September 7, 2017
San Francisco Opera first violinist Jennifer Cho is confirmed as Concertmaster for the California Symphony after four years with the orchestra, including a year as Acting Concertmaster during the 2016–17 season. Here’s the official announcement… Cho debuts as Concertmaster with the California Symphony at our season opener LYRICAL DREAMS, Sunday, September 24 at 4pm, at
September 2, 2017
James Agee’s family home in Knoxville, TN, c.1915. The waning days of summer have us waxing nostalgic in the run up to our season opener, LYRICAL DREAMS — Sunday, September 24th at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek. All three pieces on the program — Barber Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Stookey YTTE (Yield To Total Elation) and Mahler Symphony №4 — are
August 30, 2017
The weirdly named star of our 2017–18 Season Opener’s YTTE (Yield To Total Elation) by Nathaniel Stookey is a one-of-kind, electro-acoustic instrument created by San Francisco-based Grammy-nominated audio engineer and kinetic sculptor, Oliver DiCicco has designed, with whimsical names like “Crawdad” and “Olivetti.” The OOVE, created by Oliver DiCicco and played at our Season Opener
August 27, 2017
Margaret Martin with her brother Gregory, after opening night of the Lamplighters’ “Yeomen of the Guard” in the Lesher Center this summer. We were delighted to learn that the winner of our Symphony Surround auction package to meet incoming composer-in-residence Katherine Balch, is an aspiring composer in her own right! Margaret’s mom spotted the auction package — a
August 18, 2017
Here’s our press release with everything you need to know about our 2017–18 season opener LYRICAL DREAMS, which features a modern day classic by American composer Samuel Barber, and a whimsical new instrument played by Bay Area composer Nathaniel Stookey (it bears some resemblence to a vacuum cleaner!) The program concludes with an epic masterpiece
August 2, 2017
In case you missed it, here’s a round up of happenings at the California Symphony, including news of some fine new additions to the orchestra; a behind-the-scenes encounter between a local high school student and our Composer-in-Residence at the May finale concert, and exciting new grants awarded to us in support of the Sound Minds
July 28, 2017
Inquiring minds check out our instrument petting zoo at the Chevron Family Theatre Day in Walnut Creek, July 15 2017. Princesses, pirates, and patient parents, flocked to the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek to bring smiles to children’s faces at the Chevron Family Theatre Festival one sunny Saturday in July. Costumed characters, including Darth Vader, ewoks,
July 28, 2017
Sound Minds student Carlos — as a first grader with his paper replica cello; in fourth grade, and (far right of picture) as a proud fifth grade, sunglasses-wearing, graduate of the program in May 2017. While the California Symphony celebrated its 30th anniversary last season, Sound Minds completed a milestone of its own. It’s now six years since
July 28, 2017
Hello and welcome to the first post on the all-new California Symphony blog! Music Director Donato Cabrera and the California Symphony perform at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek. We should probably stop right there and explain that while this is a new blog account, the symphony has had a blog presence for just over a