May 18, 2022
This weekend’s EPIC FINALE concert was a fitting exclamation point on the season, as audiences got to hear Viet Cuong’s Next Week’s Trees (live and in-person, not on a screen!), Nathan Chan’s beautiful rendition of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, and Tchaikovsky’s triumphant Symphony No. 5.
April 29, 2021
Trevor Thompson joined the California Symphony team earlier this year to amp up focus on the Sound Minds music education program, which provides intensive music lessons at no cost to students at Downer Elementary School in San Pablo. We checked in with him at the end of his first three months on the job. Q:…
April 29, 2021
This poem for Symphony Gives Week was inspired by a photo of Sound Minds student Stephanie, reunited with her beautiful, blue cello. When you give during the Symphony Gives Week campaign through May 8 you give opportunity and boost the futures of at-risk local students, as well as supporting the future of the orchestra and…
October 11, 2018
Beyond music training and the teaching of life skills like commitment, perseverance, and how to work together, the Sound Minds music education program is also about exposing students in one of the poorest parts of the state to experiences that inspire and encourage them to imagine possibilities beyond anything they could ever have dreamed of before….
September 17, 2018
Christine Keller has taught at the Sound Minds music education program and other California Symphony education initiatives for more than two decades. In addition to being a teacher, Christine is a professional pianist and one half of the “Keller Duo” with her concert pianist mom, Alice Mae Keller, who has been struggling with dementia since…
May 5, 2018
Fabiola is mom to Adeline, one of the original Sound Minds students who joined the pilot program. Fabiola’s daughter Adeline was one of the original Sound Minds students. Youngest daughter Stefanie looks forward to following in her big sister’s footsteps. CSO: Your daughter Adeline joined the program back when it started. What has your experience…
May 5, 2018
For the teachers, Sound Minds is not just about learning an instrument and raising academic standards; it’s teaching persistence, personal responsibility and life skills—and opening students up to a wider world of opportunities they would never otherwise have dreamed of. Sound Minds teachers Amy Haltom and David Sego. Amy Haltom is Program Coordinator for Sound Minds and…
May 4, 2018
Fame, family, and the trials of ugly handwriting: Sound Minds students tell all. Fourth grade Sound Minds students Karla, Rick and Nick. We talked to students at E. M. Downer Elementary School about their experience with the Sound Minds program. With contributions from second graders Mia, Rebecca and Paloma (violin); and fourth graders Yvonne, Anong, Rick, and…
May 1, 2018
The California Symphony’s Sound Minds music education program teaches life skills, raises English and Math test scores, and inspires a community, says Academic Coordinator Sonia Wong. Sound Minds students: Left—a second grader with the cardboard replica violin she will use to learn proper instrument care; Right—a fourth grade student plays us a tune on her cello…
April 30, 2018
The Sound Minds music education program is transforming the lives of local underprivileged students — and giving Principal Marco Gonzales a way to talk to one struggling student. Edward M. Downer Elementary School Principal Marco Gonzales Marco Gonzales is Principal at E. M. Downer Elementary School in San Pablo, CA, where up to a third of students live…
