Calendar

SIBELIUS, HIGDON, AND BARTÓK – American Connections

Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 7:30pm

Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 4pm

Jean Sibelius: The Oceanides (1914)

Jennifer Higdon: Cello Concerto (2022)

Julian Schwarz, cello

Béla Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra (1943)

California Symphony opens its 40th anniversary season with a program celebrating American connections. All three works on the program share a common thread: they were premiered in the United States, a fitting nod as the nation marks its 250th anniversary and reflects on artistic ties across continents and generations. Finnish composer Jean Sibelius composed The Oceanides in 1914 for his only trip to America, creating a vivid representation that was hailed at its U.S. premiere as "the finest evocation of the sea." GRAMMY Award-winning American composer Jennifer Higdon's Cello Concerto from 2022 receives its Northern California premiere, performed by the cellist for whom it was written, Julian Schwarz. The concerto showcases Higdon's distinctive voice—lyrical, rhythmically vibrant, and deeply expressive. Hungarian composer Béla Bartók fled to America during World War II, and while living in New York in 1943, composed his Concerto for Orchestra, commissioned by conductor Serge Koussevitzky for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. A true showpiece, the work turns every instrument in the orchestra into a soloist, offering dazzling displays across all five movements. From the serenity of Sibelius's ocean to Higdon's fresh contemporary voice and Bartók's exhilarating finale, this program offers a vivid musical arc.

FROM TCHAIKOVSKY TO COPLAND – Classical Contemporaries

Saturday, November 7, 2026 at 7:30pm

Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 4pm

Anton Arensky: Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky (1894)

Aaron Copland: Clarinet Concerto (1948)

Cory Tiffin, clarinet

Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings (1936)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings (1880)

California Symphony's November concerts explore the relationships between musical contemporaries across Russia and America. Russian composer Anton Arensky's Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky from 1894 honors his teacher Tchaikovsky, creating a direct musical and historical connection. The variations are based on a theme from Tchaikovsky's song Legend, transforming it into a work of lyrical beauty and emotional depth. Tchaikovsky's own Serenade for Strings from 1880 remains one of his most enduring and personal works, praised by the composer himself as "a piece from the heart." American composer Aaron Copland's Clarinet Concerto from 1948 was commissioned and premiered by jazz legend Benny Goodman, and fuses a lyrical and expressive first movement with a second movement influenced by popular music from North and South America, connected by a spectacular cadenza for the soloist. California Symphony's new principal clarinet, Cory Tiffin, takes center stage in this virtuosic showcase. Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings from 1936, with its hauntingly beautiful melody, is one of the most recognizable pieces in American music, heard in concerts, films, and national moments of reflection. The program highlights how musical contemporaries influenced one another: Arensky paid tribute to his mentor while shaping his own lyrical Russian style, while Barber and Copland—born the same year—explored complementary visions of American music, from Barber's expressive lyricism to Copland's folk-inspired "Americana."

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

Friday, December 18, 2026 at 7:30pm

Saturday, December 19, 2026 at 2pm

Performances at the Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church

California Symphony’s holiday concerts are back by popular demand! Brass, percussion, and organ bring the season’s music into sharp focus, moving from quiet reflection to rhythmic celebration. Familiar carols such as Hark! the Herald Angels Sing and Carol of the Bells sit alongside selections from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, creating a program that spans centuries of holiday tradition. Sacred and folk influences come together in clear, resonant arrangements that highlight both the power and the intimacy of these seasonal works, offering a direct and uplifting way to experience the music of the season.

MOZART AND HAYDN IN PARIS – Music of the Enlightenment

Saturday, January 23, 2027 at 7:30pm

Sunday, January 24, 2027 at 4pm

François Joseph Gossec: Symphony No. 2 in G Major (published 1769)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony. No. 31 in D Major (1778)

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Symphony No. 1 in G Major (published 1779)

Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 85 in B-flat Major (1785)

California Symphony's first concerts in 2027 transport audiences to the vital musical world of late 18th-century Paris, where these four composers moved in overlapping artistic circles. Belgian-born composer François Joseph Gossec helped shape the early symphonic tradition in France, where opera had long dominated, and his Symphony No. 2 , published in 1769, demonstrates his skill in crafting elegant and balanced instrumental works. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Symphony No. 31, the “Paris” Symphony from 1778, was written for a public concert series and showcases his flair for vibrant, energetic orchestration and dramatic contrasts. Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was a virtuoso violinist and composer from the Caribbean island of Guadalupe whose music is being revived after centuries of neglect. He not only performed under Gossec's baton but also led his own orchestra. Around 1786, he commissioned and conducted the premiere of Franz Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 85 in Paris. Known as “La Reine” (“The Queen”) because Queen Marie Antoinette particularly admired it, Haydn's symphony reveals his gift for wit, surprise, and inventive musical conversation. These composers contributed to a thriving cultural landscape where ideas, styles, and innovations traveled quickly among performers and audiences, making Paris a true center of the musical Enlightenment.

BEETHOVEN’S SECOND – Cowell, Adams, & Beethoven: Masterful Mavericks

Saturday, March 13, 2027 at 7:30pm

Sunday, March 14, 2027 at 4pm

Henry Cowell: Hymn and Fuguing Tune No. 10 (1955)

John Adams: Violin Concerto (1993)

Helen Kim, violin

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 in D Major (1802)

California Symphony's March concerts celebrate bold innovators across three centuries. San Francisco-born composer Henry Cowell was a pioneering American modernist whose Hymn and Fuguing Tune No. 10 from 1955 blends mid-18th-century fuguing techniques—a distinctly American tradition—with modern rhythms and expressive harmonies. The result is music that feels both rooted in history and thoroughly contemporary. Fellow Californian John Adams' Violin Concerto from 1993 pulses with minimalist energy, contrasting soaring lyricism with dazzling virtuosity as the solo violin interacts with colorful orchestral textures. The second movement's chaconne is inspired by Pachelbel's famous canon, while the finale erupts in rhythmic drive and electric energy. Violinist Helen Kim, praised as "astoundingly gifted" (San Francisco Chronicle), brings technical brilliance and expressive depth to this demanding concerto. Ludwig van Beethoven composed his Symphony No. 2 in 1802 during a personal crisis—he was coming to terms with his hearing loss—yet the work radiates optimism, wit, and energy. The symphony represents Beethoven at a turning point, with the first hints of the heroic style that would define his later works. The musical connections resonate throughout: Cowell and Adams both draw on historical structures while Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 shares the bright, uplifting key of D major, subtly echoing this shared tonal center.

PINES OF ROME – Orchestral Landscapes

Saturday, May 8, 2027 at 7:30pm

Sunday, May 9, 2027 at 4pm

Paul Novak: World Premiere

Composer-in-Residence

Manuel de Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain (1909-15)

Tanya Gabrielian, piano

Manuel Ponce: Chapultepec (1929, rev. 1934)

Ottorino Respighi: Pines of Rome (1924)

California Symphony's season finale concerts feature landscapes from Spain, Mexico, and Italy, showcasing composers' abilities to transform place and memory into sweeping orchestral narratives. The program opens with the world premiere of a new work by Composer-in-Residence Paul Novak, whose shimmering, colorful music creates immersive sonic worlds. Spanish composer Manuel de Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain blends impressionistic textures with flamenco-inspired rhythms, creating evocative, luminous soundscapes that capture the mystery and romance of Andalusian gardens at night. Bay Area native Tanya Gabrielian brings expressive lyricism and technical brilliance to this concerto-like work for piano and orchestra. Mexican composer Manuel Ponce's Chapultepec celebrates the iconic park in Mexico City, blending folk influences with classical elegance in a work that evokes Mexico's rich cultural heritage. Italian composer Ottorino Respighi's Pines of Rome from 1924 uses the full orchestra to conjure vivid imagery, from dawn in the park to nocturnal city streets to the ancient Appian Way, showcasing Respighi's coloristic mastery. Across three countries, this program highlights music's power to evoke place, atmosphere, and memory.