Record audiences and contributions: 400,000 greater Sacramentans reached; $10 million in gifts and sponsorships made

Sacramento, CA, June 30, 2023: A decade after the merger of Sacramento’s orchestra and opera company and eight years after the eventual triumphant return to concerts and operas, the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera (SP&O) completed its 2022-23 season with a chorus of unprecedented achievements. Fighting a national headwind emanating from the pandemic, which continues to stymy performing arts organizations across the nation, SP&O has now performed for a record 400,000 greater Sacramentans through orchestra, opera, pops, grade school, pop-up, and civic partnership concerts and events since 2015, including three sold-out performances at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center (SAFE PAC) this season alone.

The key to the SP&O’s triumphant return and fiscal stability has been a reliable and growing subscription base coupled with the Sacramento Region’s philanthropic generosity. Subscription revenue increased nearly 45% over a year ago, with the number of subscribers crossing 1,000 for the first time since before the pandemic. And, since 2015, over $10 million in gifts and sponsorships have been made to the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera and the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera Foundation.

A key tenet of the merger between the Sacramento Philharmonic and the Sacramento Opera, the new Company has presented six operas in the past 8 years for a combined audience exceeding 12,000, featuring nationally celebrated artists and directors earning critical and audience acclaim.

“For everyone who works on behalf of the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera, it is a tremendous privilege to be able to serve Sacramento with great music,” exalts Giuliano Kornberg, the SP&O’s Executive Director. “Selling hundreds of thousands of tickets to orchestral, operatic, and pops performances in eight years was once viewed as a pipe dream. Now, it’s the new baseline for our ambitions — a foundation from which we will continue to serve and partner with audiences across the Region.”

In addition to those attending orchestral and opera presentations, the SP&O has reached 25,000 3^rd-5^th grade students in Title 1 Schools through music education offerings including full orchestra “Link Up” concerts in partnership with Carnegie Hall. As one of the largest and most frequent Sacramento-based tenants of the SAFE PAC and the predecessor Community Center Theater, in eight years the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera has held more than 250 concert events and rehearsals at the SAFE PAC, engaging more than 650 greater Sacramento classical musicians and chorus members and bringing to Sacramento some 160 internationally celebrated guest artists and conductors.

“While our principal performing venue is the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center, our commitment to the greater Sacramento Region extends into every corner of our region,” observes John Shirey, retired Sacramento City Manager and the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera’s Board President. “In recent years, we have offered 175 pop-up concerts, and our remarkable musicians have performed for some quarter-million individuals outside the SAFE PAC at multiple events including Run to Feed the Hungry, a 4^th of July performance at Sutter Health Park, and Andrea Bocelli at the Golden 1 Center. It’s an incredible story of resilience and service to our Region.”

SP&O’s 2023-24 season is on sale, with subscription sales already outpacing this year’s strong results. Programs range from Dvořák’s legendary Symphony No. 9, “From the New World,” to Johann Strauss’ hysterical opera, Die Fledermaus, to Ravel’s arrangement of Mussorgsky’s epoch Pictures at an Exhibition. Subscriptions are available at www.sacphilopera.org; single tickets go on sale in August.

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Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera

With its mission to build community, inspire a love of the performing arts, and enrich lives through music, the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera is the collaborative leader in the cultural growth of the Greater Sacramento Region, having reclaimed its place as one of the region’s leading performing arts organizations. Since its triumphant return in 2015, the SP&O has made tremendous artistic, community, and fiscal strides through a business model that has solidly moved from one of instability to one of stability.

Today, the SP&O serves as a vibrant cultural community asset – one that is shaped by Sacramento, whose offerings are uniquely of Sacramento, and whose vision for the future is designed for Sacramento. The SP&O continues its stellar concerts, operas, and community engagement programs that bring the passion of classical music to the stage, schools, hospitals, shelters, and more. We look forward to continually benefiting this region through our work and expanding our impact of how we can serve this growing, thriving community.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Giuliano Kornberg
gkornberg@sacphilopera.org

Major step forward in Building Future Leadership

“When I first worked with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, I was in awe of the quality of musicianship this organization produces, and I have happily returned again and again to conduct this fine ensemble,” Pelto reflected. “The connection I feel with the musicians is special, and I look forward to continuing to work with them and bring the best in orchestral music and opera to this community.”
As Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor, Pelto will shape the artistic profile of the SP&O, provide consistency from the podium by conducting at least three concerts each year, and advise the SP&O on artistic matters including auditions, season programming, the selection of guest artists and conductors, and more that will enable the SP&O to grow artistically.

The SP&O relies on support from the community to bring artists of Pelto’s caliber to Sacramento and perform great concerts. Naming an artistic advisor and principal conductor is only possible with the support of Doris Matsui and Roger Sant, who have been staunch supporters and advocates of the SP&O since its comeback.

Congresswoman Matsui and Mr. Sant shared that “Sacramento wouldn’t be the community that it is without a lively and thriving arts community, which includes the Philharmonic & Opera. To be successful, organizations need strong leadership, and we are proud to help make that possible. We look forward to seeing Ari and this great organization continue to grow and strengthen.”

About Ari Pelto

Widely known for performances that have been called “poetic, earthy, vigorous” and “highly individual,” Finnish American conductor Ari Pelto is in demand in opera houses and with symphony orchestras throughout the United States.

Appointed Music Director at Opera Colorado in 2015, Pelto has also conducted the New York City Opera, San Diego Opera, Atlanta Ballet, Atlanta Opera, Lyric Opera Kansas City, Virginia Opera, Portland Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera Memphis, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Boston Lyric Opera, Chautauqua Festival, Western Opera Theatre (the touring company of San Francisco Opera), Utah Symphony and Opera, Chicago Opera Theater and Chicago College of Performing Arts.

Maestro Pelto was assistant conductor at Spoleto Festival and with Florida West Coast Symphony and a frequent guest with The Florida Orchestra and Toledo Symphony. More recently, he conducted Omaha Symphony, Utah Symphony, and Detroit Symphony in a variety of symphonic works. His international appearances include performances with the Bochumer Philharmoniker, New National Theatre of Tokyo, and the Teatro Nacional Sucre in Quito, Ecuador. A masterful collaborator with dancers, Ari has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with the Atlanta Ballet.

Pelto is a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, and studied conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Rubin Academy in Jerusalem, and with Imre Pallo at Indiana University.

Concerts conducted by Mr. Pelto in the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera 2023-2024 season include the following:

BRAHMS’ STORMY SYMPHONY NO. 4
Saturday, November 18, 2023

Ari Pelto, conductor
Zlatomir Fung, cello

MENDELSSOHN The Hebrides, op. 26 (Fingal’s Cave)
ELGAR Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85
BRAHMS Symphony No. 4

MICHELLE CANN PLAYS RACHMANINOFF
Saturday, January 20, 2024

Ari Pelto, conductor
Michelle Cann, piano

PROKOFIEV Suite from Lieutenant Kijé, Op. 60
RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
Saturday, March 9, 2024

Ari Pelto, conductor

PRICE The Oak, symphonic poem FAURÉ Suite from Pélleas et Mélisande, op. 80
MUSSORGSKY/RAVEL Pictures at an Exhibition

Subscription packages are on sale now, with seven-concert packages starting at $140. Single tickets will go on sale in August. For more information or to purchase a subscription, visit sacphilopera.org or call 916-476-5975. The 2023-24 Season is underwritten by the Nancy and Hank Fisher Family Fund.

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About the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera:

The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera builds community, inspires a love of the performing arts, and enriches lives through symphonic and opera music. Its current 2022-23 season, with seven performances total including two operas, began on October 22, 2022, with a performance featuring “The Firebird” and ends on May 20, 2023, with a staged production of La Bohème. To learn more about the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera and its 2022-23 season and programs, visit https://www.sacphilopera.org/.

What a fabulous way to finish the month! The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera featured conductor Francois Lopez-Ferrer and cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan on January 28. This was such a special performance of the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto No. 1 and Ravel’s Bolero. It even included a surprise duet with Narek and our harpist, Anna Maria Mendieta, playing the Swan.

The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera hosted pianist Janice Carissa and conductor Douglas Boyd on January 21 for a nearly sold out crowd. Our orchestra expertly performed the dynamic Ravel Piano Concerto in G, with Janice gracefully dancing around the keyboard. What a special evening!

We have the best patrons! Thank you to everyone who attended Beethoven’s Eroica in January! We appreciate your love of the performing arts. If you took a picture in front of our Step and Repeat Banner, you can download yours below! See you February 25 for our first Opera, Pagliacci!

LINK TO PHOTOS

https://drive.google.com/…/1xqG2FJEmaKIvfqVrhYW2h300O6t…

The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera hosted singer Nicholas Phan, and French horn player Chris Cooper. They performed the Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings beautifully last Saturday. A huge shoutout for the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera Chorus! They sang the Mozart Mass in C minor behind soloists Liisa Davila, Julie Miller, Salvatore Atti, and Richard Ollarsaba, conducted by Ari Pelto and Bruce Olstad. This was a spectacle to witness and we are so thankful for all of our outstanding musicians!

To the Sacramento community, thank you so much for making Mozart’s Magnificent Mass special! We filled over 90% of the house and enjoyed spectacular music. If you took a picture in front of our step and repeat banner, you may find yours in the link below. Simply right-click your photo, click download, and tag @sacphilopera when posting! We can’t wait to see you at our next concert on January 21!!

Link to Photos

With over 90% of our patrons rating this performance 4 or 5 stars and more than 1,500 tickets sold, The Firebird on October 22nd was a great success! We want to thank our guest artists Lidiya Yankovskaya, Tai Murray, and John Wineglass for your incredible artistry. Thank you to our fabulous Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera musicians for your professionalism and hard work! Happy birthday to our Tubist Julian Dixon! We hope to see everyone at our next performance on November 19!

To the Sacramento community, thank you so much for making our Opening Night special! If you took a picture in front of our step and repeat banner, you may find yours in the link below. Simply right-click your photo, click download, and tag @sacphilopera when posting! We can’t wait to see you at our next concert on November 19th!

Link to Photos

The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera String Trio performed at Sacramento Children’s Museum for a crowd of all ages! Thank you to the City of Rancho Cordova Government for sponsoring this fun concert! Contact us to find out how to get a string trio at your next event.

Dagenais Smiley – Violin

Edward Wharton – Viola

Lena Bonhorst Andaya – Cello

The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera Brass Quintet performed classical and pops favorites at the KP International Market. Thank you to the City of Rancho Cordova Government for sponsoring this concert! Contact us to get a brass group at your next event!

James Rodseth & William Harvey – Trumpet

Eric Achen – Horn

Steve Perdicaris – Trombone

Julian Dixon – Tuba