Meining Wu, Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition Senior Division Winner Family Concert “Dance Dance Evolution” conducted by Samantha Burgess
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SUPPORTERS
BOARD, STAFF & VOLUNTEERS
PENINSULA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 146 Main Street, Suite 102 Los Altos, CA 94022 (650) 941-5291 peninsulasymphony.org
Canadian Brass with Guest Conductor Brad Hogarth / March 2026
Welcome from PSO Executive Director
Welcome to this performance and to an extraordinary chapter in the life of our orchestra.
As we gather tonight, we are surrounded by the incredible legacy built over four decades of musical excellence. We are profoundly grateful to you—our donors, season subscribers, and first-time attendees—for being the foundation of this community. Your support is the reason we can share this stage tonight and the reason our music continues to resonate throughout the region.
Next season marks a meaningful moment of transition. As we look ahead to our search for a new Music Director, we do so with a spirit of gratitude and immense possibility. While change naturally brings a sense of reflection, it also offers a unique opportunity to envision the future of the symphony together.
We invite you to be an active part of this journey over the coming year. Your presence in these seats and your continued investment in our mission ensure that our next chapter will be as vibrant and inspiring as the last. If you have not already secured your subscription to our upcoming 78th Season – and Maestro Klein’s final as full-time Music Director – we welcome you to join us. Information can be found in the lobby, or stay up to date with the latest concert and event information at peninsulasymphony.org.
Thank you for your dedication, your passion for the arts, and for joining us as we celebrate our history while moving confidently toward our future. Enjoy the performance.
With gratitude,
Chelsea Chambers Executive Director
Mitchell Sardou Klein, Music Director & Conductor
PEARL DE LA MOTTE
2024 Irving M. Klein International String Competition Winner
MAY 16, 2026 at 7:30pm / Heritage Theatre, Campbell
MAY 17, 2026 at 2:30pm / San Mateo Performing Arts Center
Mitchell Sardou Klein, Music Director & Conductor
Samantha Burgess, Assistant Conductor
Richard Wagner, The Flying Dutchman Overture
Rebecca Clarke, Sonata for Viola (orch. Ruth Lomon)
I. Impetuoso
II. Vivace
III. Adagio — Allegro
Pearl de la Motte, viola
- Intermission -
Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 2
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Adagio non troppo
III. Allegretto grazioso
IV. Allegro con spirito
THESE CONCERTS ARE GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY Mary Gundelach in memory of Peter Gundelach & Marian Galvarin
PROGRAM NOTES
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Overture to The Flying Dutchman (Der Fliegende Holländer)
The Flying Dutchman sprung from a wild episode in the young Wagner’s life. Working as a novice conductor in Riga, Latvia, his ambitious self-promotion machinations had landed him and his wife in debt and jeopardy, including confiscation of their passports. They effected a hair-raising escape onboard a ship to London named Thetis (after the Greek nymph and mother of Achilles, from
Greek mythology). The captain agreed to take them, even without passports. The passage to England encountered raging storms, and they had to take refuge in Norwegian fjords to save the ship. They feared they might never arrive in England – a planned eight-day trip took three harrowing weeks. They then proceeded to Paris, where the conductorcomposer hoped for better success.
The legend of the Flying Dutchman was well developed in European literature before Wagner’s time, in works by John MacDonald (Travels in Various Parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa), Samuel Taylor Coleridge (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner), the novels of Sir Walter Scott, and the then-recent satirical novel by Heinrich Heine, The Memoirs of Mister von Schnabelewopski, in which a phantom pirate ship sets foot on land only once every seven years, as happens in Wagner’s opera.
Spurred by his own traumatic voyage, combined with the familiar legend of the phantom pirate ship, Wagner crafted the libretto and music for this new music-drama during his time in Paris, where his fortunes were not improving. Completed in 1841, he was unable to secure a performance in France, and had to wait until he returned to German soil, for the premiere in Dresden in 1843, with himself on the podium. This premiere was not initially a success, but it ushered in the new concept that ultimately made Wagner’s musical ideals the transformative breakthrough that they became.
The Flying Dutchman was a new form of opera, pioneering Wagner’s concept of throughcomposed “music-drama.” Instead of a sequence of arias, duets and ensemble numbers, punctuated by story-line recitatives, Wagner favored a continuous flow of vocal and orchestral music, marked by the primacy of leitmotifs – signature tunes depicting leading characters and ideas.
The Overture (the last-completed element of the opera) traces the story line with several leitmotifs presented in order, and then masterfully intertwines them to create the tension and resolution of the legend. First we hear the powerful music of the Flying Dutchman in the brass, underlined by turbulent sounds of the roiling sea. Then Senta (the heroine who ultimately redeems the Dutchman with faithful love) is presented in a warm lyrical melody, played by the English horn. Finally, a rousing sea shanty in the woodwind section confirms the successful arrival of the pirate ship. These three signature tunes are intermingled brilliantly, highlighting the drama of the story, often propelled by the energy of the roiling sea. At last, Senta’s theme ends the Overture, as she and the Dutchman are transported to heaven, each redeemed by purity and virtue.
Rebecca Clarke (1886 – 1979) Sonata for Viola (orchestrated by Ruth Lomon)
It is a great pleasure to welcome Pearl de la Motte back to the Bay Area, where she was the First Prize winner of the 2024 Irving M. Klein International String Competition. Her gorgeous performance of the Rebecca Clarke Viola Sonata was a highlight of the Competition. This Sonata has become a staple of the viola chamber music repertoire in the 21st Century, rescued from years of neglect. The Rebecca Clarke Society commissioned the Canadian-American composer, Ruth Lomon, to orchestrate the Sonata, and it is this version that you will hear at these concerts.
Rebecca Clarke was an acclaimed violist whose gifts as a composer were rarely acknowledged in her lifetime. She performed alongside such luminaries as Artur Schnabel, Jascha Heifetz, Artur Rubinstein, George Szell, and Pablo Casals. She became one of the first female musicians to join major British orchestras, after being selected by the legendary Sir Henry Wood. She performed extensively throughout the world as a soloist, including two tours of the United States.
But her compositional output was hindered by prejudice against female composers, and also by her deep commitment to viola performance. She said this about composing: “I can’t do it unless it’s the first thing I think of every morning and the last thing I think of every night before I go to sleep.” Her primary compositional activity came in bursts: from 1919 to 1923, and later in 1939 to 1942. The Impressionistic Viola Sonata tied for first place
PROGRAM NOTES
in a 1919 competition, sponsored by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge (who built the great concert hall in the U.S. Library of Congress). Ernest Bloch was the composer of the other prize-winning work. It is revealing of the attitudes of that time that reporters speculated that Clarke’s sonata was also written by Bloch, using a pseudonym so he could submit two pieces to the competition. Nevertheless, the Sonata was greatly acclaimed, and given its first public performance at the famous Bershire Festival.
The first page of the score for the Viola Sonata quotes the French poet Alfred de Musset: Poet, take up your lute; the wine of youth, This night is fermenting in the veins of God.
The first movement is appropriately marked Impetuoso. Beginning with a hearty fanfare, it weaves a constantly-evolving fabric of colors and themes, reminiscent of Debussy’s use of the whole tone scale and modalism. The second movement (Vivace) is a fast moving perpetual motion display, full of virtuosic effects. The third movement (Adagio) begins on a touching and introspective note. Clarke brings back the themes from the first movement, and then launches into a dramatic and flashy coda, which ends the Sonata with a warm and exciting glow.
Ruth Lomon’s orchestration premiered in 2007. It superbly captures the Impressionistic color palette, with atmospheric instrumental groupings, including harp and celesta.
Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73
Brahms’ Second Symphony finds him in the sunniest time of his life, on a summer vacation in the Austrian province of Carinthia. He had struggled so frustratingly for almost two decades before he was able to complete his First Symphony, burdened by his highly self-critical nature and his self-imposed obligation to write a worthy successor to the Beethoven symphonic tradition. Now, feeling free and uplifted by success and acclaim, the music just seemed to flow joyfully. The Symphony No. 2 is profoundly rich in rhapsodic melody, exuberant high spirits, heartfelt warmth, and, finally, triumph. It’s easy to see why this is among the most beloved works in all of music.
PROGRAM NOTES
The first movement (in sonata form, marked Allegro non troppo) begins with a relaxed and lovely tune, alternating between French horns and woodwinds, underlined by a three-note bass line in cellos and basses. The second theme reprises his famous “Brahms’ Lullaby,” written a decade earlier, luxuriantly played by cellos and violas. These two themes are consummately rewoven in a remarkable development section that ranges in mood from tranquil to agitated. The recapitulation traces the same sequence as the exposition, but with some added and beautiful elaborations. A long coda follows, led by an increasingly urgent horn solo, finally settling back to a calm ending, back in the home key of D.
The deeply expressive second movement (Adagio non troppo) begins with a long string of passionate melodies in the cellos, repeated and elaborated by violins and woodwinds. This movement proceeds to develop these themes in an amazing sequence of episodes, taking the listener on a wild ride though the widest range of moods, from darkly impassioned to sublimely placid. This is the core of the symphony and of Brahms’ musical language.
After all of this deep personal expression, the third movement (Allegretto grazioso) is a light minuet-like dance, mingling with two quick episodes of sprightly diversions, similar to his Hungarian Dances.
The last movement begins in a hushed sotto voce, shy and quiet. It then erupts in one of the most athletic and festive torrents of electric energy in music. There follow moments of broad violin melody, expanded later by the woodwinds. All of this material is craftily developed until the opening hush returns, again interrupted by that same brilliant burst of power. The themes play out once again, settling back into D Major. A coda reworks the second theme materials, escalating into a feverish rush to a jubilant ending fanfare, led by the brass. It’s a totally thrilling summation of the happiest and most profound time in Brahms’ life.
Program Notes by Mitchell Sardou Klein
ABOUT PEARL DE LA MOTTE
Violist Pearl de la Motte is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree at The Juilliard School where she studies with Hsin-Yun Huang. She is the second of eleven children in a musical family and began playing the violin at the age of two. She later switched to viola when she was ten. After being inspired by the viola’s deep and expressive tone, she decided that she wanted to pursue a career in music while honoring God with her playing.
Pearl received first place in the 2024 Klein International String Competition, first place in the 2021 American Viola Society National Competition, and third place in the 2024 Stulberg International String Competition. 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...” concerts benefiting food pantries.
Pearl has collaborated with artists including Samuel Rhodes, Anthony Ross, Aaron Boyd, Masumi Rostad, Bion Tsang, Yura Lee, Daniel Ching, Matthew Zalkind, and Desmond Hoebig.
Pearl is a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship at The Juilliard School.
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 41st 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.”
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.
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
Samantha Burgess Assistant Conductor
Since moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2022, Samantha has quickly become an in-demand conductor. In the 2024 – 25 season she began her tenure as Music Director of the Community Women’s Orchestra, and she joins the Peninsula Symphony as their Assistant Conductor in the 2025 – 26 season. Also in the 2025 – 26 season, Samantha will be the first Music Director of Symphony Tierra, a semi-professional orchestra formed as the ensemble in residence at Napa Valley College. Samantha continues to work with the Berkeley Symphony as their regular Assistant Conductor, and will be Assistant Conductor for Dima Slobodeniouk at the San Francisco Symphony in May 2026. Her additional recent engagements include Guest Conducting Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem with the Napa Valley Chorale, Assistant Conducting for Beethoven’s Ninth with the Oakland Symphony, and a tour of Paris and the Loire Valley with the Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra, where she made her French debut. Previously, she has been Assistant Conductor with the Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra, the Westerville Symphony (OH), the Galesburg Community Chorus (IL), and the Oxford University Philharmonia (UK).
Samantha holds masters’ degrees in Orchestral Conducting and Music Theory from The Ohio State University, where she was Music Director of the Ohio State Community Orchestra and Assistant Conductor for the Ohio State Symphony Orchestra. While at OSU, she was also a graduate teaching assistant in Music Theory and a member of the Cognitive and Systematic Musicology Laboratory. On the podium, Samantha combines conducting with her background in music cognition research to develop innovative, multimedia performances. She has presented her research at the Society for Music Theory Midwest Conference, Future Directions of Music Cognition, and the Oxford Conducting Institute International Conducting Studies Conference.
Samantha has conducted in masterclasses and competitions in the USA and abroad— notably in September 2023, when she finished as a semi-finalist in the International Academy and Competition for Orchestral Conducting in Portugal. She has also participated in the George Hurst Conductor’s Course at the Sherborne Summer School of Music, the London Conducting Workshop, the New York Conducting Workshop, and the International Conducting Workshop and Competition in Atlanta, GA.
SEASON 78
Celebrating Maestro Klein’s Final Season as PSO Music Director
John Williams’ World
Holst’s The Planets, Stravinsky’s Suite, and music by Rachmaninoff, John Wineglass, and more. finalists for PSO’s next Music
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Studio Ghibli Kiki’s Delivery Service
Jon Nakamatsu
Stravinsky’s Firebird Rachmaninoff, Bernstein, more. Plus, meet the Music Director. lobby!
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Who better than one of the most celebrated pianists of our generation, Jon Nakamatsu, to help celebrate Maestro Mitchell Sardou Klein’s official final concert as Peninsula Symphony’s Music Director after 42 years of remarkable leadership and artistic excellence?
American pianist Jon Nakamatsu is internationally acclaimed for his powerful and refined performances as a soloist, concerto artist, and chamber musician. He rose to prominence after winning the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1997, the only American to achieve this distinction since 1981.
Nakamatsu has appeared with over 150 orchestras worldwide, including major ensembles in Berlin, Boston, San Francisco, Tokyo, and London. He has collaborated with leading conductors such as the late Michael Tilson Thomas and Marin Alsop. He has performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center, as well as major international stages across Europe and Asia.
Get your Season 78 season subscription today and enjoy an incredible lineup of music, including John William’s World, Studio Ghibli’s film score, the Planets, and music by Rachmaninoff, Bernstein, and performances by violinist Julia Schilz and cellists Nathan Chan and Christopher Costanza!
LIFETIME ADOPTED MUSICIANS
Mitchell Sardou Klein Conductor
Deborah Passanisi Violin II
Dr. Lauren Speeth Violin I
David Dufour Horn
Paula Uccelli
Frank & Annette Rahn
Elfenworks Foundation
Hannelore Draper
MUSICIAN INSTRUMENT ADOPTED BY
Lara Webber Guest Conductor
Debra Fong Concertmaster
Dave Allmon Trombone
Lianne Araki Oboe
Sandy Baratoff Cello
Mark Beyer Clarinet/Saxophone
Kim Bonnett Violin I
Mike Bresler Timpani/Percussion
Katherine Bukstein Viola
Samantha Burgess Assistant Conductor
Dane Carlson Oboe/English Horn
Daniel Cher Violin I
Garth Cummings Cello
David Dufour Horn
Linda Dunn Office Volunteer
Bob Fitt Trumpet
Nicole Galisatus Clarinet
Bradley Gibson Violin II
Audrey Gore Oboe
Jacqui Smith
Katherine & Roy Bukstein
Jacqui Smith
Patricia L. Griffin
Jacqui Smith
Raymond Smith
Bradley Gibson
Celeste Everson Misfeldt & Todd Misfeldt
Margrit Rinderknecht & Richard Siemon
Jacqui Smith
Kirt & Kelly Minor
Laura & David Francis
Sheri & Michael Frumkin
Hannelore Draper
Ann & Ben Kong
Don & Cathy Draper
Mike Marmarou
Teri Quick
Monte Mansir & Susanne Stevens
Joel Greene Oboe/Music Librarian Al & Liz Dossa
Juliet Hamak Bassoon
Patricia Harrell Flute/Piccolo
Emily Hendricks Percussion
Rami Hindiyeh Trombone
Brian Holmes Horn
Johnathan Hsu Tuba
Tara Iyer
Kristin Kunzelman
Violin I
Flute/Piccolo
Rick Leder Trumpet
Susan Magrini Cello
Mike Marmarou Trumpet
Vineet Mehta Violin II
Ron Miller Clarinet
Bruce Moyer Bass
Randy Nickel Horn
Justin Privitera Horn
Frank Rahn Violin II
John Givens
Krista & Jerry Terstiege
Pamela Ferris
John & Christine Sanguinetti
Mary Gundelach
Teri Quick
Jacqui Smith
Jennifer & Tim Kardos
Kathryn Barnard & Kenneth Shirriff
Monte Mansir & Susanne Stevens
Ronald S. Miller
Sheree Kajiwara
Jacqui Smith
Monte Mansir & Susanne Stevens
Diana Lloyd
Jing Hu & Yebin Shi
Nichole Edraos & Jim Augustus
ADOPT-A-MUSICIAN
MUSICIAN INSTRUMENT
Jerry Saliman Viola
Katharine Schmidtke Violin II
Paul Schneider Horn
Kay Saito Shafi Flute/Piccolo
Matt Springer Violin I/Timpani
Mia Stormer Contrabassoon
Judy Streger Violin I
Jshon Thomas Violin II
Nicholas Toscan Trumpet
Renée Toscan Viola
Jolynda Tresner Viola
Jeff Wachtel Bass
Kate Wahl Violin I
Todd Weinman Trombone
David Williams Violin II
Carolyn Worthington Viola
Sarah Wu Violin I
Kyoko Yamamoto Bassoon
Audrey Xiaowei Yan Violin II
Hanna Yoshimoto Violin II
Jane Zhang Violin II
EMERITUS MEMBERS
ADOPTED BY
Dorothy Saxe
Jing Hu & Yebin Shi
Sheri & Michael Frumkin
Ronald S. Miller
Monte Mansir & Susanne Stevens
Joel Greene
Alan & Spike Russell
Sheri & Michael Frumkin
Bob & Karen Fitt
Bob & Karen Fitt
Brian Holmes, Maureen Thrush, and Roy & Victoria Sasselli
The Wachtel Pronovost Family
Sheri & Michael Frumkin
David & Elisa Herberg
Family and Friends
Richard Izmirian
Alan & Spike Russell
John Givens
Pamela Cronin
Hironari & Yoshihiro Yoshimoto
Gayle Flanagan
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.
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 January 30, 2025 and April 29, 2026. 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
John Givens in memory of Dorothy Givens
Lorraine Smith
Maestoso al fine ($25k - $49,999)
Sheri and Michael Frumkin in honor of Chelsea Chambers and Jim Fung
Friend of PSO in honor of Sheri Frumkin
Fortissimo ($10k - $24,999)
Apple Inc
Katherine and Roy Bukstein
Monte Mansir and Susanne Stevens
Mervyn L. Brenner Foundation
Peter and Paula Uccelli Foundation in memory of Pete Uccelli and in honor of Sheri Frumkin
Friend of PSO
Crescendo ($5k-$9,999)
Dave and Michelle Allmon
Erika Crowley in honor of Cary Kimmler and in memory of Margot Haygood
Celeste Everson Misfeldt and Todd Misfeldt in honor of Mitch Klein
Pamela Ferris
Joel Greene
Mary Gundelach in memory of Peter Gundelach
Alex and Yoko Kurosawa
Diana Lloyd
Michael Marmarou
Nvidia
Deborah Passanisi
Teri Quick
Paul Schneider
Krista and Jerry Terstiege
Jeff and Gwyn Wachtel
Friend of PSO in memory of Dorothy McLennan
Friend of PSO
SUPPORTERS
Presto ($2,500 - $4,999)
Sharon Childress and Peter Gelfand
Gene Esswein
Brad Gibson
Juliet Hamak and George Yefchak
Russell Hurley
Intel Corporation
Sheree Kajiwara and Richard Izmirian
Norman and Sandy Koo
Susan Lin in appreciation of Maestro Klein, Chelsea Chambers, Jim Fung, and Everyone at PSO
Ronald S. Miller
Prudential
Redwood City Arts Commission
Margrit Rinderknecht and Dick Siemon
Phil and Sara Salsbury
Katharine, Hans-Juergen, and Isabel Schmidtke
Renee and Nicholas Toscan
Friend of PSO in honor of Linda Dunn, most dedicated volunteer
Scherzo ($1,000-$2,499)
Maryam Aghamirzadeh
Jill Biegenzahn
Robert and Barbara Brandriff in memory of Dorothy Lunn
Nathan Brookwood and Patricia Hendriks
Janet and David Cain
Howard and Diane Crittenden
Stan Dirks
Liz and Al Dossa in honor of Mitch Klein
Don and Catherine Draper
David Dufour in honor of Canadian Brass, and in memory of Hannelore Draper
Anne Esparza
Barbara Erickson
Karen and Bob Fitt
Mariam Galvarin
Google, Inc.
Patricia Griffin
Yukoh and Mina Hammura in honor of Kay, Patti, and Kristin from the Flute section
David and Elisa Herberg
Ben and Kaoru Hollin
Jing Hu
Mitchell Klein and Patricia Whaley
James Kleinrath and Melody Singleton
Kristin Kunzelman and Mark Inouye
Lillian Lee
Bill Malmstrom and memory of Linda, who loved music
Edith and Frederick Marmarou
Vineet Mehta and Karishma Sharma
Melly Metcalf
Kristin Oro
Caroline and Chris Rackowski
David Sacarelos and Yvette Lanza
Kay Saito Shafi and Yusef Shafi
Jerry and Ellen Saliman
Dr. Lauren Speeth and Don Kane in honor of Maestro Klein
Jshon Thomas and Gary Carson
David Williams and Hilary Benton
Y&H Soda Foundation
Hanna and Yoshihiro Yoshimoto
Vivace ($500-$999)
Adobe Inc.
Karen Alden
Kathryn Barnard and Kenneth Shirriff
Shirley Bernadotti
Geoffrey Burr
David and Victoria Chang
George Cohn and Marilyn Ritter
Pamela Cronin
John Delong and Sharon Peters
Tom Driscoll in honor of Mitch Klein
Gayle Flanagan
Meiying Forney and Steve Shatas
Laura and David Francis in honor of Daniel Cher
Alice Galenson and Lou Thompson
Victor Ha
Ann and Salek Hamer in memory of Tom Perry
Patricia Harrell
Jennifer and Tim Kardos
Stephanie Leung
Kathie Lowry
Susan Magrini
John and Marcia Mehl
Kirt and Kelly Minor
Vonya Morris
The Anna Newman Group Fund in memory of Richard Newman
Randy and Janie Nickel
Wendy and Craig Nishizaki
Elizabeth Nyberg
Michelle Oberman and Lawrence Marshall in honor of Maestro Mitchell Klein
Grant Parker and Marie-Louise Catsalis
Justin Privitera
Margaret Rich and Robert Cascone
Lynne and Stuart Rovin
John and Christine Sanguinetti
Dorothy Saxe
Ruth Short
Raymond Smith and Mark Beyer
Anita Stewart and Kaj Rekola
Lily Tian and Solomon Ge
The Trade Desk
Jenna, Robert, Ezra, and Ruthie Wachtel Pronovost in honor of Jeff (Popi) Wachtel
Friend of PSO (3)
Friend of PSO in appreciation of Maestro Mitchell Sardou Klein’s 40th
Friend of PSO in memory of Sarah Williams
Friend of PSO in appreciation of Katherine and Roy Bukstein
SUPPORTERS
Allegro ($250-$499)
Sue Alvarez
Wate and Johanna Bakker in honor of Mitch Klein
Michael Bresler
Kathleen Brown
Lena Chow
College Park Elementary School
Judy Davis in memory of Marilyn and Harold Mindell
Nhan Do
Dolby
Michele and Andrew Epstein in honor of Sheri Frumkin
Fiserv
Alexandra Gillen and Hartmut Koeppen
David Greene in honor of Joel and Monkey Greene
Charles Hanes
Andrea Hata
Steven Hibshman
Kathie Hillier and Bob Boen
Mela and Peter Hwang
IBM International Foundation
Jeffrey Koseff and Thalia Anagnos in honor of Jeff Wachtel
Kenneth Krieg and Carol Dolezal
Susan R Larson
Beverly and Richard Marconi
Hannelore McCrumb
Joyce Monda
Pamela Moore in memory of Bill Moore
Betsy Murray
Mary and Neil Panton in honor of Ron Panton
Alan Pattison
Wayne Phillips
Charles Polanski
Frank and Annette Rahn
Sherrean Rundberg
Alan and Spike Russell
Heather Sanders
Daniel and Amy Schiff in honor of Sheri Frumkin
Noel Shirley
Lynne Simpson in honor of David Williams
Alan Stern and Thomas Whatley
Suesan Taylor in memory of Prof. C. Barr Taylor, Stanford Behavioral Medicine
Jolynda Tresner and Brian Holmes
Todd and Andrea Weinman
Friend of PSO
Dolce ($100-$249)
John and Barbara Adams
Lianne Araki
Merrie and Michael Asimow
Joanne Bailey in memory of June Wisecarver
Doron Bardas
Penny Barrows
Barbara Barth
Lorraine Bodie
Suzanne Boutin
Marina and Andre Broido
Juliette Bryson
Les and Nancy Burger in appreciation of Jeff Wachtel
Frank and Charlotte Cevasco in honor of Debbie Passanisi
Audie and Susan Chang in honor of Samantha Burgess and Mitch Klein
Faye Chapman
Joseph Coha
Juan Carlos Colosso
William Conlon in honor of Selma Bukstein
Ken and Sherill Cotter
Barbara Ebey
Suzanne and Allan Epstein
Fredrika Felt
Ruth Freeman
Claudia Fromm and Leonard Weingarten in honor of Carole Valentine
Dr. Janice Gaynor in memory of Barbara Cohn
Alice Graham in memory of Dorothy Graham Givens
Jimmée Greco
David and Mara Grimes in memory of Lee Spice
Grotsky Survivor’s Trust
Lisa Gruman in memory of Parents Lois and Allen Gruman
Hillel Hachlili
Thomas Hansen in memory of Minsook Kang Hansen
Joseph and Bette Hirsch
Perry Hopkins
Neil Hornor
William Howland
Leslie Itano and Jerry Chang in memory of Dr. Samuel Chan
Kevin Jim in honor of Mitch Klein
Jackie Jones
Seungja Kimn in memory of Steve Kimn
KLA
Sharon Krawetz
Marianne Kruze
Sandra Larragoiti and Brandon Martinez-Larragoiti
Rick Leder and Cherrill Spencer
Eugene Lee
Michael Galisatus and Cindy Leung Galisatus in memory of Aunty Evelyn Ngim
Stanley Levine
Colin Lumley
Terry Marino
Melody Marshall
Stephen Martin
Judi McManigal
David Mendel in appreciation of Jerry Saliman
Daniel and Valerie Meyer
Arnold Miller
Margaret Nalbach
Donna Ornitz
Karen and Douglas Perry
Anthony Pleva
Marilyn Reisen
Roblox
Robert Roth and Cynthia Robbins-Roth
Dave Sargent in honor of Brian Holmes and Jolynda Tresner
Doris Sayon
Marian Schmidt
Marvin and Ellen Schwartz
Dana Scoby
Marcyl Seidscher
Jason Shu
Tom Silva
Laura Sternberg
Linda Tan
Katie Treu
Kazumi Tsuchiyose
Adam Wantz
Wilton Wong
Kyoko and Keigo Yamamoto
Audrey Yan and Jiaxi Zhu
Jen and Aidan Yang in appreciation of Mitchell Sardou Klein
Richard and Miriam Zimmerman in honor of Jerry Saliman
Friend of PSO in honor of Warren George Weis
Friend of PSO (5)
“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 January 2026:
Ellis Alden
Anonymous
Janice Boelke
David Cone
Hannelore Draper
The Elfenworks Foundation
Mitchell Sardou Klein & Patricia Whaley
Judi McManigal
Frank & Annette Rahn
Genny Hall Smith
Lorraine Smith
Marguerite Szekeley
William Warren Wiesenfeld Trust
STARS OF SEASON 78
Cellist Christopher Costanza has enjoyed an acclaimed international career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher for over four decades. A winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalists Grant, he performed worldwide and was cellist of the St. Lawrence String Quartet from 2003–2023. A graduate of New England Conservatory, Christopher is Senior Lecturer at Stanford University, where he teaches cello and chamber music. See Christopher in our Season 78 opening concerts in October!
Grand Prize winner of the 2025 Irving M. Klein
International String Competition, violinist Julia Schilz is a graduate student at The Juilliard School, where she also earned her undergraduate degree. She has appeared with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, served as concertmaster of the 2025 Kyoto Festival, and performed with the Houston Symphony. An avid chamber musician, Julia has appeared at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall and studied with leading artists and ensembles. Julia will kick off 2027 with the Peninsula Symphony in spectacular fashion!
Cellist Nathan Chan is Assistant Principal Cello of the Seattle Symphony and Acting Principal Cello of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for the 2025–2026 season. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, he has reached millions through social media, using technology to expand access to classical music. Nathan has appeared as soloist with major orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and is recognized for innovative, community-focused artistic projects. Nathan will be performing in March 2027. Don’t miss it!
Amelia Yee , Front of House & Volunteer Coordinator
Seona Sheth , Intern/Youth Ambassador
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
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR ON-SITE VOLUNTEERS
Carol Dianda, Linda Dunn
Cher Fuentes, Pat Gordon
Maude Iggstrom, Jan Reini
Seona Sheth, Christine Wampole
Teri Whitehair, Fang Xu
Amelia Yee & Heritage Theatre volunteers
Guest artist Alex Burgess at the Family Concert / April 2026
Guest artists Naomi Le & Daniel Le / Courtesy of New Ballet Family Concert / April 2026
