Hear World-Class Chamber Music - A Rare One-Night Experience（Sun 4/26 - 5pm)

About the event
An evening of piano trios by Beethoven, Brahms, Dvořák, and Smetana—where classical form meets rhythm, movement, and cultural memory.

Pianist Ian Scarfe is joined by Czech violinist Petr Mašek and cellist James Jaffe for a program that moves beyond the expected. While composers like Beethoven and Brahms are often associated with depth and intensity, this program reveals another side—music shaped by dance, energy, and a sense of play.

At the heart of the evening are works by Czech composers Dvořák and Smetana, whose music draws deeply from Central and Eastern European folk traditions. Lively rhythms, shifting moods, and rich melodic lines bring a sense of place and movement into the room—music that feels both intimate and alive.

Set in our close listening space, every gesture, phrase, and interaction unfolds just a few feet away.

Artists
Petr Mašek, Violin

Petr Mašek came to the United States from the Czech Republic to study at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He earned a Master's Degree in Violin Performance, and has since enjoyed over 20 years of teaching and touring. He performed for many years in regional orchestras in Southern California, and now can be seen regularly in several Bay Area ensembles as well. He runs a Masek Imaging, a photography and drone imaging business, and is the chief drone pilot at Sky Ladder Drones. He lives in Piedmont with his wife and daughter.

James Jaffe, Cello

Cellist James Jaffe sees every performance as an opportunity to create authentic connections between art, artists, and audience members. A visionary performer and collaborator, James co-founded Wave Chamber Collective, which brings chamber musicians into dynamic new relationships with poets, artists, and scientists, and the Fire and Music Project, a new initiative creating performances inspired by California's shifting relationship with fire. James is a longstanding member of the Groupmuse house concert cooperative, and also works as a core member and section leader of One Found Sound, San Francisco's unconducted chamber orchestra.

Ian Scarfe, Piano

Ian Scarfe enjoys a wide ranging career as a concert pianist, an organizer of large-scale musical happenings, and as an advocate for the arts. The majority of his work comes in the form of over 150 concerts each year, as a soloist, ensemble artist, and director.

His career as a performer is bolstered by his thoughtful, humorous, and charismatic stage presence. Ian enjoys sharing the history of the music being performed, giving specific listening guides about it, and generally acting as both a performer and a musical tour-guide. He is the pre-concert lecturer for Chamber Music Monterey Bay and a guest speaker with other organizations. He produces a patron-supported YouTube series called “In the Practice Room with Ian”, and broadcasts monthly live-streamed concerts from his living room.

He is the founder and director of the Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival, founded in 2011, which has presented hundreds of free concerts and school programs across rural Northern California. Dozens of professional musicians from around the world have come to the Trinity Alps region to participate in artist retreats and tours. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Scarfe is the director of Chamber Music at the Century Club, which brings ensemble concerts to the beautiful ballroom of one of San Francisco's historic buildings. Scarfe also curates Gravity and Grace, a series at Monument SF that blends aerial dance and circus arts with classical music.

He is on faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and teaches occasional private lessons to dedicated advanced students. He coaches chamber music students through the Crowden School in Berkeley and Chamber Musicians of Northern California, an organization that creates workshops for adult amateurs.

Program
Johannes Brahms - Hungarian Dances

Antonin Dvořak - Slavonic Dances

Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Trio, Op. 70, No. 2

Bedrich Smetana - Piano Trio in G Minor

Antonin Dvořak - "Dumky" Piano Trio

Evening Format
Doors open at 5:00 PM, and guests are warmly invited to enjoy dinner before the performance.

Our full menu is offered à la carte during this time.

To fully enjoy your dinner experience with the Meyhouse menu, timely arrival is highly recommended especially for parties of four or more, as a relaxed dining experience typically requires up to two hours. Dinner service concludes promptly at 7:00 PM.

At 7:00 PM, the room transitions into a focused, acoustically attentive concert setting. The performance lasts approximately 90 minutes, presented in two parts with an intermission.

To preserve the integrity and intimacy of the music, no food or beverage service will take place during the concert.