The first of many Chamber Music Concerts was held in Valladolid at the Casa de Los Venados on May 31, for the marking of the 468 anniversary of the founding of Valladolid.  The concert program included pieces by J.S. Bach, G.F. Handel, Ignaz Pleyel and Manuel Ponce.  These beautiful pieces were performed by two world class musicians: Raphael Gold who plays the viola and Gocha Skhirtladze who plays the violin, both members of the Symphony Orchestra of Yucatan.

Raphael Gold is originally from California, he began his violin studies at the age of 4 under the direction of his parents Joseph Gold and Deborah Dare.  He continued his studies with Robert Slaughter, principal violist of the Dallas and Houston Symphonies, Elizabeth Gibson and Roy Malan, professor of violin at the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC).  He has played with several orchestras including YPSO of Berkeley, the Napa Valley Symphony Orchestra, the New Millennium Strings Orchestra, the San Francisco Sinfonietta and the Pro Musica ensemble of Oakland.  He has performed in several music festivals including Avila, Spain, Tirol, Austria, Managua, Nicaragua, Guanajuato, Mexico and New York.  In 2009 he graduated from the University of Chicago with a Master of Arts.

Gocha Skhirtladze entered the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Moscow in 1996. He was a member of the Melos Quartet, also of Moscow, in 2000. He has worked with several of the world’s greatest musicians, including Placido Domingo and Mstislav Rostropovich. He has played in many of the main concert halls in Russia, England, Sweden and Mexico. Skhirtladze is currently the concertmaster of the Symphony Orchestra of Yucatan and has performed in chamber ensembles in all of the major concert halls in Merida.

John Venator, owner of Casa de Los Venados, along with his wife Dorianne, hosted the event which was held in presentation to Jose Leonel Escalante Aguilar, Director of Culture and the Valladolid Casa de la Cultura for their special support.  Approximately one hundred people attended the event, with the post-concert reception lasting over two hours which gave guests a chance to socialize with the musicians and enjoy wine and deserts – an event enjoyed by all.  The mayor of Valladolid, Gonzalo Escalante Alcocer and his wife Gabriela Vidal attended the concert along with special guests, Jesus Graniel Loria, and Homero Novelo Burgos among several other invited guests.