano Award, Avery Fisher Career Grant, and was a BBC New Generation Artist from 2019–2022.
He studied at the Curtis Institute with Robert McDonald and Jonathan Biss, and was also mentored by Dang Thai Son. Eric Lu won First Prize at The Leeds International Piano Competition in 2018 at age 20, launching an international career that includes an exclusive recording contract with Warner Classics and performances with many of the world’s top orchestras and conductors. Recent and upcoming appearances include engagements with the Chicago, Boston, and London Symphony Orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, and Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, under the batons of Riccardo Muti, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Vasily Petrenko, and Marin Alsop, among others.
Information
De Anza College‘s Visual Performing Arts Center in Cupertino, CA
office@steinwaysociety.com tel. 408-300–5635. Photo courtesy of Steinway Society.
Steinway Society of the Bay Area is a non-profit organization that presents classical piano recitals in Silicon Valley.
San Francisco Symphony Celebrates Dia de los Muertos
November 1, 2025 at 3p.m. at Davies Symphony Hall
Nobody does it better than the talented and creative folks of the San Francisco Symphony! Each year they surprise and impress the beautifully and colorfully attired attendees with a fabulous concert, spectacular installations and the numerous community activities for all ages. Lina González-Granados conducts the San Francisco Symphony in music by Ricardo Castro, Paul Desenne, Gabriela Lena Frank, Jimmy López, Arturo Márquez, and Gabriela Ortiz; cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia performs music from Márquez’s Espejos en la Arena; concert features performances by dancers from Casa Círculo Cultural; Local artists, community groups, and Latin American Cultural Partners join the SF Symphony to celebrate Día de los Muertos.
And my favorite delicious treats add a touch of culinary sensations among the aromatic ambience. Curated by longtime SF Symphony collaborator Martha Rodríguez-Salazar, this year’s theme honors the memory and perspective of children by commemorating Día de los Angelitos, or Day of the Little Angels, celebrated on November 1.
The event includes preconcert activities for families, including live catrinas and interactive altars. My truly favorite event of the year!
Information
Tickets can be purchased online at sfsymphony.org, by calling the box office at 415-864-6000, or by visiting the box office located on Grove Street between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street. Tickets are 50% off for children and young adults under 18.
Photos courtesy of SF Symphony
An Elegant Afternoon Tea At Jordan Winery Estate in Sonoma County
November 14 & 15, 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Indulge in the elegance of the recently remodeled Jordan Dining Room which offers a perfect setting for a luxurious Afternoon Tea experience in one of the most gorgeous wineries in California. Jordan Dining Room offers a warm and elegant backdrop for wine tasting with an array of tea sandwiches and petits fours, as well as beautiful foraged tea service.
This Jordan experience begins with a welcome garden-inspired tisane in Jordan’s storied Oak Tank Room before transitioning to the Jordan Dining Room for seated tastes of the current release Jordan Chardonnay and Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon. Guests will enjoy a selection of classic high tea sandwiches and small bites curated by the Jordan culinary tea including an assortment of petits fours and fresh berries.
The experience will include a beautifully foraged tea service showcasing ingredients from the Jordan Estate—a relaxing way to celebrate a fall afternoon in the wine country. This is certainly my idea of a perfect weekend getaway.
Information: Cost: $ 95 per person; for reservation call (707) 431-5250 or visit reservations@jordanwinery.com; Jordan Winery, 1474 Alexander Valley Road, Healdsburg, CA.
SJ Chamber Orchestra Presents An Evening of Persian Delights
November 16, 2025 at 7pm
San José Chamber Orchestra, a professional string-based ensemble of 19+ players, was founded in 1991 and presents a series of 7–9 programs per season. Many performances feature one or more commissions or world premieres by award winning composers with critically acclaimed guest artists as featured soloists.
Under the brilliant baton of Music Director/Conductor Barbara Day Turner, this performance presents an evening of Persian music featuring Pianist/Composer Faranak Shahroozi, an Iranian-American concert pianist and composer known for her lyrical, romantic, and captivating melodies. Faranak’s passion for music started at age five when her parents hired a private tutor to teach her basic musical notes and theory.
Following the revolution of 1979, the world as she knew it changed forever. At the start of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980, Faranak and her parents left their hometown of Abadan and moved to Tehran. In 1984, Faranak moved to the United States, where she pursued her passion for music and received a B.A. in Classical Piano Performance from San Jose State University, California.
The dramatic changes in her life had a direct effect on her musical abilities and emotional connections, which led to a series of musical compositions which ultimately captured the attention of famed producer Preston Glass.
Her beautiful musical touch has placed her amongst world-renowned instrumentalists such as Yo-Yo Ma and David Garrett. Her style of composition has been compared to Francis Lai’s Love Story and Nino Rota’s The Godfather. The evening’s program includes five pieces composed and performed by Faranak Shahroozi including Persia and Behind the Veil (from the album of Eternal Love); Circles of My Mind; Lovestruck and Waltz.
Information: For tickets visit sjcorch@gmail.com or call: 408.295.4416
St Francis Episcopal Church, 1205 Pine Avenue, San José. Free parking.
Photos courtesy of the artist and SJ Chamber Orchestra.
