A Transatlantic Journey in Notes

Travel through 250 years of creative exchange between France and the United States

Villa Albertine San Francisco invites you to join us for “A Transatlantic Journey of Notes,” a unique event blending music and scent against the background of the San Francisco Botanical Garden with the Violinist, Second Soloist of the Orchestre National d’Ile de France and perfumer, Yoko Levy-Kobayashi, for an afternoon blending music, fragrance, and storytelling in a live performance with Opera Parallèle musicians. This immersive concert will transport audiences through multiple ages of artistic and intellectual exchange through sounds and scents: the Philosophers, the Impressionist movement, and the Jazz age. Each musical part will be paired with a unique historical fragrance, crafted by Lévy-Kobayashi herself. 

We look forward to welcoming you for the American Premiere of another distinctive work that celebrates the enduring creative connections between France and the United States. 

Program

17^th century Philosophers and the Age of Enlightenment  
   
Jean-Philippe Rameau “Danse du Grand Calumet” excerpt from “Les Indes galantes” 
Chevalier de Saint-Georges “Rondeau” from his 1^st Quartet 
Léonard Bernstein, “Ouverture de Candide” 

 
Impressionist Innovation 

Claude Debussy, “La fille aux cheveux de Lin” 
Gabriel Fauré, “ Pavane”  

 
The Jazz Age 

Scott Joplin,“Bethena” 
Georges Gerschwin, “An American in Paris “ 
Maurice Ravel, “Boléro” 

Check back for a link to register soon. Last year’s concert sold out quickly – secure your tickets before they are gone!  

About: Yoko Levy-Kobayashi, Violinist and Perfumer 

Strasbourg-born Yoko Lévy-Kobayashi began playing the violin at the age of 10, initiated by her music-loving parents. She studied for several years at the CNR de Metz with André Pons, and took part in masterclasses with Veda Reynolds and Jean-Jacques Kantorow. Encouraged by Kantorow, she entered the CNSM de Paris in Olivier Charlier’s class, and chamber music with Jean Mouillère and Alain Meunier. 

Three years later, she obtained her DFS with honors, and subsequently joined the Soloist Department of the CNR de Paris, where she perfected her skills with Roland Daugareil. 
A lover of the symphonic repertoire, she began playing with major orchestras such as the Orchestre de Paris and the Orchestre national de France, under the direction of prestigious conductors such as Riccardo Mutti, Kurt Masur, Herbert Blomstedt and Klaus Mäkëla. She also gives numerous solo concerts and recitals in France and Japan. 

Very open to other forms of expression, such as theater, she has collaborated with the Candela company for several years and has performed at the Théâtre de Nesle in Paris. 
Perfume and the world of scents, her greatest passion along with music, led her to train with Cinquième Sens. Armed with the expertise and know-how of the great perfumers, she now expresses her olfactory sensibility through perfumed creations and concerts. 

Yoko Lévy-Kobayashi has been the 1st violin 2nd soloist of the Orchestre National d’Ile de France since 2004 and a perfumer-creator. She is also the founder of her own perfume brand, Violoniste-parfums. 

Additional Performers, from the Opera Parallele ensemble:

Noah Strick, Violin
Ellen Ruth Rose, Viola
Emileigh Vandiver, Cello