Coronado Public Library kicks off its 14th annual Autumn Concert Series today with a free 1 p.m. performance pairing SDSU brass faculty member Dr. Eric Starr with pianist Hyemi Kwon in the Winn Room. Doors open 15 minutes before the show, and the event is open to all ages at no cost. The concert runs from 1 to 2 p.m. at the library, located at 640 Orange Ave.
According to KPBS, Starr brings a résumé that spans classical concert halls and Broadway pits alike — he has performed with the San Diego Symphony, San Diego Opera, Pacific Symphony, La Jolla Music Society, and Art of Elan, and has played in touring productions of Frozen and Mary Poppins. He lives in Ocean Beach and is married to Sarah, per the same outlet's report. At San Diego State University, Starr wears an unusually large number of hats: brass coordinator, studio artist teacher, lecturer, co-director of the Experimental Music Ensemble, director of brass chamber music, and program advisor for the university's Music, Entrepreneurship and Business degree.
Starr's academic training includes a Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern California, a Master of Music and Artist Diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University, according to the SDSU School of Music and Dance. The San Diego Union-Tribune has previously praised him as a “trombone champion” with “stunning style,” noting his history of performing and debuting contemporary works across Southern California, per the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. SDSU named him its most influential faculty member in 2018, 2023, and 2025, KPBS reports.
A Trombonist With Side Projects in Surfing and Cycling
Starr's résumé extends well beyond the concert stage. He is trombonist for Westwind Brass, director of the Emerging Composers Project for San Diego New Music, a board member for San Diego New Music and the Hausmann Quartet Foundation, and served as San Diego New Music's executive director from 2012 to 2022, according to KPBS. He also developed Tasting Notes, described as a curated evening of music and wine, and competes as a member of the San Diego Bicycle Club race team while serving as head coach for SDSU cycling.
Beyond SDSU, Starr serves as Community Engagement Partner for Art of Elan, where he creates collaborative opportunities for students and curates “Sounds and Swells,” a project pairing live classical music with surfing videos. He is credited as creative director of that project for Art of Elan, per KPBS.
His duet partner Friday, Hyemi Kwon, grew up in South Korea and was admitted to Sunhwa Arts Middle and High School before completing a Bachelor of Music in piano performance at Sungshin University, where she also became a teaching assistant for the piano department, according to KPBS. She went on to earn a Master of Music in piano performance at Roosevelt University in Chicago and an Artist Diploma at San Diego State University, as detailed by the Coronado Times. While in Chicago, she worked for the Chicago Civic Orchestra as an associated keyboard member, and she has since performed with the San Diego Symphony on multiple occasions and performs throughout San Diego.
Starr and Kwon's Ongoing Recital Partnership
Friday's Coronado performance is not a one-off pairing. Starr and Kwon maintain an active recital partnership that continues in November with a scheduled performance at the City of San Diego's Neil Morgan Auditorium, where their program will survey sonatas ranging from 18th-century Vivaldi to modern works by Paul Hindemith and Reena Esmail, according to the City of San Diego.
A Series Born From Brown-Bag Lunches
The Autumn Concert Series traces its roots to a modest “brown bag lunch” concert where attendees brought their own snacks while listening to piano music, before it expanded over the years into the multi-genre program it is today, according to the Coronado Public Library. This year's eight-week run continues on Fridays through October 23. The entire series is free to the public thanks to a partnership between the City of Coronado and the nonprofit Friends of the Coronado Public Library, the library says.
Limited Seating in a Room Built for a Different Era
All of it happens inside the Winn Room. Seating remains first-come, first-seated, so organizers continue to urge concertgoers to arrive early.
Private or non-city-sponsored groups may also rent the space. Friday's concert is free to the public, with the series supported by the City of Coronado and the nonprofit Friends of the Coronado Public Library.
