Conductor Donato Cabrera Announces 2021-2022 Concert Season

Conductor Donato Cabrera's 2021-2022 season is his ninth with the California Symphony and eighth with the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

As Music Director of both orchestras, Cabrera's programming showcases a personalized and integrated vision, highlighting diversity and celebrating the return to live performances. California Symphony's new season furthers its promise to present innovative programming, exciting guest artists, and music by living composers, women, and composers of color including Jessie Montgomery, Marianna Martines, Katherine Balch, George Walker, and Viet Cuong.

For Las Vegas Philharmonic's new season, Cabrera has selected a season that includes all of Beethoven's Symphonies interwoven with contemporary works by female composers including Anna Clyne, Gabriela Lena Frank, Missy Mazzoli, Jessie Montgomery, and Caroline Shaw.

In addition to his engagements with California Symphony and Las Vegas Philharmonic, Cabrera will guest conduct Opera San José in its season-opening production of Rimsky-Korsakov's Mozart and Salieri, available to stream online September 30 - October 31, 2021. Additionally, Cabrera will perform as guest conductor and Music Director candidate with Monterey Symphony on February 19 and 20, 2022, presenting Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5; Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 (with cellist Julian Schwarz); and Alone Together, a new work by the Monterey Symphony's composer-in-residence, John Christopher Wineglass.

"The programming I have chosen for both the California Symphony and Las Vegas Philharmonic reflects upon and acknowledges the reality that our communities have been without live music for well over a year and a half," says Cabrera. "I have planned seasons of music that acknowledge what we missed, but also look to the future. While the music from the standard orchestral repertoire will give us an opportunity for reflection and teach us to be a community again, the music of many diverse contemporary composers will give us hope for the future and remind us that classical music is a living, breathing art form, full of new and beautiful sounds, just waiting for us to hear them for the first time!"

Other season highlights include the introduction of cellist Joshua Roman as the Artist-in-Residence at the Las Vegas Philharmonic, as well as a world premiere performance in May 2022 of a new work by Juan Pablo Contreras, a co-commission led by the Las Vegas Philharmonic through New Music USA's Amplifying Voices, supported by the Sphinx Venture Fund. California Symphony presents two world premieres by composers in its Young American Composer-in-Residence program. The final commission by Katherine Balch (who held the position from 2017-2020) will premiere in March 2022 (rescheduled from Spring 2020). The second commission by the current Composer-in-Residence, Viet Cuong, will be premiered in May 2022.

Donato Cabrera's 2021-2022 California Symphony Schedule

All performances take place at Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek, CA). Tickets are on sale at www.californiasymphony.org or through the Lesher Center Box Office by phone (925.943.7469) or in person.

Tickets include a free, 30-minute pre-concert talk starting one hour before each performance.

Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 7:30pm & Sunday, September 19, 2021 at 4pm

Emperor - A joyous and soul-soothing start to the season

Information: www.californiasymphony.org/shows/emperor

Marianna Martines: Sinfonia

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) - Adam Golka, piano

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5

Saturday, November 6, 2021 at 7:30pm & Sunday, November 7, 2021 at 4pm

Four Seasons - A seasonal celebration of all things strings

Information: www.californiasymphony.org/shows/four-seasons

Walker: Lyric for Strings

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons - Alexi Kenney, violin

Jessie Montgomery: Starburst

Schubert: Death and the Maiden (arr. Mahler)

Saturday, January 29, 2022 at 7:30pm & Sunday, January 30, 2022 at 4pm

Take Flight - Selections inspired by our fine feathered friends

Information: www.californiasymphony.org/shows/take-flight

Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending - Jennifer Cho, violin

Haydn: Symphony No. 83 ("The Hen")

Sibelius: Swan of Tuonela

Dvořák: Symphony No. 8

Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 7:30pm & Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 4pm

French Impressions - Vive la differénce! Music with French connections both old and new

Information: www.californiasymphony.org/shows/french-impressions

Thomas Adès: Three Studies from Couperin

Katherine Balch: Illuminate (World Premiere) Kelly Guerra, mezzo-soprano; Molly Netter, soprano; Alexandra Smither, soprano

Debussy: Danse (orch. Ravel)

Ravel: Ma Mère l'Oye (Mother Goose)

Saturday, May 14, 2022 at 7:30pm & Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 4pm

Epic Finale - Go big and go home

Information: www.californiasymphony.org/shows/epic-finale

Viet Cuong: World Premiere

Elgar: Cello Concerto - Nathan Chan, cello

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5

Donato Cabrera's 2021-2022 Las Vegas Philharmonic Schedule

All performances take place at The Smith Center (61 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas, NV).

Tickets are on sale at www.lvphil.org or through the Smith Center Box Office by phone (702.749.2000) or in person.

Donato Cabrera and special guests will host pre-concert conversations one hour prior to each performance in Reynolds Hall to discuss the works to be performed and the history behind the music.

Saturday, October 23, 2021 at 7:30pm

Fanfare!

Information: www.lvphil.org/events/fanfare

Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man

Dvořák: Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104 - Joshua Roman, cello

Joan Tower: Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64

Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 7:30pm

Beethoven Triple Concerto

Information: www.lvphil.org/events/opening-night-beethoven-triple-concerto

Missy Mazzoli: These Worlds In Us

Beethoven: Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano in C Major, Op.56 - Tessa Lark, violin; Joshua Roman, cello; David Fung, piano

Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op.21

Saturday, December 4, 2021 at 2pm & 7:30pm

Very Vegas Holiday

Information: www.lvphil.org/events/very-vegas-holiday-2 and www.lvphil.org/events/very-vegas-holiday-3

Keith Thompson, host

Travis Cloer, vocals

Vita Corimbi, vocals

Clint Holmes, vocals

Michelle Johnson, vocals

The season will shine merry and bright when the talented performers from Very Vegas Showcase hosted by Keith Thompson, return to sing classic seasonal favorites and local originals with our symphony orchestra in a holiday spectacular like no other!

Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 7:30pm

Cabrera Conducts Beethoven No. 6 & 8 and Shaw

Information: www.lvphil.org/events/beethoven-no-6-8-and-shaw

Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op.93

Caroline Shaw: Entr'acte

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op.68

Saturday, February 12, 2022 at 7:30pm

Cabrera Conducts Beethoven No. 4 & 5 and Montgomery

Information: www.lvphil.org/events/beethoven-no-4-5-and-montgomery

Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, Op.60

Jessie Montgomery: Strum

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op.67

Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 7:30pm

Cabrera Conducts Beethoven No. 3 and Frank

Information: www.lvphil.org/events/beethoven-no-3-and-frank

Gabriela Lena Frank: Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout

To post a comment, you must register and login.