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