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In nature, autumn is the season that brings things to a close, but in the performing arts, the fall marks an exciting beginning. Two classical music groups recently announced 200304 seasons that will have music lovers longing for the first appearance of those autumn leaves.
Fortunately, the Steinway Society has made sure audiences don't have to wait till the leaves turn to hear some great music. The society launches its season Sept. 1314 with an appearance by concert pianist and Van Cliburn gold medalist Olga Kern and will keep fans of classical piano happy until the spring with five more first-rate concerts.
Robert Schwartz appears on Nov. 16; the sought-after Jon Nakamatsu, a Van Cliburn gold medalist and a Bay Area native, performs Jan. 34; a variety of up-and-coming local young pianists will perform at the Young Artists Concert on Feb. 8; Ursula Oppens performs on March 21; and Yin Cheng Zong brings the season to a rousing conclusion on April 18. All concerts take place at Le Petit Trianon in downtown San Jose. For more information, call 408.246.4200 or visit www.steinwaythebayarea.com.
New season, new symphony
Last year, Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley resurrected, in part, the defunct San Jose Symphony by creating Symphony San Jose Silicon Valley as both an entity in its own right and a complement to the ballet. Based on last season's successes, the symphony has reinvented itself once more to become Symphony Silicon Valley, a corporation completely separate from the ballet, with its own board and staff (the two organizations will still share some resources, such as a box office).
Prior to the start of its season, the symphony holds a free concert oceanside at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay on Sept. 19. The program features Smetana, Satie, Rossini and Beethoven, with guest conductor Patrick Flynn. The concert is free, but VIP tables will also be available at $1,500 to $2,500, with proceeds benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Such an event should tide audiences over until the official season opener on Oct. 11, which offers a program of Rimsky-Korsakov, Haydn and Saint-Saëns, with guest conductor Paul Polivnik and cellist William De Rosa. Audiences will enjoy five more concerts throughout the year.
Programs include: on Nov. 22, a program of Argento, Prokofiev and Dvorak, with guest conductor Theo Alcantara and violinist Lara St. John; works by Kabalevsky, Hummel, Wagner, Bach and Hindemith on Jan. 31, with guest conductor Mallory Thompson and James Dooley on trumpet; on March 6, guest conductor David Amado and Bill Everett on double bass will appear in a program that features music by Haydn, Bottesini and Schubert.
On April 3, guest conductor Leslie B. Dunner will lead the symphony in works by Barber, Mozart and Brahms. The season will conclude on June 5 with a program of Kodaly, Rubenstein and Beethoven, with guest conductor Sebrina Maria Alfonso and pianist Natasha Paremski.
All concerts will take place at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. For more information, call 408.288.2800 or visit www.symphonysiliconvalley.com.
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