World-Class Chamber Music — Palo Alto
- Pianist Ian Scarfe, violinist Petr Mašek and cellist James Jaffe are scheduled to play a one-night chamber music concert in Palo Alto on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at 5 p.m. - The concert is listed at 640 Emerson St. and runs until 9 p.m., with a program centered on Beethoven, Brahms and other classical and romantic dance works. - The event lands in Palo Alto’s smaller venue circuit, not a major hall, as local presenters keep using intimate rooms for chamber music performances. (meyhousejazz.com) (chambermusicsf.org)
Pianist Ian Scarfe, violinist Petr Mašek and cellist James Jaffe are set to play a one-night chamber music concert in Palo Alto on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at 5 p.m. (meyhousejazz.com) The event is listed at 640 Emerson St. in downtown Palo Alto and is scheduled to run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. (meyhousejazz.com) The posted program description says the trio will play “classical and romantic favorites,” with Beethoven and Brahms highlighted for a set focused on lively dance music rather than their more formal repertory. (meyhousejazz.com) Scarfe is a San Francisco-based pianist who says he performs more than 150 concerts a year and serves on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. (ianscarfe.com) Mašek is a Czech-born violinist with a master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music who performs in California, Europe and Asia. (groupmuse.com) Jaffe, a San Francisco-based cellist, has performed as a soloist with the National Repertory Orchestra, CityMusic Cleveland and St. John’s Chamber Orchestra, according to his biography. (jamesjaffecello.com) The Palo Alto date fits a Bay Area chamber music ecosystem that mixes formal subscription series with smaller-room performances. Chamber Music San Francisco says its Palo Alto series is based at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center, where it presents international artists in a 330-seat hall. (chambermusicsf.org) This concert is instead being promoted through Meyhouse Jazz, a downtown venue better known for jazz bookings that has recently added “Classical Sundays” to its calendar. (meyhousejazz.com) That makes the April 26 performance less like a traditional conservatory recital and more like a crossover booking in a restaurant-club setting, with chamber players appearing in a room that also hosts samba, guitar trios and jazz acts. (meyhousejazz.com) For Palo Alto listeners, the draw is the combination: three conservatory-trained players, one downtown address, and a single Sunday evening slot. (meyhousejazz.com)
