August 10, 2020
August 10, 2020 The past season may have been unlike any other in the California Symphony’s 34-year history, yet together we have so many things to be proud of, and signs that point to a bright future. Thank you for so much for your support! Questions about the new season and/or subscriptions? Read FAQs About the…
July 22, 2020
July 22, 2020 California Symphony is known for doing things differently, and if ever there was a moment to lean into this side of who we are and what we do, it’s now. We are excited to share news about our updated plans for the 20/21 season. We continue to create and to innovate in…
June 19, 2020
** THIS COURSE TOOK PLACE IN SUMMER 2020. ** Stay tuned for more music education opportunities… Instructor Scott Foglesong answers your classical music and symphony questions and more in Fresh Look: The Symphony Exposed, a four-class course that has sold out in both its previous years. For your comfort and convenience, this year the course is offered…
June 12, 2020
George Gershwin (1898–1937) Rhapsody in Blue George Gershwin’s Broadway career was just getting underway when Paul Whiteman tapped him to contribute a work for an ambitious concert in New York’s Aeolian Hall that aimed to clothe jazz in symphonic garb. The concert, on February 12, 1924 was a near-disaster. It was boring. It was pretentious….
May 7, 2020
We check in with California Symphony violinist Josepha Fath and trumpeter William Harvey to learn more about how they’re sheltering-in-place and continuing to make music together, even off stage. How are you spending your time sheltering-in-place and what are you doing to stay upbeat? William: I’m doing some on-line teaching for UC Berkeley, Young…
May 6, 2020
You might have seen California Symphony percussionist Allen Biggs at the back of the orchestra. During the shelter-in-place, you can find him serenading his neighborhood with his marimba from his driveway. What was an early influence in your musical life? I was born in San Francisco. Then when I was three years old, my…
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
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…
