Festive, passionate, and explosive music: Festivals concerts March 23/24

Welcome spring with our Festivals concerts!

Our Festivals concerts March 23/24 arrive just after the spring equinox—a significant turning point in the year. As rainy weather gives way to balmy days and light overturns darkness, Santa Cruz Symphony invites you to celebrate the renewal of warmth and the promise of spring. Join us as we experience festive, passionate, and occasionally explosive works by Granero, Schumann, and Stravinsky. Learn more about our featured soloist and composer here.

José González Granero wrote his Matsuri Overture in 2017 after witnessing ancient traditions blending with modern life at Kyoto’s Ebisu Festival. Matusuri means festival in Japanese, carrying connotations of comfort, prayer, and gratitude. Dedicated to the god of good luck and business prosperity, Ebisu Festival is a time when thousands of people enact rituals to bring success, asking for Ebisu’s blessing to overcome adversity with cheerful perseverance. Granero’s overture welcomes us into the beauty and ambience of Kyoto during this unique celebration.

Written in 1850, Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto demonstrates Schumann’s compositional genius through an extended emotional arc, a powerful sense of character development, and hidden musical messages. Never performed during Schumann’s lifetime, this “lost masterpiece” has since come to be known as one of the great Romantic works for the cello. Award-winning featured soloist Gaeun Kim will dazzle us as she conveys the poetic depth of this entrancing concerto all the way to its thrilling conclusion.

In Petrushka, Igor Stravinsky finds his true voice, inventing ways to express physical movement in musical terms. The composer was only 28 years old when Ballet Russes impresario Sergei Diaghilev approached him in 1910 for another collaboration following Stravinsky’s success with The Firebird. Praised as a feat of sophisticated theatrical folklorism, Petrushka tells the story of a deadly love triangle between puppets who come to life. Petrushka is a mischievous clown, a representative of the trickster archetype who disrupts the status quo. We’ll follow his exhilarating journey and listen as Petrushka has the last laugh via the recurring “Petrushka chord.”

Come share the magic of these lush compositions!

Saturday 3/23 at 7:30 PM (Pre-concert talk at 6:30)
Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz

Sunday 3/24 at 2 PM (Pre-concert talk at 1)
Henry J. Mello Center in Watsonville

The Family Concert: Celebrating Our Community Partners

Santa Cruz Symphony’s commitment to music education goes far beyond "Do-Re-Mi." Our educational programs include professional musicians, movement, rhythm, dancing, instruments, group participation, cultural traditions, and so much more. We invite some of the best music and dance performers in the county to help us inspire your children.

But that's not all. This Sunday, February 25, at 2pm you'll get to enjoy the culmination of all this education. Our annual Family Concert at the Civic Auditorium is an extravaganza of musical and dance talent from all over Santa Cruz County. Parents, grandparents, and children look forward to this event every year. We've even seen children dancing in the aisles and applauding.

Here are the incredible community partner organizations who will share the stage with Santa Cruz Symphony on Sunday afternoon...

Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony

Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony serves young musicians ages 10 to 20 as the area’s only training orchestra of pre-professional caliber. Under the guidance of Music Director Nathaniel Berman, the Youth Symphony cultivates a love of classical music and a spirit of collaboration among young musicians of Santa Cruz County and introduces young people from all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds to the joys of orchestral and chamber music. Learn more at sccys.org.

Cabrillo Youth Chorus

The Cabrillo Youth Chorus seeks to educate, develop, and inspire young people to attain the highest possible level of choral artistry. This goal is achieved through excellent teaching with a focus on music literacy, tone development, ear-training, and working with professional musicians. Since its inception, nearly 1,000 young singers have been through the program, many of whom have become music majors in college. Learn more at cabrilloyouthchorus.org.

Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre

Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre’s mission is to inspire the community and create opportunities for young artists through the advancement of the art of ballet. A pre-professional training organization, SCBT has graduated many dancers into the field of classical ballet. SCBT builds leaders in their dancers by instilling work ethic, organizational skills, self-confidence, cognitive thinking, and teamwork. Learn more at scbt.org.

Esperanza del Valle

Esperanza del Valle Ballet Folklórico Dance Company of Watsonville has been dedicated to the dissemination, preservation, and performance of the rich traditional dances of Mexico in the community since 1980. Their mission is to cultivate and promote pride and understanding of Mexican culture through its rich folkloric dances rooted in the merging of the Indigenous, European, and African heritages. Learn more at esperanzadelvalle.org.

El Sistema

El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley gives the children of Watsonville and Pajaro Valley the tools to claim their cultural heritage and build their creative and social legacy through music education. Believing that learning to read and play music together will develop children’s individual talents and teach them how to collaborate, the group has garnered national recognition, with support from esteemed funders such as the Lewis Prize and the National Endowment for the Arts. Find them on Facebook or learn more at elsistemasantacruz.org.

Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band

The Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band showcases talented high-school student musicians from Santa Cruz County and the Central Coast region. During weekly rehearsals, the band studies advanced jazz theory, arranging, and improvisation, all while learning valuable life skills in teamwork and critical thinking. You can find Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band performing at special events and festivals throughout the school year, culminating in a special headline performance at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center. Learn more at kuumbwajazz.org.

Whimsical Storytelling Through Music? Yes! And You're Invited...

French composer Camille Saint-Saëns was at the height of his career in 1886. For years, he had been building a reputation as a serious, respected composer. While hard at work on his Symphony No. 3, he realized he needed a break. Rest would help him complete his opus. But while traveling to Austria for a vacation, he continued to compose—not a symphony this time, but something he considered light and amusing. Inspired by the animals he’d seen during his many travels, Saint-Saëns wrote The Carnival of the Animals, a piece his contemporaries referred to as a “zoological fantasy.”

The Carnival of the Animals was an immediate hit with those who heard it, but for several decades its audience was limited to semi-private performances. Feeling that the work was frivolous in comparison with his more serious compositions, Saint-Saëns decreed that the piece could not be published or performed until after his death, with just a few exceptions. When The Carnival of the Animals was finally published in 1922 and publicly performed in Paris, it was rapturously received. As French newspaper Le Figaro reported, "In every bar, at every point, there are unexpected and irresistible finds."

It's hard to believe that Saint-Saëns restricted performance of The Carnival of the Animals for so long, as it’s now one of the most famous classical music pieces ever written. Each of the 14 movements depicts a single or group of animals through playfulness, wit, and remarkably creative instrumental voicing. Considered one of his best works, the piece combines virtuoso level musicianship with powers of natural observation and unique storytelling ability.

At the Family Concert on Sunday, February 25, you’ll enjoy this gorgeous and highly entertaining orchestral work being performed by Santa Cruz Symphony and Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony. You’ll also see and hear “The Orchestra Moves,” the Carnegie Hall Link Up program performed by Santa Cruz Symphony and our community partners.

The Family Concert is a vibrant musical event with entertainment for all ages. At previous Family Concerts, we've seen children dancing in the aisles and eagerly applauding. That's how much they loved it! Learn more about our Youth and Family Concerts here.

Music education for now and for the future

“Santa Cruz Symphony’s mission is to inspire, engage and educate through artistic excellence, distinctive musical performances, and varied activities that celebrate and enhance the cultural vibrancy of our community.”

Link Up Partnership: The School Kids Love It, and So Do the Teachers!

Our local students in grades 4-5 learn about classical music for months each year as part of our partnership with Carnegie Hall and its Link Up program, a collaboration that began in 2018. Santa Cruz Symphony partners with the County Office of Education and local private schools to furnish free Link Up workbooks and curriculum materials so teachers can explore a musical theme. These fun, engaging lessons have included traditional classics, such as “The Anvil Chorus” or “Ode to Joy,” as well as contemporary selections. In 2024, our Link Up theme is “The Orchestra Moves,” focusing on all the interwoven ways in which music moves physically and emotionally.

Santa Cruz Symphony has worked with Carnegie Hall to widen our offerings and reflect the cultural diversity in our community. With Maestro Daniel Stewart’s leadership, this year we are sharing knowledge about works from Europe, the USA, Mexico, Israel, and Brazil. Classroom and music instructors teach about composers, themes, history, and geography. Some students also participate in these lessons by playing recorders and ukuleles, singing, and using body percussion.

Musicians Visit the Classrooms

 

Santa Cruz Symphony orchestra member Norman Peck demonstrates percussion instruments at a local elementary school

Students get to meet real Santa Cruz Symphony musicians! Each February, the Symphony underwrites classroom visits by Symphony players from around the Bay Area for schools participating in the Link Up program. These professional musicians come into classrooms to demonstrate their instruments and preview samples of the music that the students will hear at the concerts.

When the students attend our Youth Concerts with their schools, they put their lessons into practice—with music, dance, and song.

Classical Music Classrooms: A Program to Cultivate Young Listeners

 

Santa Cruz Symphony’s in-class listening program provides a free, curated curriculum for first through fifth grades. Teachers play classical music excerpts for their classes in daily five-minute “bites” and read descriptions of the music. Hearing these musical pieces allows students to transition more easily from recess energy to more focused classroom behavior, and helps cultivate an appreciation for classical music in these young students.

As many as 2,500 kids have been exposed to a daily dose of classical music!

Kids Play with Professional Musicians at Our Youth Concerts

Each year we produce our Youth Concerts, with two performances at the Civic Auditorium and four at the Mello Center. Students arrive at these rousing weekday concerts from schools all over the county, bringing their instruments and voices to play from their seats. Onstage they see and hear Santa Cruz Symphony collaborating with a variety of community partners to perform the Link Up concert program they’ve been studying.

Partners include the Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony, Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, El Sistema musicians, Cabrillo Youth Chorus, Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band, and Esperanza del Valle Folklórico.

If you have children or grandchildren in our local schools, ask their teachers if they plan to attend the Youth Concerts next year. Then come as a chaperone to share the excitement as children enjoy live orchestral music—many for the first time!

The Family Concert: Bringing the Community Together with Music

At the Family Concert, the whole community has the chance to see this year’s Link Up program performed by Santa Cruz Symphony and our community partners, followed by a timeless classical piece everyone can enjoy. This year, we hope you’ll enjoy our presentation of The Carnival of the Animals!

The Family Concert is a vibrant musical event with entertainment for all ages. At previous Family Concerts, we've seen children dancing in the aisles and eagerly applauding. That's how much they loved it! Learn more about our Youth and Family Concerts here.

February 25: Join us for “The Carnival of the Animals” at our Family Concert

Take the kids away from their screens and bring them to a live concert!

On Sunday, February 25, join Maestro Daniel Stewart, beloved Master of Ceremonies Omari Tau, Santa Cruz Symphony, Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony, Cabrillo Youth Chorus, Santa Cruz Ballet Theater, El Sistema, Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band, and Esperanza del Valle Folklórico for our annual Family Concert!

This is the perfect way to enjoy an affordable family outing as the beloved Santa Cruz Symphony presents Camille Saint-Saëns' famed The Carnival of the Animals alongside these community partners.

Our Family Concert is the finale of weeks of incredible educational experiences. Santa Cruz Symphony is a partner orchestra with Carnegie Hall for its Link Up program, in which students grades 3–5 at dozens of schools learn to sing and play an instrument in their classrooms. This year, kids discover all the interwoven ways in which music moves physically and emotionally in a program called The Orchestra Moves. You can learn more about all of our educational programs here.

During the week before the Sunday Family Concert, many students bring their instruments and voices to perform with Santa Cruz Symphony from their seats at a series of rousing weekday Youth Concerts. For many students, this is their first time experiencing live orchestral music!

Finally, at the Family Concert on Sunday, February 25, the whole community has the chance to see and hear this year's Link Up program performed by Santa Cruz Symphony and our community partners, followed by the timeless classic The Carnival of the Animals.

The Family Concert is a vibrant musical event with entertainment for all ages. Bring the kids—we promise they'll love it, and so will you!

(Want to learn more about The Carnival of the Animals and how it came to be written? Click here!)

Family Concert: Carnival of the Animals

Sunday, February 25
2:00 PM
Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz
Adults: $24 | Kids: $13.50 (ages 3-17)