Leila Josefowicz, Violin March 24, 2011

Adventurous violinist Leila Josefowicz and frequent collaborator John Novacek come to San Francisco Performances with a program Josefowicz describes as "a portrait of what I believe in," Thursday, March 24, 8 p.m. at the Herbst Theatre.

Josefowicz emerged on the music scene as a prodigy in 1994 with a Carnegie Hall debut conducted by Sir Neville Marriner. Two years later, she made her San Francisco debut with SF Performances and John Novacek, and since then she has continued pushing boundaries with savvy and vision.

Josefowicz describes the March 24 program as "a voyage of 21st century repertoire," bookended by Classical/Romantic Brahms and Schubert.

This repertoire includes Shostakovich's emotive, often dark Sonata, which he wrote near the end of his life. "John and I have played it a lot, and love the piece," she says. "People are riveted by it, including ourselves." Another of her favorite pieces, Stravinksy's masterful Duo Concertante features on the program, together with Erkki Sven Tr's Conversio.

"It's very unexpected," Josefowicz says of Conversio. "The steps from beginning to end are a million tiny changes that makes the great change make sense. It's a transformation....very imaginative, very original."
Current projects for Josefowicz include a commission for Magnus Lindberg, who appears with SF Performances May 15. She also frequently collaborates with John Adams, whose Road Movies she and Novacek played with SF Performances in 2002.

"That is something that has definitely transformed my own idea of what music is," she says of her constant quest for new commissions. "A lot of artists play dead composers and will never get to know who they are. It's very fascinating for me to hear and play a piece, and to know the person behind the music."

Tickets for this recital are $35, $50 and $60. For more information, visit sfperformances.org or call 415.392.2545.

Official Website: http://sfperformances.org/performances/1011/LeilaJosefowicz.html