Peninsula Symphony: Klein Competition Winner Program Book

SEASON76 Mitchell Sardou Klein Music Director & Conductor

Klein Competition Winner EMAD ZOLFAGHARI

MAY 17 & 18 SAT / Heritage Theatre, Campbell SUN / Capuchino Performing Arts Center, San Bruno

Table of Contents | MAY 17 & 18, 2025 3

WELCOME FROM PSO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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TONIGHT’S PROGRAM

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PROGRAM NOTES

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MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR

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RESIDENT CONDUCTOR

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FEATURED ARTIST: EMAD ZOLFAGHARI

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ORCHESTRA ROSTER: MAY 2025

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RISING STAR: KLEIN COMPETITION WINNER

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ADOPT-A-MUSICIAN

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SUPPORTERS

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BOARD, STAFF & VOLUNTEERS

PSO program copyright ©2025 Peninsula Symphony Orchestra PENINSULA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 146 Main Street, Suite 102 Los Altos, CA 94022 (650) 941-5291 peninsulasymphony.org

JOYCEYANG

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Welcome from PSO Executive Director

How do you honor a legend?

This question has been on everyone’s mind here at Peninsula Symphony as we near a significant milestone in our organization and our maestro’s history. This weekend’s concerts mark forty years that Mitchell Sardou Klein has been our artistic leader, conductor, mentor, and friend. From the podium, I’m sure he could tell you that the ride has been both short and long at the same time. From the audience, it’s flown by.

In answer to the question I posed at the start, there are myriad ways we can celebrate and honor Maestro Klein’s legacy. We could throw him a party (join us on May 31st at our “Maestro’s Dream” fundraiser in Los Altos…shameless plug!), sing his praises far and wide, and revel in memories of the many years and multitude of concerts in the rear-view mirror. But most of all, I think the best thing we can do is to continue forward, together.

We are incredibly lucky to continue to have Mitch’s visionary leadership at the helm of this vibrant orchestral community, and we can best honor him by digging in deeper.

Resonate on every note, lean in from the back row seats, applaud with fervor, stand up in appreciation of our members on stage, and remain a part of the incredible experience that is Peninsula Symphony.

Many of you in the audience have similar histories with us, and we’d be remiss not to thank you for your incredible participation since the start. Thank you for attending, donating, bringing friends, and strengthening Peninsula Symphony along the way.

By strengthening our ties together, we honor Mitch’s unparalleled devotion to a remarkable orchestra and community he has been the leader of since 1985. Join me in thanking him for his years of service, and continue together with us more entwined, interconnected, and involved than ever before for many more concerts to come.

With gratitude, Chelsea Chambers Executive Director

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Photo by Shervin Lainez

OCTOBER2025

Mitchell Sardou Klein, Music Director & Conductor 2023 Irving M. Klein International String Competition Winner

Emad Zolfaghari MAY 17, 2025 at 7:30pm / Heritage Theatre, Campbell MAY 18, 2025 at 2:30pm / Capuchino Performing Arts Center, San Bruno Mitchell Sardou Klein, Music Director & Conductor Nathaniel Berman, Resident Conductor Jessie Montgomery, Soul Force Nathaniel Berman, conducting

Carl Philipp Stamitz, Viola Concerto in D, Op. 1 I. Allegro II. Andante moderato III. Rondo (allegretto) Emad Zolfaghari, viola

- Intermission Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Capriccio Italien, Op. 45 Ottorino Respighi, Pines of Rome I. I pini di Villa Borghese (The Pines of the Villa Borghese) II. Pini presso una catacomba (Pines Near a Catacomb) III. I pini del Gianicolo (The Pines of the Janiculum) IV. I pini della Via Appia (The Pines of the Appian Way) * THESE CONCERTS ARE GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY *

Rika and Shawn Ellis & Mary Gundelach in memory of Peter Gundelach

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PROGRAM NOTES

By Larry Laskowski JESSIE MONTGOMERY, Soul Force The American composer, violinist, and educator Jessie Montgomery (1981 -) has officially arrived as a bright new star on the American classical music stage. Numerous awards, commissions, recordings, and celebrated performances in the last decade are a testament to her growing reputation, and to the originality, quality, and accessibility of her work. She has composed numerous chamber and vocal works, and her orchestral works have been played by major ensembles around the world. As a musician she is deeply rooted in her experience as a classical violinist and as a child of the radical New York City cultural scene of the 1980s and 90s. Her music incorporates influences from popular, folk, and improvisatory styles to create her own genre-bending works, and her sensibilities are intensely attuned in personal ways to issues surrounding diversity and social justice.

Soul Force (2015) was inspired by Martin Luther King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. Ms. Montgomery wrote Soul Force “to portray the notion of a voice that struggles to be heard beyond the shackles of oppression.” The title comes directly from Dr. King’s speech: “We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”

The piece is characterized by a slow steady march rhythm that suggests both oppression and the seeds of resistance.

The march begins softly and menacingly in the percussion section. A lone bassoon makes the first tentative melodic entrance. Various instruments enter the melodic flow with their own statements, which over time become more insistent and complex. The accompanying percussion sounds are astonishingly varied, including traditional drums, anvil, whip, heavy chain, brake drum, and cowbells. More and more melodic instruments join the conversation, each with its own voice, timbre, and accent. With improvisation in the woodwinds, boogie-woogie bass patterns, contrasting textures, and intricate syncopation, the blends and overlays become increasingly complex as the power builds. The piece ends with a single dramatic gesture, perhaps the majestic height that Dr. King described, the one place where all the players come together in unity. And the force is indeed majestic.

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PROGRAM NOTES CARL PHILIPP STAMITZ, Viola Concerto in D Major Carl Philipp Stamitz (1745-1801) was in his day a wellknown composer, now largely eclipsed by his legendary contemporaries (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven). He lived in a transitional period during which composers gradually moved away from dependence on aristocratic and church patronage and tried their best to earn a living on their own.

His career took Stamitz across Western Europe seeking opportunities to compose, perform, and find a secure place in well-heeled society. And like Mozart, though he was well known as a musician, his financial success was limited.

Stamitz’s father was music director at Mannheim, the home of a first-rate orchestra, and is credited with founding the Mannheim school, an important stylistic milestone in the transition from Baroque to Classical styles. His son Carl Philipp continued in his footsteps and achieved even greater success, composing and performing all over Europe to significant acclaim.

He wrote both instrumental music (symphonies, concerti, chamber music) and vocal music, including several successful operas. Much of his music has been lost over time, but the Viola Concerto in D Major has survived to this day.

The viola is similar to a violin but somewhat larger in size, lower in pitch, and deeper and warmer in tone. It usually plays what corresponds to the alto voice in the string quartet and the symphony orchestra, and especially in early styles is often relegated to an accompanying role.

But in skilled hands (both composer and performer) it is fully capable of starring in the solo spotlight. The Stamitz concerto is an early example of the violist as headliner, and it remains a staple in the repertoire today. The piece showcases both the warmth and lyrical possibilities of the instrument, as well as a virtuosic aspect that we don’t often hear.

Stamitz chose an unusual configuration for the orchestra in this piece: first and second violins, first AND second violas (two distinct viola parts, not just one), cellos, bass, two clarinets (no bright oboes or flutes), and two horns (no reedy bassoons). The resulting sound is warm, lush, well rounded, and the solo viola can appropriately hold the spotlight without undue strain.

The three-movement scheme is typical of Stamitz: First movement (Allegro) in sonata form, second movement (Andante moderato) slower and lyrical, and a concluding light dancelike rondo. There are two places for a cadenza in the concerto, but no original Stamitz cadenza has survived. Tonight’s performance will feature cadenzas by Misha Amory and André Roy, two violists that Mr. Zolfaghari has worked with over the years. The last movement includes an unusual solo passage that is sometimes interpreted as left-hand pizzicato. Pizzicato (plucking the string to produce a tone instead of using the bow to stroke the string) is usually done with the fingers of the right hand; using the left hand for pizzicato at the same time the right hand uses the bow is a difficult special effect that was popularized by Paganini some forty years after the Stamitz concerto. So, listen for the startling sound of simultaneous pizzicato and bowed strings. And don’t try this at home.

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PROGRAM NOTES It’s easy to forget that music from this period, which can at times sound courteous and lightweight to our ears, isn’t just a precursor to (let’s say) the heavier and grander Beethoven.

At the time Stamitz’s music often moved audiences to amazement and tears. It wasn’t just tossed off with a polite smile and glass of port, but was full of expression, contrasts, virtuosity and passion. Adjust your ears a bit, dial in a little more closely, and you’ll find more than you expected.

TWO PERSPECTIVES ON ROME Rome has always had a special hold on the imagination. For those that live there or once lived there, for those that visit, even for those that know it only through books, pictures, and films, there is no place quite like The Eternal City. The impressions made on us by Piranesi’s etchings,

by Goethe’s Italian Journey, by Audrey Hepburn at the end of Roman Holiday (“By all means, Rome. I will cherish my visit here in memory as long as I live.”) are unforgettable.

Two composers, Respighi and Tchaikovsky: one a native Italian living in Rome, the other a Russian on a three-month visit. Each is connected to the city in his own way. The perspectives are different; the magical subject is the same.

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY, Capriccio Italien, Op. 45 At the age of forty, Tchaikovsky (1840-93) had achieved considerable fame as a composer. Nonetheless he remained a deeply troubled man. He was plagued by his closeted sexuality, his recent marriage was an unqualified disaster, his father had just died, he had resigned his teaching position at the conservatory, and his manic-driven work habits took a toll on both his physical and mental well-being. He was in every way exhausted.

Luckily for him, in 1879 Nadezhda von Meck (his patroness), arranged to send him and his brother Modest on a funded three-month trip to Rome. Tchaikovsky had a special love for Italy. He wrote to von Meck, “This country is a gift of God!” The trip to Rome was Tchaikovsky’s third visit and provided an escape from Moscow’s harsh winter and his personal troubles. He was there during the carnival season, about which he wrote, “When you carefully look at the public raging on the [Via del] Corso, you are convinced that no matter how strangely the joy of the local crowd manifests itself, it is nevertheless sincere and unconstrained.” “[It] is inhaled in the local air, warm, caressing. Such days are wonderful!”

The visit inspired his Capriccio Italien (1880), quite a contrast with his ambitious, extended, and serious Symphony No. 4 composed a few years earlier. The Capriccio (meaning whimsical) includes many musical memories from his visit, including folk and street music, all woven together into a dazzling orchestral fantasy. The orchestration is very intricate and advanced; the instrumental writing pushes the players to the edge of possibility. But the technical difficulties are hidden in plain sight by the light and unproblematic spirit of the piece. Indeed, the blending

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PROGRAM NOTES of carefree theatricality and requisite technical wizardry recalls the pleasures of watching the grace and ease of highly skilled street performers. Tchaikovsky wrote, “I am not sure what actual musical value this work shall have, but I am sure in advance that it will sound well, i.e. that the orchestration will be effective and brilliant.”

His hotel was next to a cavalry barracks, and in the opening we hear the reveille-like trumpet fanfare that began each morning. There’s carnival street music, there’s even a touch of sadness here and there, all expressed as if on stage in a light Italian opera. It’s colorful, joyful, varied, and most of all, it’s harmless. This is Italy! It’s almost a ‘pops’ piece, but on the highest level. It doesn’t require serious thought to appreciate it, though it does take quite a serious effort to play it. You, the audience, are encouraged to sit back and enjoy.

OTTORINO RESPIGHI, Pines of Rome Respighi (1879-1936) was born in Bologna and moved to Rome in 1913, where he achieved great fame as a composer of instrumental and vocal works and as an important teacher.

His music is accessible and traditional in many respects, but in his orchestral works he is fiercely original in striving to produce the “maximum of orchestral sonority and color.” His skill at orchestration is legendary as is his willingness to experiment with new combinations, sounds, and instruments.

His most famous composition, Pines of Rome (1924) is a tone poem in four movements that was as popular in his lifetime as it is today. Respighi depicts the history, landscape, and spirit of Rome from the eyes of a native. This is not an escape from reality, but rather a first-person account of real life in Rome. The four movements depict four different settings, four different historical times, and four different moods. What links them together is Rome itself and the famous umbrella pine trees (Pinus pinea), which are (still) widely planted in parks, along streets, and along the coast, unmistakable trees which uniquely characterize Rome’s landscape. (Should you watch the final rounds of the Italian Open tennis tournament this weekend, you’ll notice the pines planted throughout the venue.)

Pines of Rome calls for a full traditional orchestra plus piano, organ, celesta, buccine (a brass instrument from ancient Rome), harp, full percussion, and even a gramophone.

The first movement (The Pines of the Villa Borghese) opens with the lively play of children in the famous garden at the historical villa. The garden is not a formal Italian garden, but rather a lush garden in the English style, less constrained and more conducive to the rambunctious play of children in a public park. The children’s songs, nursery rhymes, boys imitating soldiers, all evoke a vivacious and colorful scene that is both chaotic and good natured.

The mood shifts suddenly and drastically to silhouetted pine trees that keep watch over the catacombs. These ancient underground burial sites inspire a reverent and majestic dirge which

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PROGRAM NOTES includes quotations from actual hymns. The quiet opening builds to a stunning climax that suggests both intense grief and spiritual mystery.

The third movement is a nocturne of sorts, a depiction of night falling on the Janiculum Hill. It begins with a flowing cadenza for piano and includes a lyrical clarinet solo to be played “come in sogno” (as if in a dream). The movement famously concludes with a passage that includes an actual audio recording of nightingale singing. Remember that audio recording was a very new technology at the time, and Respighi’s inclusion of the gramophone in a piece for orchestra was both courageous and controversial. The specific audio recording Respighi used was made in 1910 and was the first commercial recording of a bird song. That it fits so perfectly into the texture and mood of the piece is a tribute to Respighi’s fine ear and intimate knowledge of the orchestra.

At the beginning of the finale, The Pines of the Appian Way, we awaken from our dream to a misty dawn. Respighi depicts an unfolding scene on the Appian Way, the most important military and economic arterial roadway of the Roman Empire.

It extended all the way from Rome to Brindisi in southeast Italy and symbolized the power and reach of the Empire. You can walk sections of it today, and pine trees still line much of the route.

The movement begins softly as the lead of a Roman legion first dimly appears and gradually advances to a relentless drumbeat. Tentative solo melodic lines grow in number and strength as more of the legion comes into sight. The grand crescendo continues as the awesome military might is gradually revealed.

In Pines of Rome Respighi takes the orchestral tone poem to an unprecedented level of detailed and emotional representation in a kind of orchestral technicolor. It is an opportunity for the orchestral ensemble to shine, for the players to enjoy each other’s musical company in delightful ways, and for the audience to experience an entertaining and uplifting spectacle.

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MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR Mitchell Sardou Klein

Music Director & Conductor Music Director and Conductor Mitchell Sardou Klein brings extensive conducting experience in the US, Europe, Australia and Japan to his leadership of the Peninsula Symphony. This year marks his 40th season on the Symphony’s podium. Over the past four decades, he has guest-conducted the Seattle Symphony, New Polish Philharmonic, Suddetic Philharmonic, Richmond Symphony, Eastern Philharmonic, and numerous other orchestras across the US and Europe. In California he has led Symphony San José (formerly Symphony Silicon Valley), the San José Symphony, the Santa Rosa Symphony, the Inland Empire/Riverside Philharmonic, Ballet San José, the California Riverside Ballet and the Livermore-Amador Philharmonic and others. He co-founded and recently retired as Music Director of the Peninsula Youth Orchestra, which he has taken on concert tours of England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Belgium, Holland, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Latvia, and Estonia.

Maestro Klein directed over a hundred concerts as Associate Conductor of the Kansas City Philharmonic (where he was also Principal Pops Conductor and Principal Conductor of Starlight Theater, the Philharmonic’s summer home), and also served as Music Director of the Santa Cruz Symphony. He also has extensive experience in conducting ballet orchestras, including the Kansas City, Lone Star, Oakland, and Westport Ballets, as well as the Theater Ballet of San Francisco and les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. Before turning to the podium, he performed as a cellist for many years. Known to most everyone as Mitch, he enjoys travel, photography, jazz and visual arts in his spare time.

Since 1984, he has been Director of the Irving M. Klein International String Competition.

Held in San Francisco each June, the Competition has become one of the most prominent in the world, featuring prizes totaling over $35,000, attracting applicants from more than twenty nations annually, and launching numerous major international concert careers.

Critics have consistently praised his work. The San José Mercury described his performance with Symphony Silicon Valley in 2012 as a “gorgeous performance; big, enveloping and wonderfully luxuriant.” The San Mateo County Times described him in 2007 as “Super Conductor: Mitchell Sardou Klein, music director of the Peninsula Symphony, led his musicians through another triumphant concert. The Peninsula Symphony just keeps getting better and better. Great works and great performances by all.” The Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza proclaimed, “The American conductor quickly established a fine rapport with his orchestra. Klein is a musician who has the musical score in his head, rather than his head in the score, which he demonstrated ably. The creative conception and artistic shape which he brings to his work comes from deep inside him.”

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MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR Maestro Klein is a winner of many prestigious awards, including the 2008 Diamond Award for Best Individual Artist, the Silver Lei Award from the 2009 Honolulu Film Festival (for the World Premiere of Giancarlo Aquilanti’s La Poverta), the 2000 ASCAP Award for Programming of American Music on Foreign Tour, the 2001 Jullie Billiart Award from the College of Notre Dame for Outstanding Community Service, a 1996 award for the year’s best television performance program in the Western States (for the one-hour PBS program about him and the Peninsula Symphony) as well as the 1993 Bravo Award for his contribution to the Bay Area’s cultural life.

Mr. Klein was born in New York City, into a musical family that included members of the Claremont and Budapest String Quartets. He began cello studies at age four with his father, Irving Klein, founder of the Claremont Quartet. His mother, Elaine Hartong Klein, danced with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet.

Cited for his “keen judgment, tight orchestral discipline, feeling for tempo, and unerring control,” Maestro Klein has conducted many significant world, American, and West Coast premieres, including works by Bohuslav Martinu, Meyer Kupferman, Joan Tower, Hans Kox, George Barati, Benjamin Lees, Giancarlo Aquilanti, Melissa Hui, Rodion Shchedrin, Brian Holmes, Ron Miller, Lee Actor, Michael Thurber, Jonathan Russell, Alvin Brehm, and Margaret Garwood. He has appeared frequently on national and international broadcasts, including National Public Radio, the Voice of America, the WFMT Fine Arts Network, PBS Television, and KQED television. He lives in Oakland, California with his wife, violist Patricia Whaley. Their daughter, Elizabeth, lives and works in Washington D.C.

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RESIDENT CONDUCTOR Nathaniel Berman Resident Conductor

Conductor Nathaniel Berman maintains a diverse range of activities as a performer and educator in the San Francisco Bay Area. A faculty member at UC Santa Cruz since 2007, he is conductor of the UCSC Concert Choir and Wind Ensemble, and has appeared as guest conductor of UCSC Orchestra. He has frequently participated as conductor in the April in Santa Cruz Festival of New Music at UCSC, and on various performances with UCSC Opera Theater.

Nathaniel is Music Director of the Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony, a position he has held since 2011, and has appeared as guest conductor of the Santa Cruz County Symphony in annual collaborative concerts with the Youth Symphony. Nathaniel also holds the position of Resident Conductor with Peninsula Symphony, where he conducts the annual Family Concert and appears regularly on the podium at subscription concerts.

A strong advocate for new music, Nathaniel is the resident conductor of the San Franciscobased new music ensemble Ninth Planet, with whom he has led premieres of dozens of commissioned works as well as numerous works by celebrated contemporary composers.

In 2023, Ninth Planet and guest singers premiered Alan Shearer’s opera Prospero’s Island at Herbst Theater in San Francisco.

As a singer, Nathaniel has been a member of the professional new-music chorus Volti, where he also served as Assistant Conductor, and has sung with early music ensembles Pacific Collegium and EUOUAE. Nathaniel received his Master’s degree in conducting from UC Santa Cruz, where he studied with Nicole Paiement. His first instrument was trumpet, and he grew up playing duets with his dad, a jazz pianist and singer.

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FEATURED ARTIST Emad Zolfaghari Viola

Canadian violist Emad Zolfaghari has recently come to international attention after winning the first prize and audience prize at the 2024 Primrose International Viola Competition. Emad was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music at age 16, where he currently studies with HsinYun Huang. He is the first prize winner of the Irving M. Klein International String Competition, first prize winner of the International Morningside Music Bridge Competition, second prize winner of the Johansen International String Competition and third prize winner of the OSM String Competition.

Emad has appeared as a soloist with several major symphony orchestras, including l’Orchestre Métropolitain under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Montreal Symphony, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the National Philharmonic, the Oakville Chamber Orchestra and the National Metropolitan Philharmonic.

Emad has attended several festivals such as Morningside Music Bridge, the Center Stage Strings festival as a junior faculty member, the Perlman Music Program, Music from Angel Fire, ChamberFest Cleveland, ChamberFest West, the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, and the Music in the Vineyards Festival. Emad currently plays on a fine 1700 Matteo Goffriller viola on generous loan from the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation, and a Sartory Copy bow from CANIMEX, Inc.

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MARCH2026

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HELPING PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN RETURN TO AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE

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“Maestro’s Dream: A Celebration of 40 Years” An evening honoring Mitchell Sardou Klein’s 40th Season & Supporting Peninsula Symphony’s Future

Dinner. Auction. Entertainment.

May 31, 2025

Los Altos Community Center - Tickets Available Now peninsulasymphony.org/maestros-dream

2025-26

S77 Renew or purchase a subscription in the lobby Get our early bird discount by June 1 ($5 off)

ORCHESTRA ROSTER - MAY 2025 Music Director & Conductor Mitchell Sardou Klein Resident Conductor Nathaniel Berman Violin I Philip Santos, Acting Concertmaster Kim Bonnett Peter Cheng Julian Hsieh Tara Iyer Girish Nanjundiah Matt Springer Judy Streger Alex Wang Dai Yang Violin II Deborah Passanisi, Principal Moosa Azfar Susanne Bohl Brad Gibson Sophia Jin Vineet Mehta Frank Rahn Jshon Thomas Audrey Yan Hanna Yoshimoto Jane Zhang

Cello Ami Nashimoto, Acting Principal Sandy Baratoff Garth Cummings Tetsu Ishihara Tomoko Ishihara Ryan Toulouse David Wishnia Bass Nicholas Dalton David Herberg Rahul Iyer Bruce Moyer Grant Parker Jeff Wachtel

Viola Elyse Ader, Principal Andrea Hata Paula Karolak Jerry Saliman Judy Beck Summerlin Renée Toscan Jolynda Tresner

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ORCHESTRA ROSTER - MAY 2025 Flute Kay Saito Shafi, Principal Patricia Harrell Kristin Kunzelman Piccolo Patricia Harrell

Horn Brian Holmes, Co-Principal Randy Nickel, Co-Principal Justin Privitera, Assistant Principal David Dufour Paul Schneider

English Horn Dane Carlson

Trumpet Mike Marmarou, Principal Dana Bates Bob Fitt Richard Leder Mike Pakaluk Justin Smith Brandon Tavares

Clarinet Nick Cotter Jimmée Greco Ron Miller

Trombone David Allmon, Co-Principal Rami Hindiyeh, Co-Principal Todd Weinman

Bass Clarinet Jimmée Greco

Tuba Johnathan Hsu, Principal

Bassoon Juliet Hamak, Principal Alex Hernandez Mia Stormer

Timpani Mike Bresler, Principal

Oboe Audrey Gore, Principal Dane Carlson Joel Greene

Contrabassoon Mia Stormer

Percussion Emily Hendricks, Co-Principal Paul Burdick, Co-Principal Erica Richstad Yujin Yin Keyboard/Piano Tom Hansen Music Librarian Joel Greene

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RISING STAR

Pearl de la Motte, Viola Violist Pearl de la Motte is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree at The Juilliard School where she studies with Hsin-Yun Huang and is a member of the Cabaletta Quartet. She is also the second of eleven children in a musical family.

She began playing the violin at the age of two then switched to viola when she was ten. After being inspired by the viola’s deep and expressive voice, she became very passionate about music and decided that she wanted to pursue a career as a musician while honoring God with her music.

Pearl received first place in the 2021 American Viola Society National Competition, third place in the 2024 Stulberg International String Competition, and first place in the 2024 Klein International String Competition. In April 2022 she performed the Higdon viola concerto with the La Jolla Symphony.

Pearl has participated in multiple projects during her time at The Juilliard school.

In 2023 she was invited to perform Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s piano quintet in “The New Series” and has regularly participated in the “If Music Be the Food...” benefit concerts.

In 2023 Pearl attended the Toronto summer music festival and collaborated with artists including Yura Lee, Daniel Ching, Matthew Zalkind, and Desmond Hoebig.

Pearl is also a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship at The Juilliard School.

- Coming May 2026 -

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ADOPT-A-MUSICIAN LIFETIME ADOPTED MUSICIANS Mitchell Sardou Klein Conductor Deborah Passanisi Violin II Dr. Lauren Speeth Violin I

Paula Uccelli Frank & Annette Rahn Elfenworks Foundation

MUSICIAN INSTRUMENT ADOPTED BY Debra Fong Concertmaster Katherine & Roy Bukstein Dave Allmon Trombone Jacqueline Smith Abraham Aragundi Cello Friend of PSO Lianne Araki Oboe Patricia L. Griffin Mark Beyer Clarinet/Saxophone Raymond Smith Kim Bonnett Violin I Bradley Gibson Mike Bresler Timpani/Percussion Celeste Everson Misfeldt & Todd Misfeldt Katherine Bukstein Viola Margrit Rinderknecht & Richard Siemon Dane Carlson Oboe/English Horn Kirt & Kelly Minor Daniel Cher Violin I Laura & David Francis Garth Cummings Cello Sheri & Michael Frumkin David Dufour Horn Hannelore Draper Linda Dunn Office Volunteer Ann & Ben Kong Bob Fitt Trumpet Don & Cathy Draper Nicole Galisatus Clarinet Penny Barrows in memory of John Barrows Bradley Gibson Violin II Teri Quick Audrey Gore Oboe Monte Mansir & Susanne Stevens Joel Greene Oboe/Music Librarian Al & Liz Dossa Juliet Hamak Bassoon John Givens Yukoh Hammura Flute Nina Brody Patricia Harrell Flute/Piccolo Krista & Jerry Terstiege David Herberg Bass Suesan Taylor Rami Hindiyeh Trombone John & Christine Sanguinetti Brian Holmes Horn Mary Gundelach Johnathan Hsu Tuba Teri Quick Tetsu Ishihara Cello Marcia Leonhardt in honor of

Judy & David Anderson Rahul Iyer Bass Suesan Taylor Tara Iyer Violin I Pauline Roothman Kristin Kunzelman Flute/Piccolo Jennifer & Tim Kardos Susan Magrini Cello Monte Mansir & Susanne Stevens Mike Marmarou Trumpet Ronald S. Miller Vineet Mehta Violin II Sheree Kajiwara Ron Miller Clarinet Jacqueline Smith Bruce Moyer Bass Monte Mansir & Susanne Stevens Randy Nickel Horn Diana Lloyd Kristin Chesnutt Oro Violin II Dorothy Fahlman & Karin Chesnutt

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ADOPT-A-MUSICIAN MUSICIAN INSTRUMENT ADOPTED BY Frank Rahn Violin II Nichole Edraos & Jim Augustus Jerry Saliman Viola Dorothy Saxe Paul Schneider Horn Sheri & Michael Frumkin Kay Saito Shafi Flute/Piccolo Ronald S. Miller Kirsten Shallenberg Cello Jacqueline Smith Matt Springer Violin I/Timpani Monte Mansir & Susanne Stevens Mia Stormer Contrabassoon Joel Greene Judy Streger Violin I Alan & Spike Russell Suesan Taylor Bass Martin Chai & Gray Clossman Jshon Thomas Violin II Sheri & Michael Frumkin Nicholas Toscan Trumpet Bob & Karen Fitt Renée Toscan Viola Bob & Karen Fitt Jolynda Tresner Viola Brian Holmes, Maureen Thrush,

and Roy & Victoria Sasselli Jeff Wachtel Bass The Wachtel Pronovost Family Kate Wahl Violin I Sheri & Michael Frumkin Alex Wang Violin I Bichen Wang David Williams Violin II Family and Friends Carolyn Worthington Viola Richard Izmirian Sarah Wu Violin I Alan & Spike Russell Kyoko Yamamoto Bassoon John Givens Hanna Yoshimoto Violin II Hironari & Yoshihiro Yoshimoto Jane Zhang Violin II Gayle Flanagan EMERITUS MEMBERS

John Givens, Principal Bassoon, adopted by Juliet Hamak & George Yefchak

Would you like to adopt a musician? It is our goal to have the entire orchestra adopted as a special way of supporting us.

For information on this meaningful program, please reach out to Chelsea Chambers, Executive Director at chelsea@peninsulasymphony.org or (650) 941-5291.

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SUPPORTERS We are grateful to the following contributors who support live symphonic music and education on the Peninsula. Our donor listing below is a compilation of total giving received between February 1, 2024 and May 1, 2025. If you see an error in this listing or would like more information on ways you can contribute to Peninsula Symphony, please reach out to Executive Director Chelsea Chambers by emailing chelsea@ peninsulasymphony.org.

Risoluto ($50k +) Janice Boelke Lorraine Smith The David & Lucile Packard Foundation Maestoso al fine ($25k - $49,999) Sheri & Michael Frumkin in honor of Paula Uccelli John Givens in memory of Dorothy Givens Fortissimo ($10k - $24,999) Katherine & Roy Bukstein David Cone Monte Mansir & Susanne Stevens Mervyn L. Brenner Foundation Paula Uccelli in memory of Peter Uccelli Friend of PSO in honor of Sheri Frumkin and in memory of Pieter Smith Friend of PSO Crescendo ($5k-$9,999) Erika Crowley in honor of Cary Kimler & in memory of Margot Haygood Rika & Shawn Ellis Pamela Ferris Joel Greene in honor of The Monkeyman of Burlingame Mary Gundelach in honor of Charles M. Gundelach Diana Lloyd in memory of Cliff Lloyd Michael Marmarou Celeste E. & Todd M. Misfeldt in appreciation of Mitch Klein Nvidia Deborah Passanisi Teri Quick in honor of Brad Gibson Krista & Jerry Terstiege Jeff & Gwyn Wachtel Friends of PSO (2)

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SUPPORTERS Presto ($2,500 - $4,999) Kathryn Barnard & Kenneth Shirriff Gene Esswein Meiying Forney & Steve Shatas in appreciation of Sheri Frumkin Brad Gibson Russell Hurley Alex Kurosawa Ronald S. Miller Margrit Rinderknecht & Dick Siemon Redwood City Arts Commission Scherzo ($1,000-$2,499) Barbara & Robert Brandriff in memory of Dorothy Lunn Nathan Brookwood & Patricia Hendriks David & Janet Cain Daniel Cher & Laura Wolfe Tom Cooper & Mary Hom Howard & Diane Crittenden Stanley Dirks Hannelore Draper Barbara Erickson Anne Esparza Robert & Karen Fitt Gayle Flanagan Mariam S. Galvarin Herbert Grench Patricia L. Griffin Juliet Hamak & George Yefchak Patricia Harrell Benjamin & Kaoru Hollin Richard Izmirian & Sheree Kajiwara James Kleinrath & Melody Singleton

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Bill Malmstrom in memory of Linda Joe & Mollie Marshall Prudential Caroline & Chris Rackowski Rita’s Rainbows David Sacarelos & Yvette Lanza Jerry & Ellen Saliman Sara & Phillip Salsbury Paul Schneider Marianne Silva & John Oba Nicholas & Renée Toscan David A. Williams & Hilary Benton Carolyn & Tim Worthington Y&H Soda Foundation Hanna & Yoshihiro Yoshimoto John & Rachel Youmans Friend of PSO Vivace ($500-$999) Maryam Aghamirzadeh David & Michelle Allmon Apple Inc Jim Augustus & Nichole Edraos Wate & Johanna Bakker in honor of Mitch Klein Nina Brody Kathleen Brown Martin Chai & Gray Clossman John DeLong & Sharon Peters Al & Liz Dossa in honor of Mitch Don & Cathy Draper Dorothy Fahlman & Karin Chesnutt

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SUPPORTERS Laura & David Francis in honor of Daniel Cher Alexandra Gillen & Hartmut Koeppen David Greene in honor of Monkey Greene Yukoh Hammura in appreciation of Kay, Patti, and Kristin from Flute section Jennifer & Tim Kardos Mitchell Sardou Klein & Patricia Whaley Ann & Ben Kong in honor of Linda Dunn, most dedicated volunteer Marcia Lowell Leonhardt in honor of Judy and David Anderson Susan Magrini Randy & Janie Nickel Craig & Wendy Nishizaki Liz Nyberg in memory of Paul Nyberg Michelle Oberman & Lawrence Marshall in honor of Maestro Mitchell Klein Kristin Oro Farrell May Podgorsek in memory of Ken Podgorsek Roland Feller Violin Makers Alison & Ken Ross in honor of Maestro Mitchell Klein Alan & Spike Russell John & Christine Sanguinetti Dorothy Saxe Ruth A. Short Raymond Smith & Mark Beyer Anita Stewart & Kaj Rekola Sue Larson Family Fund The Wachtel Pronovost Family in honor of Jeff Wachtel Todd & Andrea Weinman William Warren Weisenfeld Anne Wharton Family & Friends of David Williams Warren R Williams in memory of Sarah Williams Friend of PSO in honor of Hanna Yoshimoto Friends of PSO (3)

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Allegro ($250-$499) Charlotte & David Biegelsen Michael & Adrienne Bresler Gary Carson & Jshon Thomas Sylvia & Fun Pang Chau Tom Driscoll & Nancy Quinn Ruth Evans Delbert & Susan Fillmore Robert Goldware Alice Graham in memory of Dorothy Graham Givens Dawn Grench in honor of Herb Grench Elke & Chris Groves Steven Hibshman Brian Holmes & Jolynda Tresner Mela & Peter Hwang Kristin Kunzelman Susan R Lin in appreciation of Maestro Klein, Chelsea Chambers, Jim Fung, and Everyone at PSO Kathleen Lowry Harvey Lynch Richard & Beverly Marconi Linelle Marshall Marycliff Foundation Marcia & John Mehl Pamela Moore in memory of Bill Moore Vonya Morris Noni Naughton Mary & Neil Panton Charles Polanski Frank & Annette Rahn

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SUPPORTERS

Amy & Daniel Schiff in honor of Sheri Frumkin Karen & John Scorsur in appreciation of Chelsea Chambers and Jacqueline Smith Matt Springer & Wei Ai in honor of Magnificent Maestro Mitch Suesan W. Taylor in memory of C. Barr Taylor & in honor of Michael Tong The Trade Desk Friend of PSO in appreciation of Maestro Mitchell Sardou Klein’s 40th Friends of PSO (3)

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Dolce ($100-$249) John & Barbara Adams Karen Alden Sue Alvarez Lianne M. Araki Michael & Merrie Asimow AssetMark, Inc Jo Anne Bailey in memory of June Wisecarver Doron Bardas Marilyn Barlow in memory of Rachel Ann Youmans Barbara Barth Israel & Sari Beinglass Berger Family in honor of Jerry Saliman Nathaniel Berman Jill Biegenzahn Juliette Bryson Les & Nancy Burger in appreciation of Jeff Wachtel Faye Chapman Thom & Carol Chivers Sharon Chortack

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SUPPORTERS Mary Elise Clarity Helen Cockrum Joseph Coha William Conlon in honor of Selma Bukstein Judy & Philip Davis in memory of Marilyn and Harold Mindell Bill Enloe Michele & Andy Epstein in honor of Sheri Frumkin Suzanne & Allan Epstein Fredrika & Joel Felt in honor of Jeff Wachtel David Fernandez & Lori Krauss Ann & Stan Forman in honor of Sheri Frumkin Ruth Freeman & David Stoner Michael & Cindy Galisatus Ann Guerra Victor Ha Hillel Hachlili Ann & Salek Hamer in memory of Tom Perry Joan Hebert Nancy Heffner Kathie Hillier & Bob Boen Frederick Hines Joseph & Bette Hirsch Norma J Hoch Deborah & Craig Hoffman in appreciation of Jerry Saliman Marshall & Roberta Hollimon Perry Hopkins Intel Corporation Kevin Jim in honor of Mitch Klein Robert & Ana Johnson Howard & Elizabeth Klein Sharon Krawetz Marianne Kruze Ancilla Kwok in memory of Dr. Sam Chan Joseph & Sharon Kwok in memory of Dr. Sam Chan Sandra & Brandon Martinez-Larragoiti Richard Leder & Cherrill Spencer Stanley Levine Janet Louie Ann Marotta

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Melody Marshall Stephen Martin Hannelore McCrumb Judi McManigal Joan & Ronald Miller Joyce Monda Beth Morris Bruce Moyer Carol Muller Margaret Nalbach Michael Nguyen Joan Norton Chuck & Patty Ortenberg in honor of Jeff Wachtel Alan Pattison Karen & Douglas Perry Wayne Phillips Rakuten Rewards Cheryl & John Ritchie Robert Roth & Cynthia Robbins-Roth Bill & Sherrean Rundberg Heather Sanders Dave & Susan Sargent in honor of Brian Holmes & Jolynda Tresner Doris Sayon Marian Schmidt Marvin & Ellen Schwartz Dana Scoby Marcyl Seidscher Noel Shirley Tom Silva Lisa & Bruce Steinback Alan Stern & Thomas Whatley Laura Sternberg Grant Takamoto Maureen Thrush Raymond & Cecilia Wong Wilton & Cathy Wong Friend of PSO in honor of Jerry Saliman Friend of PSO in appreciation of the PSO bassoon section Friend of PSO in honor of Maestro Mitchell Sardou Klein Friends of PSO (3)

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“Sostenuto” Legacy Society The future of Peninsula Symphony is sustained by the generosity of individuals who choose to give during or after their lifetimes. Their contributions safeguard the presence of symphonic music on the Peninsula for this and future generations to come. To find out more about how to join this special group of cherished supporters, please reach out to Executive Director Chelsea Chambers, chelsea@peninsulasymphony.org.

Sostenuto Legacy Society Members as of May 2025:

Ellis Alden Anonymous Janice Boelke David Cone The Elfenworks Foundation Mitchell Sardou Klein & Patricia Whaley Judi McManigal Frank & Annette Rahn Genny Hall Smith Lorraine Smith Marguerite Szekeley William Warren Wiesenfeld Trust

CELEBRATION OF MUSIC IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE MUSICAL HISTORIES AND CULTURE ALONG THE DANUBE RIVER

Vienna, Austria

CELEBRATION OF MUSIC: BEST OF THE DANUBE May 20, 2026 | 7-night river cruise | AmaReina

CITIES & SIGHTS Budapest » Bratislava » Melk » Linz » Vienna » Budapest

YO U R J O U R N E Y A LO N G T H E DA N U B E R I V E R Capture the imperial history of Old-World Europe along the Danube River as it flourished beneath towering fortresses and inspired legendary artists and musicians.

Throughout your journey you will visit the river’s legendary capitals: Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna – the city of waltzes. Encounter fascinating architecture and historical museums, including Budapest’s Liszt Museum and magnificent Opera House. Plus, follow The Sound of Music through sprawling Salzburg, the incomparable birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N , C O N TA C T Judi McManigal Voyage & Vines 415-604-1995 Judi@VoyagesAndVines.com

HOSTED BY MITCHELL SARDOU KLEIN Music Director & Conductor, Peninsula Symphony Reserve by June 30, 2025 COMPLIMENTARY TWO-NIGHT LAND PACKAGE OR

SAVE $

500

PER PERSON

Terms & Conditions: All rates are per person in USD for cruise only, inclusive of port charges, based on double occupancy in Category E stateroom, and reflects Complimentary Land Package Offer. Complimentary Land Package offer is only valid on new reservations made by June 30, 2025. Offer is combinable with AirPlus Rates, Combination Cruise Savings, Loyalty Benefits and Future Cruise Benefit Program. Visas, airfares and gratuities are additional. Offer is not combinable with any other promotions/discounts, limited to availability, capacity controlled and subject to change or termination without notice. AmaWaterways reserves the right to correct any errors or omissions at any time. Other restrictions apply. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California. For full terms and conditions, please visit www.amawaterways.com/terms-conditions CST#2065452-20. V25JAN3AH

BOARD, STAFF & VOLUNTEERS

PENINSULA SYMPHONY BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ben Hollin, Co-Chair Jeff Wachtel, Co-Chair Randy Nickel, Secretary Alan Russell, Treasurer Katherine Bukstein, Chair, Governance Committee Sheri Frumkin, Chair, Development Committee Nicole Galisatus, Orchestra Rep Mariam Galvarin Juliet Hamak Tara Iyer Alex Kurosawa Lillian Lee Diana Lloyd

PENINSULA SYMPHONY STAFF Mitchell Sardou Klein, Music Director & Conductor Nathaniel Berman, Resident Conductor Chelsea Chambers, Executive Director Jim Fung, Director of Marketing & Digital Content Jenny Ugale, Operations & Outreach Manager Tara Kariat, Box Office & Administrative Assistant Faye Chapman, Bookkeeper Joel Greene, Music Librarian Greg van der Veen, Stage Manager Samantha Paschner, Rehearsal Setup Linda Dunn, Office Volunteer Heidi Hau, Piano Competition Coordinator Amelia Yee, Front of House & Volunteer Coordinator Aleena Mehdi, Intern

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The mission of the Peninsula Symphony is to enrich the lives of people in our community with inspiring, innovative, high-quality musical presentations at affordable prices, and to promote music education through engaging programs for children and adults.

The Peninsula Symphony Association of Northern California is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Corporation, Federal Tax ID 94-6106974.

Peninsula Symphony 146 Main Street, Suite 102 Los Altos, CA 94022 (650) 941-5291 / info@peninsulasymphony.org PeninsulaSymphony.org

PEARL DE LA MOTTE Klein Competition Winner 2024

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