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

SACRAMENTO PHILHARMONIC & OPERA ANNOUNCES SPRING SOIRÉES DIGITAL SERIES

Presenting a Four-Concert Set of Works for Strings, Winds, and Brass & Percussion this Spring

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera (SP&O) is pleased to announce its new digital
series Spring Soirées for audiences to enjoy from their homes. The programs, conducted by Stuart Chafetz, will
showcase musicians from the string, woodwind, brass, and percussion sections from the SP&O.

Spring Soirées will begin on Saturday, April 24 with Seductive Strings as SP&O string players perform works by Grieg,
Albéniz, and Lecuona, featuring SP&O Principal Harpist Anna Maria Mendieta. Then, on Saturday, May 8, American
Masters will feature the works of America’s most celebrated composers, including Aaron Copland and John Williams.
On Saturday, May 22, SP&O musicians will perform the works of Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and others in Tchaikovsky
and More. The series will conclude on Saturday, June 5 with French Romance featuring a variety of French selections
from composers such as Debussy and Gounod, again showcasing Ms. Mendieta.

Each stream will begin at 7 PM, and then will be available on-demand afterwards. Each is provided as a “Thank You”
to those who have donated $25 or more to the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera’s Annual Fund. All streams are
available free of charge to subscribers and current ticketholders.

Executive Director Alice Sauro comments: “We remain committed to providing music to our region to inspire our
audiences, and bring new listeners to their Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera. This is a wonderful collection of
musical works showcasing the virtuosity of the orchestra’s musicians. Audiences have responded positively to these
digital offerings, and we look forward welcoming them when we can all safely return to in-person concerts.”

Each concert was recorded at the Mondavi Center’s Jackson Hall. Guest Conductor Stuart Chafetz, who curated the
programs with the musicians, is eager to perform again with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera. “One of the
most compelling aspects of these concerts is the unique programmatic opportunity to feature some of the
repertoire’s best works. Patrons will be able to hear the musicians’ talent in a more intimate way and experience pieces that are not often programmed.”

More details regarding the Spring Soirées digital series will be announced in the coming weeks. For questions or comments, please contact (916) 476-5975 or email info@sacphilopera.org.

Digital Chamber Music Series Launched as Orchestra and Musicians Finalize Landmark Contract

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SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA — The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera (SP&O) is proud to announce its Fall Digital Chamber Music Series, bringing music into the homes of audiences via live stream as COVID restrictions continue. Additionally, it is pleased to announce that it has reached a collaborative agreement with its musicians in response to the pandemic for the 2020-21 season.

The SP&O Fall Digital Chamber Music Series will commence on November 21 with a recital by concertmaster Dan Flanagan. Then, in December, the SP&O will offer a two-week Beethoven Festival, commemorating the composer’s 250th birthday, featuring interviews, lectures, and some of Beethoven’s most magnificent chamber works, including String Quartet Op. 59 No. 1 and Wind Octet in E-flat major, Op. 103. Also in December, the SP&O will celebrate the season’s spirit with a holiday brass concert. All of these performances will feature the SP&O’s very own musicians.

Each stream is available free of charge to subscribers and current ticketholders. Each will also be provided as a “Thank You” to those donating $25 or more to the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera’s Annual Fund.

Executive Director Alice Sauro comments: “Audiences embraced us when we returned just over five years ago, and since then, they have kept almost every concert full. So many have experienced the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera in our home, and now, it gives us great pleasure to bring the orchestra to their homes. Our great community has waited seven months for music, and we are delighted to be bringing it back.”

These concerts are possible through a just-reached agreement with SP&O musicians for the abbreviated 2020- 21 season. Erika Miranda, Chair of the SP&O Orchestra Committee, commended the flexibility of her colleagues throughout the process. “All the musicians of the orchestra are very excited about returning to the stage with freshly expanded ways of connecting with our audiences through a new spectrum of live performances as well as exploring the many dynamic possibilities of the digital realm.”

The agreement guarantees a number of services for each musician and allows maximum artistic flexibility, important as the SP&O explores programming possibilities for 2021. The renovated SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center is set to re-open in the spring of 2021, and the SP&O is preparing to resume concerts in this space the moment COVID restrictions ease.

Board President Virginia A. Varela said, “Our collaborative spirit of innovation remains a core value and was our beacon as we fashioned this agreement. This harmony between musicians, board, management and community is the catalyst behind the credibility that has been established over the past five years artistically and financially. Budgets have balanced annually, and houses are filled with dedicated subscribers, defying a purported national trend.”

An announcement about the remainder of the 2020-21 season will come at a later date, and see below for further details regarding the Digital Chamber Series. For questions or comments, please contact (916) 476-5975 or email info@sacphilopera.org.

2020 Fall Digital Chamber Music Series At-a-Glance

Saturday, November 21st – Solo Recital
Beach: Romance & Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 100
Dan Flanagan, violin

Saturday, December 5th- Beethoven @ 250 – Concert #1
Beethoven: String Quartet Op. 59, No. 1 “Rasumovsky”
Dan Flanagan, Dagenais Smiley, violin
Jacob Joseph, viola
Robin Bonnell, cello

Saturday, December 12th – Beethoven @ 250 – Concert #2
Beethoven: Wind Octet in E -flat major, Op. 103
Jesse Barrett, Ruth Stuart Burroughs, oboe
Ginger Kroft, Sandra McPherson, clarinet
Eric Achen, Janis Lieberman, horn
David Granger, Karla Ekholm, bassoon

Saturday, December 19th – Holiday Brass
Carols, classics, holiday hits and more. A festive blast of holiday brass!

FREE to subscribers and current ticketholders, and each can be provided as a “thank you” to those donating $25 or more to the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera’s Annual Fund.

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What began as the Sacramento Symphony in 1927 is now combined into the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, returning with authority as a melded organization in 2015. The organization is now entering its sixth season under the executive leadership of Alice Sauro, and offers musical power, beauty, and innovation. As one of the region’s premier arts ensembles, the organization continues to bring excellent and engaging artistic talent to audiences throughout the community.