The Big and Baroque Theorbo with Jon Mendle

October 25, 2023 :: Joining California Symphony for HANDEL—RIVERS OF INSPIRATION is Jon Mendle on the rarely-seen theorbo. Jon has toured with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, performed in Carnegie Hall, and won second prize at the 2021 Concorso di Musica Antica “Maurizio Pratola” international lute competition. We talked to Jon to learn more about his career...

Program Notes — HANDEL—RIVERS OF INSPIRATION

October 19, 2023 :: Viet Cuong (b. 1990) Chance of Rain (2023) The Covid-19 pandemic will leave its stamp on our culture for many years to come. As we emerge from isolation and loss, there’s a sense of awakening in the arts—orchestras resuming their regular concert schedules, audiences returning to live performances, musicians back on the road after their...

Drum Roll Please… with Percussionist Allen Biggs

September 13, 2023 :: In his career with California Symphony, it’s not common for Principal Percussionist Allen Biggs to play drum kit during concerts—let alone for two different pieces on the same program! In season opener COPLAND—AMERICAN TRADITIONS, Wynton Marsalis’ Violin Concerto in D and Juan Pablo Contreras’ MeChicano both feature drum kits of various sizes and playing styles, reflecting...

An Uncommon Duet with Timpanist Alex Orfaly

May 12, 2023 :: More Timpani! William Walton’s Symphony No. 1 features not one but two sets of timpani—a first for timpanist Alex Orfaly in his career with California Symphony. Donato says you’re really looking forward to FRESH INSPIRATIONS because Walton’s Symphony No. 1 features two sets of timpani and two timpanists, and because you’ve never played this piece...

Mozart Movie Myths

December 4, 2022 :: Mozart’s true life story needs no Hollywood-style embellishments, says Music Director Donato Cabrera. Tom Hulce as Wolgang Amadeus Mozart in the 1984 hit movie “Amadeus”. By California Symphony Music Director Donato Cabrera. A murderously jealous rival. A mysterious commission from a “gray messenger.” Rumors of poisoning… If the circumstances of Mozart’s death at 35 read like...

Meet ALL THINGS STRINGS Soloist Elizabeth Dorman

October 19, 2022 :: Elizabeth Dorman on her musical beginnings, fostering cats, and performing while pregnant. Where did you grow up and where do you live now?  I grew up in the heart of San Francisco at Castro and 15th and where my mom Anne still lives. I spent 8 years living in various places around New York City...

Meet the Musician: Assistant Concertmaster Sam Weiser

October 5, 2022 :: In June of this year, Sam Weiser was one of 24 violinists auditioning for a spot with the orchestra.  Fast forward three months and after winning the Assistant Concertmaster position, Sam found himself fast-tracked for the top job for season opener INTERSECTIONS, as Concertmaster Jennifer Cho sat it out due to a scheduling conflict.  We...

Meet Sam Weiser, Assistant Concertmaster

August 24, 2022 :: In June of this year, Sam Weiser was one of 24 violinists auditioning for a spot with the orchestra. Fast forward three months and after winning the Assistant Concertmaster position, Sam finds himself fast-tracked for the top job for season opener INTERSECTIONS, as Concertmaster Jennifer Cho sits it out due to a scheduling conflict. We...

Balch on “Illuminate”—A Song Cycle for Three Voices and Orchestra

February 24, 2022 :: Katherine Balch connects texts to celebrate women in Illuminate, the final commission and world premiere of her three-year tenure as California Symphony Young American Composer-in-Residence. By Katherine Balch This article was originally posted in February 2020. This summer, I had a few days in between projects to do some hiking in Swiss Alps. During these few...