Mother-Son duo to headline spinet recital with ‘Bach, Brahms and Bumblebees’

BY: NELDA STUCK, Community Contributor

REDLANDS - The mother-son duo of Sally and Matthew Rehfeldt will present The Spinet's Feb. 18 recital program when they meet at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 100 Cajon St. The public is invited.

Their "Bach, Brahms and Bumblebees" program will include Bach's Suite No. 6 for solo cello, Brahms' Sonata No. 3 for cello and piano, and "Flight of the Bumblebee" by Rimsky-Korsakoff.

Sally Rehfeldt, currently organist at First Baptist Church of Redlands, was for 43 years the organist and handbell director at the Redlands First Presbyterian Church and then music director for Community Presbyterian Church.

In addition to her private piano studio, she is a wedding pianist at the Edwards Mansion and performs frequently with the "Pianos Plus" piano quartet.

She received her bachelor's and master's degrees with honors from the University of Arizona where she was also a graduate teaching assistant. She has been an adjunct professor at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, and at the University of Redlands.

Matt Rehfeldt, who was a finalist in the Redlands Bowl Young Artist Competition in the 1990s, moved to Bellingham, Wash., where he teaches cello and guitar in his private studio and performs frequently as a freelance musician through Western WA and abroad.

His recordings include a highly-acclaimed two-CD set of all six "Bach Suites for Solo Cello," "Baroque Concerti on Electric Guitar," and "Bach to Rock" selections, all available on CD Baby, Amazon and ITunes.

Matt received his bachelor of music degree from the University of Redlands with a major in cello performance and a minor in classical guitar. He studied with Rick Mooney, Joyce Geeting and Ray Davis who is principal cellist emeritus of the Seattle Symphony. He studied guitar with the late Terry Graves of the De Falla Trio.

In 1992 Matt received the UR School of Music Most Outstanding Performer award, and was a featured soloist with the UR Chamber Orchestra and in Washington with the Whatcom and Skagit symphonies, and the Starry Night Orchestra.

In 2015 he premiered a Chinese concerto in Benaroya Hall in Seattle with members of the Seattle Symphony. He has been a frequent performer in the "First Sunday at St. Paul's" and "Music for a Starry Night" concerts series, both in Mount Vernon, WA, plus the La Conner Institute of Performing Arts concert series.

In 2007 he was invited to perform as a soloist and chamber musician in the Monteverdi Music Festival in Costa Rica, and in 2009 he gave a live performance on cello and guitar to introduce a friend's new CD on National Public Radio.

He has been principal cellist with the Southern California Youth Orchestra, Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra, Mancini Symphony of the Desert, and Washington the Cascade Symphony, Skagit Opera, and is currently principal for the Starry Night Chamber Orchestra.

Musicians and music-lovers are invited to become Spinet members. For information, contact Ed Yarnelle at byronyarnelle@yahoo.com.