Beginning with recitals in 2003, Concerts Grand was the creation of producers George Mathews and Terry McNeill, Sonoma County residents and historians of piano performance practice. In Northern California, there were all-classical piano seasons in Sacramento and Fresno, but nothing in the San Francisco Bay Area or on the North Coast.

The initial business plan was to eliminate the committees and programming/artists selection procedures of many musical organizations and to manage an annual slate of solo recitals with a three-person board and closely held, flexible decision making. This has continued through the beginning of the 2009/2010 season, although without the august counsel of Mr. Mathews, who died in 2006.

The first season, all in Santa Rosa Junior College’s Newman Auditorium, featured William Corbett-Jones (San Francisco State U.) in the opening recital, followed by Cynthia Darby (San Diego State U.), Antonio Iturrioz (Guerneville, CA), Peggy Nance (Santa Rosa) and New York’s Gila Goldstein. A practice of inviting the entire audience to a garden party following the final recital of the season commenced after Ms. Goldstein’s mighty performance of the Brahms-Handel Variations, and has continued into the sixth season.

In 2004, the performers were: the late Deborah Clasquin (Humboldt State U.); Nicholas Zumbro (U. of Arizona); Virginia Eskin (Boston) and Donald Manildi (International Piano Archives). The third season featured pianists Zeynep Ucbasaran (Turkey), David Viscoli (U. of Minnesota), Evgeni Mikhailov (Russia) and Joseph Banowetz (U. of N. Texas at Denton). The year began with an all-Brahms concert honoring Santa Rosa pianist Norma Brown, and colleagues Corrick Brown (piano), Joseph Edelberg (Violin) and Carol Menke (soprano). The event drew the largest audience ever for a concert in Newman Auditorium, 246.

International virtuoso Garrick Ohlsson opened the fourth season with a memorable program, including Liszt’s B Minor Sonata, and Concerts Grand produced for the first time recitals outside of Sonoma County. At the JB piano store in San Rafael, Halida Dinova (Russia), John Boyajy (Novato, CA) and Dmitri Rachmanov (Cal State U. Northridge) played. In Santa Rosa Mr. Ohlsson was followed by Andrei Korobenikov (Moscow), Daniel Glover (San Francisco) and Ken Iisaka (Mill Valley, CA). At Mendocino College, north of Santa Rosa, Concerts Grand produced its first Ukiah recital with William Corbett-Jones.

Concerts Grand's fifth season was unique in several ways. A single recital, in association with the Guzik Foundation, was presented in a private home in Belvedere, with Konstantin Alexeev (Russia) at the Bosendorfer 225. Additionally, the first two-piano recital in the series was held at JB, with artists Marilyn Thompson (Sonoma State U.) and Roxanne Michaelian (San Mateo, CA). Concluding the Marin season was Mill Valley pianist Elenor Barcsak. Ukiah expanded to host two concerts, with local pianist Elizabeth MacDougall and Peggy Nance from Santa Rosa. The actual Santa Rosa season was extensive, beginning with Ksenia Nosikova (Russia, Iowa City), William Wellborn (San Francisco); 16-year old Lauren Xie (Rohnert Park, CA) and Marin artist Jean Alexis Smith (Stinson Beach, CA).

The sixth season included seven recitals, four in Santa Rosa highlighted by the sensational playing of Jon Nakamatsu and the Russian virtuoso Elena Kuschnerova. Dmitri Rachmanov and local hero Antonio Iturrioz were formidable pianists, with a garden party following Mr. Iturrioz’ playing of Godowsky and Liszt’s 2nd Legend and reminiscences of Bellini’s Opera "Norma." Local hero was an operative term in the sixth season, as Elena Casanova drew the largest audience for a solo piano recital (215) in Ukiah history to Center Theater, and Marin’s Ken Iisaka Jan. 25, 2010 confirmed his reputation from the 2007 Van Cliburn Competition with a resounding concert of Haydn, Medtner and the Brahms-Handel Variations. In a break from tradition, Russian pianist Elena Ulyanova launched the Marin season Nov. 14 with a recital in Tiburon’s scenic St. Hilary Church, playing Beethoven, Chopin and Rachmaninoff’s B-Flat Sonata, followed by a lavish buffet.

Concerts Grand is expanding to nine recitals, in four counties, for the 2009-2010 seventh season. Six concerts will be held in the cozy Newman Auditorium in Santa Rosa: Nareh Arghamanyan (Sept. 20); Zeynep Ucbasaran (March 28); Richard Cionco (Nov. 15); Valentina Lisitsa (Feb. 21); Lydia Artymiw (March 7) and Sandro Russo (April 18). The new venue, Pacific Union College’s Paulin Center for the Arts in Napa County, will host Nov. 8 Elena Casanova, an alum of the school. PUC’s Music Department is co-sponsoring the recital. A colleague of Casanova and Concerts Grand performer from the 2007 season, Elizabeth MacDougall will play Beethoven Op. 28 Sonata and Prokofiev’s Third Sonata in Ukiah Nov. 1, and Marin’s "new pianist on the block", Kenn Gartner, plays Beethoven’s "Waldstein" Sonata, Bach, Brahms, Ravel’s "Miroirs" and Liszt’s Tenth Rhapsody March 21 in the JB Piano Emporium.

In summary, Concerts Grand’s goal is to produce only solo classical piano recitals, using small halls, no advertising and moderate ticket prices. Instruments include a Grotrian 275, Steinway D (Hamburg and New York), Yamaha CF111 and a Baldwin SD10B. If you love the piano, you belong at the North Bay’s Concerts Grand recitals!