™Gallery Concert | Music of Kaija Saariaho
Sun, Dec 13 · 2:00 pm–3:00 pm
Listed on MUSAY · checked Oct 30
When
Sunday, December 13, 2:00 pm–3:00 pm
Where
The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life
2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94720
Price
Not listed. Check with the venue before you go.
About
A NANCY LEE KATZ: A PRIVATE PANTHEON PROGRAM Join us in the gallery of Nancy Lee Katz: A Private Pantheon for a special concert with UC Berkeley faculty and student musicians playing compositions by, and instruments of, sitters on view. Sunday, December 13, 2026 | 2:00 pm In person at the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA Leighton Fong on cello performing: Chaconne for Solo Cello by Giuseppi Colombi (1635-1694) Dreaming Chaconne by Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023) Sept Papillons for Solo Cello by Kaija Saariaho UC Berkeley students Lila Belle Cesar on violin, Jaden Qiu on violin, Daniel Siu on viola, and John Paul Lee on cello performing: String Quartet in B-flat, Op. 76, No. 4 (“Sunrise”) by Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) I. Allegro con spirito II. Adagio III. Menuetto. Allegro IV. Finale. Allegro, ma non troppo Please join us for a special Gallery Tour prior to the Gallery Concert from 1:30-1:50pm. The Magnes’s programs and exhibitions are supported by our community. If you have any questions about accessibility or require accommodations to participate in this event, please contact us at dalter@berkeley.edu or call us at (510) 643-2526 with as much advance notice as possible. Program is subject to change. About the Composer Renowned Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (1952–2023) was a defining voice in contemporary classical music, celebrated for blending electronic elements with live acoustic performances to create luxuriant, deeply sensorial textures. After completing studies in Helsinki, Freiburg, and Paris—where she spent the majority of her career conducting influential research at IRCAM—Saariaho achieved international prominence through an expansive body of work ranging from groundbreaking chamber pieces and symphonic works to six concertos and acclaimed song cycles. Her broadest critical success came through 21st-century operas such as L’Amour de loin and Innocence, which earned global tours and redefined modern vocal drama. Recognized with prestigious honors including the Polar Music Prize, the Grawemeyer Award, two Grammy Awards, and being named the “Greatest Living Composer” by BBC Music Magazine in 2019, Saariaho established an enduring musical legacy that continues to resonate worldwide following her death from a brain tumor in 2023.. Photo by Nancy Lee Katz, 1999. Gift of Michael S. Sachs, 2024.1.108. About the Performers Leighton Fong, a longtime member of San Francisco’s Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, is Principal Cellist of the California Symphony, and has taught at UC Berkeley for over thirty years. He plays regularly with Eco Ensemble and Empyrean Ensemble, and was a member of the San Francisco Contemporary Players. In addition to specializing in contemporary music, he has performed the complete string quartets of Beethoven with the Los Angeles based Southwest Chamber Music Society and the complete string quartets of Schubert on original instruments with the Berkeley Schubert Quartet. Leighton studied at the San Francisco Conservatory, the New England Conservatory, the Bern Conservatory in Switzerland, and the Royal Danish Conservatory in Copenhagen, Denmark. Born in Sacramento, California, he has lived in Berkeley since 1991. Photo credit: Vivian Sachs About the exhibition Nancy Lee Katz: A Private Pantheon explores the artist’s decades-long effort to photograph artists, writers, musicians, and thinkers she admired. Created in the intimate environments of personal studios and workplaces, these portraits look behind public accolades to reveal a quiet, private presence. Unfolding in two parts (fall and spring), the exhibition presents, for the first time, the entirety of Katz’s Pantheon.
Know before you go
Getting there
The Magnes does not operate its own parking lot. Two- and four-hour metered street parking is available throughout downtown Berkeley, payable by credit or debit card. Nearby paid garages include: Allston Way Parking Garage — between Shattuck and Milvia Oxford Parking Garage — on Kittredge, west of Oxford Center Street Garage — 2025 Center Street, accessible from Center or Addison Availability is not guaranteed, and many lots near campus charge special event pricing during major campus events…
Venue hours on Sunday
11:00 am–4:00 pm
The venue’s general opening hours. This event’s time comes from the listing.
Added to MUSAY Oct 29, 2026.