Calling all musicians
Beethoven’s Ode to Joy
with Maestro Donato Cabrera
About the Event
AMN is teaming up with the California Symphony to share in the expression of joy through music. This is an open workshop in a public courtyard led by Donato Cabrera.
Date and Time
Saturday, September 21, 2024 | 5–5:30 pm Pacific
- 4:30pm Arrival and Seating
- 5pm Workshop and Play Through
Location
Water Light Public Plaza | 1501 Locust St, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
**This is an outdoor courtyard without a covering; however, the space is 100% shaded at the time of the event.
Who should attend?
All orchestra musicians will benefit from joyful gathering to play through the Ode to Joy theme with feedback from California Symphony’s music director. All levels are welcome!
How should I prepare?
Download your music and learn your part. Bring your instrument, your part, and a music stand and be prepared to have a great time!
Is there a cost?
FREE for all participants but you must register in advance. Invite your friends and family to watch from the sidelines! This is a free public event.
About the Mentors
Founded in 1986, California Symphony has been led by Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera since 2013. It is distinguished by its innovative programming and for redefining the concert experience. Reaching far beyond its concert series at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California, the orchestra’s performances have been broadcast nationally on multiple radio series through Classical California (KUSC/KDFC) and the WFMT Radio Network, reaching over 1.5 million listeners across the country. In 2017, California Symphony became the first orchestra with a public statement of a commitment to diversity, and it’s one of just a few orchestras to offer a website that is available in both Spanish and English.
Mexican-American conductor Donato Cabrera is the Artistic and Music Director of the California Symphony. He served as the Resident Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony and the Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra from 2009-2016. Cabrera is one of only a handful of conductors in history who has conducted performances with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, and the San Francisco Ballet. He is dedicated to adventurous programming, a leading advocate for living composers and digital innovation, and is keenly focused on outreach, engagement, and programming that reflects the communities he is serving. Cabrera co-founded the New York-based American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME), which is dedicated to the outstanding performance of masterworks from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Deeply committed to diversity and education through the arts, Cabrera evaluates the scope, breadth, and content of the California Symphony’s music education programs, including its nationally recognized Sound Minds program and adult-education oriented Fresh Look: The Symphony Exposed weekly summer lecture series. As Resident Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony, Cabrera worked closely with its then Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, and frequently conducted the orchestra in a variety of concerts, including all of the education and family concerts, reaching over 70,000 children throughout the Bay Area every year.
Workshop Materials
Music stands will NOT be supplied: Please remember to bring your stand and your music.
NOTE: a small number of chairs will be available for cellists and others who need to play seated. All others will play standing for this half-hour workshop.