From HBO to Bing

It may seem like a logical straight line from prestigious music schools to the likes of Bing Concert Hall. But violinist Lucia (“loo-sha”) Micarelli’s journey has included sports arenas, jazz clubs and a starring role on television along the way.

The life of an artist requires flexibility and fearlessness. For Micarelli, who headlines Bing on Sunday, July 8, generous amounts of both were required when she portrayed the role of Annie Talarico in “Treme,” created by David Simon, which first aired on HBO in April 2010. A conservatory-trained instrumentalist, the Queens, New York, native had toured and recorded with vocalist/songwriter Josh Groban and trumpeter/bandleader Chris Botti. Yet she had never acted or sung professionally prior to taking up the role of a New Orleans street musician.

“That whole experience was just a pretty wild ride of creative forces and artists I really, really believed in. I just think David Simon is brilliant,” said Micarelli, by phone from her home in Los Angeles. “I was a classical violinist who had done some work in other genres, just like my character. Musically they kind of threw me into all these different situations, which was a massive learning curve for me but such a cool experience in New Orleans,” she continued. “At one point David just said, ‘Well, okay, your character is going to be fronting her own band, soon. So you’re going to be singing, and you’re going to be writing songs. And you better get on that.'”

With a glowing instrumental tone and an ethereal stage presence, Micarelli has won over concert audiences and earned the respect of her peers. Her recording credits include sessions with everyone from former Woodside resident Neil Young and fellow singer-songwriter titan Elvis Costello to neo-crooner Michael Bublé, pop princess Kelly Clarkson and jazz tenor saxophonist Kamasi Washington.

After graduating from the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music, Micarelli released two albums. “Music from a Farther Room” came out in 2004 and “Interlude” dropped three years later. In March, “An Evening with Lucia Micarelli” debuted nationally on PBS. Filmed live in Santa Barbara in early June 2017, the concert features the same instrumentation as her current tour and previewed material from her now-finished third solo recording.

Resembling both a classical and jazz group, her band features the remaining components of a string quartet (her husband, Neel Hammond, also on violin plus viola and cello) as well as guitar, double bass and piano.

“Chamber music is such a beautiful form of classical music. It’s really intimate and engaging,” Micarelli said “And I don’t think that many people get to see that. I think the people who only really ever go see chamber music are super classical music fans,” she speculated, with a warm laugh (one of many during a 45-minute-conversation).

Unlike a classical orchestra or a jazz big band, where an entire instrumental section may be playing a single note in unison, it’s easier to follow each musician in a more intimate setting, she pointed out. “There’s something really special about watching the violist play the viola part and then hear the melody go to the violinist or bassist and being able to follow that on stage …” she said.

Reflecting both her own diverse musical experiences and tastes, Micarelli’s program at Stanford will encompass classical, jazz, Americana and popular repertoires. The initial criteria for both her third album and her current shows are that she love and connect with the material, be it a movement from a Maurice Ravel violin and cello duo, a standard from the Great American Songbook or a classic rock favorite.

“I didn’t want to have anything in there that was filler or somebody would tell me, ‘A lot of people are doing this cover right now, and you should do that.’ I just wanted it to all be music that I loved,” she said.

“I also had a couple of ideas of what would be interesting and engaging sound-wise and visually with the chamber music experience,” Micarelli added. “But I what I realized afterwards is, in a way, it’s my emotional connection to the music that ties everything together: A lot of the music has meaning to me in different parts of my life, or there’s stories behind these songs that I love.”

Fans of Micarelli’s singing will be in luck, too, as she plans to vocalize a bit at Bing. “There’s something so immediate about using words,” she reflected. “Being an instrumentalist, it’s just so different. Suddenly when you’re singing words, there’s a directness that’s very appealing!”

What: Lucia Micarelli

Where: Bing Concert Hall, 327 Lasuen St., Stanford

When: Sunday, July 8, 7 p.m.

Cost: $35-$45.

Info: Go to Stanford Live