California Symphony Presents INTERSECTIONS; Celebrates 10th Season With Donato Cabrera

California Symphony opens its 2022-23 Season, celebrating its tenth season with Music Director Donato Cabrera at the helm with Intersections, a program of jubilant works, including cellist Inbal Segev performing a piece that was written for her, and a tribute to Ukraine, September 10-11, 2022 at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. The featured works all intersect at the nexus of tradition and identity, exploring the nostalgic appeal of folk music and its deep and enduring cultural influence.

As with all the music programmed for the 2022-23 season, none of these works has ever been performed by California Symphony, as Cabrera continues the orchestra's mission to introduce audiences to a wide variety of pieces from diverse voices, including a mix of famous and not-so-famous composers. Reinforcing the symphony's commitment to diverse representation, a third of the composers programmed in the coming season are women, living, and/or a person of color. Season subscriptions for three, four, or five concerts start at $99 and single tickets are $49-79. More information is available at CaliforniaSymphony.org.

Intersections will feature an appearance by Israeli American cellist Inbal Segev, performing Anna Clyne's vivid DANCE. Drawing inspiration from a poem by the 13th-century Persian writer Rumi, DANCE was written for Segev and performed for the first time at the Cabrillo Festival in 2019. NPR Music hailed it one of Clyne's "most ambitious and appealing works," while The Classic Review called it "soulfully rich, gently melancholic, deeply reflective." California Symphony's relationship with Segev dates to 2017 when she gave the World Premiere of Dan Visconti's folk-inspired concerto, Tangle Eye, commissioned by the orchestra and also written for Segev. A prodigy who first played for the Israeli president at eight years old, Segev came to international attention 10 years later when she made concerto debuts with both the Berlin Philharmoniker and Israel Philharmonic, under the baton of Zubin Mehta. Since then, she has performed as a soloist with preeminent orchestras and conductors at leading international venues.

"I was lucky enough to attend the rehearsals and performance of the world premiere of DANCE at the 2019 Cabrillo Music Festival," says Cabrera. "Like all great art, Anna Clyne's music compels you to think and feel, both in equal measure. Writing a concerto for the cello is a daunting task, yet Anna's skill as a composer and storyteller, as well as Inbal's technical mastery and supreme musicianship, made this such a compelling performance that I knew I had to bring this piece to the California Symphony. It was the perfect vehicle to welcome back Inbal to our stage."

Also on the program is Zoltán Kodály's masterful Dances of Galánta, showcasing the composer's exquisite musical coloring, alternating moods, and mixed tempos. Patterned after verbunkos, the typical Hungarian military recruiting dance, this work was deeply personal to Kodály, who was commemorating his childhood home in the town of Galánta.

One of Cabrera's favorite works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky will be featured, giving audiences a rare opportunity to hear Tchaikovsky's imaginative Symphony No. 2. Bursting with an abundance of Ukrainian folksong motifs, this charming piece is one of Tchaikovsky's most joyful works. Also featured is Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk's timeless Melody for Symphony Orchestra, which has become so popular that it is now considered Ukraine's second national anthem.

California Symphony's 2022-23 season is sponsored by the Lesher Foundation.

Founded in 1986, California Symphony is now in its tenth season under the leadership of Music Director Donato Cabrera. It is distinguished by its vibrant concert programs that combine classics alongside American repertoire and works by living composers and for making the symphony welcoming and accessible. The orchestra includes musicians who perform with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet, and others. Committed to the support of new talent, California Symphony has launched the careers of some of today's most well-known artists, including violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, cellists Alisa Weilerstein and Joshua Roman, pianist Kirill Gerstein and composers such as Mason Bates, Christopher Theofanidis, and Kevin Puts. California Symphony is based in Walnut Creek at the Lesher Center for the Arts, serving audiences in Contra Costa County and the wider Bay Area.

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