Formed by Sir Neville Marriner in 1958 the orchestra, now led by Joshua Bell, has gained an enviable international reputation for its distinctive, polished and refined sound. This program features Mendelssohn’s violin concerto, a true romantic masterpiece, and Brahms’s uplifting second symphony.

EPSG:4326

Academy of St Martin in the Fields with Joshua Bell

Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

On a commission from the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra, Miro Johnson is writing a new work to be premiered on this concert. She approaches music composition from an interdisciplinary space, and in her words, “without restraint, and often concerning unanswerable questions about the human condition and its biological systems.”

Uc Davis Symphony Orchestra: “new Frontiers”

This program features Philip Glass’s popular first concerto for violin, with his iconic sound: open, full of motion, and yet without a lot of tonal changes. The soloist is Chase Spruill, who is a champion of Glass’s violin music. This contrasts with Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony: regal and full of dueling themes, and which also features one of his best waltzes.

Fate and Alter Ego

Mother’s Day Season Finale: Ode to Joy

All three composers whose works are featured on this program bravely incorporated new aspects of music to the concert hall: George Gershwin brought jazz, Alberto Nepomuceno brought the beauty of the Portuguese language, and Nepomuceno’s student Heitor Villa-Lobos brought Brazilian ‘choro’ music into the fold. This concert features Sacramento’s own Natsuki Fukasawa as the Gershwin piano soloist and is guest conducted by the Brazilian Evandro Matté.

Brazil & Jazz

In its first reunion with alumni chorus members since 2018, the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra and University Chorus join together to perform Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony, a long-form symphony imbued with a deep reverence for Heaven and the journey to it from our mortal world. Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony is clearly a Beethoven’s-Ninth kind of work, albeit written sixty plus years later, and written after decades of further symphonic development by not only Beethoven, but Berlioz, Brahms, and others.

 with the University and the Alumni Chorus: “Resurrection”

The UC Davis Concert Band presents thoughtful works written especially for concert band, and sometimes for film (“My Neighbor Totoro” and “The Polar Express” to name a couple). Constituting members of the UC Davis community from students to graduate students to faculty, the band is proud to represent more than thirty areas of study in its members.

Concert Bands of UC Davis

Since its inception in 2010, Rising Stars of Opera has featured vocal artistry, stirring arias and a glimpse at the opera stars of tomorrow; and every ticket has been free to the public thanks to Barbara K. Jackson. Rekindling an old tradition, we relaunch Rising Stars of Opera with several singers from the acclaimed San Francisco Opera Center performing a wide range of great arias with full orchestral accompaniment from our own UC Davis Symphony Orchestra.
This is a free, ticketed event.

Barbara K. Jackson Rising Stars of Opera

UC Davis Concert Band

The UC Davis Concert Band presents thoughtful works written especially for wind band, and sometimes for film (“My Neighbor Totoro” and “The Polar Express” to name a couple). Constituting members of the UC Davis community from students to graduate students to faculty, the band is proud to represent more than thirty areas of study in its members.

Lyric for Strings (written 1946) is dedicated to George Walker's grandmother, whom he was very close. Walker’s grandmother escaped slavery; separated from her first husband when he was sold. She died shortly before Lyric’s completion. Listeners might find the short work reminds them of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings (written 1936), which had an impact on Walker—after all, they shared a composition teacher at Curtis. Walker, it should be noted, was a decorated American composer, who achieved many firsts, including being the first Black American composer to win the Pulitzer Prize in Music.

UC Davis Symphony Orchestra

George Walker: Lyric for Strings

Alejandro Civilotti: Auris Concertum U.S. PREMIERE
with Eduardo Vassallo, Principal Cello of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Igor Stravinsky: Petrushka (1947 version)

“KINETIC ENERGY”

One of the world’s great orchestras led by celebrated conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla in a program of enduring favorites and new discoveries. From the churning impressionism of Debussy’s La Mer to soloist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, a rising star from England, shining on the Elgar Cello Concerto, this will be an evening of unforgettable music-making.

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Hector Berlioz: Harold in Italy
with Wendy Richman, viola

”ITALIAN JOURNEY”

Four emerging vocal stars from our VBA Masterclass program perform Baroque masterpieces with members of the Festival Orchestra.

The Carmel Bach Festival 36th annual Vocal Masterclass is comprised of Morgan Balfour, soprano; Kristen Dubenion-Smith, mezzo-soprano; Jacob Perry, tenor; and Ryne Cherry, baritone.

In a typical season, the VBA quartet comes to Carmel in July to train with Festival artists, and explore ways to communicate Baroque repertoire more vividly. In a light-hearted atmosphere of discovery, the VBA Master Class participants experience a wealth of vocal music and examine all aspects of style, technique, communication, language, performance skills, and artistry.

The Master Classes are held at the Carmel Presbyterian Church and are free and open to the public.


The Adams Masterclass is distinguished by the Festival’s master teachers. Conductor and harpsichordist MICHAEL BEATTIE is Masterclass Director. Sessions are also led by Festival Associate Conductor ANDREW MEGILL (Director of Choral Activities at the Univ. of Illinois) and by Festival vocal soloists from the US and UK.

Virginia Best Adams Showcase Concert

Carmel Presbyterian Church

Ricercar from the Musical Offering is a creative remastering, combining the work of two musical geniuses, two centuries apart. Webern writes music to fill in the blanks in Bach’s work, evoking a conversation between the two great composers, as if they’re discussing their divergent composition methods, each arguing their side with reciprocal respect and admiration. Webern presents a kaleidoscopic, 20th Century view of the Baroque in this arrangement. He was originally attracted to the idea of orchestrating this piece because Bach did not indicate on what instruments Bach wished the music to be performed.  Haydn’s Symphony No. 103 is nicknamed “Drum Roll” after the bold timpani solo which opens and concludes the first movement. The Romantic quality of Haydn’s later symphonies is showcased in the opening movement which takes the listener on a heroic journey complete with a full-orchestra fanfare at its close. The second movement depicts varied personalities in conversation, beginning with a discussion between low and high strings, each proposing their unique ideas and struggling to agree. They’re joined by the woodwinds and brass before a violin soloist takes the reins. The final movement returns to the joyful and triumphant spirit of the first movement for a satisfying full-circle conclusion. The Drum Roll was Haydn’s penultimate symphony and exemplifies his complete mastery of the form, yet also demonstrating that he was continuing to try new ideas.  Schubert’s Symphony No. 8, referred to as the “Unfinished Symphony,” is comprised of just two movements but has the magnitude of any full-length symphony. Composed six years before his death, this piece exemplifies Schubert’s imaginative and rebellious spirit as well as the depths of his emotional experience. The first movement contains a wealth of catchy, singable melodies that bloom with zest and power. In true Schubertian fashion, the spirit of the music can transform quickly, moving seamlessly from carefree to deeply passionate while harnessing the original melody to bind the movement together. The second movement highlights woodwind soloists in gorgeous displays of musical color before descending into flashes of intensity complete with powerful timpani. This piece offers a glimpse into Schubert’s soul as he bent the rules to fulfill his musical vision. The poignant first movement and sentimental second are as well integrated as any of Beethoven’s masterpieces.

Haydn and Schubert

Sunset Center Theater

Beethoven’s tuneful Seventh Symphony was called “the apotheosis of the dance” by Richard Wagner. The work’s dance-like elements, energy, and sense of joy are conveyed through rhythm.  After a slow introduction, the first movement is ignited by a dancing, dotted 6/8 rhythm that propels the entire Vivace.  The symphony’s second movement departs briefly from the other rhythmically charged movements. Perhaps the work’s best-known movement, the melody is dramatic and memorable for its simplicity. The composer Robert Schumann likened the movement to a “rustic wedding.”  The third movement, perhaps the most overtly dance-like movement, has a middle section in which one pitch is sustained with little variation, first in the violins then the trumpets. It is rhythm that drives this movement, contributing to its joyful spirit.  The finale is full of energy and exuberance, charging toward a triumphant and fulfilling conclusion at a breakneck pace. British musicologist Donald Tovey called the movement a “triumph of Bacchic fury.” The magic of this work is incessant and captivating rhythmic drive.  Charles Ives’ music imagines a powerful link between nature and the human spirit, and the journey that creates depth and adds substance to human life. The Unanswered Question, which opens this program, has been described as a piece of philosophy expressed in music. Ives writes in the score’s forward about how the composition considers humanity’s “perennial question of existence.” Three distinct groups – a solo trumpet (in many performances played offstage), four flutes, and strings express a probing and meditative quest for the answer.  Additional works on the program include excerpts from Biber’s Battalia, an evocative set for string orchestra in the tradition of vocal descriptions of a battle. Innovative techniques are called for, especially for the work’s time (1673), including col legno, in which the players use the wood of their bows to beat the strings of their instruments or a percussive pizzicato to imitate cannon shots.

Beethoven Seven

The Adventures of Leonard & Rasmus returns with a fun and entertaining show that will delight audiences of all ages. Auntie Lulu takes Leonard & Rasmus on a road trip across America to explore and celebrate the many genres of music found across our land including classical, jazz, Dixieland, folk, R & B, and many more. Some of the composers to be featured include Florence Price, Aaron Copland, Scott Joplin, Gabriela Lena Frank, Ruth Crawford Seeger, George Walker, Woody Guthrie, and Bobby Troup. “Get Your Kicks” at our Family Concert!

Family Concert

Dinis Sousa conducts Brahms’ monumental German Requiem and a program of Baroque classics concluding with Bach’s Third Orchestral Suite. Sousa has worked closely with Sir John Eliot Gardiner and his ensembles — the English Baroque Soloists, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, and the Monteverdi Choir — culminating in Sousa’s appointment as the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestra’s Assistant Conductor. He was appointed Principal Conductor of the Royal Northern Sinfonia in March 2021 and is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Orquestra XXI.  In recognition of his work with Orquestra XXI, Sousa was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of Prince Henry by the President of the Portuguese Republic.

Orchestral events in Davis, CA

Academy of St Martin in t...

Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Uc Davis Symphony Orchest...

UC Davis Arts

Fate and Alter Ego

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Mother’s Day Season Final...

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with the University and ...

UC Davis Symphony Orchestra

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Barbara K. Jackson Rising...

Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

UC Davis Concert Band

UC Davis Concerts

UC Davis Concert Band

Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

UC Davis Symphony Orchest...

Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

“KINETIC ENERGY”

UC Davis Arts

City of Birmingham Sympho...

Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

”ITALIAN JOURNEY”

UC Davis Arts

Virginia Best Adams Showc...

Carmel Bach Festival

Haydn and Schubert

Carmel Bach Festival

Beethoven Seven

Carmel Bach Festival

Family Concert

Carmel Bach Festival

Baroque Masters

Carmel Bach Festival

Concert Bands of UC Davis...

Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts