SB Symphony December 11 Concert to bring Winter Warmth

Following their triumphant return to live performance in October, Maestro Anthony Parnther and the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra is now preparing for their December 11, 2021 7:30 p.m. performance of “Strauss, Price, and Archuleta” at the historic California Theatre of the Performing Arts.

Sponsored, in large part, through a generous grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the concert will begin with Richard Strauss’s vibrant tone poem Don Juan which was inspired by a fragmentary verse drama by the mid-19^th century German poet Nikolaus Lenau and penned when the composer was only 25 years old.

“Don Juan, written by the great Richard Strauss, is one of the greatest symphonic tone poems ever written for orchestra. The work requires extraordinary virtuosity and passion from every single performer onstage. This is the most ambitious work I have programmed for our orchestra so far, and we’re excited to share a vivid work of this magnitude with our audience.” explained Maestro Parnther.

Following, the Symphony will perform Florence Price’s historically ground-breaking Piano Concerto featuring the incomparable Dr. Karen Walwyn. The Howard University Mellon Faculty Fellow leads the Florence Price Recording Project which is dedicated to the preservation of the works of Ms. Price, the first woman of color to have an orchestral composition performed by a major orchestra.

“We are incredibly blessed to have a pianist of Dr. Walwyn’s caliber perform this beautiful composition with us,” added Parnther.

In the second half, the Symphony will welcome internationally recognized recording artist David Archuleta to sing holiday favorites and original songs including several from his critically-acclaimed holiday album, Winter in the Air.

“The audience response to our 2019 concert with David Archuleta was incredible with fans coming from all over the world,” shared Symphony Board of Directors President Dean McVay. “In this particularly challenging year, it seemed only right that we invite back a vocalist whose charm, talent, and nostalgic approach to holiday music will warm the hearts of all present.”

Concert will include a Toy Drive

In partnership with the North End Neighborhood Association and Dignity Health St. Bernardine Medical Center, the San Bernardino Symphony will be collecting toys for distribution through The Children’s Fund which benefits the county’s most vulnerable youth. Attendees are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy and leave it in one of the collection bins in the lobby.

Safety Protocols Remain

Symphony concert attendees will need to provide proof of a valid vaccination by either photo, paper, or downloaded documents and show a matching photo I.D.  Patrons must be fully vaccinated (two shots for Pfizer and Moderna; one for J&J) at least two weeks before being permitted to enter the California Theatre for Symphony performances. Children are not excluded from these requirements. As at the October concert, temperature checks will be taken at the door, and masks will be required while indoors. Patrons are encouraged to prepare for slightly longer than usual lines.

2022 Season Follows

While the 2022 season is scheduled for all live concerts, it will represent a hybrid in terms of location. This is because state-funded renovations will be underway at the California Theatre. The Symphony will perform its March 12 Concert “Romeo and Juliet vs. West Side Story” at the Theatre, then take its next two concerts – a May 14 Chamber Concert featuring the Lyris Quartet and a June 11 piano event featuring Robert Thies, as well as a September 10 jazz concert with the Josh Nelson Jazz Quartet – to the theater at San Bernardino Valley College. A community-wide patriotic concert is also planned for performance July 2 on the lawn at Valley College, and plans are in place to make this a full day event featuring artists from throughout the region which will culminate with the evening’s Symphony performance.

The Symphony will return to the California Theatre post-renovations on October 29, 2022 for “Movies with the Maestro” featuring movie music including John Williams’ iconic music from E.T. and Star Wars and the Alfred Hitchcock film scores of Bernard Herrmann (Psycho, The Birds, North by Northwest).  The season will end December 17, 2022 with Cirque de Noel featuring the internationally renowned Cirque de la Symphonie troupe performing to orchestral holiday classics.

 “This will be our biggest year to date,” said Maestro Parnther, “and it only portends the magic that is planned for the future.”

Tickets Available Tickets for the December 11 performance are available online at www.sanbernardinosymphony.org or by calling the box office at (909) 381-5388. 2022 season subscriptions are also now available. Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.