Presenting emerging young local talent is one of the great delights of running a community-based, community-led performing arts nonprofit! In addition to presenting young talent just as they launch their professional careers, we also keep our eyes open for gifted young people at the pre-professional stage.
Calliope leaders first encountered the young El Cerrito-based pianist Jesse Distiller when, at fourteen, he took part in a chamber music celebration organized by pianist Alison Lee as part of the East Bay Music Foundation’s programming. Now 16 years old and applying to conservatories for post-high school, Jesse is already demonstrating a riveting expressiveness in his playing. In addition to beautiful solo work, he is also a nuanced accompanist, and regularly delights the St. Alban’s congregation during worship services.
Judah Lampkin is similarly a marvel; until recently self-taught as a cellist, classical singer, composer, and arranger, he has begun formal training in singing and in cello. He currently studies voice with Susan Nance in her San Francisco studio. With a rich bass voice and extensive range, his vocal work can cause chills.
For this joint recital, a co-production with St. Alban's, Jesse and Judah will perform works by Warlock, Vaughan Williams, Haydn, Debussy, and Schumann, along with a world premiere of a piece commissioned from Judah by Calliope.
A co-presentation with St. Alban’s
Admission to this event is free of charge! However, capacity is limited to 80 in person guests; you must make a reservation to be assured of a seat! Please be sure to register for in-person attendance on Eventbrite. (As always, your donations in support of the presentation are very welcome!)
If you'd like to join us by live-stream, simply click this link to enjoy the concert from the comfort of your own home! Available live or "on-demand" - the recording will stay up after the concert for your continued enjoyment!
Artist Profiles
Judah Lampkin is a composer, cellist, vocalist, and vagabond of international notoriety. He hails from the American south, where he became acquainted with the proud traditions of navel-gazing and moonlighting. He subsequently attended Harvard University, where his areas of study expanded to include music, philosophy, astrophysics, religion, linguistics, and a variety of other subjects. Through his musical compositions, Judah seeks to explore dreamscapes, those subtle intimations that hover at the edge of conscious awareness. These dreamscapes are the gateways through which the individual must pass in order to acquire a wider awareness of all that is. He was the recipient of Harvard's 2023 George Arthur Knight Prize for compositional excellence, and was a semifinalist in the 2022 Petrichor International Music Competition.
Jesse Distiller is a 16 year old pianist in his junior year of high school. As a middle schooler attending the Crowden School, Jesse fell in love with classical music, and his favourite composers include Beethoven, Brahms, and Debussy. Some of his favourite pieces include: Shostakovich’s piano quintet and second piano trio, Debussy's "L'isle Joyeuse", Beethoven's sixth and seventh symphonies, and many of Brahms' works. He also finds Stephen Sondheim's work to be incredibly profound. He is deeply interested in composition as well as piano performance, and has composed several pieces as part of the John Adams Young Composers Program, as well as composing the entire score for his school play. In addition to performing solo, he loves playing chamber music. He attends the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Program, where he studies with Sharon Mann.