September’s free family music program sponsored by the Friends of the Carmel Valley Library will feature Lyriphon, a San Diego based trio that brings poetic lyricism and technical excellence to beloved popular songs with stunning voices, classical Spanish guitar, and percussion. It consists of soprano Barbara Tobler and guitarists Mark Bacilla and Craig Stephenson.

Lyriphon performs a unique eclectic blend of music including Brazilian bossa nova and samba, standard jazz, and classical favorites by composers such as Jobim, Sammy Cahn, Villa-lobos, Morel, Rodrigo, Dvorak, and Massenet. Songs are performed in English, Portuguese, Italian, and French, and are interwoven with Brazilian guitar duets. The program will last 45 minutes.

Barbara Tobler was born and raised in Delaware. She had lead roles in opera and musical theater on the east coast, and with her extensive concert repertoire, was a featured soloist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Newark Symphony. She lived in Switzerland for four years where she sang with the St. Gallen Opera and was a featured soloist at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and other venues in Europe. She is a co-founder of Lyriphon and presently lives and teaches in North County.

Mark Bacilla has worked as a performing guitarist, vocalist, studio musician, teacher, and producer for more than 25 years. He was influenced early by the classical music of India, American rhythm and blues, Baroque transcriptions for the guitar, and Brazilian bossa nova. He has a BA in Music and a MA in Musicology from San Diego State. Mark also performs with several local ensembles.

Craig Stephenson has over 15 years of professional performance and teaching experience. He has a BA in Music from San Diego State with a specialization in jazz performance. Since 2003 he has focused on the study and performance of Spanish classical guitar. He has taught hundreds of aspiring guitar players and performs regularly in San Diego County.