Symphony San Jose Announces 2024 / 2025 Season

Symphony San Jose has announced its 2024/2025 season—one filled with an exciting mix of classical masterpieces, contemporary discoveries, light classics, film music, pops, ballet, and education concerts. The Symphony will present nine productions totaling 27 performances in San Jose's majestic California Theatre. 

“San Jose's connection to symphonic music runs deep,” said Executive Artistic Director Robert Massey. “It can be traced back to the 1870s when musicians came together and formed the city's first orchestra. Today, the talented orchestral musicians of Symphony San Jose are key to the city's unique cultural identity, ensuing live, world-renowned music continues to flourish in the South Bay.”

Masterworks of the Classical Canon. Anchoring the season are symphonic classics beginning with Jon Nakamatsu and the Jazz Age featuring music from the 1920s including Gershwin's An American in Paris and Ravel's Bolero with conductor Elinor Rufeizen and local Van Cliburn winner Jon Nakamatsu performing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Copland's Piano Concerto. Argentinian conductor Carlos Vieu returns to lead The Firebird, a program consisting of Sibelius' Finlandia, Brahms' Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Possetti's Bullanguera, and Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. Newly-named Resident Conductor of the Nashville Symphony Nathan Aspinall will conduct Beethoven's Eroica, featuring Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, R. Strauss' Death and Transfiguration, and Pärt's Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten. Japanese conductor Tatsuya Shimono returns for The Planets—An HD Odyssey featuring the popular Holst work, Mozart's Symphony No. 41, and Montgomery's Starburst. The season closes with España—a musical trip through Spain led by Jose Luis Gomez and featuring Frank's Escaramuza, Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez performed by guitarist Rafael Aguirre, Ravel's Rapsodie Espagnole, and Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnole.

Symphonic Spectaculars. New this year are three concerts consisting of a mix of familiar favorites, light classics, pops, and film music. Halloween Spooktacular features haunting harmonies with music including J.S. Bach's Toccata & Fugue, Saint-Saëns Danse Macabre, Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain, Bernard Herrmann's Psycho Suite, and John Williams' Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Holiday Spectacular celebrates “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” with the Symphony, Symphony San Jose Chorale, Cantabile Youth Singers, and New Ballet performing holiday classics, carols, audience sing-alongs, and the ever-popular 12 Days of Silicon Valley. Hollywood Spectacular celebrates films and film composers who took home the coveted Oscar for Best Score, including Korngold's The Adventures of Robin Hood, Mancini's Breakfast at Tiffany's, Jarre's Lawrence of Arabia, and Williams' Schindler's List. Halloween Spooktacular and Hollywood Spectacular will be conducted by Peter Jaffe. Elena Sharkova returns to conduct Holiday Spectacular.

The San Jose Nutcracker. Symphony San Jose announces a special collaboration with New Ballet for their 2024 holiday production of The San Jose Nutcracker, choreographed by New Ballet Founder and Director, Dalia Rawson. This union between two important San Jose civic arts organizations increases the number of performances of this favorite holiday ballet to span over two full weekends (December 14-23, 2024). Thomas Shoebotham will conduct Symphony San Jose, bringing Tchaikovsky's immortal score to life. 

Students at the Symphony. Symphony San Jose launches a new education program in May 2025 where elementary students are welcomed into the California Theatre to experience a performance of Holst's The Planets, accompanied by awe-inspiring NASA images and footage projected onto a giant screen on stage.

Tickets

Subscriptions ($90-$644) are currently available online at www.symphonysanjose.org or by contacting the Symphony ticket office at (408) 286-2600. Patrons 25 years of age and under may purchase a $25 NextGen SoundCheck Pass, gaining access to all Saturday evening performances throughout the season. Single tickets ($35-$115) go on sale August 15.
Photo of Executive Artistic Director Robert Massey, courtesy of Symphony San Jose.

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