Black Cedar Returning to SFPL Next Month

The Black Cedar trio of Isaac Pastor-Chermak, Steve Lin, and Kris Palmer (from the Black Cedar home page)

Once again, Black Cedar has announced its plan to give a free public concert at the Main Branch of the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL). For those unfamiliar with the group, it began as the duo of flutist Kris Palmer and guitarist Steve Lin in 2011. The name of the ensemble had to do with Palmer playing a flute made of black wood and Lin playing a guitar made of cedar. The duo is now a trio, joined by cellist Isaac Pastor-Chermak (whose cello is neither black nor cedar).

Program specifics have not yet been announced. Usually the trio prepares a survey of the breadth of its repertoire, which includes Renaissance lute songs and dances, Baroque trio sonatas, Classical and Romantic-era salon pieces, Appalachian folk music, and modern works from living composers. However, readers may recall that the trio is schedule to perform at the Center for New Music at the end of this month. They will use that program to present the three winning compositions from a Commissioning Competition, funded with support from both InterMusic SF and the Zellerbach Family Foundation: “Tres Colores” by Chilean Javier Contreras, “In the Spring” by local (San Jose) Andre Gueziec, and “Out of Nothing” by Victoria Malawey, based in Minnesota. So they may use their SFPL program to showcase these recent additions to repertoire.

This concert will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25. SFPL is located at 100 Larkin Street, on the northeast corner of Grove Street on the Civic Center Plaza. The performance will take place downstairs in the Koret Auditorium. Admission will be free. Those wishing further information from SFPL are invited to call 415-557-4277.