Jessie Montgomery – Coincident Dances

American composer Jessie Montgomery’s rising star is really more like a comet. Born (1981) and raised in the diverse and lively lower east side of Manhattan, she is a graduate of Juilliard (BA, violin performance) and New York University (MA, Composition for Film and Multimedia) and is currently a doctoral candidate in musical composition at Princeton. Meanwhile, the list of her awards and her past and present professional affiliations and projects is akin to Wonder Woman’s resumé. Highlights include: 2024 Grammy winner; Musical America’s 2023 Composer of the Year; ASCAP’s Leonard Bernstein award; Composer-in-Residence with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Bard College, and the Sphinx Virtuosi; commissions for the National Symphony, Music Academy of the West, and the New York Philharmonic, among others; and new works for soprano Julia Bullock and violinist Joshua Bell. She continues to perform as a founding member of PUBLIQuartet, with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble and others, and she teaches violin and composition at The New School.

About the work on tonight’s program, Montgomery says, “Coincident Dances is inspired by the sounds found in New York’s various cultures, capturing the frenetic energy and multicultural aural palette one hears even in a short walk through a New York City neighborhood. The work is a fusion of several different sound-worlds: English consort, samba, mbira dance music from Ghana, swing, and techno.”

“My reason for choosing these styles sometimes stemmed from an actual experience of accidentally hearing a pair simultaneously, which happens most days of the week walking down the streets of New York, or one time when I heard a parked car playing Latin jazz while I had rhythm and blues in my headphones. Some of the pairings are merely experiments. Working in this mode, the orchestra takes on the role of a DJ of a multicultural dance track.”

William Grant Still – Symphony No. 5 “Western Hemisphere”

William Grant Still, born in 1895 just 30 years after the Civil War and emancipation, has been called the first composer to write truly “American” music. Often referred to as the dean of black classical composers, his prolific career spanned six decades and was peppered with major benchmark accomplishments. He won a Rosenwald and two Guggenheim fellowships. He was invited to compose the theme song for the 1938 New York World’s Fair, which played continuously throughout the 6 months of the exposition (but, due to separatist racial laws in New York, he had to wait for “Negroes Day” to attend). He was the first black musician to conduct his own work with a major American orchestra, in 1936 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Hollywood Bowl. He was also the first black composer to have an opera produced by a major American opera company, and the first to have an opera televised. And, his 1^st symphony, entitled the “Afro-American Symphony,” is credited as one of the very first instances to use that hyphenate description.

Still was also a member of an influential and progressive group of black thought leaders called “The Talented Tenth.” In addition to William Grant Still the members of this group, all college-educated successful men deeply involved in the struggle for civil rights, included sociologist and NAACP co-founder W.E.B. DuBois, educator Booker T. Washington, and author Langston Hughes.

Symphony No. 5 “Western Hemisphere” received its premiere in 1970, performed by Oberlin College Orchestra during Still’s 75^th birthday celebration at his alma mater. However, he first composed and completed the work in 1945, when it would have been his 3^rd symphony; the composer, however, withdrew it without a premiere, put it aside, and went on to compose many other works including the 4^th symphony. After making updates and revisions, he finally revealed the “Western Hemisphere” work 25 years later.

Breaking with classical tradition, Still asked his wife to give evocative, descriptive titles to the symphony’s four movements, which celebrate the diverse and vibrant cultures of the Americas. Herself a highly respected musician, poet, and journalist who also wrote most of the libretti to Still’s nine operas, masterfully did so.

George Gershwin – Piano Concerto in F Major

In 1925, hot on the heels of the wildly successful Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin was commissioned to write his first piano concerto by conductor Walter Damrosch for his Symphony Society of New York. “This showed great confidence on their part,” marveled the composer, “as I had never written anything for symphony before… I started to write the concerto in London, after buying four or five books on musical structure to find out what the concerto form actually was!”

Gershwin, then aged 27, had risen from very unlikely beginnings and acquired his musical reputation through a series of totally unconventional stops. Raised along with his older brother Ira in a non-musical family, his natural ability came to light at age 11 when his family bought a 2^nd-hand piano. With no formal training, he sat down and played a popular song he had taught himself by following the keys on a neighbor’s player piano. At 15, he dropped out of school to work as a song plugger on Tin Pan Alley, demonstrating sheet music, and playing in night clubs. In 1916, his first song was performed and published, as well as his first solo piano work. From that point on, he was a working composer on Broadway. Dozens of his songs had been performed in stage shows by 1919, when Al Jolson performed his song, Swanee. Its sudden, meteoric popularity made George Gershwin a household name.

Given that his widely-known reputation and popularity as a songwriter for Broadway was his main calling card, there was some question in high-brow drawing rooms whether Gershwin would be able to repeat the musical magic he achieved with Rhapsody in Blue. “Many persons had thought that the Rhapsody was only a happy accident. “Well, I went out, for one thing, to show them that there was plenty more where that had come from,” he stated. He was also determined to score the entire concerto himself, after Rhapsody had been orchestrated by composer Ferde Grofé. The Concerto in F Major premiered on December 3, 1925, with Gershwin himself at the piano, and went immediately on to be performed in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. According to the composer, the work represents, “the young, enthusiastic spirit of American life.”

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Susan Swinburne has been a lover and student of music since demanding piano lessons at age six. Her work in orchestra managment has enriched her life personally and professionally for the past three decades. A frequent patron of concert halls throughout Southern California, she lives, listens, writes, and researches in the South Bay.

Ludwig van Beethoven – Egmont Overture, Op. 84 (Long Beach Symphony’s inaugural piece in 1934)

There are no two greater icons of 19th century German culture than Ludwig van Beethoven and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Goethe, 21 years Beethoven’s senior, had such sweeping influence over German culture in his day that the many decades encompassing his life’s work are today referred to as the Goethezeit, the “Age of Goethe.” Beethoven, for his part, greatly respected and revered his elder, exalting him effusively in his letters to others and finally, in 1812, in a letter to Goethe himself.

When in 1809 Beethoven was engaged by the Court Theaters in Vienna to compose incidental music for a revival of Goethe’s 1787 play “Egmont in Weimar,” he could not have been happier, and the distinguished playwright was equally satisfied with his selection. While the two had never met in person, Goethe praised Beethoven’s artistry, saying “Beethoven has done wonders matching music to the text.”

The Egmont of Goethe’s play was a real 16^th century Dutch noble and, in the end, a martyr who sacrificed his life defending the rights of his people from the cruelty of an unjust Spanish overlord, the Duke of Alba. As the story goes, after numerous valiant but unsuccessful attempts to protect his countrymen and dissuade the overlord from further cruelty, Count Egmont is imprisoned and sentenced to death. As he faces the guillotine, he cries out that his death will not be in vain if it inspires the people to rise up and honor his sacrifice by continuing his battle over injustice. Egmont’s commitment to fight for his subjects’ rights had great appeal for Beethoven, whose own personal philosophy supported equality among men and opposed the nobles and monarchy. Egmont’s selfless valor, and the actual uprising that did actually ensue, inspired the “Victory Symphony” theme that concludes the Egmont overture, reflecting a passionate jubilation in dying for a righteous cause.

Fun fact: Beethoven came honestly by his disdain for royals and nobility. His surname, van Beethoven, gives us a clue. The “van” (not “von”) signals that his family was originally Dutch before settling in Germany; furthermore, it does not indicate any German noble connections, as “von” typically would. What does this variant in his surname reveal about Beethoven’s lineage?  It tells us that this great composer was the descendant of Dutch beet farmers!

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Anna Clyne – Quarter Days  WEST COAST PREMIERE – String Quartet

Anna Clyne is among the most often performed living composers, all the more interesting given that she came very late to composition as her life’s work. Before beginning serious studies in composition at the age of 20, she pursued other paths and intended to seek a degree in literature. All that changed when she performed Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” (her main instrument is cello) and realized that music was her true calling.

Clyne takes inspiration for her work from many phenomena and disciplines, including her love of literature and, especially, poetry. The work on tonight’s program, Quarter Days, was inspired by T.S. Eliot’s poem Burnt Norton, the first of four spiritual, mystical poems that together comprise The Four Quartets. Each of these four poems, which the poet considered his best work, is named after a place or location that carried deep personal and emotional meaning. Burnt Norton, an abandoned countryside estate that Eliot visited with a platonic lady friend, was built on the site of a former manor that was destroyed by the suicidal arson of its 18^th century owner.

Clyne takes this poem and its meditation on the passage of time – minutes, hours, days, years – and weaves a lush orchestral tapestry of melody, memory, and emotion. The piece is split into four movements:  Autumn Equinox, Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice. Says the composer, “The Solstices divide the year in half and the equinoxes into quarters. The “quarter days”, which have been observed at least since the Middle Ages…Quarter Days is a reflection on the passing of time.”

Burnt Norton (No. 1 of ‘Four Quartets’ by T.S. Eliot – excerpt)

Time present and time past

Are both perhaps present in time future,

And time future contained in time past.

If all time is eternally present

All time is unredeemable.

T.S. Eliot’s entire poem Burnt Norton, along with the other three poems that comprise The Four Quartets, may be enjoyed at http://www.coldbacon.com/poems/fq.html

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Antonín Dvořák – “Goin’ Home” (text by Fisher) and Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”

From 1892 to 1895, Antonín Dvořák was Director of the newly established National Conservatory of Music of America. He was invited to travel to the U.S. by wealthy philanthropist and Conservatory founder Jeannette Thurber, herself a trained musician who had a dream of creating a distinguished institution of musical training to rival those in Europe where she had studied, but with a distinctly American flavor. She chose Dvořák because of his worldwide recognition, which drew respect and conveyed stature, and for his formidable musical knowledge and reputation for pedagogy, but also because he was known to have an appreciation for the musical heritage of individual cultures. His reputation as a “nationalistic” composer was already established through his orchestral and voice compositions incorporating folk tunes and melodies. He accepted.

Dvořák did not disappoint. He embraced the history and traditions, sensibilities, and music of both Indigenous Americans – he was reportedly already acquainted with Longfellow’s seminal poem Hiawatha – and the Negro slaves whose musical signature is the Spiritual. He also took great pleasure in the vast open spaces of America, traveling widely and wondering at the natural beauty he encountered. All these uniquely American elements found places in the music he composed during his employment at the Conservatory.

Symphony No. 9, “From the New World,” incorporates many of these influences, including flavors of both Negro spirituals and indigenous tunes and rhythms. It was a major triumph at its 1893 New York premiere. The composer is on record saying, “I tried to write only in the spirit of those national American melodies.”

One of Dvořák’s students at the Conservatory was the composer and, later, teacher of harmony, William Arms Fisher. Fisher shared Dvořák’s love for American musical themes and became their devoted advocate throughout his long musical career. A 1927 NAACP article called him, “a worthy pupil and disciple of Dvořák.” His arrangement of Goin’ Home, based on a melancholy theme in the 2^nd movement of the New World Symphony, was published in 1922.

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Susan Swinburne has been a lover and student of music since demanding piano lessons at age six. Her work in orchestra managment has enriched her life personally and professionally for the past three decades. A frequent patron of concert halls throughout Southern California, she lives, listens, writes, and researches in the South Bay.

For Immediate Release:
Media contact: Sue Moylan. [email protected]

LONG BEACH SYMPHONY EXTENDS CONTRACTS FOR TOP LEADERS, MUSIC DIRECTOR ECKART PREU AND PRESIDENT KELLY RUGGIRELLO, THROUGH 2028-2029 SEASON

Long Beach, CA – 6/10/2024 – Long Beach Symphony is pleased to announce that it has reached agreements with its key artistic and administrative leaders through the 2028-2029 season. Eckart Preu has served as the Symphony’s Music Director since 2017 and Ruggirello was hired in 2013 to head up its administration.

“I am so honored to have the opportunity to continue serving as Music Director in this very special community,” said Eckart Preu, Music Director and Conductor. “The Long Beach Symphony is a family of dedicated musicians, staff, Board and volunteers who continually inspire me, and I couldn’t ask for a better team. We have so many exciting ideas and plans for the years ahead and I simply cannot wait for this next chapter to begin.”

Entering her 12th year as the Symphony’s President, Kelly Ruggirello continues to champion the creation of a new summer series in a proposed professional, outdoor amphitheater having been appointed by former Mayor Robert Garcia to the Queen Mary Land Development Task Force Commission in 2015. As well, LA28, the L.A. Olympics Committee is supportive of her vision to produce a multi-cultural arts festival coinciding with the 2028 Olympics and the 8 sporting events to be held in Long Beach. Ruggirello states, “I am grateful to have a tremendous partner in Eckart and the support of the Board of Directors as we celebrate our 90-year history while looking to an exciting future and new opportunities to serve this wonderful community.”

Preu and Ruggirello’s transformative work with the Cambodian community in Long Beach – the largest outside of Southeast Asia, garnered much praise and recognition, including receiving the inaugural 2023 Social Impact Award by the Association of California Symphony Orchestras for creating positive change and addressing a challenge or injustice in its community. These key leaders also launched the Symphony’s first Family series of concerts due to the generosity and shared vision of The RuMBa Foundation of Long Beach which committed $540,000 – the largest single gift in the Symphony’s history – over 4 years to fund this new initiative serving the families of Long Beach.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are absolutely thrilled to extend contracts to these two leaders who champion artistic excellence, award-winning music education programs and a profound commitment to our diverse community,” said Roger Goulette, Chairman of the Long Beach Symphony Board of Directors. “Eckart brings both innovation and a sense of tradition to Long Beach while Kelly’s dedication to our vision and mission of uniting all people through the transformative power of music ensures the Symphony’s growth, relevance, and service to our broad, diverse city.”

As Preu and Ruggirello look ahead to the future, they are firmly and passionately committed to continuing a tradition of excellence in its artistic, music education and collaborative multi-cultural programming.

ABOUT MUSIC DIRECTOR ECKART PREU

Maestro Eckart Preu began his tenure as Music Director of Long Beach Symphony in 2017 and has already made a strong impression on the city of Long Beach, surrounding regions, and with critics for his programming and dynamic stage presence. Critics, the orchestra, and audiences alike have celebrated his ability to combine well-loved masterworks with rare or newer works in programs offering dimension, sophistication, and spirit.

Preu also currently serves as Music Director of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra (OH) and Portland Symphony Orchestra (ME). Previously, he held the positions of Music Director of the Spokane Symphony (2004–2019) and Stamford Symphony (2005–2017), Associate Conductor of the Richmond Symphony (2001–2004), Resident Conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra (1997–2004) and of the American Russian Young Artists Orchestra (1999–2004). Other former posts include Music Director of the Norwalk (CT) Youth Symphony and Principal Conductor of the New Amsterdam Symphony (NY). He was associated with the Bard Music Festival from 1997 to 2004 as both Assistant and Guest Conductor. In Europe, Maestro Preu served as Music Director of the Orchestre International de Paris (1993–1995).

ABOUT PRESIDENT KELLY RUGGIRELLO

Kelly Ruggirello has led the Long Beach Symphony – celebrating its 90th season – since March 2013. During her tenure, the Long Beach Symphony has enjoyed tremendous growth and financial stability as well as new initiatives aimed at serving all residents in the city – one of the most diverse in the nation.

In recognition of her transformative work, the Symphony won the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce Award for Outstanding Non-profit in 2015 and Ms. Ruggirello won Mayor Garcia’s Go Long Beach Award in 2016, the award for outstanding arts management by the Arts Council for Long Beach and the NAACP Founders Award, both in 2017. In June of 2018, Ms. Ruggirello won the 40 Inspiring Leaders Award by the Nonprofit Center of Southern California. Dedicated to a thriving cultural landscape for all arts organizations in the region, Ms. Ruggirello was appointed by former Mayor Robert Garcia to the Queen Mary Land Development Task Force commission resulting in the City Council approval of a world-class amphitheater, aka “The Summer Home of the Long Beach Symphony” on Queen Mary Island.

Dedicated to strengthening orchestras and arts managers, Ms. Ruggirello served as President of the Board of Directors of the Association of California Symphony Orchestras and was a faculty member for the national service organizations, Chorus America and the League of American Orchestras. Having raised nearly $100 million during her career, she actively consults with local and national orchestras and choruses and serves as a presenter at state and national conferences. Committed to community service, Ms. Ruggirello is a Rotarian and elected to serve as President #109 in 2025/2026. She has been a proud Long Beach resident for over 37 years.

ABOUT LONG BEACH SYMPHONY

The premier producer of live, orchestral music in the greater Long Beach region and one of Southern California’s most renowned, professional regional orchestras, Long Beach Symphony’s vision is to unite people through the transformative power of music by engaging audiences of all ages and cultures through exceptional orchestral performances, community partnerships and meaningful educational experiences. Entering its 90th season, Long Beach Symphony is led by Music Director Eckart Preu and serves 70,000 community members annually through its robust concert and education activities. Five Classical concerts at the Terrace Theater are filled with dancing fountains, firepits, and the ability to sip and enjoy while experiencing classical and newer works. The Pops Series at the Long Beach Arena encourages audiences to bring their picnics and libations and enjoy indoor parties while dancing to the music by renowned artists and the power of a professional symphony orchestra. Its award-winning music education programs serve over 25,000 children annually through field trips, ensembles in the schools, family series, and instrument petting zoos. Located in one of the most diverse cities in the nation, the Symphony’s Musical Bridges program celebrates the musical artistry of the many diverse communities through free, collaborative multicultural performances.

For information on the 2024-2025 Season, please see our Calendar.

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Thursday, July 13, 2023 – The Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO) announced today that the Long Beach Symphony is the recipient of its 2023 Social Impact Award.

Launched this year, ACSO’s Social Impact Award is given to an organizational member that has created positive change or addressed a challenge or injustice in its community.

The Long Beach Symphony’s initiative, Musical Bridges, celebrates the musical artistry of the many diverse communities in Long Beach through free, collaborative, multicultural performances. Its inaugural Musical Bridges project took five years to develop and was presented in April 2023 in artistic collaboration with the Long Beach Cambodian community, the second largest Cambodian population in the world.

The resulting concert and festival were called KHMERASPORA and told the Cambodian American experience from genocide to camp relocation, to the Long Beach ghettos, and ultimately, the integration into the broader community. The program celebrated traditional and contemporary Cambodian artists and featured three world premieres by Cambodian composer Dr. Chinary Ung for a 15-member Long Beach Symphony ensemble and Cambodian dancers, instrumentalists, and singers. The brilliant vision of praCh Ly, the Cambodian American rapper who wrote, directed, and performed the one-hour piece, was to unite the fragmented Cambodian community by using both traditional art forms (nearly decimated by the Khmer Rouge) as well as contemporary performers. The impact on the Cambodian community was profound and deeply moving.

Long Beach Symphony partnered with Cambodia Town Inc., United Cambodian Community, Khmer Parent Association, Long Beach-Phnom Penh Sister Cities, Cambodia Town Film Festival, and many more organizations that said the collaboration had a profound impact on the Long Beach Cambodian community. In a collective letter of support they wrote, “Our story is personal and tragic but also one of survival and strength and it deserves to be told. Many of our genocide survivors and their children and grandchildren finally feel seen and heard. We also had a public forum to share out story with people who may have known nothing or little about the Cambodian genocide. It is partnerships like this that inspire trust, mutual respect, and understanding between cultures.”

“Thrilled to be in one of the most diverse cities in the United States, Long Beach Symphony has embraced its role to partner with many diverse groups and community leaders in our city of 500,000. Relevance and sustainability goals were outcomes of our recent, comprehensive strategic planning process,” said Kelly Ruggirello, President of Long Beach Symphony. “The result [of our Musical Bridges Initiative] was a community that finally felt heard and seen through a very difficult journey to freedom. Non-Cambodian attendees were educated about an important historical event and its impact on 20,000 Long Beach Cambodians. Also, there is an immense sense of gratitude that the Long Beach Symphony helped heal, unite, inspire, validate, and educate our city’s residents.”

ACSO Executive Director Sarah Weber said “With the Social Impact Award, ACSO seeks to recognize the work that orchestras are doing to serve, strengthen, and improve their communities both inside and outside the concert hall. ACSO believes that an orchestra’s value extends beyond the music that it performs – it can also serve as an agent to influence social change and make its community stronger and more connected. The Long

Beach Symphony exemplified social impact by collaborating with and providing a platform for the Long Beach Cambodian community to tell its story.”

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The premier producer of live music in the greater Long Beach region and one of Southern California’s most renowned, professional regional orchestras, Long Beach Symphony’s vision is to unite people through the transformative power of music by engaging audiences of all ages and cultures through exceptional orchestral performances, community partnerships and meaningful educational experiences. www.longbeachsymphony.org

The Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO), founded in 1969, is a member service organization representing 120 classical music organizations and their 2,000 board and staff in its network. ACSO’s members are comprised of professional, academic, youth, and community-based orchestras, choruses, and festivals in California and the western region. ACSO’s annual awards program recognizes remarkable individuals and organizations for their meaningful contributions to the orchestra field. To read about all our 2023 award winners, click here. www.acso.org

LONG BEACH, CA, June 21, 2023 – Long Beach Symphony, under the direction of Maestro Eckart Preu, announces its 2023-2024 Classical and Pops seasons.

CLASSICAL SERIES LINE UP
A Fun & Elegant Evening. Sip & Enjoy.
8pm: Terrace Theater (7pm Pre-Talk)
Opening Night with Andreas Boyde(10/21/23)
Bernstein, Hindustani Violin Concerto, Long Beach Ballet (11/18/23)
Pictures at an Exhibition (Ravel) (2/17/24)
Brahms Requiem (3/9/24)
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (6/1/24)

POPS SERIES LINE UP
Indoor Picnicking & Dancing
8pm: Long Beach Arena
A Beatles Celebration by Classical Mystery Tour (10/28/23)
Holiday Swing with Byron Stripling (12/9/23)
Windborne’s Music of the Rolling Stones (2/3/24)
The Music of Fleetwood Mac (3/23/24)
Disco Fever Dance Party (5/4/24)

* All Classical concerts and Beatles Celebration are conducted by Maestro Eckart Preu. Programs, dates, and artists are subject to change. Concert details found below.

The CLASSICAL Season opener on October 21, 2023 features the beautiful The Moldau by Smetana and Andreas Boyde, sharing his virtuosity in Dvorak’s Piano Concerto. On November 18, 2023, Kala Ramnath performs the Hindustani Violin Concerto written for her by Indian American composer Reena Esmail in a program also presenting Long Beach Ballet in Bernstein’s Fancy Free. Pictures at an Exhibition takes center stage on February 17, 2024 as audiences also enjoy Long Beach Symphony Principal Cello, Cécilia Tsan performing Dvořák’s Cello Concerto. The Long Beach Camerata Singers provide the vocal forces in the powerful Brahms Requiem and the gorgeous Serenade to Music by Vaughan Williams on March 9, 2024. The season culminates on June 1, 2024 spotlighting the brilliant pianist Awadagin Pratt in one of the most famous works of all time, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 to provide the perfect ending to a great season of music.

Music Director Eckart Preu adds,
“Our Classical Season has something for everyone! Sip, relax and enjoy a beverage while hearing the great masterworks by Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Mussorgsky, as well as rarely heard works by Florence Price, Guillaume Conneson and Reena Esmail.”

Audiences love the unique Long Beach Symphony Pops experience as they enjoy indoor picnicking while singing and dancing the night away inside the Long Beach Arena’s Pacific Ballroom. Opening on October 28, 2023 with A Beatles Celebration, four musicians from the Classical Mystery Tour celebrate Beatlemania and the 60th Anniversary of the first Beatles U.S. tour. A powerhouse trumpeter with a soulful voice, conductor Byron Stripling will entertain with his infectious yuletide joy and blazing virtuosity in seasonal tunes for Holiday Swing on December 9, 2023. The Music of the Rolling Stones by Windborne on February 3, 2024 features a full rock band and Long Beach Symphony delivering timeless hit songs like “Satisfaction”, “Ruby Tuesday”, “Honky Tonk Woman”, “Angie” and many more! A night devoted to the best of Fleetwood Mac on March 23, 2024 will have audiences singing along to “Go Your Own Way”, “Rhiannon”, “Dreams”, “The Chain”, and – of course – “Landslide.” The Pops season concludes on May 4, 2024 with a Disco Fever Dance Party as thousands dance the night away in their boogie shoes to this 70’s extravaganza featuring Classical Night Fever as “The Ultimate Disco Party Band”.

All programs, dates and artists are subject to change. For more information or to purchase subscriptions visit www.LongBeachSymphony.org or call 562-436-3203.

ABOUT LONG BEACH SYMPHONY
Featuring Southern California’s finest orchestra musicians, Long Beach Symphony marks its 89th season and seventh season of its Music Director, Eckart Preu.
The Symphony presents more than 100 concerts and events a year and a rich array of education and community engagement programs that reach more than 70,000 residents from school children to senior citizens. Core to its offerings is a five-concert Classical series performed at the Long Beach Terrace Theater as well as a five-concert Pops series in the Long Beach Arena’s Pacific Ballroom.
The Symphony has received international stature through its dedication to presenting both classical masterworks and contemporary as well as multicultural work through unique collaborations. The Symphony presented its first premiere in 1939 and since then has commissioned and/or premiered 25 works.
Long Beach Symphony won the 1998 ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and produced two recordings entitled Impressions of the Sea (1998) and Pictures (2000). Committed to supporting arts and culture in the region, it regularly produces artistic collaborations with local organizations such as Long Beach Camerata Singers, Long Beach Ballet, California State University Long Beach, Museum of Latin and American Art, and Aquarium of the Pacific. Long Beach Symphony was awarded the Long Beach Heritage Preservation Award in 2012, the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce Award for Outstanding Nonprofit Organization in 2015 and in 2017 honored by the Long Beach NAACP. For more information and to subscribe, please visit www.LongBeachSymphony.org.

Long Beach Symphony 2023-2024 Classical Season Details
All concerts in the Long Beach Terrace Theater at 8:00PM. Doors open at 6:30 for 7:00PM Pre-Concert Talks with Maestro Eckart Preu and guest artists. All concerts conducted by Music Director Eckart Preu. Patrons can enjoy sipping on their beverages during the concert.

October 21, 2023 OPENING NIGHT WITH ANDREAS BOYDE
Andreas Boyde, piano
Brahms –Hungarian Dances
Dvořák –Piano Concerto
Smetana –from My Fatherland: The Moldau, Sárka, From Bohemia’s Woods & Fields
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November 18, 2023 BERNSTEIN
Kala Ramnath, violinist
Long Beach Ballet, dancers
Stravinsky –Pulcinella Suite
Reena Esmail –Hindustani Violin Concerto
Joplin –Treemonisha Overture
Bernstein –Fancy Free
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February 17, 2024 PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
Cécilia Tsan, cello
Florence Price –Concert Overture No. 2
Dvořák –Cello Concerto
Mussorgsky (Ravel) –Pictures at an Exhibition
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March 9, 2024 BRAHMS REQUIEM
Long Beach Camerata Singers, chorus
Kevin Deas, baritone and Elissa Johnston, soprano
Connesson –Cosmic Trilogy
Vaughan Williams –Serenade to Music
Brahms –Requiem
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June 1, 2024 TCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1
Awadagin Pratt, piano
Bruckner –Symphony No. 4 “Romantic”
Tchaikovsky –Piano Concerto No. 1

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Long Beach Symphony 2023-2024 Pops Season Details
All concerts at Long Beach Arena, Pacific Ballroom. Doors open at 6:30 PM for indoor picnicking; concerts begin at 8:00 PM. Outside Food and Drinks encouraged. All programs are subject to change.

October 28, 2023 A BEATLES CELEBRATION BY CLASSICAL MYSTERY TOUR
Eckart Preu, Conductor

December 9, 2023 HOLIDAY SWING
Byron Stripling, Conductor

February 3, 2024 WINDBORNE’S MUSIC OF THE ROLLING STONES
Brent Havens, Conductor

March 23, 2024 THE MUSIC OF FLEETWOOD MAC
Mark Alpizar, Conductor

May 4, 2024 A DISCO FEVER DANCE PARTY
Roger Kalia, Conductor

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