February 4, 2019
John Williams has been nominated for Academy Awards 51 times in a career spanning six decades. He has won five, but lost 46 times, which means that arguably some of his best and most popular works were passed over. In this selected history of Williams at the Oscars, we take a look at 22 of
February 7, 2019
PROGRAM: ALL JOHN WILLIAMS with the Blackhawk Chorus Saturday, March 16 at 8PM and Sunday, March 17 at 4PM, at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek Olympic Fanfare and Theme Superman March from Superman Harry’s Wondrous World from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Theme from Schindler’s List Adventure’s on Earth from E.T.: The
February 1, 2019
Chances are when you see this image, you may have Darth Vader’s signature tune or leitmotif going through your head. If not it sounds like this. So What Exactly is a Leitmotif? A leitmotif (or leitmotiv) is a short musical phrase that is paired with a specific character, location or thematic
February 6, 2019
The California Symphony presents ALL JOHN WILLIAMS at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek on Saturday, Mar. 16 at 8pm and Sunday, Mar. 17 at 4pm, featuring: Olympic Fanfare and Theme Superman March from Superman Harry’s Wondrous World from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Theme from Schindler’s List Adventure’s on Earth
January 13, 2019
A selection of Argentinian wines is available to pair with this concert. And of course, because this is the California Symphony, we want you to enjoy yourself, so you can sip your wine or other drinks—wines, beer, sodas and hot beverages—all from the comfort of your seat in the theater. ¡Salud! We have partnered with
December 29, 2018
The California Symphony presents A TANGO WITH MOZART at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 8pm and Sunday, Jan. 20 at 4pm, featuring: Ravel – Le Tombeau de Couperin Piazzolla – Four Seasons of Buenos Aires Mozart – Symphony No. 39 Mozart Symphony No. 39 The
December 29, 2018
I tend to get a little obsessed with my hobbies. It’s how I ended up here!”—Jennifer Cho When she is not playing the violin, Concertmaster Jennifer Cho is busy cultivating the food forest on her 1/10th acre home in Petaluma with bassist husband Mark Wallace, their son, two cats, and five chickens. “It is a
December 29, 2018
Sensual, seductive, and evocative. We get in the mood for A TANGO WITH MOZART, featuring the tango-infused Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, with our all-time favorite big screen interpretations of the dance. 1. El Tango de Roxanne – from Moulin Rouge The ’80’s Police hit gets a tango-flavored, gravelly-voiced makeover in the 2001 movie starring Nicole
December 29, 2018
Concertmaster and soloist in January’s A TANGO WITH MOZART Jennifer Cho talks with us about stepping up to lead her Symphony colleagues in a tango, about her life outside of music (with feathery friends Buggy, Buffy and Boo Boo), and why performing over a swamp isn’t necessarily the greatest idea. As Concertmaster, the audience is used to seeing
January 1, 2019
PROGRAM: A TANGO WITH MOZART Saturday, January 19 at 8PM and Sunday, January 20 at 4PM, at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek Le Tombeau de Couperin (1917) (orch. Ravel, 1919)–by Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires (arr. Leonid Desyatnikov)–by Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992) Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543 (1788)–by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart