California Symphony Presents Mozart Serenades Conducted by Donato Cabrera and Featuring Violinist Jennifer Cho
CALIFORNIA SYMPHONY PRESENTS MOZART SERENADES
Led by Donato Cabrera, Artistic & Music Director
In Concert March 16 & 17, 2024
At Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts
Featuring Richard Strauss’s Serenade and Mozart’s Serenade No. 10 (Gran Partita)
Plus Jennifer Cho in Lou Harrison’s Concerto for Violin with Five Percussionists
Continuing a season of performances honoring trailblazing composers and unique artists
Tickets & Information: www.californiasymphony.org
WALNUT CREEK, CA – California Symphony and Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera continue the 2023-24 season, featuring concerts that honor trailblazing composers and unique artists, with Mozart Serenades on Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 7:30pm and Sunday, March 17, 2024 at 4pm, at the Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek). These performances explore the unique, individual sounds of the orchestra in a program which beautifully showcases woodwinds, brass, and percussion – from Richard Strauss’s popular Serenade to Lou Harrison’s compelling Concerto for Violin with Five Percussionists and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Serenade No. 10 (Gran Partita).
“As we have shown with our very popular concerts for string orchestra, there is a treasure trove of music worth exploring that showcases the various sections of the orchestra,” says Donato Cabrera. “For this concert, I’ve chosen two serenades for woodwinds and brass, one by Richard Strauss and another by Wolfgang Mozart. These two serenades, which are multi-movement works, showcase the variety of beautiful sounds that can only come from these incredible collections of wind instruments. The California Symphony has a long and deep connection to the music of the legendary Bay Area composer Lou Harrison, and his Concerto for Violin and Five Percussionists, with our incredible concertmaster, Jennifer Cho, will showcase the uniquely inclusive sounds of this very special composer.”
Written when he was 17-years-old, Richard Strauss’s lively Serenade opens these performances. Strauss drew inspiration from his famous horn-playing father in this work. While its classical style shows some influence of Mozart and Mendelssohn, Strauss was able to turn Serenade into something remarkably original. Full of achingly beautiful lyricism and rich wind scoring, Serenade enjoys a special position among Strauss’ works.
The California Symphony returns to the music of American maverick composer and longtime Bay Area resident Lou Harrison in these concerts. Concertmaster Jennifer Cho is featured in his rhythmic Concerto for Violin with Five Percussionists. Both fabulously virtuosic and fervently expressive, Concerto for Violin with Five Percussionists includes a variety of unorthodox percussion instruments – from wash tubs to coffee cans, flowerpots, and other “junk percussion” that Harrison discovered while rummaging with his colleague John Cage. A California native, Jennifer Cho has been California Symphony’s Concertmaster since 2017 and has been a guest Concertmaster of the Reno Philharmonic, Las Vegas Philharmonic, the Mendocino Music Festival, Sarasota Opera, Merola Opera, the New Hampshire Music Festival, and the Skywalker Sundance Orchestra.
Finishing the program is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s effervescent Gran Partita wind serenade, a seven-movement tour de force. One of the most notable works for wind ensemble, Gran Partita is famous for its clever harmonies, sparkling textures, and beautiful melodies. In the 1984 movie Amadeus, Mozart’s rival Salieri hears the Gran Partita and famously proclaims, “It seemed to me that I was hearing the voice of God.”
Up next, the California Symphony hosts its annual gala, Symphony Supper Club, on April 13, 2024 at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley. The honorary gala chair is Sharon Simpson, and the event co-chairs are Julie Basque and Abby Dye. The evening will transport guests back to the golden era of supper clubs, renowned for their elegance and timeless music. The event features a three-course dinner and auction; a performance by international jazz sensation, multi-instrumentalist, and star of Postmodern Jukebox Gunhild Carling; and dancing to the seductive, swinging stylings of the Gunhild Carling Band.
On May 4 and 5, 2024 at the Lesher Center for the Arts, the California Symphony reunites the music of Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann in Brahms Obsessions. Described by The New York Times as “music’s unsung renaissance woman,” Clara Schumann was an acclaimed composer and pianist in the 1800s. In these concerts, her only surviving piano concerto is performed by featured soloist Robert Thies, alongside Brahms’ brilliant first symphony. Both the object of Brahms’ affections, Clara Schumann, and his mountainous task of succeeding Beethoven’s symphonic legacy, are showcased in this program. The music of Brahms and Clara Schumann is accompanied by a world premiere of California Symphony Resident Composer Saad Haddad’s newest work. Haddad’s music explores the relationship between the West and the East by translating traditional Arab instruments to a Western symphonic context.
Founded in 1986, California Symphony is in its eleventh season under the leadership of Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera. It is distinguished by its vibrant concert programs that combine classics alongside American repertoire and works by living composers and for making the symphony welcoming and accessible. The orchestra includes musicians who perform with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet, and others. Committed to developing new talent, California Symphony has launched the careers of some of today’s most well-known artists, including violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, cellists Alisa Weilerstein and Joshua Roman, pianist Kirill Gerstein, and composers Mason Bates, Christopher Theofanidis, and Kevin Puts.
California Symphony’s 2023-24 season is sponsored by the Lesher Foundation. Single tickets are $45-90, and $20 for students 25 and under. A 30-minute pre-concert talk and Q&A led by lecturer Scott Fogelsong will begin one hour before each performance. More information is available at CaliforniaSymphony.org.
FOR CALENDAR EDITORS:
WHAT: California Symphony presents Mozart Serenades
The California Symphony conducted by Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera showcases the unique and individual sounds of woodwinds, brass, and percussion in Mozart Serenades. Written when he was 17-years-old, Richard Strauss’ lively Serenade opens the night of wind music. Finishing the program is Mozart’s sparkling “Gran Partita” wind serenade. In the 1984 movie Amadeus, Mozart’s rival Salieri hears the Gran Partita and famously proclaims, “It seemed to me that I was hearing the voice of God.” Between these two giants of the wind repertoire, the California Symphony performs the music of American maverick composer Lou Harrison. Concertmaster Jennifer Cho is featured in his rhythmic Concerto for Violin with Five Percussionists. A California native, Jennifer Cho has been invited in recent seasons to be guest Concertmaster of the Reno Philharmonic, Las Vegas Philharmonic, the Mendocino Music Festival, Sarasota Opera, Merola Opera, the New Hampshire Music Festival, and the Skywalker Sundance Orchestra.
California Symphony takes the stuffiness out of the concert experience: Take selfies at the photo booth, order a signature cocktail, and sip at your seat. Tickets include a free 30-minute pre-concert talk by award-winning instructor Scott Foglesong, starting one hour before the show.
WHEN: Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 7:30pm
Sunday, March 17, 2024 at 4:00pm
WHERE: Hofmann Theatre at the Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek
CONCERT:
MOZART SERENADES
7:30pm, Saturday, March 16
4:00pm, Sunday, March 17
Donato Cabrera, conductor
California Symphony
Jennifer Cho, violin
PROGRAM:
Richard Strauss: Serenade
Lou Harrison: Concerto for Violin with Five Percussionists
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Serenade No. 10 (Gran Partita)
TICKETS: Single tickets are $45-90 and $20 (for students 25 and under with valid Student ID).
INFO: For more information or to purchase tickets, the public may visit CaliforniaSymphony.org or call the Lesher Center Ticket Office at (925) 943-7469 (open Wed – Sun, noon to 6pm).
PHOTOS: Available here.