Berkeley Symphony Continues 54th Season With REFRACTED LIGHT

Berkeley Symphony will continue its 54th season with Refracted Light, the second concert in its 2025–26 Symphonic Series, on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at 4 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley (2345 Channing Way).

The program will be led by acclaimed guest conductor Edwin Outwater, recognized internationally for his bold programming and boundary-crossing collaborations.

“This program reveals how light—both literal and metaphorical—can be reshaped and refracted through sound,” said Executive Director Marion Atherton. “Each piece offers a distinct perspective, and together they speak to the power of music to reflect, question, and illuminate our shared human experience.”

The evening will open with Berkeley-born composer Samuel Adams’ Chamber Concerto, featuring violinist Helen Kim. Written for a colorful chamber ensemble of piano, percussion, strings, and electric tones, the work is a dreamlike meditation on space, resonance, and timbre.

Following intermission is Yaz Lancaster’s Gender Envy, a deeply personal work that merges classical and contemporary traditions. With instrumentation that includes bass clarinet, vibraphone, and piano, Lancaster’s writing explores identity with intimacy and expansiveness, resisting easy categorization.

The program concludes with Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 100 in G Major, “Military.” Filled with rhythmic vitality, bold percussion flourishes, and Haydn’s trademark wit, the piece builds to a jubilant finale, closing the evening with energy and grandeur.

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