Hidden Blooms with Ava Gehlen-Williams

Highlighting historical performance practice, CMC faculty violinist Ava Gehlen-Williams will feature efflorescent classical music throughout the ages by under-represented composers, exploring musical connections, lineage, and influences of female composers. The program will include Clara Schumann’s Three Romances for Violin and Piano, and a piano trio to be announced.

Featured Musicians:

Ava Gehlen-Williams, violin

Erik Anderson, cello

Christian Brossad-Douglas, piano

Thursday, August 8 at 7pm

CMC Concert Hall

FREE

The Shenson Faculty Concert Series returns this summer with free concerts spotlighting CMC’s talented faculty members. Each year, the Shenson Foundation sponsors free community concerts for musical projects to support CMC faculty as performing artists and ensure their work on stage is shared and celebrated in our community.

This year’s accomplished presenters will highlight a wide variety of musical styles, techniques, and creative inspirations—from jazz to classical to folk traditions, original compositions, and music as a tool for social justice and historical and cultural reflection.

Meet this summer's talented faculty performers:

• June 20 - Scott O’Day, guitar
• July 25 - Clif Payne, voice
• August 8 - Ava Gehlen-Williams, violin
• August 15 - Deszon X. Claiborne, percussion

teaches theory and ensemble classes in the Young Musicians Program and private violin lessons at CMC. Ava is currently a Master’s student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and was an alumna and was a teaching artist at Yale University working with students attending New Haven public schools. She has pedagogy training and shadowing experience in Suzuki and traditional pedagogy. Ava is also a co-founder of Evergreen Music Press, based in Seattle, Washington. Evergreen Music Press publishes a variety of materials with the aim of broadening the pedagogical canon for string education. Outside of music, Ava enjoys reading, hiking, and contortion classes.

is equally at home on modern and baroque cello as well as viola da gamba. Since moving to San Francisco in 2016, he has served the community as both a performer and educator, through outreach programs, benefit concerts, and as a music teacher and coach for students of all ages. His teaching approach is best described as eclectic, drawing from his experience on modern and historical bowed instruments, techniques from language pedagogy, and body-learning practices. He strives to honor the unique musical journey of each of his students, emphasizing the transformative effects of practice and awareness on our whole being. MA TESL, University of San Francisco; BMus CUNY Queens College.

Host or Publisher Community Music Center