Program

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Miriam Blatt, piano and violin, also performs on viola and voice (soprano). She serves on boards for Chamber Musicians of Northern California and Soiree Musicale. Miriam spends half of each year in Sydney, Australia, where she plays a concert of chamber works by women composers every March, for International Women's Day.

Laurie Ho, clarinet, works in business operations during the day and plays clarinet during the night with Foothill Symphonic Winds, Winchester Orchestra, and clarinet chamber groups. She minored in music at UCSB. She enjoys hiking and collecting national parks.

Michael Kimbell, clarinet, studied with Donald Montanaro of the Philadelphia Orchestra and holds a DMA in composition from Cornell University. For over 25 years he has been clarinetist and resident composer with the Golden Gate Symphony, which has performed more than a dozen of his works. His compositions have also been performed in Austria, Canada, and Germany and can be heard on YouTube.

Suzanne Kirk, piano, is a retired mechanical engineer who has been playing the piano most of her life. She has only been playing chamber music since the year 2000. She regrets not being introduced to it earlier. She now participates in weekend and summer chamber music workshops as well as routinely getting together with musician friends to read. She also still takes piano lessons as it seems there is always more to learn about playing the piano.

Elizabeth Lee, pianist, currently studies with Hélène Wickett. She particularly enjoys playing with chamber ensembles and singers in the Peninsula area. She is recently retired from her job as a psychiatrist with San Mateo County Health Department. Since retirement, her teacher has been able to discern that she practices more. She and Michael have been performing together for almost 30 years.

Sean Roy Mac Aodha, violoncello, is a San Jose native who has studied cello with Laurel Brobst, Cheryl Fippen and Burke Schuchmann. He graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in music. He has extensive chamber and orchestral experience, and currently plays with the Saratoga Symphony. He enjoys hiking, wine tasting and reading.

Kent Peacock started accordion at age 7, through high school in Canada. He began playing flute at age 21 and was later invited to sub in the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony orchestra. He moved to California in 1980, and currently plays in three orchestras, a wind symphony, a woodwind quintet, and has done about 20 musicals. He has played in the Long Day flute trio/quartet since 1994. He's learning to play clarinet.

The next Soirée Musicale is Friday October 24, 2025