NOON CONCERT with BLACK CEDAR TRIO
Steve Lin, Guitar
Kris Palmer, Flute
Robin Snyder Gerz, Cello
As a rare ensemble dedicated to music for flute, cello, and guitar, Black Cedar creates, discovers, and re-imagines works for this unique combination. The trio’s accolades include multiple grants from both the Zellerbach Family Foundation and InterMusicSF, plus an invite to the National Flute Association Convention. Their 2016 debut album, A Path Less Trod has earned critical praise, with Stephen Smoliar’s The Rehearsal Studio blog writing, “While the instrumentation is unconventional, it is surprisingly effective…Black Cedar is particularly effective for the rhetoric of intimacy they establish…an intimacy evident in the strategic command of understatement one encounters in the performances on this new album.”
Black Cedar’s commissions include Of Emblems (2014) by Garrett Shatzer, Miscellaneous Music (2015) by Durwynne Hsieh, and In Transit (2017) by Ursula Kwong-Brown, The Devil Inside by Mark Fish (2016), Tres Colores (2018) by Javier Contreras, In The Spring (2018) by Andre Gueziec, and Out of Nothing (2018) by Victoria Malawey. AllMusic Review’s James Manheim writes, “Miscellaneous Music makes the whole package worth the price of admission with its way of thinking through the possibilities of the ensemble and with its sheer high spirits…Hsieh defines boundaries between the roles of the three disparate instruments, and then crosses them gleefully.”
Since their formation in 2013, the trio has performed approximately 75 concerts throughout California, and they’ve appeared repeatedly on KALW 91.7 FM in San Francisco, KKUP 91.5 FM in San Jose, and KWMR 90.5 FM in Marin County. “Hats off to them!” writes the Santa Cruz Sentinel. “Black Cedar has done a wonderful job of making the case that chamber music can involve approaches to instrumentation not usually expected,” says the San Francisco Examiner.
DOORS OPEN AT 11:45AM | CONCERTS BEGIN AT 12:00PM
It is not required to hold seats but we encourage you to do so. Special seating accommodations can be requested if need be.
About Noon Concerts
Our 2025/2026 season of signature Noon Concerts shares talent from around the world. All concerts are offered to the public free of charge; donations encouraged. Donations help us continue to offer these high-caliber concerts and help offset the musician fees. Join us to celebrate the transcendent power of live music.
Curator
We have had the good fortune of having Beni Shinohara as our Noon Concerts Curator for the last 9 years. Beni is a highly respected and incredibly talented Bay Area musician. She has made our Noon Concerts one of the area’s sought-after engagements for many performers and we are thrilled to have her curating our Season once again.
Support Noon Concerts
Please consider making a donation to help ensure these concerts can continue and are accessible to all community members. We are incredibly grateful for your support.