Tuesday, October 29, 2019 | 6:00 PM The National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi, 610 Vallejo Street, San Francisco, CA. Saturday, November 2, 2019 | 7:00 PM The Holy Cross Parish, 580 Jackson Street, San Jose, CA.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of San Francisco and Assisi joining together as Sister Cities, and the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis's visit to the Holy Land, Maestro Cosimo Prontera will offer two organ concerts, in San Francisco and in San Jose. With the support of the Consulate General of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco.

Maestro Cosimo Prontera 
After the diplomas in organ and harpsichord, Cosimo Prontera completed his studies with Toon Koopman, Wolfang Zerer, Eduard Koiman, and in continuo and chamber music with Jesper Boy Cristensen, Guido Morini and Enrico Gatti. He studied the Neapolitan repertoire of the 1600 and 1700s with Antonio Florio.  

Several newspaper articles expressed praise for him, including: Il Giornale della Musica, Rai 3, l'Espresso, Il Corriere del Giorno, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, La Repubblica, Avvenire, Mattino Il Giornale della Musica, Corriere della Sera, Il Messaggero, Avvenire, Il Secolo XIX, Il Mattino, Amadeus, Opera International de Paris, Classical CD, Music, Counterpoints, Opera, Instruments and Music, Curtain. He holds the chair of Organ and Organ Composition at the "Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa" Conservatory of Potenza and at the same Conservatory he teaches the practice of basso continuo and ancient organ within the two-year specialization. He is also an organ professor at the Notre Dame University of Beirut. He is the founder and artistic and musical director of the Baroque Orchestra La Confraternita de 'Musici, an orchestra with original instruments that since its inception has received flattering public and critical acclaim for Rai1, Rai3, Radio Rai 3, Vatican Radio, BBC radio, Tallin Radio. The concert activity is accompanied by that of musicology research investigating the immense reservoir of Apulian musicians who gave life to what will be called "Neapolitan school" between the XVII and XVIII centuries. and in particular to the greatest musician that his land has had, Leonardo Leo.
 
PROGRAM
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562 - 1621) | The Grand Duke's Ball
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)
Concert in A min BWV 593 from Antonio Vivaldi RV 522 (Allegro, Adagio, Allegro)
Wachet auf, ruft uns die stimme, prelude to the choral BWV 645
Prelude and fugue in A minor BWV 543
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809 - 1847) | Sonata in D minor, op. 65 n. 6
Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877 - 1933) | Nun danket alle Gott (Marche triomphale) Op. 65 Nr. 59
Giovanni Morandi (1777 - 1856) |Offertory in D major