Notable Soirée: Adams

July 23, 2026 - 2:00 PM Tickets start at $95 Octagon Barn Center4400 Octagon Way San Luis Obispo, California 93401 Scott Yoo leads an interactive musical discussion of Shaker Loops, a string septet by American minimalist composer John Adams. Shaker Loops began as a string quartet called Wavemaker, which used repeated oscillating notes to emulate waves. While it was a total flop after its premiere, Adams reworked the piece using his students at the San Francisco Conservatory as testers. The idea of musical “looping” dates from the era of tape recorders where small lengths of tape attached end-to-end could repeat ad infinitum. In this piece, the musicians repeat alternating notes over and over (“shaking”) . The term “shaker” also suggests Adams’s childhood memories of growing up near a defunct Shaker community in New Hampshire. After your behind-the-scenes guide to this piece, mingle with the musicians and fellow attendees over afternoon tea! You’ll indulge in hors d'oeuvres, finger sandwiches, and treats, complete with Central Coast wines, while you discuss what you learned during the Notable Encounter. This is a great opportunity to learn more about this piece before it is performed in full on July 24th at Chamber Concert 2. JOHN ADAMSShaker Loops Scott Yoo, host Jason Uyeyama, Claire Bourg, Jeremy Hao, violins Jenni Seo, viola Brian Thornton, Ari Evan, cellos Jory Herman, bass Please note that the musicians may not perform the piece in its entirety.