2025 – 2026

Saturday, September 27, 2025, 7:30PM ~
Title: “Mozart and More”
Fremont High School – 589 W. Fremont Ave Sunnyvale, CA 94087

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major K.525
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Overture Marriage of Figaro
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Piano Concerto No.21, K.467 Sandra Wright Shen, Piano
Jacques Ibert	Hommage à Mozart

Guest Performers from Fremont High School

Please click here for more information about Sandra

The works featured on this program are united by their deep connection to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart—either composed by him or inspired by his legacy. From the elegance of Eine kleine Nachtmusik to the stormy drama of Symphony No. 40, Mozart’s music captures an astonishing range of expression within the clarity and balance of the Classical style. These pieces reflect his extraordinary ability to blend structural perfection with emotional depth, whether in the sparkling wit of the Marriage of Figaro Overture or the sublime lyricism of his Piano Concerto No. 21.
Jacques Ibert’s Hommage à Mozart serves as a modern tribute, honoring Mozart’s enduring influence with a playful and graceful work that echoes the Classical aesthetic while adding a contemporary voice. Together, these compositions highlight Mozart’s timeless appeal and his profound impact on generations of composers and audiences. This program offers a journey through the elegance, intensity, and innovation that define Mozart’s musical legacy.
 

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Sunday, October 26, 2025, 3:00PM ~
Title: “New Horizons”
Hammer Theatre Center – 101 Paseo De San Antonio , San Jose, CA 95113

Edward Elgar	Sospiri, Op. 70
Louise Farrenc **	Overture No. 1 in E minor
Lee Actor	Saxophone Concerto, Ricardo Martinez, Saxophone
Camille Saint-Saëns	Dance Macabre
Felix Mendelssohn	Overture Athalia
Cécile Chaminade **	Callirhoë Suite d’Orchestra, Op. 37

** Female Composer

Guest Performers from Piedmont Hills High School

Please click here for more information about Ricardo
Please click here for more information about Ricardo

All of these works are orchestral compositions that highlight distinctive voices from different periods of classical music, ranging from the Romantic era to contemporary times. They each showcase a rich use of orchestral color and expressiveness, often inspired by extra-musical ideas—whether literary, mythological, or programmatic themes. The composers behind these works are known for blending technical mastery with emotional depth, creating music that tells a story or evokes vivid imagery.
Additionally, several of these composers—Louise Farrenc and Cécile Chaminade—are notable women who made significant contributions to classical music at times when women composers were largely underrepresented. Together, this selection celebrates both well-known masters like Saint-Saëns and Mendelssohn and modern voices like Lee Actor, illustrating a wide-ranging exploration of orchestral music’s evolution and storytelling power.

 

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Sunday, March 1, 2026 3:00PM
Title: “Across the Atlantic”
Hammer Theatre Center – 101 Paseo De San Antonio , San Jose, CA 95113

	Florence Price **	Andante moderato
	Grace Williams **	Fantasia on a Welsh Nursery Tunes for orchestra
	Alan Hovhaness	Fantasy on a Japanese Woodprints (Marimba) Galen Lemmon, Marimba
	Amy Beach **	Symphony No. 2 (Gaelic)

** Female Composer

Guest Performers from Pioneer High School

Please click here for more information about Gallen

These four works—by Florence Price, Grace Williams, Alan Hovhaness, and Amy Beach—reflect a shared commitment to cultural expression through orchestral music. Each composer draws inspiration from distinct national or ethnic traditions: Price weaves elements of African American spirituals into a lush Romantic idiom; Williams reimagines Welsh nursery tunes with both charm and sophistication; Hovhaness evokes the aesthetics of Japanese woodblock prints through meditative textures and exotic modes; and Beach crafts a grand symphony rooted in Irish folk melodies. Together, these pieces celebrate the diversity of global musical heritage within the classical tradition.
Equally significant is the historical context in which these composers worked. Beach, Price, and Williams were pioneering women who overcame societal barriers to establish lasting legacies in a male-dominated field. Their music—alongside Hovhaness’s spiritually rich and cross-cultural vision—offers not only artistic beauty but also a broader, more inclusive view of classical music’s possibilities. These works stand as powerful examples of how deeply personal and culturally rooted music can speak with universal resonance.

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Sunday, May 24, 2026, 3:00PM ~
Title: “Countryside to Cosmos”

Hammer Theatre Center – 101 Paseo De San Antonio , San Jose, CA 95113  

Arthur Honegger	Pastorale d’Été
Carlos Simon	Breathe
Frederick Delius	Two pieces for small orchestra
Vivaldi	Concerto for Bassoon Rufus Olivier, Bassoon
Ludwig van Beethoven	Symphony No. 6 (Pastorale)

 

Please click here for more information about Rufus

These works share a profound connection to nature and the human spirit, expressed through richly textured orchestral music. From Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral” and Honegger’s Pastorale d’Été, which vividly evoke landscapes and seasonal moods, to Delius’s Two Pieces for Small Orchestra that paint serene scenes of spring and summer, each piece invites listeners into an immersive sonic world. Even Carlos Simon’s Breathe channels emotional depth and a call for renewal, reflecting on human resilience and hope. Vivaldi’s Concerto for Bassoon adds a vibrant Baroque contrast, showcasing the lively, expressive qualities of the bassoon within a richly crafted orchestral dialogue.
Across these works, the composers use orchestral color and atmosphere to create vivid soundscapes that transport audiences beyond the concert hall. Whether through the impressionistic harmonies of Delius, the lyrical melodies of Beethoven, or the contemporary sensitivity of Simon, the music evokes both external environments and deep inner emotions. Spanning from the Baroque era to the present day, this diverse program highlights the enduring power of orchestral music to celebrate nature, express the human condition, and connect us across time and culture.

 

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