SB Symphony to present “Cirque de la Noel” December 17

The San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra will return to the California Theatre on December 17, 2022, for “Cirque de la Noel,” a holiday concert featuring the internationally-acclaimed Cirque de la Symphonie performing group.

Shared Music Director and Conductor Anthony Parnther, “We decided to bring Cirque de la Symphonie back this season due to extraordinary popular demand,” adding “We cannot be more grateful to our exceedingly generous presenting sponsors, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.”

The Symphony’s artistic leader has recently been the recipient of significant notoriety for his role as conductor of the scores of several 2022 box office smashes, including the top-grossing movie in the world, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the new Disney+ fantasy-adventure series Willow, and the Holiday Action-comedy Violent Night, and epic war drama Devotion, all of which opened this past weekend.

Cirque de la Symphonie will add an additional level of festive artistry through awe inspiring performances by their renowned aerialists, jugglers, hula hoop and cyr wheel experts and quick change artists all choreographed to a variety of music mindfully spanning the holiday orchestral repertoire. Established by ballet and circus veteran Alexander Streltsov in 1998 for a special PBS production with the Cincinnati Pops, Cirque, troupe members originate from across the globe.

“We are so pleased to once again collaborate with Cirque as they brought such joy to everyone in attendance when they last performed with us in February of 2020,” said Symphony Executive Director Dr. Anne Viricel, adding, “I am certain this festive concert will inspire many happy family memories.”

The evening’s offerings will include traditional American holiday fare like Leroy Anderson’s “A Christmas Festival” (1950) and “Sleigh Ride” (1948), and Leon Jessell’s “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” (1933), to new arrangements of old favorites like Carmen Dragon’s 2012 reimagining of “Deck the Halls,” to contemporary compositions like Jeff Tyzik’s 1994 Chanukah Suite.

Beloved cinematic scores will also find their way into this celebratory evening, including John Williams’ “Flight to Neverland” from Hook, Alan Silvestri’s “The Suite from Polar Express,” and Howard Blake’s “Walking in the Air” from the 1982 animated film, The Snowman based on Raymond Briggs’ 1978 children’s book of the same name. Classical masterpieces including “Waltz of the Flowers” and “Trepak” (Russian Dance) from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker will be performed, along with “Dance of the Buffoons” from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Snow Maiden and Georges Bizet’s L”Arlesienne Suite No.2 from Alphonse Daudet’s drama of the same name.

“Along with our Summer Patriotic and our Movies with the Maestro Series, SBSO fans can expect an Annual Christmas Festival each year replete with all your holiday favorites and a few classical staples alongside them,” added Parnther. In keeping with the festive theme, audience members are encouraged to attend dressed in their favorite holiday attire.

“Everyone loves this magical season,” said Symphony Board President and former City of San Bernardino Mayor Judith Valles. “On December 17th, no matter what this past year has brought us, we can forget our troubles for a while and gather together as a community in the spirit of the holidays.”

Ticket Availability

Single tickets for all SBSO concerts are available online at www.sanbernardinosymphony.org or by calling the box office at (909) 381-5388. Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets are $30 – $100 with students and active military always just $15. The availability of tickets cannot be guaranteed on concert night.

The California Theatre is located at 562 W. Fourth Street in downtown San Bernardino. Free, lighted parking is available directly across from the venue.