May 1, 2020 :: MESSAGE TO PATRONS, 5/1/2020 Ticket holders: click here if you have questions about the cancellation of our FOUR SEASONS FINALE concerts. With a PG&E power outage at our season opener, an against-the-odds 49ers Super Bowl appearance over Brahms Fest weekend, and now back-to-back cancellations forced by a pandemic, my first season as Executive Director at...
:: May 1, 2020 Why are you cancelling these concerts? Following the latest direction from Contra Costa Health Services regarding the extension of the shelter-in-place, the Lesher Center has cancelled performances through May 31, and therefore we must cancel the FOUR SEASONS FINALE concerts scheduled for May 23 and 24. I bought tickets. What happens next?...
April 13, 2020 :: By California Symphony Last Updated March 16, 2021 A Donato Cabrera Exclusive As part of a continued commitment to promoting engagement and connection with audiences, California Symphony Music Director Donato Cabrera has announced the launch of a new online series, MusicWise – Conversations about Art and Culture with Donato Cabrera. Cabrera will host MusicWise on select Tuesdays at 1pm PST on...
April 6, 2020 :: We caught up virtually with soprano Esther Tonea who was one of the soloists in our March 2018 performances of MOZART REQUIEM. While Tonea shelters-in-place in San Francisco, we reminisce on meeting Rita Moreno and what she’s been up to since her California Symphony debut. You made your California Symphony debut on our March...
March 28, 2020 :: The theme of the 2019/20 season, Connections, has never seemed more apt or more desirable. As we explore what it means to forge and to maintain connections in a time of social distancing and temporarily silenced concert halls, we present some resources to keep the joy of music going. From Music Director Donato Cabrera’s daily...
March 17, 2020 :: Updated: March 17, 2020 We want to thank all of you who have reached out and expressed your concern for the extraordinary impact the ongoing COVID-19 (Coronavirus) situation is having on our orchestra. It has been truly heartening and affirming to receive your messages of care, support, and solidarity and, thanks to you, together we...
March 4, 2020 :: By California Symphony The signature concert cocktail is back—$12, available in the lobby. We couldn’t find any copper mugs with lids, but we’re assured it will taste just the same served in plastic cups with lid and straw (and even better when enjoyed at your seat.) Recipe Ketel One Vodka 2.0 oz Ginger beer 5...
February 28, 2020 :: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64 On May 19, 1888 Tchaikovsky wrote his brother Modest that “now, little by little, with difficulty, I am beginning to squeeze the symphony from my benumbed brain.” He squeezed throughout the summer, and on August 14 sent this succinct message to...
February 21, 2020 :: Katherine Balch, California Symphony Young American Composer-in-Residence 2017-2020, sits down with Illuminate soloists artists Kelly Guerra and Alexandra Smither to talk about vocal music, their shared history, and their weirdest performance moments. This article was originally posted in February 2020. Kelly Guerra (mezzo-soprano), Molly Netter (soprano), and Alexandra Smither (soprano) are each incredible interpreters of music old...
February 20, 2020 :: By California Symphony Music Director Donato Cabrera. I suppose I could wax philosophically, in maestro-like fashion, and list all of the incredible opportunities our Young-American-Composer-in-Residence residency affords our chosen composer over the three years that they are with us. And while I believe all of these opportunities to be true and worthwhile, I’ll leave other...
