Photo credit: Shaun Frederickson
1/19/24
We’re thrilled to announce our phenomenal new member Zach Mowitz! Welcome to the SAKURA family!
4/5/23
Hey Angelinos, we’re back in Socal this month! We have shows April 22, 23 & 27 in Los Angeles and Orange County.
2/10/23
SAKURA goes on tour to the Bay Area! Come hear us March 11, 12 & 14!
12/01/22
Come hear us Sunday, December 18 at 11AM at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica!
3/4/22
We finally have an Instagram page! Please follow us @sakuracellos
6/8/21
Recording of brand new cello quintet by Peter Myers!
12/21/19
We’re thrilled to announce our new member, Stella Cho!
8/25/18: New video!
10/30/17 Thanks to Alex Ross for mentioning SAKURA in The Rest is Noise blog!
6/23/17 SAKURA has been awarded a New Music USA grant to commission Donald Crockett to write a cello quintet for the 18/19 Season!!
"Brilliant...superb"
-Mark Swed, LA Times
"Versatile...winningly reimagined"
-Chloe Cutts, The Strad
A unique and versatile cello quintet, hailed as “brilliant” and “superb” by Mark Swed in the Los Angeles Times, the SAKURA Cello Quintet is built on the artistry and virtuosity of its members: Stella Cho, Michael Kaufman, Yoshika Masuda, Zachary Mowitz and Peter Myers. Drawing from the rich heritage of a repertoire that spans eight centuries, inventive programs are constructed around conceptual threads, with a commitment to opening new vistas of beauty and expression by showcasing the great warmth and scope of five cellos.
SAKURA explores great music of the past through dazzling arrangements that offer fresh perspectives on familiar notes, and continually expands the five-cello repertoire into the future by commissioning new works. In the tradition of the great chamber ensembles, the quintet distills its interpretations through time, reveling in the pure sonic pleasure of a unified and colorful sound. Its name honors the great mentor and artist Ralph Kirshbaum, with whom all five members studied: sakura (桜) (Japanese) and Kirschbaum (German) have the same meaning: “cherry tree”, an organism whose flowers have five petals.
Performance highlights have included the premiere of the world’s first concerto for five cellos and orchestra (Thomas Mellan’s “…on transcendence…”), a performance and pedagogical residency at New Orleans’ Birdfoot Festival, and concert appearances across the country. SAKURA was awarded two prestigious grants to commission new cello quintets: a Tarisio grant for five young American composers and a New Music USA grant for Donald Crockett. The quintet served as Young-Ensemble-in-Residence of the Da Camera Society from 2016 to 2020.