July 10-31: California Symphony Presents Fresh Look – The Symphony Exposed
July 10-31: California Symphony Presents Fresh Look – The Symphony Exposed
Four Wednesday Evening Classes from July 10-31, 2024, 6:30-8pm
Hosted by Award-Winning Instructor Scott Foglesong
Don Tatzin Community Hall at Lafayette Library
3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. | Lafayette, CA
Registration $30 for 4 Classes: www.californiasymphony.org/fresh-look
“the most forward-looking organization around” –Mercury News
WALNUT CREEK, CA – California Symphony presents Fresh Look: The Symphony Exposed this July, expanding access to music education and offering a fun and informative introduction to classical music for “classically curious” adults in the Bay Area. Hosted by award-winning instructor Scott Foglesong, the four-part summer lecture series will be held on Wednesdays, July 10, 17, 24, and 31, 2024 from 6:30-8pm at Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation (3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, CA). Fresh Look provides an introduction to classical music and the rich offerings of California Symphony, making classical music and the orchestra accessible to a broader audience.
Previous participants of the program have described the course as “most enjoyable, very accessible to all, and PACKED with good info and good listening!” and called Scott Foglesong “knowledgeable and enthusiastic” with a “sense of humor and breadth of knowledge.” Scott Foglesong has been lecturing about music since 2011, first as a Professor of Music for the University of San Francisco’s Fromm Institute, followed by posts at the University of California, Berkeley, and, most recently, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He has also served as pre-concert lecturer for the San Francisco Symphony, the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and California Symphony.
The Fresh Look curriculum – which was developed by Scott Foglesong, California Symphony Music and Artistic Director Donato Cabrera, and General Manager Sunshine Deffner – explores the instruments of the orchestra, different musical periods and styles — including one class that focuses almost exclusively on Beethoven — and the state of classical music today. As a special end-of-course treat, the final class includes a live performance and Q&A with California Symphony musicians.
Since its initial launch in partnership with the Walnut Creek Library in 2018, the course has developed steady participation and interest among the Walnut Creek community. With a target of 25 participants, the 2018 pilot series attracted 63 individuals. In 2019, the course attracted 105 attendees – a 67% increase over the pilot year. The third course, offered in July 2020, was presented entirely online due to COVID, and it attracted 300 participants. The most recent in-person class in summer 2023 reached venue capacity with 160 people enjoying the course.
Fresh Look is a prime example of California Symphony’s dedication to strengthening music education and access within their local community. Of the Symphony’s many nationally recognized education and community programs – including their acclaimed Young American Composer-in-Residence program, the nationally recognized Sound Minds program for underserved local students, and new Education Concerts initiative – California Symphony is committed to providing diverse programming that provides an accessible entry point to top-tier classical music for all age groups and education levels.
The fee for Fresh Look: The Symphony Exposed is $30 for the entire course, which can be redeemed toward the purchase of any adult-price California Symphony ticket for a 2024-25 season concert. California Symphony also offers an online version of the series for year-round on-demand viewing.
About Scott Foglesong: Scott Foglesong is a pianist, musician, teacher, writer, cat-lover, music history devotée, occasional computer geek and sometime programmer. He has been on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music since 1978; nowadays he serves as a department chair in addition to enjoying the honor of educating some of today's most promising young musicians. In 2008 he was named recipient of the Sarlo Family Foundation Award for excellence in teaching. He has taught Music 27 (Introduction to Music) for the Fall Freshman program at UC Berkeley since 1991, is associated with the San Francisco Symphony, both as a Contributing Writer and as an "Inside Music" lecturer for the Symphony's weekly subscription concerts, and is Program Annotator for the California Symphony, after formerly serving in the same capacity for the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, New Hampshire Music Festival, and Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra. Professor Foglesong was formally educated at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and the San Francisco Conservatory, but his informal education continues everywhere, without cease.
About California Symphony: Founded in 1986, California Symphony has been led by Donato Cabrera since 2013. It is distinguished by its vibrant concert programs that span the breadth of orchestral repertoire, including works by American composers and by living composers. Its concert season at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California serves a growing number of music lovers from across the Bay Area. California Symphony believes that the concert experience should be fun and inviting, and its mission is to create a welcoming, engaging, and inclusive environment for the entire community. Through this commitment to community, imaginative programming, and its support of emerging composers, California Symphony is a leader among orchestras in California and a model for regional orchestras everywhere.