Artist Salon: Shunske Sato on Kinks and Quirks

Who’s Invited? Free for Philharmonia Baroque Kinks and Quirks ticket holders, subscribers, and $500+ donors. By invitation only; RSVP required.

Philharmonia Baroque’s Artist Salons are pre-concert talks led by performers, scholars, and guest artists. Offered a few weeks before each concert set, they give audiences historical and cultural context in an engaging setting. Free for ticket holders, subscribers, and donors, the series is designed to deepen your connection to the music.

In this Artist Salon, Shunske Sato presents a 45-minute lecture and demonstration focusing on Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, which he will lead from the violin in Philharmonia’s Kinks and Quirks concerts next month. He’ll trace the roots of Beethoven’s originality to the symphonies of C.P.E. Bach, whose bold, unpredictable style shaped a generation of composers—from Mozart, to Beethoven, to a teenage Mendelssohn.

Hosted at San José State University’s Center for Beethoven Studies, this event also offers a rare chance to view highlights from the collection, including a first edition of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1.

Shunske Sato is a violinist, conductor, chamber musician, soloist, and teacher. The diversity of his activities reflects his versatile and resourceful nature. Historically informed performance practice is central to his identity and allows him to inhabit the music and communicate with audiences in dramatic, revelatory ways. He directs and appears as soloist with period instrument ensembles as well as symphonic orchestras around the world, and has led several staged productions as well. Resident in The Netherlands, Shunske has been a faculty member of the Amsterdam Conservatory since 2013.