CONCERTS AND EVENTS

Nancy Bloomer Deussen: American Hymn

Antonin Dvorak: American Suite

William Grant Still: From the Black Belt

George Gershwin: An American in Paris

Join the CCCO as we explore music penned by several of the most ambitious, diverse composers to make a name for themselves in America.

Bay Area composer Nancy Bloomer Deussen's An American Hymn is a gorgeous musical depiction of the vast landscapes of America. The score carries the inscription: "In appreciation of how fortunate I am to be a citizen of this great nation."

Antonin Dvorak’s American Suite, a “melting pot” work, blends the sounds of the American landscape he explored in the 1890’s with those of his Czech heritage.

William Grant Still was the first African-American composer to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra, the first to have an opera performed by a major opera company and the first to conduct a major American orchestra. His work From the Black Belt is comprised of seven charming vignettes. In the preface to the score, the composer explains that this piece was “written frankly to amuse and to please those who listen to them.”

Closing the program is George Gershwin’s An American in Paris, a work that helped define the sound of America and propel American composers into the international spotlight.

Soloist: Joe Brown, Trumpet - San Francisco Ballet Orchestra

Nick Benavides: Magnetismus

Alan Hovhaness: Prayer of St. Gregory

Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Trumpet Concerto in Eb
featuring Joe Brown, Trumpet - San Francisco Ballet Orchestra

Leos Janacek: Idyll for Strings (Adagio only)

Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 82 “The Bear”

From heroic fanfares to sultry serenades, the trumpet is a leading voice that composers have relied on to tell their stories for centuries. Join the CCCO and soloist Joe Brown, Second Trumpet of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, in a program featuring two stunning solos for trumpet and orchestra. From Alan Hovhaness’ lush, dream-like Prayer of Saint Gregory to Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s shimmering, virtuosic Concerto for Trumpet in Eb, this program will showcase the tremendous capabilities of the trumpet. Also on the program will be California-based composer Nick Benavides’s mesmerizing Magnetismus, the “Adagio” from Leos Janacek’s Idyll and Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 82 “The Bear.”

Soloist: Jeff LaDeur, Piano

Bela Bartok: Romanian Folk Dances

Georges Bizet Carmen Suite No. 1 

Franz Liszt Totentanz
with Jeff LaDeur, Piano

Claude Debussy/Ravel: Sarabande

Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty Suite

On February 16^th and 17th, the CCCO presents a program highlighting the sounds of dance music from around the world.

Bela Bartok was committed to preserving the traditional folk music of his homeland and finding ways to incorporate them into his own compositional voice.Romanian Folk Dances is a passionate setting of traditional folk tunes the composer discovered while traveling from village to village in the countryside.

Maurice Ravel, an admirer of fellow French composer Claude Debussy, arranged several of his piano works for full orchestra. One particularly striking arrangement is of the luscious “Sarabande” from Debussy’s Pour le piano. Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Suite contains several of the most famous dances from this treasured ballet.

Franz Liszt’s Totentanz for piano and orchestra takes listeners on a whirlwind journey into the macabre. This wild, virtuosic work was based on the medievalDies Irae chant, a tune that has fascinated and inspired composers across the centuries. The CCCO is thrilled to feature pianist and founder of the San Francisco International Piano Festival, Jeffrey LaDeur as soloist. 

Soloist: Alex Frankel, Tenor

La forza del destino (Overture) - Giuseppe Verdi

Nabucco (Overture) - Giuseppe Verdi

Il barbiere di Siviglia (Overture) - Gioachino Rossini

Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana - Pietro Mascagni

mamma quel vino è generoso (Cavalleria rusticana) - Pietro Mascagni

Lamento di Ferderico (L’arlesiana) - Francesco Cilea

Ella mi fu rapita (Rigoletto) - Giuseppe Verdi

Possente Amor (Rigoletto) - Giuseppe Verdi

La donna è mobile (Rigoletto) - Giuseppe Verdi

Based in New York City but raised in Walnut Creek, operatic tenor Alex Frankel returns home to the Bay Area to join the CCCO for performances celebrating some of the world’s most beloved Italian music. From Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana and Verdi’s Rigoletto, to Rossini's Barber of Seville, this is a program of Italian songs that you do not want to miss.

Soloist: Britton Day, Piano

Jordan Kuspa: Lemonade Battery

Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1

Jocelyn Hagen: Adagio

Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished”

Bay Area pianist Britton Day joins the CCCO for a performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s brilliant Piano Concerto No. 1. This underperformed gem bursts out of the gate with a barrage of virtuosic melodies, then melts into a calm, reflective slow movement before barreling on to a stunning finale.

This past year, the CCCO asked composers from around the country to submit original works for chamber orchestra. The winning composition will be revealed at the start of 2019 and receive performances at all of our May concerts.

American composer Jocelyn Hagen’s Adagio is an elegant, powerful work that requires the utmost focus and sensitivity from the performers.

The program closes with Franz Schubert’s dramatic, romantic Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished.”