Bask in the glow of musical classics with the Luminance Trio and Santa Cruz Symphony

Looking to enjoy a vibrant & modern take on musical classics? Join the Santa Cruz Symphony as they shine a light on their Recital Series with a concert headlined by San Francisco-based trio, Luminance.

Luminance presents a concert of original compositions that draw on their Latin, classical, and jazz musical roots, as well as their take on classics by artists ranging from Frédéric Chopin to Charles Aznavour and from Nat King Cole to Buena Vista Social Club. Read on to learn more about the group and their immensely talented members.

About Luminance Trio

Formed in the Mission District of San Francisco, Luminance performs original works and innovative arrangements inspired by Latin-American music styles and classical traditions. Featuring Amelia Romano on acoustic and electric lever harp, Matt Ebisuzaki on c-rotary-valve trumpet and Saul Richmond-Rakerd on cello, the trio combines fiery rhythms, lush chords and soaring melodies with classics to create a subtle yet charismatic musical experience. Their recently released EP, Late Dawn, showcases their many musical influences and interests, ranging from mid-century French pop music to latin jazz improvisations. They have enjoyed sharing their unique music with audiences up and down the west coast since they began playing together several years ago.

Amelia Romano

Amelia Romano

(Santa Cruz Symphony)

An eclectic blend of austere serenity and kinetic vibrancy, Amelia Romano takes what is known about conventional harp and surpasses every time. Pulling from her roots in the cultural hotbed of San Francisco, Amelia not only plays music from the repertoire but reprises them and creates originals. Latin American music, jazz and classical are all genres that she touches but her music defines its own path.

Earning a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Field Studies from U.C. Berkeley with a thesis examining the legacy of the South Africa apartheid, she continued her lever harp studies with Dr. Cheryl Ann Fulton. She spent 2010-2011 at Ntonga Music School in Gugulethu Township, Cape Town, South Africa, sponsored by the Playing for Change Foundation. Her time there deeply shaped her musical creativity and desire to re-imagine her sound. With her return to the S.F. Bay Area in 2011, she took up the electric harp and formed StringQuake, (2012) and Luminance, (2016).

Amelia has been an active freelance musician in the S.F. Bay Area for over 15 years, touring in Mexico, the states, and Europe (June of 2016). In March 2017, she released her second full length album, New Perspectives, featuring the electric harp and local talent. Moving from Latin rhythms to blues and nostalgic storytelling, New Perspectives invites the listener to re-imagine the role of the lever harp in today’s musical landscape. She has since released two full length albums with StringQuake: Take 15 and Cascade, and two EP’s with Luminance Ensemble: Luminance in 2018 and Late Dawn in 2021.

Currently pursuing a masters degree in classical lever harp performance at San Francisco State University, under the tutelage of pedal harp instructor, Karen Gottlieb, she finds deep satisfaction composing and arranging for her chamber music ensembles - forging new sounds and directions in the global lever harp community.

Matthew Ebisuzaki

Matthew Ebisuzaki

(Santa Cruz Symphony)

Holding a bachelor and master’s degree in classical trumpet performance from the Curtis Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory, Matthew Ebisuzaki is both a performing artist and passionate film maker. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, he continues to stay musically active as principal trumpet of the Santa Cruz Symphony and founding member of two chamber groups, Brass Over Bridges (2016-2021) and Luminance (2017-present).

Saul Richmond-Rakerd

Saul Richmond-Rakerd is a San Francisco-based cellist. He began his cello studies at the age of 9 in his hometown of Okemos, Michigan, and continued to study it alongside piano until he concluded high school. He went on to college at Brown University, where he completed a dual major, with Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Physics and Anthropology.

Saul Richmond-Rakerd

(Santa Cruz Symphony)

Cello remained a passion for him throughout his university years, however, and he continued to play as principal of the Brown University Orchestra, as a soloist, and with several chamber music groups during his time there. After graduating from Brown, Saul decided to immerse himself in music full-time, and so, after attending the Castleton Music Festival in 2013, he moved to Florence, Italy to pursue a Biennio di Violoncello, and to play professionally as principal cellist of the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana. He moved to San Francisco in January 2015 in order to begin a Master of Music degree at the San Francisco Conservatory under the tutelage of Jennifer Culp – a degree that he completed in December 2016.

Throughout his career, Saul has enjoyed playing in a wide range of settings. He has played as a soloist with the Okemos Symphony Orchestra and the Brown University Orchestra, as well as in numerous recitals, both in the US and abroad. He was also a finalist of the San Francisco Conservatory Concerto Competition in 2016. Other musical awards he has received include First Prize at the Barbara Fritz Chamber Music Award (2016), First Prize at the Luigi Boccherini Chamber Music Competition in Lucca, Italy (2016), Second Prize at the Dorothy Van Waynen Competition for Strings (2016), Primo Arco Premio (2014), Weston Prize for the Arts (2013), and the Buxtehude Premium Prize in Music (2012).

Saul has been a member of many chamber groups, traditional and non. He currently performs with Luminance, a cello-harp-trumpet trio drawing on latin, classical, and jazz roots, and he was a founding member of both the Capitoline Trio and Quattro alla Volta, a cello quartet with whom he performed during his time in Italy. He greatly enjoys playing in symphonic settings as well, and has played with many different orchestras throughout his career in music. He currently serves as assistant principal cellist in the Santa Cruz Symphony, as a section cellist with the Monterey Symphony, as co-principal cellist of One Found Sound, and is a regular substitute with many other orchestras throughout the Bay Area.

This program is generously sponsored by Julie Mazurek and Peter & Mary-Ann Orr.

(Santa Cruz Symphony)