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Jazz Improvization Workshop

For Violinist, Violists, and Cellists

Friday, August 11, 2023 
10 AM to 3:30 PM

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Evan Price, violin

Violinist of the Hot Club of San Franciso

Former violinist of the Turtle Island Quartet

Evan Price is steadily gaining recognition as one of the world's most confident voices in extra-classical string playing. A native of Detroit, MI, his musical background includes some earnest dues-paying in a variety of genres. From square dance bands to string quartets, from jamming with blues bands to busking in Greektown, Evan's youthful pursuits all informed his violin-playing and left him with a deep love of chamber music in all forms. As a young competitive fiddler he won his share of awards, having been named the U.S. Scottish Fiddling Champion, the Kentucky State Fiddle Champion, Canadian Junior Fiddle Champion, and Canadian Novelty Fiddling Champion. He also performed with some of the masters of masters of  fiddle lore—Stephane Grappelli, Johnny Frigo, Claude "Fiddler" Williams, Johnny Gimble, Buddy Spicher, and Vassar Clements—as well as a diverse array of pop icons from Stevie Wonder and Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant to comedian, Steven Wright. Evan's college career included stints at both The Cleveland Institute of Music and at Berklee College of Music, and has himself served as a member of the music faculty at Wellesley CollegeThe California Jazz Conservatory, and The University of California, Berkeley. Evan is a ten-year veteran of the world-renowned, paradigm-shifting jazz ensemble, the Turtle Island Quartet. During his tenure in Turtle Island, Evan gave over five hundred performances in concert venues from Latvia to Australia and had the opportunity to collaborate with many musical luminaries, such as Cuban clarinetist Paquito D'RiveraThe Ying Quartet, pianists Dr. Billy Taylor and Kenny Barron, and classical guitarists, Sergio and Odair Assad. He recorded five CD's with Turtle Island, two of which—"Four + 4" and “A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane”—received GRAMMY® awards in 2006 and 2008 in the Classical Crossover Album of the Year category.Since 1998, Evan has been proud to call himself a member of The Hot Club of San Francisco, perhaps the most venerable gypsy jazz band in the US. During his tenure, the group has thrilled audiences from Iceland to Mexico and across the United States, and has released seven CD's which feature Evan on violin. An accomplished composer, Evan has contributed compositions and arrangements to the repertoires of HCSF, Turtle Island Quartet, Quartet San FranciscoSan Francisco Girls' ChorusSan Jose Chamber Orchestra, the New Century Chamber OrchestraChanticleer, The Delphi Trio, and the International Space Orchestra, for which he also serves as musical director. In 2016, he premiered his Concerto for Jazz Violin and Orchestra with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and released his debut solo album, “Dialogues,” in 2017 on Azica Records.  He lives in San Rafael, CA, with his wife and daughter. 

Jordan Samuels, guitar

Guitarist of the Certified Organic

Jordan Samuels is an accomplished guitarist who has been studying, performing and teaching throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for the last twenty years. While at San Francisco State University, he completed his formal training in music composition under the guidance of Ronald Caltabiano and Richard Festinger while simultaneously pursuing a jazz studies curriculum directed by Andrew Speight and John Calloway.Since completing his studies in 2010, Samuels has become an in-demand jazz guitarist and can be seen performing regularly with the Hot Club of San Francisco, Erik Jekabson’s Electric Squeezbox Orchestra, and his own trio Certified Organic. He has also appeared with Doug Martin, Paula West, Wil Blades, Smith Dobson, Adam Theis, Matt Clark and Bobby Watson among many others.

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My New Channel

My New Channel

Workshop Schedule Friday, August 11, 2023  

09:30 AM    Check-in ( Tuning & Set-up)

10:00           Workshop (1)

11:30           Lunch Break & Swimming

01:30 PM     Workshop (2)

03:00           Concert

03:30           End

ABOUT US

MusiCali Strings offers fun workshops and summer camps that enrich musical learning experiences. 

Music Director, Leslie Ho

A recipient of the “Studio Teacher of the Year” award of 2023, presented by the Board of ASTA-Greater Los Angeles.  Leslie Ho is a versatile string educator devoted to teaching violin and viola, coaching chamber music, and conducting string ensembles.  He has taught at many institutions, including the Eternal Life Christ College, Stella Matutina Girls’ High School, Orange County High School of the Arts, Chamber Music Institute of Southern California (CMI), Junior Chamber Music (JCM), and Whittier College. 

Mr. Ho received his bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the Manhattan School of Music and a master’s degree in violin performance from Yale University School of Music.  He has studied violin and chamber music with many world-renowned musicians and teachers such as Peter Marsh, Yao-Ji Lin, Sidney Harth, Margaret Pardee, Yoko Takebe, Lucy Robert, Burton Kaplan, members of Tokyo String Quartet, and the late legendary violinist Ruggiero Ricci. 

Mr. Ho has given solo recitals and chamber music concerts in the States, Canada, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.  He has served as violinist of the Gestalt String Quartet, the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, the Westchester Philharmonic, and the Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay. 

Mr. Ho has fostered many of his students to win competitions, excel in coveted youth orchestra auditions, and earn admissions to prestigious colleges and music conservatories such as Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and UCLA.

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