Yoko Lévy-Kobayashi’s West Coast Premiere: Experience Two Unique Events in San Francisco with a Premiere Violinist of the French National Orchestra!
Performance, Premiere
Join Villa Albertine San Francisco for two unique events that blend baroque music, luxurious scent, history, and storytelling to offer audiences multi-sensory experiences that will not only stimulate the nose and ears but also the mind.
Yoko Lévy-Kobayashi: Dialogues in notes and fragrance
Alliance Française de San Francisco
Thursday, October 16, 7:00pm
First violinist of the Orchestre National de France and perfumer, Yoko weaves together music, fragrance, and storytelling in this special presentation and live performance. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn more about the life and work of Lévy-Kobayashi in an intimate setting where guests will have the chance to delight in Yoko’s original scents and engage in a live Q+A.
Versailles in Music and Scent: Yoko Lévy-Kobayashi live in concert with Ars Minerva at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens
San Francisco Botanical Garden, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Sunday October 19, 3:00 – 4:00pm
Villa Albertine San Francisco, and The Gardens of Golden Gate Park invite guests to step into not only the Celebration Garden at the San Francisco Botanical Garden, but the splendor of Versailles through a rare concert blending French baroque music and perfume.
Yoko Lévy-Kobayashi joins the San Francisco–based ensemble Ars Minerva to transport audiences into the world of the French court, in a program where music and fragrance become inseparable arts on the afternoon of Sunday, October 19th, 2025.
This singular event evokes the era of Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Marie-Antoinette, with each musical piece paired with historically inspired perfumes crafted by Lévy-Kobayashi. Audiences will not only hear exquisite works by Jean-Baptiste Lully, André-Cardinal Destouches, William Williams, and Delavigne, but also experience the fragrances that once perfumed the salons, gardens, and theaters of the French Royal Court. Versailles in Music and Scent promises to blend sound and aroma into a multisensory experience in one of San Francisco’s most beloved parks.
This event is made possible by Villa Albertine San Francisco, the Gardens of Golden Gate Park, Ars Minerva, and 836M.
Tickets here.
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.
In partnership with
836M
836M is an innovative foundation based in San Francisco that brings contemporary art to life through exhibitions and by supporting emerging and established artists. Beginning in 2021, 836M initiates partnerships in Europe promoting diversity, social inclusion, and dialogue between cultures. A laboratory for artists to explore new creations from Paris to San Francisco, 836M supports the In the Banlieues program in all its dimensions: exhibitions, artist residencies, and cultural exchanges between the two countries. For more information visit the 836M on Facebook at @836M.art.
Alliance Française de San Francisco
Serving the San Francisco community since 1889, Alliance Française de San Francisco’s mission is to promote the knowledge and appreciation of French language and Francophone cultures.
The Alliance Francaise of San Francisco is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization incorporated in the State of California.
Ars Minerva
Ars Minerva is a San Francisco-based, 501(c)(3) performing arts organization founded in 2013 by Céline Ricci. Its mission is to engage new audiences for classical music through innovative productions of Baroque operas.
Ars Minerva is dedicated to reviving forgotten music, collaborating with artists in the San Francisco Bay Area to bring these rare and captivating experiences to the diverse local community.
Gardens of Golden Gate Park
The Gardens of Golden Gate Park connect people to plants, the planet, and each other.
