Internationally acclaimed coloratura soprano Marielle Murphy returned to her hometown of Carmel last Sunday for a special recital at Sunset Center for the Carmel Music Society. She was joined by her longtime colleague and collaborator Aldan Gatt, an award-winning conductor and pianist who currently serves as the Kapellmeister at Frankfurt Opera.
Murphy has appeared on some of the most prestigious stages of the world. She made her European debut at the Salzburg Festival as La Charmeuse in Massenet’s “Thaïs” alongside Plàcido Domingo with the Munich Radio Orchestra. Various guesting and residency engagements followed in opera houses across the German-speaking region of Europe. She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in the 2023-2024 season and has been engaged for the 2025-26 season as well. Her non-musical interests include yoga practice, classical guitar, botanical illustration and being a “proud Pomeranian mama.”
Beginning as a kid in grade school, Murphy was coached by Linda Purdy, an eminent voice teacher of our region, and recalled times she appeared on the Sunset stage when she was young. Gatt and Murphy presented a program that included a wide range of works, from Mozart to Fanny Mendelssohn, Pauline Viardot, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Richard Strauss, with a closing set by Abraham Ellstein titled “Songs of the Yiddish Theatre.”
It was delightful to join the Sunset Center audience for this special appearance, Murphy’s return to Carmel’s Sunset Center.
Ensemble Monterey Chamber favorites
Ensemble Monterey begins 2026 with their program, Long-Awaited Favorites, on Saturday, chamber works that “musicians cherish and audiences rarely have the chance to hear.” A favorite oboe quartet by Malcolm Arnold opens the concert, displaying the composer’s lyrical, almost vocal oboe line and warm, transparent string writing, a work both intimate and radiant. Next comes a quintet for oboe, clarinet, and string trio by British composer Ruth Gipps, offering ticketholders an encounter with a musical voice that deserves wider recognition.
Quartettino by Hungarian composer Rezső Kókai is another gem that blends folk-inspired themes with melodic grace. Sergei Prokofiev’s Quintet in G minor closes the program, a vividly theatrical chamber score. The concert marks the second offering in Ensemble Monterey’s New Beginnings season.
Performances take place on Saturday at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, Monterey, and Sunday at 7 p.m. at Messiah Lutheran Church in Santa Cruz. For more information and tickets see ensemblemonterey.org or call (831) 333 -1283
Monterey Symphony Choral collaboration
Monterey Symphony presents its first program of 2026 on February 21 and 22, with music director Jayce Ogren leading the orchestra in choral works in a collaboration with San Francisco-based VOLTI, prepared by their artistic director Robert Geary. Ogren says, “We are presenting Mozart’s miniature masterpiece “Ave verum corpus” and Schubert’s radiant Mass in G major. For the Schubert, we have the honor of welcoming renowned vocal soloists Deanna Breiwick, Alek Shrader, and Andrew Garland.”
The concert also features Haydn’s London Symphony along with Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture. Wonderfully, the Symphony welcomes Youth Music Monterey musicians who will be joining the orchestra for this work. Saturday evening, enjoy a pre-concert lecture by Christopher Anderson-Bazzoli from 6:30-7 p.m. in the Sunset Center auditorium. On Sunday, the Symphony’s Lobby Sessions continue with live music from 1:30-1:50 p.m., this month showcasing the artistry of principal flute Dawn Walker. Ogren will give a talk on Sunday from 2-2:30 p.m.
Both performances take place at Carmel’s Sunset Center. For tickets and information see www.montereysymphony.org or call (831) 646-8511.
Chamber Music Monterey Bay: Morgenstern Trio
Named after the 19th-century German poet Christian Morgenstern, members of the Morgenstern Trio emerged on the German music scene after being awarded top prizes and awards, including the prestigious U.S. Kalichstein–Laredo-Robinson Trio Award in 2010. This prize catapulted them onto the scene in the U.S. with performances in Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center and at Carnegie Hall, followed by concerts in cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Palm Beach and, of course, Carmel, where they have become a favorite of Chamber Music Monterey audiences. Their Feb. 28 appearance at Sunset Center features Beethoven’s Piano Trio, Op. 1, Trio on Irish Folk Tunes by Frank Martin, and Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht. The Morgenstern played this lushly romantic piece as part of their “virtual season” in 2021. Their performance proved so remarkable and moving that the presenter asked them to play it again in person when they next appeared in Carmel. The concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. at Sunset Center. It will be preceded by a 30-minute talk at 6:30 p.m. by Bay Area musicologist Ian Scarf. For tickets and information see www.chambermusicmontereybay.org or call (831) 625-2212.
Live theater and dance!
Pacific Repertory Theatre announces its first production of 2026 with Michael Frayn’s marvelous comedy “Noises Off” opening on Valentines Day at Carmel’s Golden Bough Playhouse. Celebrated as “the funniest farce ever written,” the production is a masterful comic whirlwind, with backstage mayhem, fragile egos and the unpredictable thrill of live performance. Since its 1982 debut, it has become a modern theatrical favorite, admired for its pinpoint timing, clever construction and relentless comic energy.
The action chronicles the spectacular unravelling of a hapless British bedroom farce called “Nothing On,” from a calamitous final dress rehearsal to a touring production that careens into sensational disintegration. This play is a favorite of mine, and I am looking forward to seeing PacRep’s finest in Frayn’s brilliant three-act wonder. It’s a riotous love letter to live performance. The show runs Feb. 14 through March 15. Tickets are available at PacRep.org or by calling (831) 622-0100.
“Natalia Osipova: Force of Nature,” presented by Carmel Dance Festival at Sunset Center, promises to be a spectacular performance by the Royal Ballet’s principal dancer. This extraordinary artist is described by The Independent as “the most sought-after ballerina in the world,” by The Guardian as “a supernatural tour de force,” and The New York Times as “Many Giselles, but only one Osipova.” The evening blends classical and contemporary works, including her interpretations of Giselle, The Dying Swan and dance arrangements by today’s great choreographers.
Force of Nature takes place Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Sunset Center. For tickets and information see www.sunsetcenter.org or call (831) 620-2048.
