The Berkelium String Quartet will perform two concerts in Nevada in May 2026:
- May 16, 7:00 pm at The Fallon Theatre
- May 17, 2:00 pm at The 1864 Grand Ballroom at Brewery Arts Center
The concerts will be a presentation of The Bow and the Brush, integrating music with visual art. Each piece on the program will be accompanied by projected images of visual art.
The repertoire will include Franz Schubert’s iconic “Death and the Maiden” quartet; each movement will be paired with paintings inspired by the same story throughout history.
Berkelium will also perform Daniel Darmesin Flanagan’s recent composition, “Water Lilies”, inspired by Claude Monet’s painting in the San Francisco Legion of Honor Museum.
For more information, visit www.berkeliumquartet.com.
This project is supported in part by CreativeWest which receives support in part from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Berkelium String Quartet
The Berkelium String Quartet is a new chamber ensemble of celebrated Bay Area musicians, founded in September 2024. The ensemble’s name, Berkelium, comes from the synthetic chemical element discovered in and named after the city of Berkeley in 1949 (symbol: Bk).
Their primary focus is on the seminal works of the string quartet repertoire, with a special emphasis on the sixteen quartets of Beethoven.
The quartet’s members are highly accomplished, holding degrees from prestigious institutions including Yale University, Juilliard School of Music, UC Berkeley, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Bern Conservatory of Music.
Collectively, they perform with major ensembles such as the SF Opera, SF Ballet, SF Chamber Orchestra, New Century Chamber Orchestra, and Oakland Symphony. They also hold principal positions with the Berkeley Symphony, Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera, Santa Rosa Symphony, and West Edge Opera.
The musicians have performed solo and chamber works across the US and Europe, and have collectively premiered hundreds of new works. They have also held teaching positions at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, SF State, Mills College, and The Crowden School.
Season Performances
The inaugural season included performances at The Senger House, Piedmont Center for the Arts, and Maybeck Studio for the Performing Arts.
The 2024-25 season includes engagements at:
- The Senger House (Berkeley)
- Berkeley Hillside Club
- Music on the Hill (SF)
- Noontime Concerts (SF)
- Arc Gallery (SF)
- Toiyabe Chamber Music Society (NV)
- A curated film/concert series at The New Parkway Theater (Oakland)
Individual Players
Daniel Darmesin Flanagan (Violin)
Daniel Darmesin Flanagan serves as Concertmaster of the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera, Concertmaster of West Edge Opera, and Instructor of Violin at University of California, Berkeley.
He created The Bow and the Brush, an organization that commissions new music inspired by paintings and sculptures. Several of these compositions are featured on his album, The Bow and the Brush, released by MSR Classics.
Flanagan has performed solo recitals across the United States and Europe, including Carnegie Hall, the American Library in Paris, and the University of Rome. As a composer, he has been commissioned by organizations such as the Cecilia String Quartet, Gold Coast Chamber Players, and Le Petit Festival.
He performs regularly with the San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet, and the Eco Ensemble.
Karen Shinozaki Sor (Violin)
A familiar face in the Bay Area music scene, Karen Shinozaki Sor is the Principal Second Violin of the Santa Rosa Symphony. She also performs with the Marin Symphony and as a regular substitute with the San Francisco Ballet and Opera Orchestras.
As a founding member of the Grammy-nominated New Century Chamber Orchestra, she has concertized across Europe and the United States. She frequently appears as a chamber music collaborator with groups like the Santa Rosa Chamber Players and Music at the Mission.
A Bay Area native, she received her BA from UC Berkeley and continued her studies at the Konservatorium für Musik Bern, Switzerland.
Jacob Hansen-Joseph (Viola)
Jacob Hansen-Joseph maintains a varied freelance career in his native Bay Area. He is currently Principal Violist of the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera and Assistant Principal Violist of the Berkeley Symphony.
He is a founding member of the Town Quartet, the unofficial resident string quartet of Oakland, CA. He has performed in chamber music recitals with members of the Juilliard String Quartet and with pianist Alon Goldstein.
Joseph received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Juilliard. He has also shared the stage with artists such as Johnny Mathis, The Eagles, and Nick Cave.
Michael Graham (Cello)
Michael Graham performs with the Oakland Symphony, the San Francisco Ballet, and the New Century Chamber Orchestra. He also performs in San Francisco productions of Broadway musicals and has toured with singer/songwriter Van Morrison.
He has taught and coached at several institutions, including Mills College, San Francisco State University, and the Crowden School. His former students include concerto soloists and principal cellists with the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Youth Orchestra.