CLASSICAL CROSSROADS, INC.
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FIRSTSERVE COMMUNITY SERVICES
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Classical Interludes
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FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL

2025-2026 Concert Series

Classical Crossroads' Classical Interludes concerts are graciously hosted as a gift to the community by FirstServe Community Services, the nonprofit community service partner organization of First Lutheran Church & School – Torrance. The finest artists from Southern California and around the world perform concerts at 3:00 p.m. on the first Saturdays of each month from October through May.

FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL
2900 W. Carson Street, Torrance, CA 90503
(on the south side of Carson Street just east of Maple)
For a Google map, click here.

For information, call Classical Crossroads at (310) 316-5574 or click here.

Free admission - Donations appreciated

Click to see "First Fridays at First! ~ fff" and "Classical Interludes" past seasons:
[2000-2013] [2013-2014] [2014-2015] [2015-2016]
[2016-2017] [2017-2018] [2018-2019] [2019-2020]
[2020-2021] [2021-2022] [2022-2023] [2023-2024]
[2024-2025]

Concerts Are Performed in Front of a Live Audience
and Simultaneously Livestreamed at the Scheduled Concert Time

If this is your first time attending a Classical Crossroads concert, kindly request a reservation for yourself and your guests by emailing: ClassicalCrossroads@gmail.

Click here at the scheduled concert time to watch the livestream.

With consent of the artists, the concerts may be made available for on-demand streaming from Classical Crossroads' Vimeo Showcase for about a month, beginning a few days following the concert.

Saturday, October 4, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.

   

Trio Sol discovered early on how much joy they found in creating music together. Formed at the University of Southern California, the trio quickly expanded beyond the classroom, seeking professional opportunities to share their artistry with wider audiences.

Their passion for musical diversity is reflected in a repertoire that spans German, French, Czech, Ukrainian, and American traditions—performed with equal enthusiasm and authenticity. Drawing on their varied cultural backgrounds, they bring a rich blend of perspectives, experience, and insight to their interpretations.

Though each member is a distinct and dynamic individual, together they form a unified voice—one that balances individuality with a deep sense of musical connection.

Songs of the Americas

   

Beverly Hills National Audition Winners, rising opera stars Xavier Prado and Camila Lima, and pianist and noted film composer Ruy Folguera, return to Classical Crossroads with a program of classical songs and arias from Latin America, as well as popular selections from the Great American Songbook from North America.

Watch a Reprise of the Livestream
With the artists’ approval, a reprise of the livestream is available on demand for a month, starting a day or two after the concert. Select one of two videos from the drop-down menu in the upper left after clicking:
https://vimeo.com/showcase/classicalcrossroads

The Art of the Theatre Organ

Popular Holiday Selections & Improvisations

Mark Herman

Distinguished American theatre organist Mark Herman has performed hundreds of solo concerts and silent film presentations across the United States and internationally. He was honored with the prestigious American Theatre Organ Society’s Organist of the Year award in 2012, becoming the youngest recipient in the Society’s history. Featured on American Public Media’s Pipedreams and at numerous organ society conventions, Mark has toured globally, including Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the UK. His work has been showcased on television and in films, including a notable 2019 organ cameo with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Renowned for his period-authentic film scores, he composed and recorded new scores for The Criterion Collection’s Harold Lloyd Blu-ray release in 2019.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts/Management from DePaul University. Based in Los Angeles, he is the President of Herman Organ Company, leading a talented team in the museum-quality restoration and care of historic pipe organs.

Watch the Livestream
Classical Crossroads' concerts are simultaneously livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person. Click at concert time to watch the next livestream:
https://vimeo.com/event/4030680

Saturday, January 3, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.

  

Executive Director and Co-Founder of Chamber Music | OC, Ukrainian-born violinist Iryna Krechkovsky is joined by Visiting Artist, Korean-born Sookkyung Cho, for masterpieces from the violin and piano repertoire.

Iryna Krechkovsky is well-known and much-loved by her fans in the South Bay and beyond as the violinist of Trio Céleste.

Now Associate Professor of Piano at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, Sookkyung Cho earned her Bachelor's degree from Juilliard and her Master's from Peabody. She returned to Juilliard for her Doctor of Musical Arts.

Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.

Part I of a Concert in Two Parts*

Classical Crossroads’ Second Sundays at Two Artistic Director and Steinway Artist Steven Vanhauwaert is joined by his esteemed violinist colleague Ambroise Aubrun.

Hailed as a “marvelous violinist” (France Musique) with “sensitive tone” (Pizzicato Magazine) and “tremendous ease, suppleness and beauty of sound” (Nice-Matin), French violinist Ambroise Aubrun has performed extensively in Europe and North America in halls such as Salzburg Haus für Mozart, Yerevan Khachaturian Grand Hall, Los Angeles Broad Stage, Zipper Hall, Chicago Bradley Hall, and Paris Hotel des Invalides. He has shared the stage with Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Scott St. John, Martin Chalifour, Fred Sherry, Clive Greensmith, Carrie Dennis, Richard O’Neill, Rohan de Saram, Steven Vanhauwaert, and the Borroméo and Ebène string quartets, among others.

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times for his “impressive clarity, sense of structure and monster technique,” Steven Vanhauwaert has garnered a wide array of accolades, including the First Prize at the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition. Mr. Vanhauwaert made his solo debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall and has appeared in some of the world’s leading venues, including the National Center of the Performing Arts in Beijing, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, the Concertgebouw in Brugge, the Great Hall of the Budapest Liszt Conservatory, the Forbidden City Theatre in Beijing, Segerstrom Hall, and the National Philharmonic Hall in Kyiv. Artistic Director of Classical Crossroads’ Second Sundays at Two series, Mr. Vanhauwaert is a Steinway Artist.

* Part II of this concert is on the next day
at Rolling Hills United Methodist Church
on the "Second Sundays at Two" series.

Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.

  String Quartets by American Composers

Formed in 2008, the Fiato Quartet is a winner of the 2022 Beverly Hills National Auditions. Its members hold degrees in music performance from the University of Southern California, Rice University, Northwestern University, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. The members are spread among the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Pasadena Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, New West Symphony, and Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra. As studio musicians in Los Angeles, they also record music for motion pictures, television, and records.

Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.

Winner of the 2026 Peninsula Symphony
Edith Knox Performance Competition

For over a decade, Classical Crossroads has been collaborating with the Peninsula Symphony in providing the annual winner of its Edith Knox Performance Competition with a recital opportunity with a $1,000 honorarium (plus $500 for a collaborating pianist) on the Classical Interludes series. The recital honorarium from Classical Crossroads augments the $2,000 Winners Prize from Peninsula Symphony, which also awards the winner with a concerto performance with the orchestra. See the Peninsula Symphony's past winners, who have performed recitals on the Classical Interludes series.