Symphony announces in-person "Classical Reunion" 2021-22 season

July 06, 2021

The Santa Rosa Symphony (SRS), in its 10th season as Resident Orchestra of the Green Music Center, announces its 94th season, “Classical Reunion,” featuring four world premieres, including a new work by Grammy award-winning composer Michael Daugherty highlighting the beauty and ecological diversity of our county. Music Director Francesco Lecce-Chong’s programming also includes masterworks from lauded composers of centuries past and works by up-and-coming living composers. Lecce-Chong conducts seven of the eight Classical Series concerts. Leveraging skills learned during the pandemic, the Symphony offers its subscribers two new packages, which include YouTube concerts in addition to the live performances. Subscriptions are on sale beginning July 6.

Lecce-Chong says, “I'm thrilled to welcome audiences back to the Green Music Center for the unparalleled experience of live orchestral music. Our performances this season will celebrate our diverse, vibrant community and the resilient creative spirit with four major world premieres. After a season of virtual performances with a smaller orchestra, an ambitious lineup of grand orchestral classics by Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff, Elgar and Respighi will bring our full orchestra back to the stage.”

Season Highlights for 94th performance season (October – June)

  • Programming highlights:
    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5, Turkish
    • Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations
    • Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5
    • Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor
    • Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade
    • Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 1
    • Claude Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun [after Mallarmé]
    • George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
    • Michael Daugherty's Valley of the Moon
    • Ottorino Respighi's The Fountains of Rome and The Pines of Rome
  • Acclaimed guest artists [full bios (short bios at the end of the release), high-res photos]
    • Pianists Olga Kern (returning) and Michelle Cann
    • Violinists Julian Rhee and Elina Vähälä (returning)
    • Clarinetist David Krakauer
    • Guest Conductor Aram Demirjian (February concert)
  • World Premieres
    • The Fretless Clarinet Concerto for Klezmer Clarinet and Orchestra by David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg (featuring Krakauer)
    • Gabriella Smith's Symphony No. 1 (First Symphony project season two)
    • Michael Daugherty's Valley of the Moon
    • Enrico Chapela Barba's Los Braceros [The Laborers] Cantata for Mariachi and Orchestra (in a rescheduled concert set from the 19-20 season, which is outside of the 21-22 subscription package)
  • Celebration 2021! fundraiser honors Alan Silow, SRS President and CEO on November 5, 2021
  • Three-concert Family Series, conducted by Bobby Rogers (October and January) and Lecce-Chong (April)
  • Two new 7-Concert Classical Series subscription packages
    • 7-Concert Classical Plus Series (adds 30-day access to watch the Oct-May concerts on YouTube)
    • 7-Concert Classical Hybrid Series (Oct-Dec only on YouTube)
  • Free youth tickets – one per paid adult

SRS President and CEO Alan Silow says, "After more than a year apart, returning to be together in our acoustically superb, beautiful hall with inspiring music from our talented musicians, celebrated soloists and charismatic music director will be a transformative experience no one will want to miss."

“Classical Reunion” Season Overview

Programming for the 2021-2022 season begins on Saturday, October 2, 2021, with the finale of the seven-concert series in early May (dates and descriptions below). All performances are at the Green Music Center’s Weill Hall on the Sonoma State University campus in Rohnert Park, California.

CELEBRATION 2021!

The Symphony’s annual fundraising event, Celebration 2021! honors Alan Silow, President and CEO of the Santa Rosa Symphony for his 20 years of service to the Symphony on Friday, November 5 at 5:30 PM. Celebration 2021! includes an elegant reception in Prelude Restaurant and a recital by clarinetist and composer David Krakauer. A gourmet dinner in the Person Lobby features a paddle raise for the Symphony’s music education programs.

SRS Chairman of the Board Corinne Byrd says, "I’m delighted that the Board selected Symphony President & CEO Alan Silow to be the honoree at our Celebration 2021 Gala! He is the quintessential example of consummate executive leadership: a seasoned professional whose acumen for strategy and program-building have propelled our Symphony Association, for 20 years, to greater success. Furthermore, Alan’s remarkable resourcefulness and perseverance during the past Symphony season will long benefit our patrons, youth, musicians, staff and community in infinite ways."

TWO FOUR-SEASON MUSICAL PROJECTS

Lecce-Chong launches a new four-season project this season. Rachmaninoff & the Hollywood Sound is a four-year exploration in which Rachmaninoff's larger orchestral works are brought together with works by influential Hollywood composers of the past and present, illustrating their shared lush, lyrical and highly praised Hollywood sound. The four-season First Symphony Project, in its second season, features Gabriella Smith in residence when the Symphony premieres her first symphony.

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.

SPECIAL CONCERT

In June, the “Visions of Hope” concert set, rescheduled from May 2020, will be performed at Weill Hall on June 11-13, 2022. Single tickets will be available for this special concert with the first-ever commission and world premiere of a major work for Mariachi and Orchestra. Mariachi Champaña Nevín and vocalists Rafael Jorge Negrete and Mónica Ábrego will join the orchestra for Enrico Chapela Barba’s Los Braceros [The Laborers] Cantata for Mariachi and Orchestra, which tells the story of romance and family loyalty during the 1942-1964 agreement between the United States and Mexico for agricultural worker migration. The concert also includes Arturo Márquez’ Danzón No. 2 and Ottorino Respighi’s The Fountains of Rome and The Pines of Rome.

Concert Conversations (one hour prior to Classical Series performances)

Music Director Francesco Lecce-Chong discusses the music and composers, often with the guest artists, one hour prior to the Classical Concert Series performances in Weill Hall. These informative pre-concert talks, which are available at no cost to all ticket holders, are general seating. Concert Conversations are held before Saturday and Monday night performances at 6:30 PM and prior to Sunday afternoon performances at 2:00 PM. This season, all four world premiere composers will join Lecce-Chong when their works are performed.

2021-2022 Classical Series Programming highlights

Saturday and Monday 7:30 PM / Sunday 3:00 PM / Discovery Open Rehearsal Saturday 2:00 PM

In addition to masterworks by familiar composers and works that even the classical music novice will recognize, the 2021-2022 Classical Series includes works by five living composers and three world premieres. With the special June concert, rescheduled from May 2020, the number of living composers climbs to six and world premieres to four.

Timeless treasures

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5, Turkish
  • Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations
  • Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5
  • Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor
  • Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade
  • Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 1
  • Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun [after Mallarmé]
  • George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
  • Respighi's The Fountains of Rome and The Pines of Rome

Works by living composers

  • Libby Larsen’s Deep Summer Music
  • Gabriella Smith’s Rust
  • Gabriella Smith's Symphony No. 1 (World Premiere)
  • David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg’s The Fretless Clarinet Concerto for Klezmer Clarinet and Orchestra (World Premiere)
  • Michael Daugherty’s Valley of the Moon (World Premiere)
  • Hildur Guŏnadóttir’s From the Other Place (performed from a color map, making each performance unique)
  • Enrico Chapela Barba's Los Braceros [The Laborers] Cantata for Mariachi and Orchestra (World Premiere)

2021-2022 Classical Series Concerts

See the schedule at https://www.srsymphony.org/Events-Tickets/Season-Overview-2021-2022

Subscriptions Series Tickets for the 2021-2022 Season - On Sale July 6

(subscription renewal deadline to retain same seats is August 6, 2021)

7-Concert Classical Series

The seven-concert package secures the same seat for all of the Symphony’s Classical Series concert.

Saturday and Monday Packages: $147-$588; Sunday Packages: $175-$623

(Some seating areas require a minimum, per-seat donation.)

7-Concert Classical Plus Series

In addition to securing seats for the seven concerts in the hall, with this package, subscribers may view the October – December concerts on YouTube for up to 30 days. These YouTube concerts are not available to nonsubscribers.

Saturday and Monday Packages: $154-$616; Sunday Packages: $182-$651

7-Concert Classical Hybrid Series

Subscribers to this Hybrid Series view the October – December concerts on YouTube and return to their seats in January. These YouTube concerts are not available to nonsubscribers.

Saturday and Monday Packages: $140-$560; Sunday Packages: $168-$595

Mini Series

Patrons select four of the seven Classical Series concerts to create a customized Mini Series.

Saturday and Monday Packages: $72-$270; Sunday Packages: $87-$285

Come As You Can Series

Eight ticket vouchers, which may be redeemed in any combination of performance days and seats.

Packages: $400

Discovery Rehearsal Series (Seven Saturdays at 2:00 PM at Weill Hall)

These general-seating, working rehearsals are ideal as a shared family experience, a sneak preview for the performance or as an economical alternative for price-conscience patrons.

Packages: $112 for adults; $70 for youth ages 7-17

Family Series (Three Sundays at 3:00 PM at Weill Hall)

These three interactive concerts provide an opportunity for classical music lovers to share their passion for classical music with the young people in their lives.

Packages: $54 for adults and $27 for children (12 and younger).

Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerts (Three Saturdays at 3:00 PM)

Santa Rosa Symphony Institute for Music Education’s Training Young Musicians programs includes several performance-level youth ensembles. Its most advanced ensemble, the Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra, performs three concerts in Weill Hall as follows:

Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 3:00 PM | Saturday, March 5, 2022 at 3:00 PM | Saturday, May 14, 2022 at 3:00 PM

Tickets: General seating tickets are $15/adult, $5/student in advance and $20/adult, $10/student on concert day.

Sunday Bus Packages

The Santa Rosa Symphony sponsors private bus service to the Sunday Classical Series concerts at the Green Music Center. Details and specific bus schedules are available online or by calling the Patron Services Office at 707-546-8742.

Packages: $84 for all seven concerts; $60 for four concerts; $16 for one concert

Symphony subscriptions are available ONLY through the Santa Rosa Symphony Patron Services Office beginning July 6, 2021.

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

ABOUT SANTA ROSA SYMPHONY

Santa Rosa Symphony, the Resident Orchestra of the Green Music Center, is the third-oldest professional orchestra in California, and the largest regional symphony north of Los Angeles. Francesco Lecce-Chong, the Symphony's fifth music director in its 94 years, began his tenure in 2018. Alan Silow, President & CEO, began his tenure in 2002. The Symphony is committed to core values of artistic excellence, innovative programming, comprehensive music education and community service.

The Symphony’s performance schedule includes 21 Classical Series concerts (seven sets), Seven Discovery Dress Rehearsal concerts, a three-concert Family Series and a four-concert Pops Series, as well as special concerts.

Awards include an American Symphony Orchestra League MetLife Award for Community Engagement and a first-place award for adventurous programming in the 2012-2013 season from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

The Symphony is recognized for having one of the most comprehensive music education programs in California, serving nearly 30,000 youths annually. Collaborations with schools and organizations across Sonoma County have gained the Santa Rosa Symphony national attention and support.