MAY 10 & 11 at 8PM
FRI / San Mateo Performing Arts Center SAT / Heritage Theatre, Campbell
PSO Celebrates Season 75
Mitchell Sardou Klein Music Director & Conductor
Featuring JON KIMURA PARKER
MUSIC
FEATURED ARTIST
SPECIAL
PENINSULA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - SEASON 75
ADOPT-A-MUSICIAN
SUPPORTERS
BOARD, STAFF & VOLUNTEERS
PSO program copyright ©2024 Peninsula Symphony Orchestra
PENINSULA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 146 Main Street, Suite 102 Los Altos, CA 94022 (650) 941-5291 peninsulasymphony.org
Table of Contents | May 10 & 11, 2024 2 3 5 6 10 12 13 14 18 21 24 30 WELCOME FROM PSO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FROM MAESTRO MITCHELL SARDOU KLEIN TONIGHT’S PROGRAM PROGRAM NOTES
WELCOME
DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR
CONDUCTOR
RESIDENT
BRIDGES TO MUSIC PROGRAM
Welcome from PSO Board of Directors
As Peninsula Symphony concludes its 75th season, it stands as a remarkable milestone for a “professional” volunteer symphony, allowing us to reflect on the years during which our musicians and maestros (only two in its entire existence) have shaped the local community and firmly established a presence on the Bay Area peninsula.
I had the good fortune to be affiliated (as Managing Director) between 2014 and 2022 with this remarkable orchestra and observe the growth of meaningful and spot on programming. Between mainstage offerings, outreach into the schools and community performances, digital offerings (which grew substantially during Covid), student competitions, free concerts, and our co-production with Stanford’s Chorus each year, I am amazed at how much dedication comes from musicians, staff, board and most particularly our steadfast Maestro! We have also been fortunate to have such a community of steadfast patrons as all of you.
Since I retired from my role of Managing Director in 2022, I have subsequently joined the Board of Directors so that I can continue to remain connected and help make a difference particularly in the role of development. So many relationships were established and built during my tenure, and I believe it is so important for us to continue these partnerships as we build and expand our presence. We rely very heavily on our individual donor support as grant funding has dwindled substantially over the past few years for the arts in Silicon Valley. We are fortunate to have these relationships and benefit from the enthusiasm and generosity that comes from our engagement with all of you.
I am honored to be a board member of Peninsula Symphony and I encourage all of you to support this unique and highly professional and committed organization.
With gratitude,
Sheri Frumkin
Chair, Development Committee
Peninsula Symphony Board of Directors
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Sheri Frumkin with Maestro Klein
Season 75: A Celebration
The Peninsula Symphony is thriving as we celebrate 75 years of presenting great music and great musicians to our audience and our community. I’m so energized by the high quality of musicianship and orchestral camaraderie that our magnificent players bring to every rehearsal and concert. Our repertoire has expanded and diversified in challenging and rewarding new ways. We perform with some of the most celebrated and brilliant soloists in the world in fine concert venues. And, as we reflect back on the last three turbulent years, it is deeply uplifting and gratifying that we have returned to the stage better than ever.
In fact, the challenges of the Covid era brought us closer together than ever, as a musical ensemble and as a community partner. During the year when we could not perform together, we developed on-line assets that kept the musicians knitted together as musical colleagues and broadened our reach to our audience. We now are able to present our concerts and outreach events to the larger web world with beautifully produced programs that hugely expand the notion of community. Our audiences, like those of many performing arts organizations, are gradually returning to live presentations. Our deeply engaged and loyal audience can see us in Campbell (Heritage Theater) and San Mateo (SM Performing Arts Center) for the traditional four pairs of Subscription Concerts, an annual Fall collaboration with the Stanford University Music Department at the magnificent Bing Concert Hall, a Springtime Family Concert, a summer outdoor pops concert, and special events like brass ensemble concerts at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, an outdoor Wind Ensemble concert in Los Altos, the Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition at Stanford, our Young Musicians Competition and special events throughout the year.
Amazing guest artists elevate our performing standards and thrill Peninsula audiences. Recent years have seen illustrious musicians like Jon Kimura Parker, Lara Downes, Anthony McGill, Joyce Yang, Natasha Paremski, Jon Nakamatsu, Tessa Lark, and a new generation of Klein Competition virtuosos join us in concert. Special musical events, like the Violins of Hope, our Jazz Reunion with David Benoit, Taylor Eigsti, and Chris and Dan Brubeck, and Broadway musicals like South Pacific and Brigadoon with 42nd Street Moon continue to expand our programming scope. Our musical vision grows and deepens as we explore superb works in previously neglected repertoire categories, with new and old music composed by inspiring minority diverse voices and underrepresented cultures. We look to new and more imaginative, multimedia-focused, and engaging ways to present all of this rich musical fabric.
Our superb volunteer musicians, our hard-working Board and our magnificent professional staff are dedicated to an ever-expanding vision of musical service the Peninsula. It is my privilege to work with them to bring great music to you, our wonderful audience, and to our wider community as we embark on the Peninsula Symphony’s next 75 years. Thank you for being with us tonight and into the future.
Mitchell Sardou Klein
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Mitchell Sardou Klein, Music Director & Conductor
PSO Celebrates Season 75
May 10, 2024 / San Mateo Performing Arts Center
May 11, 2024 / Heritage Theatre, Campbell
Mitchell Sardou Klein, Music Director & Conductor
Nathaniel Berman, Resident Conductor
Jon Kimura Parker, Piano
Ron Miller, Celebration 75! A Fanfare for Orchestra (World Premiere)
Jean Sibelius, Finlandia
Nathaniel Berman, conducting
Edvard Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
i. Allegro molto moderato
ii. Adagio
iii. Allegro moderato molto e marcato – Quasi presto – Andante maestoso
Jon Kimura Parker, piano
- Intermission -
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
i. Andante sostenuto — Moderato con anima
ii. Andantino in modo di canzona
iii. Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato — Allegro
iv. Finale: Allegro con fuoco
THESE CONCERTS ARE SPONSORED BY A generous friend of Peninsula Symphony
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PROGRAM NOTES
By Larry Laskowski
Introduction
Opulence is sometimes defined as the aesthetic of abundance. Expression, variety, emotion: all good. More of them is even better. Big is good. Bigger is better. Restraint is optional, as is strict coherence. These are characteristics of multiple strains of European culture ca. 18501925. Wealth had spread from a tiny class of royals and high aristocrats to a new and much larger educated upper class that was anxious to take on the trappings of high society and enjoy its pleasures.
It was the age of the grand hotel and the large, elegant ballroom. High cuisine offered multiple courses in big quantities, heavy sauces, imported novelties, expensive ingredients, and fanciful dishes. High fashion came into its own, accompanied by expensive jewelry, supported of course by the requisite large billfold. Literature saw the flowering of the expansive novel (Dickens, Trollope, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, etc.). Architecture realized new possibilities based on contemporary engineering and building materials (e.g. the Eiffel Tower), and entirely new expressive styles emerged in the visual arts (e.g. Impressionism).
Music saw the erosion of strict classical form and the emergence of program music (music that coheres at least in part by telling a story). Harmony became more intensely chromatic and expressive. Nationalistic and folk elements entered the scene, as did exotic musical styles from distant lands. Orchestras became solid musical institutions as composers called for larger and larger ensembles that could produce new sounds, textures, and thrilling effects. This music could express a wide range of strong emotions, emotions that new audiences could relate to directly.
Tonight, we are treated to some prime examples of this remarkable opulence. No stressful trip to a foreign city to visit a museum. No tray table required to hold up the heavy novel for hours of reading. Expensive clothes not necessary. No calories and no hangover. Just sit back and luxuriate in the glorious music.
Celebration 75! A Fanfare for Orchestra (World Premiere)
Celebration 75! is a new composition by Ron Miller, dedicated to the members of the Peninsula Symphony and their music director, Mitchell Sardou Klein. What better way to celebrate the orchestra’s 75th anniversary as a major contributor to the arts in the Bay Area?
Dr. Ron Miller serves the Peninsula Symphony as clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and board member. He has degrees in math and music from UC Santa Barbara, where he was a faculty member for several years. He has lived in the Bay Area since 1985 and has performed with PSO since 1987. A retired Aerospace Engineer, he lives in Cupertino, and has two grown children.
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Ron Miller
PROGRAM NOTES
Jan Sibelius Finlandia
For centuries what we now know as Finland was part of Sweden and then Russia. When in the late 1800’s Russian oppression became especially severe, Finns reacted with unrest and a surge of nationalistic fervor. Anti-Russian protests became more open in the late 1890’s. One such protest, the 1899 Press Celebrations, included new music composed by Finns specifically to highlight Finnish cultural identity. Finlandia, a tone poem contributed by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), has long outlived the event for which it was composed. It has become a favorite on orchestral programs and is often considered the purest and most notable expression of Finnish musical identity. Sibelius wrote, “We fought 600 years for our freedom, and I am part of the generation which achieved it. Freedom! My Finlandia is the story of this fight. It is the song of our battle, our hymn of victory.”
Sibelius was strongly influenced by Wagner, Liszt, and Bruckner, yet his brand of late Romantic style combines opulence with touches of Scandinavian discipline and severity. He was acquainted with more modern music (Schoenberg, Bartok, etc.), but consciously chose his own path, a kind of antimodern modernism.
The turbulent opening of Finlandia depicts the struggles of the oppressed Finnish people. That struggle gives way to steady determination and eventually to a solemn hymn (composed by Sibelius, i.e. not a folk song) which has become almost a national anthem for Finland. The jubilant triumphant ending is a celebration that presages Finland’s actual independence (achieved a few years later in 1917).
Sibelius stopped composing large works in 1926; he felt he had written enough. In fact, he often wondered why Finlandia, of all pieces, had become his most famous composition. The striking orchestration, the stirring dynamic and emotional contrasts, and the accessible thematic material have appealed to audiences for over a century, and the inspiring story of Finnish independence reminds us that with heroic effort oppression can indeed be overcome.
Edvard Grieg
Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16
The Norwegian Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), while thoroughly educated in mainstream European classical traditions, was part of a generation of composers who crafted a musical language that was colored by the aesthetic of the folk music of their own country. Tchaikovsky wrote: “In Grieg’s music, there prevails that fascinating melancholy which seems to reflect in itself all the beauty of Norwegian scenery, now grandiose and sublime in its vast expanse, now gray and dull, but always full of charm … and quickly finds its way into our hearts to evoke a warm and sympathetic response.”
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PROGRAM NOTES
Throughout his career Grieg specialized in small lyrical pieces, yet the Piano Concerto (1868) is a testament to his ability to handle large-scale forms as well. Grieg was completely taken by Clara Schumann’s performance of her husband’s piano concerto, and the influence of Schumann’s composition on Grieg’s concerto is plain to see. But Grieg’s concerto is bigger and broader in scope, more virtuosic, and in places influenced by Norwegian folk music.
The first movement shows great contrasts between the dramatic opening, the rhythmic persistence of the first theme, and the dreamy lyrical second theme. The solo cadenza near the end of the movement is brimming with Lisztian virtuosity. The piano sings plaintively, it roars, it glitters, and the emotional roller coaster ride is full of surprises. The lyrical slow movement is wonderfully atmospheric; the piano writing hints at the new pianistic colors that Rachmaninoff was to exploit a few decades later. The third movement begins with a flourish and then settles into a vigorous theme based on the “halling”, a Norwegian rural folk dance. In this traditional dance several rival male dancers display their vigor and virility with leaps, kicks and acrobatic stunts. The middle section of the movement, introduced by the flute, is slower and pastoral. The rhythmic dance eventually returns, leading to a climactic section in major. The movement ends with the flute’s pastoral theme, now transformed to form a rousing, virtuosic, and triumphant conclusion.
As Tchaikovsky wrote, “What warmth and passion in his melodic phrases, what teeming vitality in his harmony, what originality and beauty in the turn of his piquant and ingenious modulations and rhythms, and in all the rest what interest, novelty, and independence! If we add to this that rarest of qualities, a perfect simplicity, far removed from affectation and pretense … it is not surprising that everyone should delight in Grieg.”
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
Russia was growing fast in the mid-nineteenth century, and as influence from western Europe mounted, the country was conflicted about its future path. Some Russians, the “Westernizers”, wanted to bring Russia into the cultural mainstream by assimilating the best of European culture into a Russian context. Others proudly promoted a uniquely Russian cultural idiom and resisted what they saw as the constraints of purely western European artistic traditions. Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) managed to get along with both groups. His music stems directly from a European lineage and is also distinctly Russian. The seeming contradiction is made possible because his music’s strongest characteristic trumps all others: it is deeply and profoundly personal.
Tchaikovsky’s symphonies display an unrivalled gift for melody, innovative harmonies, scintillating orchestration, and new approaches to large-scale structure. The Symphony No. 4 (1877) has been an audience favorite since its premiere, and for good reason. It has the mark of lived and felt experience. Of this symphony Tchaikovsky wrote: “Of course my symphony is
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PROGRAM NOTES
program music, but it would be impossible to give the program in words … But ought this not always to be the case with a symphony, the most lyrical of musical forms? Ought it not express all those things for which words cannot be found but which nevertheless arise in the heart and cry out for expression?”
Again, Tchaikovsky himself: “The introduction to the first movement is the kernel, the quintessence, the chief thought of the whole symphony. This is Fate, the fatal power that hinders one in the pursuit of happiness …” After the introduction, the main part of the movement presents two contrasting and evocative themes, each with its own emotional profile. But it is the Fate motif which menacingly triumphs at the end of the movement.
The second movement is full of melancholy and reflection. Again Tchaikovsky himself: “There comes a whole host of memories. It is both sad that so much is now past and gone, yet pleasant to recall your youth. You both regret the past, yet do not wish to begin your life again. Live has wearied you.”
The spectacular use of pizzicato strings in the third movement produces a light, balletic, and sometimes dizzying texture, like “after one has begun to drink a little wine and is beginning to experience the first phase of intoxication.” The music is capricious and thoroughly captivating. The ethereal soft end of the scherzo leads directly to the fast and furious bombast of the finale. The writing for the orchestra is supremely virtuosic, a spree of joyous ensemble celebration, opulence at its peak. The movement includes a Russian folk song as a contrasting theme. The first movement’s threatening fate motif threatens near the end, but ultimately gives way to euphoria as the movement roars to a conclusion. “Joy is a simple but powerful force. Rejoice in the rejoicing of others. To live is still possible.”
Strict modernists have complained of Tchaikovsky’s relentless heart-on-the-sleeve approach, but as the critic Joseph Horowitz wrote, “Tchaikovsky is today more admired than deplored for his emotional frankness; if his music seems harried and insecure, so are we all.”
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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. During his 39 years on the Symphony’s podium, he has guest conducted the Seattle Symphony, New Polish Philharmonic, Suddetic Philharmonic, Richmond Symphony, Eastern Philharmonic and many other orchestras in 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 is 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
Nathaniel Berman maintains an active presence as a performer and music 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 the UCSC Wind Ensemble and has appeared as guest conductor of the UCSC Orchestra and the University Opera Theater. Nathaniel has held the position of Music Director of the Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony since 2011 and has appeared as guest conductor of the Santa Cruz County Symphony in annual collaborative concerts with the Youth Symphony.
A strong advocate for new music, Nathaniel is Artistic Director of the San Franciscobased new music ensemble Ninth Planet (formerly Wild Rumpus), with whom he has led premieres of commissioned works by dozens of composers, and he appears as conductor of new music on Innova, Other Minds, and Pinna recordings. Nathaniel has appeared as guest conductor with Empyrean Ensemble at UC Davis in June of 2019, as well as leading the world premiere of The Pressure by Brian Baumbusch, at San Francisco’s Other Minds Festival at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater. In March of 2023, he conducted the premiere performance of Prospero’s Island, a new opera by Alan Shearer, at Herbst Theater in San Francisco.
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. Originally a trumpet player, he now keeps up his brass chops playing euphonium in the Balkan brass band Inspector Gadje.
Nathaniel received his Master’s degree in conducting from UC Santa Cruz, where he studied with Nicole Paiement. He grew up playing duets with his dad, a jazz pianist and singer.
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FEATURED ARTIST
Jon Kimura Parker
Piano
Pianist Jon Kimura Parker is known for his charisma, infectious enthusiasm, and dynamic performances. A veteran of the international concert stage, he has performed regularly in the Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, London’s South Bank, the Sydney Opera House, and the Beijing Concert Hall. He was recently named Creative Partner for the Minnesota Orchestra’s Summer at Orchestra Hall, he serves as the Artistic Director for the Honens International Piano Competition and Artistic Advisor for the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, and is on the faculty of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.
Highlights of his 2023-24 season include performances with the Taiwan Philharmonic, Symphony Nova Scotia, and the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach with Gary Hoffman and Arnaud Sussman.
A collaborator in a wide variety of styles, Jon Kimura Parker has performed with Doc Severinsen, Audra McDonald, Bobby McFerrin, Pablo Ziegler, and Sanjaya Malakar. As a founding member of Off the Score, he also performed with Stewart Copeland – the legendary drummer of The Police – for the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival’s 20th Anniversary Season, featuring his own arrangements of music by Prokofiev, Ravel, and Stravinsky. In addition, he performs widely throughout North America and Europe with the Montrose Trio (together with violinist Martin Beaver and cellist Clive Greensmith).
Parker’s discography of a dozen albums features music ranging from Mozart and Chopin to Barber and Stravinsky. His most recent recording Fantasy, built around Schubert’s “Wanderer” Fantasy, was described by Musical Toronto as giving “a big, clear picture window of a rich soul and great artistic depth.” His YouTube channel features a series of Concerto Chat videos, which explore the piano concerto repertoire.
Jon Kimura Parker studied with Edward Parker and Keiko Parker, Lee Kum-Sing at the Vancouver Academy of Music and the University of British Columbia, Marek Jablonski at the Banff Centre, and Adele Marcus at The Juilliard School. After winning the Gold Medal at the 1984 Leeds
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FEATURED ARTIST
International Piano Competition, Parker has gone on to become an Officer of the Order of Canada and to receive Honorary Doctorates from the University of British Columbia and the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto.
Known to friends as “Jackie,” Parker is married to violinist/violist Aloysia Friedmann, and their daughter Sophie graduated from Rice University in 2021. For further information, please visit www.jonkimuraparker.com, www.montrosetrio.com, www.offthescore.com, www.oicmf.org, and www.honens.com.
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SPECIAL BRIDGES TO MUSIC PROGRAM
Debbie Passanisi Director, Special Bridges to Music Principal, Violin II
As part of PSO’s outreach program, the Special Bridges to Music Program in Redwood City public schools provides weekly music and singing lessons for elementary school students, including those with special needs. These lessons culminate in live performances aimed at building self-esteem through music creation and performance. The program, inclusive of all students, particularly benefits those who wouldn’t otherwise have opportunities to perform. Debbie Passanisi, Director of the program, teaches basic musical concepts, explores various instruments, and aims to bring joy through music in children’s daily lives. It is provided free of charge through individual donations and grant funding.
Testimonial
“Ms. Debbie Passanisi from Special Bridges to Music program, has been providing musical opportunities to our special needs students at Roy Cloud School in Redwood City School District. Debbie’s program has brought the joy of music into my students’ lives. Students were exposed and played a variety of musical instruments, listened and danced with a variety of songs. Ms. Passanisi provided my students who have a range of disabilities with a chance to grow and shine more by attempting to instill the love of music in them. This has increased their confidence in them by performing in concerts in front of large audiences.
This type of opportunity does not happen very frequently for our special needs students. They love the fact that they are the center of attention in these music concerts. They have gained more confidence in their own abilities and look forward to practicing more in order to improve their performance in concerts with larger audiences.”
Farah Khosravani
SLC 3-5 Teacher, Roy Cloud School
To support the Special Bridges to Music program, contact Chelsea Chambers, Executive Director at chelsea@peninsulasymphony.org
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Taylor Eigsti Peninsula Symphony return to the blockbuster a tribute to giant John program that iconic films: the Sorcerer’s Lost Ark, Close Third Kind, Subscribe New this season: and Sunday Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue + Joe Hisaishi’s Spirited Away! OCT ‘24 SEASON 76 Mitchell Sardou Klein Music Director & Conductor peninsulasymphony.org/season-76
Symphony fan favorites the big stage in our blockbuster 76th Season, along with to the legendary cinema Williams in a January ‘25 that includes music from films: Jaws, Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone, Raiders of the Close Encounters of the E.T., Superman and more . Subscribe today!
MAR ‘25
Jon Nakamatsu
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.2
season: an earlier start time at 7:30pm on Saturdays, Sunday matinees at 2:30pm - perfect for the whole family.
ORCHESTRA ROSTER SEASON 75
Music Director & Conductor
Mitchell Sardou Klein
Resident Conductor
Nathaniel Berman
Guest Conductor
Geoffrey Gallegos
Violin I
Debra Fong, Concertmaster
Kate Wahl, Assistant Concertmaster
Kim Bonnett
Peter Cheng
Daniel Cher
Colin Gaffney
Jungmee Hwang
Tara Iyer
Jeff Lin
Drew Mendinueto
Girish Nanjundiah
Matt Springer
Judy Streger
Alex Wang
Tracy Wang
Sarah Wu
Yanzhao Yang
Violin II
Deborah Passanisi, Principal
Moosa Azfar
Susanne Bohl
Kevin Dong
Brad Gibson
Vineet Mehta
Kristin Oro
Frank Rahn
Katharine Schmidtke
Jshon Thomas
David Williams
Brittney Xiao
Angela Yeh
Hanna Yoshimoto
Jane Zhang
Viola
Elyse Ader, Principal
Alessandra Aquilanti
Katherine Bukstein
Andrea Hata
Elizabeth Ingber
Andrew Lan
Charlotte Lopez
Silvio Rocha
Jerry Saliman
Judy Beck Sumerlin
Charlie Tian
Renée Toscan
Jolynda Tresner
Carolyn Worthington
Jennie Yang
Cello
Kirsten Shallenberg, Principal
Yosef Feinberg, Acting Principal
Ami Nashimoto, Acting Principal
Abraham Aragundi
Sandy Baratoff
Allen Chou
Garth Cummings
Victor Ha
Gail Hammler
Jill Hirsch
Julika Huber
Tetsu Ishihara
Tomoko Ishihara
Susan Magrini
Thomas Shoebothan
Jason Shu
Janet Sloan
Ryan Toulouse
Grace Yang
Bass
Suesan Taylor, Principal
Bob Crum
David Herberg
Rahul Iyer
Bruce Moyer
Grant Parker
Andrew Salsbury
Michael Tong
Jeff Wachtel
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ORCHESTRA
Flute
Kay Saito Shafi, Principal
Yukoh Hammura
Patricia Harrell
Kristin Kunzelman
Anne Wharton
Piccolo
Patricia Harrell
Oboe
Audrey Gore, Principal
Lianne Araki
Dane Carlson
Gianna Colombo
Joel Greene
Peter Stahl
English Horn
Dane Carlson
Clarinet
Nicole Galisatus, Principal
Geoffrey Burr
Nick Cotter
Emily Dang
Jimmée Greco
Joan Hebert
Ron Miller
Bass Clarinet
Ron Miller
Alto Sax
Alex Lill
Bassoon
Juliet Hamak, Principal
Mia Stormer
Jonathan Westerling
Kyoko Yamamoto
Aidan Yang
Contrabassoon
Mia Stormer
Jonathan Westerling
Horn
Brian Holmes, Co-Principal
Randy Nickel, Co-Principal
Justin Privitera, Assistant Principal
David Dufour
Naomi Dushay
Mika Imawaka
Mark McMahon
Paul Schneider
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ORCHESTRA ROSTER SEASON 75
Trumpet
Mike Marmarou, Principal
Nicholas Toscan
Bob Fitt
Mike Pakaluk
Trombone
Dave Allmon, Co-Principal
Rami Hindiyeh, Co-Principal
Todd Weinman
Bass Trombone
Todd Weinman, Principal
Tuba
Johnathan Hsu, Principal
Timpani
Mike Bresler, Principal
Matt Springer
Percussion
Emily Hendricks, Principal
Paul Burdick, Acting Principal
Aaron Balot
Mikael Chang
Michael Chen
Neal Goggans
Benedict Lim
Erica Richstad
Harp
Kristin Lloyd, Principal
Keyboard/Piano
Larry Laskowski
Music Librarian
Joel Greene
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THE ELFENWORKS FOUNDATION ADOPT-A-MUSICIAN PROGRAM
LIFETIME ADOPTED MUSICIANS
Mitchell Sardou Klein
Conductor Paula Uccelli
Deborah Passanisi Violin II
Dr. Lauren Speeth
Violin I
Frank & Annette Rahn
The Elfenworks Foundation
MUSICIAN INSTRUMENT ADOPTED BY
Debra Fong
Concertmaster
Dave Allmon Trombone
Katherine & Roy Bukstein
Jacqueline Smith
Abraham Aragundi Cello Friend of PSO
Lianne Araki
Kathryn Barnard
Oboe
Flute/Piccolo
Susanne Bohl Violin II
Mike Bresler
Patricia L. Griffin
Kenneth Shirriff
Diana Lloyd
Timpani/ Celeste Everson Misfeldt Percussion
Katherine Bukstein Viola
Margrit Rinderknecht & Richard Siemon
Dane Carlson Oboe/ Kirt & Kelly Minor
English Horn
Beatrice Chau Violin II
Daniel Cher Violin I
Garth Cummings Cello
David Dufour
Linda Dunn
Bob Fitt
Nicole Galisatus
Gayle Flanagan
Laura & David Francis
Sheri & Michael Frumkin
Horn Hannelore Draper
Office Volunteer Ann & Ben Kong
Trumpet
Clarinet
Bradley Gibson Violin II
John Givens
Audrey Gore
Joel Greene
Don & Cathy Draper
Penny Barrows in memory of John Barrows
Teri Quick
Principal Bassoon Juliet Hamak & George Yefchak Emeritus
Oboe
Monte Mansir & Susanne Stevens
Music Librarian Al & Liz Dossa; Jim Fung
Juliet Hamak Bassoon
Patricia Harrell
Yukoh Hammura
David Herberg
Brian Holmes
Johnathan Hsu
Elizabeth Ingber
Rahul Iyer
Tara Iyer
Flute/Piccolo
Flute
John Givens
Krista & Jerry Terstiege
Nina Brody
Bass Suesan Taylor
Horn
Tuba
Mary Gundelach
Yvonne Hampton; Teri Quick
Viola Bob Fitt
Bass Suesan Taylor
Violin I
Sue Magrini Cello
Mike Marmarou
Vineet Mehta
Ron Miller
Bruce Moyer
Trumpet
Violin II
Clarinet
Bass
Pauline Roothman
Monte Mansir & Susanne Stevens
Ronald S. Miller
Sheree Kajiwara
Jacqueline Smith
Monte Mansir & Susanne Stevens
21
ADOPT-A-MUSICIAN
MUSICIAN
INSTRUMENT
Randy Nickel Horn
Kristin Chesnutt Oro Violin II
Frank Rahn
Jerry Saliman
Kay Saito Shafi
Violin II
Viola
Flute/Piccolo
Kirsten Shallenberg Cello
Matt Springer Violin I
Judy Streger
Violin I
Suesan Taylor Bass
Jshon Thomas Violin II
Nicholas Toscan
Jolynda Tresner
Kate Wahl
Alex Wang
Trumpet
Viola
Violin I
Violin I
Carolyn Worthington Viola
Sarah Wu
Violin I
Kyoko Yamamoto Bassoon
ADOPTED BY
Diana Lloyd
Karin Chesnutt, Dorothy Falman & Mildred Saxman
Jim Augustus & Nichole Edraos
Dorothy Saxe
Ronald S. Miller
Jacqueline Smith
Monte Mansir & Susanne Stevens
Alan & Spike Russell
Martin Chai & Gray Clossman
Sheri & Michael Frumkin
Robert & Karen Fitt
Brian Holmes; Roy & Victoria Sasselli; Maureen Thrush
Sheri & Michael Frumkin
Bichen Wang
Richard Izmirian
Alan & Spike Russell
John Givens
22
to adopt a musician?
goal to have the entire orchestra adopted as a special way of supporting us.
Would you like
It is our
For information on this meaningful program, please reach out to Chelsea Chambers, Executive Director at chelsea@peninsulasymphony.org or (650) 941-5291.
We are grateful to the following contributors who have supported Peninsula Symphony as we embark on the next 75 years of music-making for our local community. Our donor listing below is a compilation of total giving received between January 1, 2023 and April 16, 2024. 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 +)
California Small Business Administration
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Fortissimo ($10k - $24,999)
Katherine & Roy Bukstein
Mervyn L. Brenner Foundation
David Cone
Sheri & Michael Frumkin
in honor of Mitchell Sardou Klein, Chelsea Chambers and Jim Fung
Monte Mansir & Susanne Stevens
Maria Shim & Nicholas Fox
Friend of PSO
Crescendo ($5k-$9,999)
John Givens
Joel Greene
Mary Gundelach in memory of Charles M. Gundelach
Deborah Passanisi
Teri Quick in honor of Brad Gibson
Jacqueline Smith in memory of Pieter Smith
Krista & Jerry Terstiege
Paula Uccelli
Jeff & Gwyn Wachtel
23 SUPPORTERS
SUPPORTERS
Presto ($2,500 - $4,999)
Janice Boelke
Barbara Erickson
Gene Esswein
Pamela Ferris
Gayle Flanagan
Brad Gibson
Russell Hurley
Alex Kurosawa
Diana Lloyd in memory of Cliff Lloyd
Vineet Mehta & Karishma Sharma
Ronald S. Miller
William & Diane Reuland
Paul Schneider in memory of Amanda Smith Schneider
Friend of PSO in honor of Ruth and Roy Dunn
Friend of PSO in appreciation of Jeffrey Wachtel Friends of PSO (4)
Scherzo ($1,000-$2,499)
Apple Inc
Barbara & Robert Brandriff in memory of Dorothy Lunn
Nathan Brookwood & Patricia Hendriks
Martin Chai & Gray Clossman
Daniel Cher & Laura Wolfe
Tom Cooper & Mary Hom
Howard & Diane Crittenden
Stanley Dirks
Al & Liz Dossa
Hannelore Draper
Anne Esparza
Laura & David Francis in appreciation of Daniel Cher
Juliet Hamak & George Yefchak
Patricia Harrell
Sheree Kajiwara & Richard Izmirian in memory of Dr. Diana Koin
James Kleinrath & Melody Singleton
Lauren Koenig
Alexandra Gillen & Hartmut Koeppen
Susan Lin in appreciation of everyone at PSO
Susan Magrini
Bill & Linda Malmstrom
Joe & Mollie Marshall
Debra McLean
NVIDIA
Prudential
Caroline & Chris Rackowski
Redwood City Arts Commission
Rita’s Rainbows
Alan & Spike Russell
Jerry & Ellen Saliman
Sara & Phillip Salsbury
Margrit Rinderknecht & Richard Siemon
Marianne & John Silva-Oba
Suesan Taylor in honor of David Herberg and in memory of Craig Barr Taylor
Wells Fargo Foundation
David A. Williams & Hilary Benton
Hanna & Yoshihiro Yoshimoto
Rachel Youmans
Friends of PSO (3)
24
Vivace ($500-$999)
David & Michelle Allmon
Jim Augustus & Nichole Edraos
Kathryn Barnard & Kenneth Shirriff
Penny Barrows in memory of John Barrows
Nina Brody
Geoffrey W Burr
Chelsea & Gregory Chambers
Karin & Jim Chesnutt
Don & Cathy Draper
Robert Fitt
Meiying Forney & Steve Shatas in appreciation of Sheri Frumkin
Jimmée Greco
Patricia L. Griffin
Benjamin & Kaoru Hollin
Johnathan Hsu
Douglas & Susan Jacobs
Mitchell Sardou Klein & Patricia Whaley
Ann & Ben Kong in honor of Linda Dunn, the most dedicated volunteer
Amy Lit
Susan Macy in honor of Anthony McGill concert
Marcia & John Mehl
Kirt & Kelly Minor in appreciation of Dane Carlson
Celeste Everson Misfeldt
Angela Mogielski & Peter Cassini
Beth Morris
Randy & Janie Nickel
Craig & Wendy Nishizaki
Kristin Oro
Pauline Roothman
David Sacarelos & Yvette Lanza
John & Christine Sanguinetti
Dorothy Saxe
Gary Sears
Kay Saito & Sayed Shafi
Ruth A. Short
Lorraine Smith
Anita Stewart & Kaj Rekola
The Wachtel Pronovost Family in appreciation of Jeff Wachtel
Molly Wachtel in honor of Jeff Wachtel
Bichen Wang
Todd & Andrea Weinman
Linda Wilson
Friends of PSO (2)
Allegro ($250-$499)
Judith & David Anderson
Lianne Araki
Susanne Bohl
Katherine Boster
Michael & Adrienne Bresler
Andre & Marina Broido
Kathleen Brown
Sloane Citron
John DeLong & Sharon Peters
Nancy Farmer
Google, Inc.
John Gookassian
Alice Graham in honor of John and Dorothy Givens
Dawn Grench & Family in honor of Herb Grench
Ann Guerra
Yvonne Hampton
Charles Hanes
David & Elisa Herberg
Brian Holmes & Jolynda Tresner
Mela & Peter Hwang
IBM International Foundation
Sanjiv & Jazz Kaul
Sandy & Norman Koo
25 SUPPORTERS
SUPPORTERS
Jeffrey Koseff & Thalia Anagnos in honor of Jeff Wachtel
Kenneth Krieg & Carol Dolezal
Ginger Kroft
Eugene Lee & Claire Chang
Nora & Galen Lemmon
Marcia Leonhardt
Harvey Lynch
Richard & Beverly Marconi
Linelle Marshall
Pamela Moore in memory of Bill Moore
Vonya Morris
Elizabeth Nyberg in memory of Paul Nyberg
Neil Panton
Grant Parker
Laura Pitchford
Frank & Annette Rahn
Alison Ross in appreciation of Linda Dunn
Ronald Smith
The Somersille Sibley Family
Matt Springer & Wei Ai
Nathaniel & Marcia Sterling
Rachel Tasch
Jshon Thomas & Gary Carson
Michael Tong & Luna Wang
Nicholas & Renée Toscan
Cameron Wessel & Sapna Upadhyay
Teri & Robert Whitehair
Lan Zhang
Friend of PSO in appreciation of the McGill Mahler Concert
Friend of PSO in honor of Hanna Yoshimoto
Friends of PSO (4)
Dolce ($100-$249)
John & Barbara Adams
Karen Alden
Judith & David Anderson
Michael & Merrie Asimow
Wate & Johanna Bakker
Barbara Barth
Jeanne Bertini
Mark Beyer
Jill Biegenzahn
Juliette Bryson
David & Janet Cain
Frank & Charlotte Cevasco in honor of Debbie Passanisi
Faye Chapman
Mary Elise Clarity
Helen Cockrum
Joseph Coha
Erika Crowley
Ronald Danielson
Judy Davis in memory of Harold and Marilyn Mindell
Dolby
Suzanne & Allan Epstein
Ruth Evans
David Fernandez & Lori Krauss
Ruth Finkelstein
Shirley Foreman
Ann & Stan Forman
Kristine Forney
Madeleine Frankel
Jim Fung
Nicole Galisatus
Mateo Go
Hillel Hachlili
Gayle Hansen in memory of James R. Hansen
Matthias Hausner
Steven Hibshman
Kathie Hillier & Bob Boen
Perry Hopkins
Intel Corporation
Alan Kalman
Sandra Krakowski
Sharon Krawetz
Kristin Kunzelman
Amy Kuo
Jay & Sylvia Ladenheim in appreciation of Randy Nickel
Lori Lambertson in memory of John Biegenzahn
Richard Leder & Cherrill Spencer in appreciation of Mitch Klein & the PSO staff
26
William & Lucille Lee
Kenneth Lum
Michael Marmarou
Jan McKim
Diane Merchant
Joyce Monda
Bruce Moyer
Chuck & Patty Ortenberg in honor of Jeff Wachtel
Karen & Douglas Perry in appreciation of Chelsea Chambers
Charles Polanski
J. Richard & Karen S. Recht
Marilyn Reisen
Cheryl & John Ritchie
Cynthia Robbins-Roth
Stephen & Joanne Rovno
Bill & Sherrean Rundberg
Heather Sanders
Victoria & Roy Sasselli
Marian Schmidt
Marvin & Ellen Schwartz
Dana Scoby
Karen & John Scorsur in appreciation of Chelsea Chambers
Marilyn Sefchovich
Marcyl Seidscher
Noel Shirley
Gang Situ
Lisa Steinback
Nicole Taylor
Elene Terry
Chris & Carol Thomsen in appreciation of Jeff Wachtel
Maureen Thrush
Carolyn Tucher
Adam Wantz
Andrew & Abigail Wen in appreciation of Thomas Shoebotham
Alan Stern & Thomas Whatley
Raymond & Cecilia Wong
Friends of PSO (4)
27 SUPPORTERS
“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 April 2024:
Ellis Alden
Anonymous
The Elfenworks Foundation
Mitchell Sardou Klein & Patricia Whaley
Judi McManigal
Frank & Annette Rahn
Genny Hall Smith
Lorraine Smith
Marguerite Szekeley
William Warren Wiesenfeld Trust
28
Peninsula Symphony is seeking board candidates!
Our current board is composed of devoted community members with experience in the realms of finance, high tech, education, volunteer musicians and marketing. Meetings are held virtually and in person four to six times a year. Board members may serve up to three consecutive 3-year terms. Elections are held on an ongoing basis.
We are seeking new board members from diverse backgrounds who bring additional skills and perspectives in order to continue to move our symphony forward. We want our board to reflect our community and strive to find members who will add diverse voices to the team. We are a working board, so if you are looking for a way to get out and live your best life by helping to govern a vibrant, innovative non-profit organization and contribute to your local community in a meaningful way, this is a great way to do it!
We would love to see candidates with experience in:
· Financial Management
· Legal Expertise
· Human Relations
· Fundraising / Grant-Writing
· Event Planning
· Education / Youth / Community programs
· Passion for music and PSO
If you or someone you know may be interested in a board position or just want to learn more about what is involved, please reach out to me or our board co-chairwe’d love to talk to you!
Chelsea Chambers (Executive Director) - chelsea@peninsulasymphony.org
Ben Hollin (Co-Chair, Board of Directors) - ben@peninsulasymphony.org
29
BOARD, STAFF & VOLUNTEERS
PENINSULA SYMPHONY BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ben Hollin, Co-Chair / Chair, Marketing Committee
Ron Miller, Co-Chair / Chair, Education Committee
Randy Nickel, Secretary
Katherine Bukstein, Chair, Governance Committee
Sheri Frumkin, Chair, Development Committee
Alan Russell, Treasurer
Juliet Hamak, Orchestra Rep
Barbara Erickson
Mariam Galvarin
Alex Kurosawa
Lillian Lee
Diana Lloyd
Deborah Passanisi
Jeff Wachtel
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
Richard Le , Stage Manager
Elizabeth Quivey , 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
30
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
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