A most extraordinary group of musicians will return to our community for a weekend of world-class concerts. Pianist Roy Bogas, founder and director of the Master Guild Chamber Music Series in Oakland, and top players in the San Francisco Symphony, were enthusiastically received by full houses last summer, and this July they will perform music of Beethoven, Chopin, Franck, Bloch, and others on Saturday and Sunday, July 10 and 11, at Gualala Arts Center. Nadia Tichman, Associate Principal Violinist, Geraldine Walther, Principal Violist, Peter Wyrick, Associate Principal Cellist, and his wife, violinist Amy Hiraga, will join Mr. Bogas to create music that simply has to be heard, to be believed.

Summer music festivals in unlikely places÷such as Sitka, Alaska, and Gualala, California÷have a special appeal. Sitkaâs has enjoyed legendary success among all age groups, thanks to the dedication of its founding musicians and Sitkaâs residents. Last year Roy Bogas and his friends helped Gualala Arts initiate our own Summer Chamber Music Festival, bringing us music as fine as any in the world. It was a spectacular beginning to what we hope will become a tradition.

Mr. Bogasâ guiding principle is to bring beautiful and accessible music to our diverse community. Drawn from classical, romantic, and contemporary periods, the varied programs showcase the musiciansâ unusually broad dynamic range. Perhaps this is what enthralls their audiences most. The intimate nature of chamber music seems made for these players. In addition to the performances themselves, the musicians will offer special insights into the music. This year Mr. Bogas will feature the music of Ernest Bloch in a special presentation. The entire ensemble will perform Blochâs incomparable Piano Quintet again this year, as its power and complexity invite rediscovery. These are just a few of the elements that make Roy Bogas and Friendsâ chamber concerts uniquely engaging and deeply satisfying.

Both Mr. Bogas and local resident Sita Milchev enjoy a special relationship to the composer: Bogas is a premier interpreter of Blochâs music, and Sita Milchev is the composerâs granddaughter. Roy Bogas and Sita Milchev will give a pre-concert talk on the music of Ernest Bloch on Saturday, July 10, at 6:30 p.m. The concert will follow at 7:30, presenting chamber music of Mozart and Beethoven, and after intermission, the Bloch Quintet for Piano and Strings, which received such an overwhelming reception at last year's concert.

Sunday's program at 4 p.m. will feature chamber music of Mozart, Chopin, and Franck, with a reception for the artists after the recital. The concerts will take place at Gualala Arts Center, with limited seating. Tickets are $20 for the Saturday event, $20 for Sunday, and are available at the Arts Center (884-1138) and the Dolphin Gallery. Be sure to get your tickets immediately, as we expect another sell-out.