Santa Rosa Symphony announces its 2022-2023 Season

March 14, 2022

Season Subscriptions on sale Monday, March 14, 2022

22-23 Season features critically acclaimed guest artist debuts, a world premiere and an appearance by Conductor Laureate Bruno Ferrandis

The Santa Rosa Symphony (SRS), in its 11th season as Resident Orchestra of the Green Music Center, announces its 95th season, featuring familiar masterworks, such as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which evoke the beauty of nature and the indomitable human spirit, alongside hand-picked contemporary works. In addition, Music Director Francesco Lecce-Chong, in his sixth year with the Symphony, continues two four-year projects and names Principal Violist Elizabeth Prior this season's Artistic Partner. The orchestra, with returning guest pianists Christina and Michelle Naughton, will perform the world premiere of a concerto for two pianos by 2020-2021 Artistic Partner Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. Subscriptions go on sale Monday, March 14, 2022, at 9:00 AM.

Lecce-Chong says, “The 2022-23 season continues the Santa Rosa Symphony's dedication to the pursuit of artistic excellence and innovation. My colleagues and I look forward to sharing some of the most expansive and poignant works from the repertoire all season long - whether it be Beethoven's beloved Ode to Joy Symphony or the first Santa Rosa performance of Strauss' monumental Alpine Symphony. We also continue our commitment to living American composers with major works by Wynton Marsalis, a world premiere by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, and Composer-in-Residence Angélica Negrón. Each program will be a celebration of the human experience with music that strengthens our community.”

SRS President and CEO Alan Silow says, "We are extremely excited about the coming season, with its strong, compelling programming, the continuation of Francesco's two four-year projects, the return of Conductor Laureate Bruno Ferrandis in February, a new work by last year's Artistic Partner, Ellen Zwilich, and a new partnership with our own Principal Violist Elizabeth Prior. I look forward, with hope, to an uninterrupted, unaltered season. This won't be a return to normal, but rather a new beginning that's better than ever."

Season OVERVIEW for 95th performance season (October – May)

Programming for the 2022-2023 season begins on Saturday, October 1, 2022, with the finale of the seven-concert classical series in early May. All performances are at the Green Music Center’s Weill Hall on the Sonoma State University campus in Rohnert Park, California. More information at https://www.srsymphony.org/Events-Tickets/Season-Overview-2022-2023

TWO FOUR-YEAR PROJECTS

Lecce-Chong continues two four-year projects. Rachmaninoff & the Hollywood Sound, in its second season, explores Rachmaninoff's larger orchestral works alongside influential Hollywood composers of the past and present, illustrating their shared lush, lyrical and highly praised "Hollywood" sound. This season, it will pair Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony with music from Gone with the Wind (Max Steiner) and The Nun's Story (Franz Waxman). The First Symphony Project, in its third season, features up-and-coming American composer Angélica Negrón in residence for one of her shorter works in the fall and returning with the California premiere of her first Symphony in March.

ARTISTIC PARTNER

Santa Rosa Symphony Principal Violist Elizabeth Prior has been named as the 2022-2023 Season Artistic Partner. As such, Prior, in addition to performing in the December concert for Ralph Vaughan Williams' Flos Campi [Flower of the Field]: Suite for Viola, Orchestra and Chorus, will develop a Santa Rosa Symphony Family Concert, serve as a visible ambassador for the orchestra, and to the Symphony's patrons and donors. Prior has been principal violist with the Symphony for 11 years. She is also a member of the New Century Chamber Orchestra, a season substitute with the San Francisco Ballet and associate principal violist with the Marin Symphony. She also performs regularly with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony. A native of South Africa, she was a prizewinner in the International String Competition in Pretoria and gave her debut at Carnegie Hall with the Russian Chamber Orchestra.

2022-2023 Classical Series Programming highlights

Symphonies

  • Beethoven's 9th
  • Rachmaninoff's 2nd
  • Tchaikovsky's 6th, Pathétique
  • Berlioz' Symphonie fantastique
  • Strauss' Alpine Symphony
  • Composer-in-Residence Angélica Negrón's first symphony (title TBA; California Premiere)

Piano concertos

  • Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Concerto for Two Pianos (World premiere)
  • Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23

Violin concertos

  • Wynton Marsalis' Violin Concerto in D major
  • Camille Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto in B minor

Special treats

  • Jessie Montgomery's Soul Force
  • Music from The Nun's Story (Franz Waxman) and Gone with the Wind (Max Steiner)
  • Strauss' On the Beautiful Blue Danube
  • Claude Debussy's La Mer
  • Modest Mussorgsky's (Rimsky-Korsakov, arr.) A Night on Bald Mountain
  • George Gershwin's Promenade (Walking the Dog)

Acclaimed guest artists

  • Pianists Christina and Michelle Naughton (returning), Alexander Toradze (returning) Awadagin Pratt
  • Violinists Bella Hristova and Jennifer Frautschi
  • Conductor Laureate Bruno Ferrandis (February concert)
2022-2023 SEASON SPECIAL EVENTS

CELEBRATION 2022! September 30, 2022

The Symphony’s annual fundraising event, Celebration 2022! honors Anne Benedetti, Santa Rosa Symphony and Arts Philanthropic Leader, Friday, September 30, 2022, at 6:00 PM. Celebration 2022! includes an elegant reception and a recital by pianist Awadagin Pratt. A gourmet dinner in the Person Lobby features a paddle raise for the Symphony’s music education programs.

Opera in Concert: Mozart’s The Magic Flute April 15, 2023

Rescheduled from 2021, the Symphony presents the much-anticipated Opera in Concert: Mozart's The Magic Flute on Saturday, April 15, 2023, at 7:30 PM. Francesco conducts this multi-discipline tour de force, partnering with ArtQuest at Santa Rosa High School, which will provide choral singers, narrators, dancers, theatrical backdrops and mini-performances in the lobby.

FREE YOUTH TICKETS

To encourage their exposure to classical music and to transform Symphony attendance into a family outing, youths 7-17 years of age may attend the Symphony for free with a paid adult. These two-for-one tickets are not available for purchase online and only applies to Classical Series concerts.

Season Subscriptions for 2022-2023 Classical Series On Sale March 14

(subscription renewal deadline to retain same seats is April 8, 2022)

More information at https://www.srsymphony.org/Events-Tickets/Season-Tickets