California Symphony to Present Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 And A World Premiere By Katherine Balch

Fate meets the future in the California Symphony's March concerts, under the direction of Music Director Donato Cabrera. FATE AND FUTURE, Saturday, March 14 at 8PM, and Sunday, March 15 at 4PM, features Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5-his most often-performed and beloved symphony-and the world premiere of Composer-in-Residence Katherine Balch's Illuminate, a song cycle in five movements. The Symphony uses a recurring melody to represent the theme of "fate", while "future" is represented by Balch's premiere.

This is Balch's third and final year of residency with the California Symphony. Her previous commissions were like a broken clock in 2018 and her violin concerto, Artifacts in 2019.

The text for Illuminate is drawn from works by four of Balch's favorite female poets-Sharon Olds, Adrienne Rich, Alejandra Pizarnik, and Sappho (translated by Ann Carson,) plus lines from Arthur Rimbaud's Les Illuminations. Balch says that the libretto "depicts many shades of femininity or at least resonates with my own associations and experiences of this idea." The piece explores its themes using the cycle of the seasons, beginning and ending with spring.

Balch says: "I hope this piece will be heard as a joyful outpouring, because that's what I feel when I think about these texts, the women they represent to me, and the women who will be singing them.

Soloists Molly Netter (soprano,) Alexandra Smither (soprano,) and Kelly Guerra (mezzo-soprano) were all hand selected by the composer to perform this piece. Balch describes them each as incredible interpreters of music old and new. Kelly Guerra has been flagged by the Wall Street Journal as a "standout," the New York Times praised Molly Netter for her "clear, beautiful tone and vivacious personality," while Alexandra Smither has been acclaimed for her "immense clarity and intuition" by Opera Going Toronto.

The program concludes with Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5, which is his most often-performed and beloved symphony. The composer uses a recurring melody to represent fate, which transforms from dark and menacing in the first movement to joyous and triumphant by the fourth and final movement.

For details and to purchase tickets, visit the California Symphony's website at www.californiasymphony.org or call the Lesher Center Box Office at 925-943-7469. Tickets start at $44 and $20 for students.

Performances take place at the Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek.

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