I speak of Pierre Monteux, of course, who turned 86 in 1961, the year he led this performance with the London Symphony Orchestra. Personally, I think it’s a marvelous reading, filled with many of the Monteux hallmarks: Well marked but never heavy rhythm; a shining and transparent orchestral sound (evident even with the poor fidelity); and a crisp, but never pushy style — the music gathers its own head of steam.

Incidentally, did you know that this piece, like “Der Erlkoenig,” is based on a poem by Goethe? The sequence in “Fantasia” devoted to this music, is faithful to the original tale.

86-year-old conducts ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ is a post from: The Arts Blog

The Pacific Symphony’s five concerts at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater this summer will cover a wide range — in the words of music director Carl St.Clair, “From Rachmaninoff to Rocky Mountain High,“ probably the first time in the history of the world that that alliteration has been made. In addition to Sergei R and John D, the summer concerts also feature music by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, and collaborations with the acrobats of Cirque de la Symphonie and the crossover group Time for Three.

The summer season opens on July 4 with a salute to John Denver. Vocalist Jim Curry stands in for Denver, singing the usual suspects. Pops conductor Richard Kaufman, who worked with Denver for more than 20 years, and the orchestra accompany Curry with the original orchestrations by Lee Holdridge, and add patriotic fare and fireworks.

On July 17, Pacific Symphony assistant conductor Maxim Eshkenazy leads a “Cirque de la Symphonie” program in which “aerial flyers, acrobats, contortionists, dancers, jugglers and strongmen” perform to classical standards and contemporary music.

The annual Tchaikovsky Spectacular is conducted this year, for the first time in a while, by St.Clair. Pianist Benjamin Pasternack is on hand for Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3. Cannons, fireworks and the “1812 Overture” end the show, which also includes music by Glinka and from “Swan Lake.”

St.Clair is back on Aug. 28 to lead a program of “Kicked Up Classics” featuring Time for Three, a young trio the “blends classical music with bluegrass-style fiddling, jazzy bass lines and an occasional hip-hop riff.” St.Clair will conduct the orchestra in Bernstein’s Overture to “Candide,” John Williams’ “The Cowboys” Overture, and Copland’s Suite from “Billy the Kid.”

The season ends on Sept. 11 with a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, led by guest conductor Robert Moody, music director of the Winston-Salem Symphony and the Portland (Maine) Symphony. A community chorus selected for the occasion sings the “Ode to Joy” finale.

Season subscriptions are $89-$459. Single tickets will go on sale at a later date. For for information call 714-755-5799 or visit www.pacificsymphony.org

Latest posts on classical music:

Pacific Symphony announces 2010 summer season at Verizon is a post from: The Arts Blog

CLICK ON PHOTO TO SEE SLIDE SHOW

Review: The 10th annual event features music from the 30s and 40s, and the world premiere of a new work by Michael Daugherty. See slide show of the Pacific Symphony’s “Greatest Generation” concert

The Pacific Symphony’s 10th annual American Composers Festival, as in year’s past, is dedicated to a single overriding theme. This time it’s “The Greatest Generation.” “Hard times can produce great art,” writes music historian Joseph Horowitz in the program booklet. The festival will explore music, he continues, “that could not have been composed without the somber impetus of the Great Depression and World War II.”

Thursday night’s festival concert in Segerstrom Concert Hall was patriotic, moving, earnest, interesting, distracting, entertaining, sentimental, original. With these ACF concerts, as well as with its “Music Unwound” events, the orchestra wants to break down the fourth wall between the audience and the art and to give listeners explicit context for engagement – you know, to help them along a little. Surveys taken by the orchestra are showing that audiences like the approach, and Thursday’s certainly seemed to.

The concert began with the national anthem, and then Tom Brokaw – the man credited with coining the term “The Greatest Generation” – came on the big screen, interviewed last week in New York especially for this occasion. It was a nice touch and set the stage. In talking about the people who lived through those times, he mentioned his mother, a denizen of Laguna Woods, still “thrifty” after all these years and still quizzing her son about the cost of his purchases at Trader Joe’s.

After the video, without pause, Carl St.Clair led the brass and percussion in Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” while on the screen old photos of local men in their WWII uniforms, sent in by listeners, scrolled by. Not to put too fine a point on it, it was stirring, though I had a hard time paying close attention to the music, which became a soundtrack.

There’s a lot of music that was written in direct response to the events of this period. Any one program devoted to it is going to seem a little randomly selected, and this one did. But at least the works performed weren’t the usual suspects. Bernard Herrmann’s “For the Fallen,” written in 1943, received its West Coast premiere. A somber berceuse, it doesn’t quite sound like the Herrmann of the Hitchcock films, but there are telling hints in the characteristic sighing motifs and the repeated harmonic cells. The performance was accompanied by photos of military cemeteries, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, etc.

Kurt Weill’s “Four Walt Whitman Songs,” from 1942 and 1947, also were performed in the West Coast premiere of the version with orchestra. Baritone Douglas Webster sang them with keening purpose and sterling diction, though the orchestra occasionally blanketed him. The Whitman texts were Civil War poems, and Weill, who enthusiastically embraced all things American when he came here in 1935, couched them in his newfound Broadway style, serious to be sure, and with overtones of classical modernism, but nonetheless smelling of greasepaint. Photos of the Civil War were screened (most effectively, one of Lincoln for “Oh Captain! My Captain!”) along with the lyrics.

A listener was certainly getting an idea of the sacrifices involved in war, though he knew them before. After intermission, with Morton Gould’s “Amber Waves,” from 1976, a spiced-up, luxury, seven-minute version of “America the Beautiful,” the note of patriotism was struck, though the piece itself seemed a throwaway.

Then came the world premiere of “Mount Rushmore,” for chorus and orchestra, commissioned from the orchestra’s composer-in-residence Michael Daugherty. It’s a big, throbbing and chiseled piece, 33 minutes long, its four movements each dedicated to one of the presidents on the monument.

Daugherty is an eclectic composer, sometimes wildly so, and even pop idioms are fair game. The texts he chose, including words by the presidents themselves but not limited to them, reflected some aspect of their personalities. Washington’s movement featured the Revolutionary War anthem “Chester,” sung in twangy shape-note style, “Yankee Doodle” quotes, and dreamy lines on Washington’s parting words, “until I sleep with my fathers.”

Jefferson’s section juxtaposed an Italian ballad written by his Parisian lover Maria Cosway juxtaposed with “La Marseillaise” and surreal passages expounding on the president’s passion for music. It was Ivesian. Roosevelt was portrayed as the hardy outdoorsman in an unabashedly masculine movement; Daugherty’s style here was Carl Orff meets the Marlboro Man.

With Lincoln, Daugherty decided to set “The Gettysburg Address” to music, a daring move, since the speech alone is already the purest music. We got hymns and strife, declarative oratory and cluster chords, sound effects and hammered punctuations. Subtle it wasn’t it, but in this context at least, the audience responded with enthusiasm.

St.Clair, the orchestra and the Pacific Chorale committed to it fully, capturing its many moods and colors handily.

During the concert, St.Clair asked the WWII vets in attendance to please stand. There were quite a lot of them. Say one more thing for “The Greatest Generation”: They listen to classical music.

• Pacific Symphony
• With: Carl St.Clair, conductor; Douglas Webster, baritone; Pacific Chorale
• Where: Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
• When: Feb. 4
• Next: 8 p.m. Feb. 5-6
• How much: $25-$110
• Call: 714-755-5799
• Online: www.pacificsymphony.org

American Composers Festival: Pacific Symphony salutes ‘The Greatest Generation’ is a post from: The Arts Blog

David Emmes, far left, and Martin Benson, far right

South Coast Repertory’s cofounders David Emmes and Martin Benson, among the longest-serving leaders in American regional theater, have announced they will step down from their present roles by September. They will remain on staff for as long as five years to help their successor master the intricacies of managing the nationally respected Costa Mesa theater company, which has three stages, two major seasons and an annual budget of $9 million.

The announcement came in a press release issued earlier today.

“Martin and I talked about the idea of being able to have … an ongoing relationship with the theater,” said Emmes, who started SCR with Benson in 1964 as an itinerant company that operated out of a station wagon. Emmes holds the title of SCR’s producing artistic director; Benson is artistic director.

“Those ideas we brought to a board retreat in 2008. It was wonderful that the board has been very enthusiastic about the idea that there could be a continuing relationship with us so that we could provide a continuity that would be strong.”

When the new management position is announced, Emmes’ wife Paula Tomei, currently the theater’s managing director, will assume the position of co-CEO.

“Paula’s role, it (will be) not that much of a change, but right now strictly speaking she doesn’t report to the board. (Starting in September) she will,” Emmes said.

The transition to new leadership comes at a delicate time for SCR.

Earlier in the decade the company was flying high.

Its $50 million Next Step campaign, a five-year fund-raising effort to support and augment the theater company’s facilities, educational arm, new-play development, operating costs and endowment, resulted in a greatly expanded, three-venue facility of 78,000 square feet. It opened with a series of galas in 2002. Some of the biggest names in O.C. philathropy were contributors: the Segerstrom family, George Argyros, Paul Folino, Henry Nicholas II.

By the end of the 1990s, SCR’s new-play development programs and carefully cultivated relationships with key playwrights had paid off handsomely. Margaret Edson’s “Wit,” which premiered at SCR in a 1995 production directed by Benson, won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize. David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Rabbit Hole,” which received a reading at SCR’s Pacific Playwrights Festival, garnered a Pulitzer in 2007.

Some of the country’s most important playwrights saw their work debuted at SCR, often as a result of a commission from the theater: Richard Greenberg, Donald Margulies, David Henry Hwang, Howard Korder, Amy Freed, Craig Lucas. Some, like Greenberg, Margulies and Hwang, were spotted and nurtured by SCR early in their careers.

More recently, the theater has struggled.

Like virtually all large arts organizations, it has seen reductions in ticket revenues, season subscribers and donations — a trend that began before the current recession and worsened greatly in the last two years. Last April, in an unprecedented move, the theater appealed for help after what it described as “steep” declines in corporate donations and endowment income. Benson and Emmes announced a matching grant campaign, called the Act Now for SCR Challenge. 

Recent cost-cutting measures at SCR include the elimination this season of its second-stage Christmas play, “La Posada Magica,” a 5 percent reduction in staff salaries, staff reductions and increases in employee workloads. Beginning in the 2008-09 season, SCR shortened its mainstage runs by one week.

And since the 2005 departure of Jerry Patch and Jennifer Kiger, two well-regarded staffers who were instrumental in finding new playwrights and developing their work, the quality of the theater’s new work has declined.

While Emmes acknowledged that these are trying times for American theater, he emphasized that by staying for several years after relinquishing the reins, he and Benson would help their successor ride out the storm.

“We are going into a transition process that will take several years to accomplish. We arguably could be here for five years or even longer. The transition plan that we have will … maximize the likelihood that SCR can continue to sail through these financially challenging times.”

Emmes said he and Benson will be fully involved in the decision to find their replacement.

“This month we’ll retain a search fim and there will be a process of vetting candidates and then reducing the pool down to people who would come to SCR and be interviewed by a search committee and us as well.”

Associate artistic director John Glore, whose relationship with SCR goes back more than two decades, will be considered as a candidate, Emmes said.

Emmes said there are certain things he looks forward to doing after he steps down from his present position — and certain current duties he won’t miss.

“I think what I won’t miss are some of the day-to-day problems and little fires that have to be put out that are inevitable in any organization. I’ll be able to take a longer term view of things, to be able to focus more on the artistic opportunities that we have. We won’t be spending quite as much time in the office. It will be more about focusing on reading plays at home or seeing work around the country.”

Just in: The 5 percent salary reductions will go away next week, according to SC publicist Soyia Ellison. And the September date for succession is not “hard and fast.”

Read Richard Stein’s interesting speculation about possible successors. Rick, who runs Arts Orange County, was the longtime executive director of the Laguna Playhouse.

More theater stories on the Arts Blog:

SCR founders Benson, Emmes announce they’ll step down is a post from: The Arts Blog

The flu laid me low for a few days, but I’m back.

3D Theatricals, the new theater company operating out of Santa Ana’s OC Pavilion, is ready to launch its second production, “All Shook Up,” this weekend. You might recall that the group announced its existence with an ambitious production of “Peter Pan” late last year.

I conducted an e-mail interview with one of 3D’s sibling-founders, T.J. Dawson, who’s directing “All Shook Up,” a musical set in the Eisenhower era about an Elvis-like teen angel and his effect on a small town.

Watch for my review of “All Shook Up” to post online this weekend.

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: Why did you decide on “All Shook Up” as your second production?

T.J. DAWSON: While this is our 2nd production, it’s the first official show in our season and we chose this one because the venue is used to doing tribute shows.  We thought, why not open with a show that will help their current audience base ease into attending theatre.  I believe the show to be among the strongest of the juke box musicals with a great score of all the best Elvis hits, as well as some of his lesser-known songs.  We plan including at least one show of this type in each season.

REGISTER: Ticket prices are lower for this show. Why?

DAWSON: Our ticketing system wasn’t able to list the dinner theatre packages by themselves, so it seemed more expensive to the consumer. In several meetings with some local box office experts, we re-did our seating configuration and took away the packages.  Ambrosia is now offering 20% off when you show your tickets at your table instead of a theatre tasting menu.   In addition we have taken out the rows of chairs down front and replaced them with small tables that seat 4.  We feel that our new seating chart is more effective and will offer a better experience for our guests overall.

REGISTER: Are you using the same number of Equity people (professional performers and backstage personnel) as you did in “Peter Pan”?

DAWSON: We actually have one more. We have three principals, one chorus member and two stage managers.

REGISTER: How hard was it to find the right performer for your teen heartthrob?

DAWSON: Very hard!!  It is a difficult role to cast in many ways.  Not only does he have to be sexy, but be a likeable “bad boy,” have a great sense of comedy, great voice and have a certain magnetism/electricity about him.  While the role is NOT based on Elvis the person, it is performed with a hint of young Elvis about him, especially since he’s singing Elvis all night long.  We saw countless very talented guys but no one that was the full package.  One of my best friends was the female lead on the first national tour and I called her to get in touch with Joe Mandragona, who played the role for 10 months on the road, and I come to find out he had relocated to L.A.!  We met for lunch and here we are a few short weeks later about to open with the best CHAD since Cheyenne Jackson.  He is truly something special and we are looking forward to unleashing him on the O.C. audiences.

REGISTER: How is the music presented in this production? Is the band in the balconies, as it was for “Peter Pan”?

DAWSON: The band was moved to the house left balcony for this production.  We are doing things with the speakers to try and balance them out.  Since we are new to space and trying new things each time.  With “Altar Boyz” the band will be on stage adding yet another option.  

REGISTER: Have you altered your plans for 3D since opening “Peter Pan”? What did you learn from that production?

DAWSON: We haven’t altered any plans as of yet, except our season is changing a bit due to some royalty issues.  What we learned was countless and too long to list for the most part — from the advertising avenues to how we set up the box office.  We take each show as a learning experience to continue to improve our guests’ experience each time they come.

More theater stories on the Arts Blog:

3D Theatricals gets ready to unleash “All Shook Up” on O.C. is a post from: The Arts Blog

Tis the season of season announcements, dumped unceremoniously in my in-box without warning. OK, then, if that’s the way you want it, I’ll get to them when I damn well please. What, you expect me to drop everything the moment your blasted press release shows up in my e-mail? Not likely.

Anyway, what’s the lead in this latest? I guess I’ll go with Dudamel and why not? The conductor, who recently turned 29, will conduct his first subscription concerts at the Hollywood Bowl as music director of the L.A. Phil this summer and also make his U.S. debut conducting opera, in this case “Carmen,” in a concert performance.

On Aug. 3, he’ll conduct the orchestra in selections from Bernstein’s “On the Town” (Dudamel has a Jones for Bernstein) and Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” with fellow Venezuelan Gabriela Montero in the driver’s seat. He returns on Aug. 5 to lead a program of “Songs of the People” (Socialist!) by Enesco, Piazzolla, Falla, Bernstein (see? I mean that thing about having a Jones) and Ravel. This is not really a “song” program, by the way, despite the title. The Bernstein is his Divertimento, the Ravel is “Bolero.” He conducts “Carmen” the Sunday before all this (Aug. 1); Natascha Petrinsky has been announced in the title role.

Bramwell Tovey is back for his third season as, take a breath, Principal Guest Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and will lead three week’s worth of concerts. On Sept. 2, he’ll conduct Bernstein’s “Candide,” in a concert production.

I’m glad to see that Grant Gershon will launch the L.A. Phil season at the venue, joined by his Los Angeles Master Chorale, in a program including Haydn’s Te Deum, Vivaldi’s Gloria (RV 589) and Poulenc’s Gloria. Good to see Spanish conductor Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos return for a week of concerts, too. Martin Chalifour and Joshua Bell are his soloists.

Elsewhere, there’s other decent stuff (Leon Fleisher), some predictable fare, and a few concerts TBA. You can see the entire Hollywood Bowl 2010 schedule here.

Next up, the Pacific Symphony’s summer sched. When I get to it.

photo: yours truly

Latest posts on classical music:

Hollywood Bowl 2010 is a post from: The Arts Blog

I wrote this little ditty on how to make a martini for the Food Frenzy blog, booze division, here at the Register. Off subject, yes, but there is a key musical component involved in my recipe.

Above: That’s Cary Grant (the one with his back turned, naturally) drinking a Gibson in “North by Northwest.”

Off subject: How to make a martini is a post from: The Arts Blog

Pierre Boulez, who received a Kyoto Prize in November, and the $550,000 that goes with it, will give a free concert in San Diego when the Kyoto laureates convene there in April. The maestro, who turns 85 on March 26, will give “a personal commentary on his artistic philosophy” and conduct a performance of his ”Sur Incises,” for three pianos, three harps and three mallet instruments, at 3:30 p.m. on April 22 in the Shiley Theatre at the University of San Diego. The concert is free, but you have to register first at www.kyotoprize.org.

Boulez, who used to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic regularly, and who has appeared at the Ojai Music Festival six times, doesn’t get out this way much anymore. The San Diego concert, therefore, is a precious chance to hear this musical genius.

The Kyoto Prize is Japan’s highest private award for global achievement. Boulez, who received the award in the “Arts and Philosophy” category, was selected for his “lifelong achievements in music composition, conducting, writing, and organizational operation that have consistently set new trends.”

Latest posts on classical music:

Pierre Boulez: in concert for free is a post from: The Arts Blog

Keller joined the museum in 1986. She has been acting head of the department since January 2009, following the retirement of the department’s founding curator Weston Naef. She will assume her new position immediately.

“During the extensive search process, Judy was always a candidate for the position,” Getty Museum acting director David Bomford said in a statement. “After much consideration and seeing the admirable manner in which she has led the department for the past year, it became clear that she would be the ideal person to take the department into the future. We look forward to seeing continued great things from Judy in her new official role.”

Bomford became acting director late last month, after former director Michael Brand stepped down.

Keller has undertaken more than 20 exhibitions since joining the Getty, including “William Egglestron and the Color Tradition” (1999), “Strange Days: Photographs by Garry Winogrand, William Eggleston and Diane Arbus” (2003), and “The Goat’s Dance: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide” (2007). She was also responsible for the 2006 exhibition “Where We Live: Photographs of America from the Berman Collection” which inaugurated the Getty’s Center for Photographs.

At the Getty, Keller has been responsible for more than 10 publications, including the museum’s collection catalog “Walker Evans: The Getty Museum Collection” (1995) and “Jo Ann Callis: Woman Twirling” (2009).

Along with Naef, she spearheaded the formation of the museum’s Photographs Council which now number 26 members who support the department’s acquisition efforts.

Keller was promoted to curator of photographs in 2008. Under her leadership as acting senior curator, the department has had one of its most successful years in donations, adding more than 900 donated works to the collection in the last year.

“I am honored to take on the responsibility of leading one of the best departments of photography in the world,” Keller said in a statement. “The outstanding collection and staff of the Getty’s department of photographs make the potential for future exhibitions and publications nearly boundless. I look forward to exploiting this bounty through the roster of seven diverse shows that we will open in 2010 and the development of original exhibitions in the future.”

Previous posts on Visual Art by Richard Chang:

Getty names Judith Keller senior curator of photographs is a post from: The Arts Blog

The Association of California Symphony Orchestras offers a monthly summary of orchestra performances in California. The information listed below represents concerts presented by current member organizations and is subject to change. 

Sunday, January 31, at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, February 2, at 7:30 p.m.
Marin Symphony
Alasdair Neale, conductor
Vadim Gluzman, violin
Marin Symphony Chorus
Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major
Mozart: Requiem
Marin Center, 10 Ave. of the Flags, San Rafael
(415) 499-6800
www.marinsymphony.org

Monday, February 1, at 7:30 p.m.
Orchestra Nova San Diego
Jung-Ho Pak, conductor
J.S. Bach: Concerto No. 4; Orchestral Suite No. 3
C.P.E. Bach: Sinfonia in A Major
W.F. Bach: Sinfonia in D minor
J.C.F. Bach: Sinfonia in D minor
J.C. Bach: Symphony in E-Flat Major
Sherwood Auditorium, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla
(858) 350-0290
www.orchestranova.org

Thursday, February 5, at 7:30 p.m.
Idyllwild Arts Academy Faculty/Guest Recital
Todor Pelev, violin
Bong Shin Ko, cello
Douglas Ashcraft, piano
Idyllwild Arts Academy, Stephens Recital Hall, 52500 Temecula Rd., Idyllwild
(951) 659-2171
www.idyllwildarts.org

Saturday, February 6, at 8 p.m.
Bakersfield Symphony
John Farrer, conductor
Rossini: Overture to the Siege of Corinth
Blacher: Concertante Musik
Mahler: Adagietto from Symphony No. 5
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 in D Major
Doug Davis: TBD (WORLD PREMIERE)
Rabobank Theater, 1001 Truxtun Ave., Bakersfield
(661) 323-7928
www.bakersfieldsymphony.org

Saturday, February 6, at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 7, at 2 p.m.
Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra
Idyllwild Arts Academy IAF Theatre, 52500 Temecula Rd., Idyllwild
(951) 659-2171
www.idyllwildarts.org

Saturday, February 6, at 8 p.m.
Long Beach Symphony POPS!
Steven Reineke, conductor
Michael Cavanaugh, soloist
Long Beach Arena, 300 East Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
(562) 436-3203
www.lbso.org

Saturday, February 6, at 5:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Jeffrey Kahane, keyboard
Gabriel Kahane, piano & voice
Chris Thile, mandolin, with his new band Punch Brothers
California Market Center, LA Fashion District
Program TBA
(213) 622-7001 x 215
www.laco.org

Saturday, February 6, at 8 p.m.
San Luis Obispo Symphony
Michael Nowak, conductor
David Singer, clarinet
Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A Major
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A Major
Christopher Cohan Center, One Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo
(805) 543-3533
www.slosymphony.com

Saturday, February 6, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 7, at 2 p.m.
Young People’s Symphony Orchestra
David Ramadanoff, conductor
Liam Boisset, oboe
Hilda Li, violin
Gabriella Smith: Visions of the Pacific Rim (WORLD PREMIERE)
Franz Krommer: Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra in F Major
Wieniawski: Violin Concerto No. 2
Dukas: Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Manuel de Fall: Suite for the Three-Cornered Hat
Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church, 10 Moraga Valley Ln., Moraga
(510) 849-9776
www.ypsomusic.net

Sunday, February 7, at 2 p.m.
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Jeffrey Kahane, conductor
Felix Jen, piano
Kazumi Kanagawa, piano
Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals
Alex Theatre, Glendale
(213) 622-7001 x 215
www.laco.org

Thursday, February 11, at 8 p.m.
Berkeley Symphony
Joana Carneiro, conductor
Jessica Rivera, soprano
Paul Dresher: Cornucopia
Esa-Pekka Salonen: Five Images After Sappho
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3
Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley
(510) 841-2800
www.berkeleysymphony.org

Thursday, February 11, at 7 p.m.
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Margaret Batjer, curator
Bruce Broughton, composer
Margaret Batjer; Josefina Vergara; Jennifer Munday; Cheryl Norman-Brick, violin
Victoria Miskolczy; Samuel Formicola, viola
Andrew Shulman; Giovanna M. Clayton, cello
Bruce Broughton, piano
Shostakovich: Two Pieces for String Octet
Rachmaninoff/Batjer: Vocalise
Tchaikovsky: String Sextet in D minor; Souvenir de Florence
The Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center
(213) 622-7001 x 215
www.laco.org

Thursday, February 11, at 8 p.m.
Friday, February 12, at 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 13, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 14, at 7:30 p.m.
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
Nicholas McGegan, conductor
Viktoria Mullova, violin
Brahms: Serenade No. 1 in D Major; Violin Concerto in D Major
2/11: Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco
2/12: First United Methodist Church, Palo Alto
2/13 & 2/14: First Congregational Church, Berkeley
(415) 392-4400
www.philharmonia.org

Friday, February 12, at 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 13, at 8 p.m.
Modesto Symphony Orchestra
David Lockington, conductor                                                                                            
Sasha Cooke, soprano 
Mahler: Symphony No. 4
Gallo Center for the Arts, 1000 I St., Modesto
(209) 338-2100
www.modestosymphony.org

Friday, February 12, at 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 13, at 8 p.m.
Pacific Chorale
Robert Istad, conductor
David Clemensen, piano
Love Songs for Valentine’s Day
Samueli Theater, 615 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa
(714) 662-2345
www.pacificchorale.org

Friday, February 12, at 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 13, at 8 p.m.
San Francisco Conservatory of Music Conservatory Orchestra
Andrew Mogrelia, conductor
Tiantian Lan, viola
Britten: Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
Walton: Viola Concerto
Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem
San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 50 Oak St., San Francisco
(415) 503-6275
www.sfcm.edu

Friday, February 12, at 7 p.m.
Sunday, February 14, at 2:30 p.m.
Susanville Symphony
Ben Wade, conductor
Susanville Assembly of God, 473-465 Richmond Rd., Susanville
(530) 257-2920
www.susanvillesymphony.com

Saturday, February 13, at 8 p.m.
Carson-Dominguez Hills Symphony Orchestra
Hector Salazar, conductor
Julia Heinen, clarinet
Richard Kravchak, oboe
Aldo Martinez, alto saxophone
Jim Hormel, narrator
Rossini: Il Viaggio a Reims Overture
Passler: Concerto for Oboe and Clarinet
Gould: The Jogger and the Dinosaur
Milhaud: Scaramouche for Alto Sax and Orchestra
Copland: Appalachian Spring
CSU Dominguez Hills University Theatre, 1000 East Victor St., Carson
(310) 243-3543

Saturday, February 13, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 14, at 2:30 p.m.
Fresno Philharmonic
Theodore Kuchar, conductor
Martin Chalifour, violin
Barber: Violin Concerto
Corigliano: The Red Violin
Tchaikovsky & Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet
Saroyan Theatre, 700 M St., Fresno
(559) 261-0600
www.fresnophil.org

Saturday, February 13, at 10 a.m.
Hutchins Consort
Free Family Concert
Encinitas Library, 540 Cornish Dr., Encinitas
(760) 632-0554
www.hutchinsconsort.org

Saturday, February 13, at 8 p.m.
Livermore-Amador Symphony
Arthur Barnes, conductor
Britten: The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra
Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore
(925) 373-6800
www.livamsymph.org

Saturday, February 13, at 8 p.m.
Napa Valley Youth Symphony
Ming Luke, conductor
Lara St. John, violin
Erie Mills, Marnie Breckenridge, sopranos
Leah Wool, Juliana Gondek, mezzo-sopranos
Gerard Powers, tenor
Kevin Short, bass-baritone
Lincoln Theater, 100 California Dr., Yountville
(707) 944-1300
www.nvyso.org

Saturday, February 13, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 14, at 3 p.m.
Monday, February 15, at 8 p.m.
Santa Rosa Symphony
Bruno Ferrandis, conductor
Berenika, piano
Ranjbaran: Mithra (WORLD PREMIERE)
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2
Schumann: Manfred Overture
Schumann: Symphony No. 4
Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Rd., Santa Rosa
(707) 546-8742
www.santarosasymphony.com

Saturday, February 13, at 6 p.m.
Stockton Symphony
Peter Jaffe, conductor
Teri Bibb, soprano
Dennis McNeil, baritone
Hit songs from Broadway
Atherton Auditorium, Delta Community College, 5151 Pacific Ave., Stockton
(209) 951-0196
www.stocktonsymphony.org

Sunday, February 14, at 2 p.m.
El Camino Youth Symphony
Camilla Kolchinsky, conductor
Blade Chapman, violin
Sole Chang, clarinet
Schubert: Symphony No. 3
Lalo: Symphonie Espagnol, Mvt, I
Spohr: Clarinet Concerto, Mvt. III
Nicolai: Overture to Merry Wives of Windsor
Albert and Janet Schultz Cultural Arts Hall, 3921 Fabian Wy., Palo Alto
(650) 213-7111
www.ecys.org

Sunday, February 14, at 7:30 p.m.
Mission Chamber Orchestra
Emily Ray, conductor
Ashu, saxophone
Lee Actor: Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra (WORLD PREMIERE)
Mozart: Symphony No. 34
Mendelssohn: Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream
Avshalomov: Diamond Variations
Le Petit Trianon, 72 N. 5th St., San Jose
(408) 236-3350
www.missionchamber.org

Thursday, February 18, at 8 p.m.
Hutchins Consort
Sacramento Community Concert
Community Center Theatre, 1301 L St., Sacramento
(760) 632-0554
www.hutchinsconsort.org

Saturday, February 20, at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 21, at 3 p.m.
Hutchins Consort
John Schneiderman, lute & banjo
arr. McNalley: Appalachian Suite for Banjo and Octet
Walczyk: Octet Comparsas
Concerto for Lute and Octet
2/20: The Neurosciences Institute, 10640 John Jay Hopkins Dr., San Diego
2/21: St.Mark Presbyterian Church, 2200 San Joaquin Hills Rd., Newport Beach
(760) 632-0554
www.hutchinsconsort.org

Saturday, February 20, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 21, at 7 p.m.
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Andrew Shulman, cello
Tereza Stanislav; Josefina Vergara; Sarah Thornblade, violin
Allan Vogel, oboe d’amore
Purcell: Chacony in G minor
Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in C minor
Bach: Concerto in D Major for Three Violins 
Bach: Oboe d’amore Concerto in A Major
Mendelssohn: Sinfonia No. 5 in B-flat Major
2/20: Alex Theatre, Glendale
2/21: Royce Hall, UCLA
(213) 622-7001 x 215
www.laco.org

Saturday, February 20, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 21, at 3 p.m.
Monday, February 22, at 8 p.m.
Monterey Symphony
Dmitry Yablonksy, guest conductor
Glinka: Waltz-Fantasie
Shostakovich: Jazz Suite No. 2; Tahiti Trot
Scriabin: Symphony No. 2 in C minor
2/20:  Sherwood Hall, 940 N. Main St., Salina      
2/21: Sunset Theater, San Carlos at Ninth, Carmel
(831) 646-8511
www.montereysymphony.org

Saturday, February 20, at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 21, at 2 p.m.
North State Symphony
Kyle Wiley Pickett, conductor
Natalya Shkoda, piano
Glinka: Russian and Ludmilla Overture
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 1
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
2/20:Cascade Theatre, Redding, (530) 243-8877
2/21: Laxson Auditorium, Chico, (530) 898-6333
www.northstatesymphony.org

Saturday, February 20, at 8 p.m.
Redwood Symphony
Eric Kujawsky, conductor
Michael Corner, clarinet
Sibelius: Karelia Suite
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 (Retouched by Mahler (U.S. PREMIERE))
Nielsen: Clarinet Concerto  
Cañada College Main Theatre, 4200 Farm Hill Blvd., Redwood City
(650) 366-6872
www.redwoodsymphony.org

Saturday, February 20, at 8 p.m.
Sacramento Philharmonic
Michael Morgan, conductor
Misha Dichter, piano
Community Center Theater, 1301 L St., Sacramento
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini                                
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D Major                                       
(916) 732-9045 x 103   
www.sacphil.org

Saturday, February 20, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 21, at 3 p.m.
Santa Barbara Symphony
Nir Kabaretti, conductor
Caroline Campbell, principal concertmaster
Serena McKinney, assistant concertmaster
Back: Double Violin Concerto in D minor
Elgar: Introduction and Allegro
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major
Location: The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara
(805) 899-2222
www.thesymphony.org

Saturday, February 20, at 8 p.m.
Santa Rosa Symphony Chamber Players
Sonoma County Taiko drummers
Takemitsu: Quatrain II for clarinet, violin, piano, cello
Joji Yuasa: Solitude in memoriam
Jackson Theater, Sonoma Country Day School, 4400 Day School Place, Santa Rosa
(707) 546-8742
www.santarosasymphony.com

Saturday, February 20, at 7:30 p.m.
Tulare County Symphony
Bruce Kiesling, conductor
Domonique Launey, piano
Shostakovich: Festive Overture
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1
Respighi: Pines of Rome
Visalia Fox Theater, 308 W. Main St., Visalia
(559) 732-8600
www.tcsymphony.org

Sunday, February 21, at 7 p.m.
Peninsula Symphony
Gary Berkson, conductor
David Nicholson, clarinet
Vaughan Williams: Overture to The Wasps
Haydn: Symphony No. 45 in F Sharp minor
Mozart: Concerto in A Major for Clarinet & Orchestra
Kodaly: Dances of Galanta
Rolling Hills Covenant Church, 2222 Palos Verdes Dr., North, Rolling Hills Estates
(310) 544-0320
www.pensym.org

Sunday, February 21, at 2 p.m. & 4 p.m.
Sacramento Youth Symphony
Rosemont High School, 9594 Kiefer Blvd., Sacramento
(916) 731-5777
www.sacys.org

Monday, February 22, at 7:30 p.m.
Idyllwild Arts Academy
Idyllwild Arts Academy Stephens Recital Hall, 52500 Temecula Rd., Idyllwild
(951) 659-2171
www.idyllwildarts.org

Saturday, February 27, 8 p.m.
Camellia Symphony Orchestra
Allan Pollack, conductor
Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Falla: El amor brujo
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
Memorial Auditorium, 1515 J St., Sacramento
(916) 929-6655
www.camelliasymphony.org

Saturday, February 27, at 8 p.m.
Fremont Symphony
Adam Nieman, piano
Works by Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Nieman, Prokofiev
Smith Center for the Performing Arts at Ohlone College, 43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont
(510) 794-1659
www.fremontsymphony.org

Saturday, February 27, at 8 p.m.
Nova Vista Symphony
Tony Quartuccio, guest conductor
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet
Handel: Concerto Grosso in A Major
Dvorak: Symphony No. 9
West Valley College, Saratoga
(408) 624-1492
www.novavista.org

Saturday, February 27, at 7:30 p.m.
Sacramento Youth Symphony Premier Orchestra
Michael Neumann, conductor
Rosemont High School, 9594 Kiefer Blvd., Sacramento
(916) 731-5777
www.sacys.org

Saturday, February 27, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 28, at 3 p.m.
Santa Rosa Symphony Pops
Michael Berkowitz, conductor
Oscar Winning Music
Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Rd., Santa Rosa
(707) 546-8742
www.santarosasymphony.com

Sunday, February 28, at 7 p.m.
American Youth Symphony
Alexander Treger, conductor
Yuhao Chen; Connie Kim-Sheng, piano
Schumann: Manfred Overture
Mozart: Concerto for Two Pianos No. 10
Schumann: Symphony No. 2
Royce Hall UCLA, 340 Royce Dr., Los Angeles,
(310) 470-2332
www.aysymphony.org

Sunday, February 28, at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m.
Marin Symphony
Alasdair Neale, conductor
Celebrity Narrator, TBA
Copland: Lincoln Portrait
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor
Debussy: Prelude to “The Afternoon of a Faun.”
Marin Center, 10 Ave. of the Flags, San Rafael
(415) 499-6800
www.marinsymphony.org
 
Sunday, February 28, at 4 p.m.
Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra
Maxim Eshkenazy, conductor
Eric Lee, cello
Faure: Requiem
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1
Stravinsky: The Firebird (1919 version)
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 615 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa
www.pacificsymphony.org

Sunday, February 28, at 3 p.m.
Rio Hondo Symphony
Kimo Furumoto, conductor
John Dearman, guitar
Vic Lopez Auditorium, Whittier High School, Whittier
Gershwin: Cuban Overture
Joaquin Rodrigo: Concierto d’Aranjuez
Carlos Gardel: Tango por Una Cabeza
Georges Bizet: Suite from Carmen
Manuel de Falla: Suite No. 2 from “The Three Cornered Hat”
(562) 698-8626
www.riohondosymphony.org
 
For the schedules of: 
Los Angeles Philharmonic

www.laphil.org

Pacific Symphony

www.pacificsymphony.org

San Diego Symphony

www.sandiegosymphony.org

San Francisco Symphony

www.sfsymphony.org

 If your organization would like to be included in future listings, please e-mail your concert information to office@acso.org in the following format:

• Day of week, Month, Date and Concert Time (a.m. or p.m.)
• Name of Organization
• Conductor
• Soloist(s)
• Repertoire Summary­ (e.g., Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67)
• Concert Location, Address, City
• Telephone number for ticket information (xxx) xxx-xxxx
• Web site

 The deadline to be included in the March calendar listing is February 23, 2010.

California orchestras: February 2010 concert listings is a post from: The Arts Blog