Carrying the state’s name and located in Walnut Creek, a town of 70,000 residents, California Symphony Orchestra is as ambitious as ever in planning its 40th anniversary season, which runs from Sept. 26 through May, 2027.
Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera explained how he curated the season’s five concerts, each to be performed twice in the Lesher Center for the Performing Arts:
“I know going in that our budget [$1.8 million] will allow me to program two concerts for large orchestra, two concerts for chamber orchestra, and one concert for a sectional ensemble” — that is, all strings, winds, or a baroque band.
“Other parameters include service minimums for the orchestra, soloist fees, and music purchase/ rental costs. I try to be as creative as possible within the parameters that I’ve been given, rather than having to go back to the drawing board multiple times.”
Cabrera’s season meets that challenge and still has plenty of highlights:
Sept. 26-27
Jean Sibelius: The Oceanides
Jennifer Higdon: Cello Concerto; Julian Schwarz, soloist
Béla Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra
Nov. 7-8
Anton Arensky: Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky
Aaron Copland: Clarinet Concerto; Cory Tiffin, soloist
Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings
Jan. 23-24, 2027
François-Joseph Gossec: Symphony No. 2 in G Major
Mozart: Symphony. No. 31 in D Major, “Paris”
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Symphony No. 1 in G Major
Haydn: Symphony No. 85 in B-flat Major, “La Reine”
March 13-14, 2027
Henry Cowell: Hymn and Fuguing Tune No. 10
John Adams: Violin Concerto; Helen Kim, soloist
Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 in D Major
May 8-9, 2027
Paul Novak: World premiere composition
Manuel de Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain; Tanya Gabrielian, soloist
Manuel Ponce: Chapultepec
Ottorino Respighi: Pines of Rome
Continuing its holiday concerts, California Symphony will present “Holiday Traditions” on Dec. 18 and 19, at the Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church.
“These programs,” Cabrera said, “trace how music can capture and interpret the world around us, turning landscape, memory, and cultural identity into sound.”
Subscriptions are available now. Single tickets go on sale in July. Since 2020, the orchestra’s concerts have been broadcast nationally on multiple radio series through Classical California (KUSC/KDFC) and the WFMT Radio Network.
Following the orchestra’s pathbreaking tradition of engaging young composers for a three-year composer-in-residence program, Paul Novak joins California Symphony for 2026-2029.
Selected by The Washington Post among its “23 for ’23: Composers and performers to watch this year,” the Chicago-based Novak is described as showing “impressive range and a restless energy. He composes lithe, elastic vocal pieces ... vibrant orchestral works ... and evocative études for string quartet.”
During the 2026-2027 season, the organization announced that California Symphony “will continue to serve its community beyond the stage through its nationally recognized educational initiative, Sound Minds, and will expand its innovative lifelong learning program ‘Fresh Look: The Symphony Exposed’ to two communities in Lafayette and San Ramon.”
The Symphony will also expand its community partnerships with the Amateur Music Network and the Trinity Center Walnut Creek.
In 2017, California Symphony made a public statement of its commitment to diversity. Its website is available in both Spanish and English.
