Happy new year! Expand your musical horizons in 2025

Welcome to 2025! We’re looking forward to all the good things this year will bring. That includes powerfully transformative performances, new discoveries, and the joy of connecting with each other through the shared language of music. Together, we will make this a year to remember.

Our 2024-25 concert season continues with offerings to delight all ages: a Family Concert, a collaboration with Santa Cruz Shakespeare, one-of-a-kind Musician Series events, and much more. Here's what's coming up in the next few months. We can't wait to experience these musical treats with you!

Santa Cruz Symphony League's Annual Gala 

Gather your friends and kick up your heels for a night of fun at the Symphony League’s Annual Gala! Don your favorite rustic-chic attire and enjoy country hospitality with a delicious farm-to-table dinner, live music, and exciting auctions at UCSC’s Cowell Hay Barn. All proceeds will benefit Santa Cruz Symphony. Learn more and buy tickets here.

 

 

 

Annual Family Concert: Peter and the Wolf  

Take the kids away from their screens and bring them to a live concert! Our annual Family Concert on March 2 will present Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf plus a diverse selection of music performed with community partner groups. This is the perfect way to enjoy a vibrant, fun, affordably priced musical event with entertainment for all ages. Learn more and buy tickets here.

 

 

 

Classical Series Concert: Symphonic Shakespeare 

This highly anticipated collaboration with Santa Cruz Shakespeare will feature Director Charles Pasternak alongside the immortal melodies of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet and Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, plus Anna Clyne’s breathtaking portrayal of the sound and fury contained in the world of Macbeth. Learn more and buy tickets here.

 

 

Auditions are Coming – Apply by Monday, December 30!

On January 13–14, 2025, Santa Cruz Symphony will be holding blind auditions for multiple positions in our orchestra. Qualified candidates of all backgrounds are welcome to apply for open positions. The deadline to apply to audition is THIS MONDAY, December 30.

Auditions are held to elevate the artistic standards of the orchestra and increase the roster of permanent musicians. We strive for strong continuity and a cohesive ensemble, allowing Music Director Daniel Stewart to develop the unique sound of Santa Cruz Symphony.

We celebrate our musicians’ interpretive contributions, their technical skills and discipline, and their scholarship of styles and contexts. We are committed to achieving the highest artistic and professional standards in our art and operations. We seek to create a culture of inclusion and a work environment that values dedication, professionalism, and creativity, and we’re committed to diversity and equal opportunity in our recruitment and hiring.

Happy Holidays from Santa Cruz Symphony!

As we near the end of another year, we find ourselves in a time of reflection and anticipation. From groundbreaking musical collaborations to transformative educational experiences, this year was a defining time for Santa Cruz Symphony.

Our successes aren’t ours alone—they belong to every patron, donor, musician, and community member who believes in our mission to educate, engage, and inspire through artistic excellence. Your presence, feedback, and unwavering support have been the cornerstone of our endeavors. Thank you for an incredible year!

We will be taking a break and closing our office for the holidays, beginning December 23, 2024 and returning December 30, 2024. All year-end gifts received by December 31 will still be counted as 2024 donations.

May your holidays be full of celebration, love, and music!

Support Your Symphony with a year-end gift!

As 2024 draws to a close, I reflect with gratitude how strongly our Symphony family has committed to keeping classical music alive in our community! Here at Santa Cruz Symphony, we are grateful for our wonderful patrons, who are coming back to live performances in the aftermath of the pandemic. We’re grateful to our visionary Maestro and to our talented musicians who bring the joy of symphonic music to our lives. And we are deeply grateful to our generous donors and sponsors for their belief in the value of the Symphony. Your gifts make the music happen.

As we end the calendar year, we have many more events to look forward to in our season: three Musician Series recitals, two Classical Series concerts, a Family concert and a Spring Pops concert! Tickets to any of these events would make a wonderful gift for family and friends, especially if you’d rather give an “experience” rather than material gifts.

We are pleased to offer Gift Vouchers that you can wrap up in a bow and give to your family, friends, or co-workers. These Gift Vouchers can be exchanged for tickets to the events of their choosing. Giving the gift of music is a wonderfully meaningful way to support the Symphony. Call our office staff at 831-458-0553 X10 to order your Gift Vouchers.

We are also thrilled to offer a large selection of Symphony-branded merchandise that will make wonderful gifts while advertising your support of Santa Cruz Symphony. You can find the online store at santacruzsymphony.org/symphonystore check us out!

There’s yet another way to support the Symphony: if you believe in the Symphony’s mission to inspire, educate and engage our community, please consider a tax-deductible donation to our nonprofit organization. We are grateful for whatever donation you can make, and you’ll know that YOU are helping to keep the music alive in Santa Cruz County.

Wishing you all health, happiness and peace for 2025. We can’t wait to see you at our concerts! 

Deborah Bronstein

Board President 

This Sunday only: By popular request, Destiny Muhammad returns with her crew of Bay Area masters!

Award-winning jazz harpist Destiny Muhammad is back by popular demand with "Soulful JOY," an inspiring blend of jazz, gospel, soul, and a hint of storytelling. Destiny first introduced this show at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, and it has since become a beloved tradition that sells out every year. This is your chance to see it in here in Santa Cruz in an intimate setting.

Soulful JOY is just what it sounds like – a joyful and soulful way to come together during the holiday season. We'll be reflecting and re-imagining the holiday spirit with music and sacred movement along with Destiny and her cool, eclectic Sonic Ensemble of Bay Area masters: musicians Leon Joyce, Jr., Tammy Lynne Hall, and Ron Belcher; voices Leberta Lorál, Nicolas Bearde, and Will Hammond, Jr.; and dancer Victor Temple.

 

WHEN: Sunday, December 22 at 2 PM
WHERE: Samper Recital Hall at Cabrillo College
TICKETS: 831-479-6154 or cabrillo.edu/vapa

Destiny Muhammad (Harpist, Vocals)

Recording and performing artist, bandleader, composer, and producer, Destiny Muhammad's genre "from Celtic to Coltrane" is cool and eclectic with a feel of jazz and storytelling to round out the sonic experience. She has appeared on stage with jazz luminaries Azar Lawrence, BlueNote artist Ambrose Akisemuire, Faye Carol, and Tiffany Austin, to name a few. She has enjoyed sold-out shows at SF JAZZ Center and produces her own annual concert "Storytime: Great Jazz & Captivating Stories." As Yerba Buena Gardens Festival notes: "Whether interpreting jazz standards or her original tunes, Muhammad turns every piece into a soulful adventure."

Leon Joyce, Jr. (Drums, Percussion)

Leon Joyce, Jr.’s drumming and percussion savvy are in international demand. As a bandleader, clinician, and music director, he has established a rich global presence. Leon has worked directly with jazz masters Ramsey Lewis, Regina Carter, Clark Terry, Gary Bartz, Nnenna Freelon, and more. He has performed with San Francisco and Santa Cruz Symphony, and was the featured Teaching Artist for the Stanford Jazz Workshop series. His jazz festival performances have spanned the Bay Area and beyond, from SF Music Day and the Monterey Jazz Fest, to Montreux Jazz Fest in Canada and the Villigen Jazz Fest in Germany.

Tammy Lynn Hall (Piano)

Award-winning pianist/composer/educator Tammy Hall has taught and performed globally, including a 30-city tour with Queen Esther Marrow and the Harlem Gospel Singers. Winner of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Musical Direction for Pamela Rose's Blues Is A Woman, Tammy has worked with stellar jazz artists such as Terri Lyne Carrington, Tia Fuller, and more. In a recent stint with San Francisco Symphony, she focused on jazz collaboration; her venue and festival appearances include the Kennedy Center, Dizzy's Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Sala Filharmonia in Trento, Italy, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the San Jose Jazz Festival, and performances at SF Jazz Center. Tammy's career spans almost four decades, with no end in sight!

Ron Belcher (Bass)

Ron Belcher has traveled the nation and the world bringing his rhythmically buoyant, emotionally uplifting style to the stage for a wide array of jazz artists. He has performed or recorded with international stars such as Branford Marsalis, Regina Carter, John Handy, Pete Escovedo, Donald Bailey, Ledisi, Rodney Franklin, and Ernie Andrews, as well as a virtual "who's who" of the San Francisco jazz scene.

Leberta Lorál (Voice)

Leberta Lorál possesses a clarion voice and a technically impressive and emotionally intense sense of artistry. She has performed concert works ranging from Baroque to contemporary, garnering critical acclaim. Highlights include a performance at the opening night of the SF Exploratorium exhibit GLOW, a debut at the 65th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival, performing Classical Broadway with Tammy Lynn Hall, and featured appearances at the Cinnabar Theater, San Ramon Public Library's Jazz Series, SandBoxSandCity, Monterey County Composers' Forum at Hidden Valley Music, and the 25th African-American Art Song Alliance. In 2019, she won KDFC's Star Spangled Sing-Off. A regional winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, she has been featured as the soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Southeast Symphony, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Nicolas Bearde (Voice)

Nicolas Bearde is an award-winning vocalist whose silky baritone sound, wit, and engaging rapport draws the audience in. With six albums on his own label, Right Groove Records, he has earned a unique place in the contemporary male vocal jazz scene. His most recent album I Remember You: The Music of Nat King Cole, featuring special guest and saxophone great Eric Alexander, rose quickly to the Top 20 on the Jazz Week Charts, garnering rave reviews at home and abroad. His theater credits include Jukebox, a staged radio play starring Danny Glover, and Athol Fugard's Master Harold...and the Boys. Nicolas has since expanded into film and television, and has performed with jazz legends such as Nat Adderley, Jr, Vincent Herring, Eric Alexander, Bobby McFerrin.

Will Hammond Jr. (Voice)

The musical career of Emmy-nominated singer/songwriter Will Hammond, Jr. began at the Cathedral School for Boys and the Grace Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys. After high school, he performed with up-and-coming black alternative/hip-hop bands Bass House Funk and Midnight Voices. While at San Francisco State University he wrote Tara Kemp's international hit, "Hold You Tight," which went to #3 on the Billboard Pop and R&B charts and became a certified gold record. He has written for various artists in Los Angeles and performed tracks with other Bay Area talents such as The Coup, Midnight Voices, Ledisi, Martin Luther, Goapele, and Patti Labelle. 

Victor Temple 
(Choreographer, Dancer)

Victor Temple is an internationally known dancer, choreographer, and teacher. He has danced with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Cirque Du Soleil, American Repertory Ballet, Oakland Ballet, Alabama Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, Hangzhou Song and Dance Group, Shanghai Ballet, and the Central Ballet of China. While living in China, he won a gold medal in the Asian Choreography Competition and was the first westerner to hold a position as a member of the Chinese Dancers' Associations. He choreographed the opening of the China and Hong Kong reunification ceremony. He has been Artistic Director of New World Ballet since 2005 and was named one of the 22 People to Watch in 2022 by the Press Democrat .