NOON CONCERTS
Violinist Cordula Merks is the Concertmaster of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Previous positions include First Assistant concertmaster of the Seattle Symphony and concertmaster of Germany's Essen Philharmonic, Bochum Symphony and Bergische Symphony. She has also served as guest concertmaster for many orchestras, including the Houston Symphony, American Ballet Theater at the Met, Dresden Philharmonic, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Portuguese National Opera. When not playing in the orchestra, Cordula enjoys playing as a soloist and as a chamber musician and has performed in the US, Israel and all over Europe.
Cordula was born in Germany and spent her childhood in Holland. She started playing the violin at the age of 6 and was accepted to study at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague at the age of 12. Her teachers have included Theodora Geraets, Jaring Walta, Shmuel Ashkenasi, and Herman Krebbers, and she holds degrees from the Amsterdam Conservatory and Northern Illinois University. Merks has won prizes at all Dutch national competitions, at various concerto competitions and at several international competitions, including the International Johannes Brahms Competition in Austria. Cordula is married to contrabassoonist Mike Gamburg, and together they have two daughters, Mia, and Emmie.
Britton Day was born in San Francisco, raised in Mill Valley, and attended college in Ohio. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree at the Oberlin Conservatory, he returned to the bay area, to continue his post graduate studies with Paul Hersh at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where Britt earned a Master’s Degree as well as a Professional Studies Diploma. Since graduating, Britt works as a staff accompanist at the SF Conservatory, the San Francisco Ballet Company as a rehearsal pianist, and performs chamber music and recitals with musicians from the San Francisco Symphony, Opera Orchestra, SF Ballet Orchestra.