BERKELEY — The San Francisco Chamber Orchestra will present “Classical at the Freight” with violinist Kay Stern and pianist Joan Nagano on Tuesday, May 19, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse, 1111 Addison St. (near San Pablo Avenue).

“Hear great classical music in the friendliest venue in the Bay Area, Berkeley’s Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse,” said a SFCO spokesperson. “Designed to ‘unstuffify’ and ‘demystify’ your classical experience, these 75-minute presentations include informal explanations from the performers (and) a Q&A session.”

Stern is concertmaster of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and former concertmaster of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Concordia at Lincoln Center, Cabrillo Music Festival, and the Cleveland Chamber Symphony. She has been a faculty member at the Cleveland Institute of Music and is on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Stern has been featured on TV and radio in PBS’ “Live From Lincoln Center,” CNN’s “Women Today,” Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Campanion,” and “St. Paul Sunday Morning.”

She was the founding first violinist of the Lark String Quartet and has recorded for Nonesuch, Innova, Music Masters, and Gramma Vision. Recent recordings include a violin concerto by Edward Miller, “Beyond the Wheel,” for GM Records and chamber music works by Henry Cowell for Koch International.

Nagano is a graduate of the music conservatories in Freiburg, Germany and San Francisco.

With an emphasis on chamber music, she has been coached by such noted musicians as Menahem Pressler and William Pleeth.

A highly sought-after musician in the Bay Area music community, her performances have been broadcast locally on KQED-FM and KPFA-FM. In addition, she has made recital tours of the Canadian Maritime Provinces, French Polynesia, Mexico, Alaska and Japan.

Also active in new music performance, Nagano is a founding member of the Beaumont Ensemble and has performed with Composers Inc., the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, New Music Works, and the Empyrean Ensemble.

Tickets are $8.50 in advance, $9.50 at the door. SFCO members with membership cards get two tickets for the price of one. For more information, call (415) 248-1640 or visit http://sfchamberorchestra.org.