2011-2012 Season
PACO is pleased to announce that all regular 2011-2012 concerts, for all orchestras, are free and open to the public.
PACO Concerts
Saturday, October 29, 2011 – 8 pm
Cubberley Theatre @ Cubberley Community Center
4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra
Benjamin Simon, conductor
Forrest Byram, Tuba
Take Tuba
From the deep end of the brass section, we bring you the marvelous sounds of the tuba in an unconventional arrangement of Mozart’s delightful Horn Concerto #1. If anyone can pull this off, it’s tubist extraordinaire Forrest Byram. Also featured on this program is Dvorak’s famous Serenade for Strings, a musical valentine to his beloved Bohemia, plus the first of Handel’s wonderful Opus 6 concerti grossi.
Saturday, December 17, 2011 – 8 pm
Dinkelspiel Auditorium
471 Lagunita Drive
Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra
Benjamin Simon, conductor
Dina Glendening-Keller, piano
From Vienna, with Love
This concert features two famous Viennese composers whose lives and works bridged the Classical and Romantic eras. The powerful opening chords of Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture make a fitting introduction to his titanic Piano Concerto #5 (“Emperor”), performed by PACO alumna Dina Glendening-Keller. We close our program with Felix Mendelssohn’s brilliant Italian Symphony, whose warmth and charm balances the stern beauty of our Beethoven works.
Saturday, March 10, 2012 – 8 pm
Cubberley Theatre @ Cubberley Community Center
4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra
Benjamin Simon, conductor
Karla Eckholm, bassoon
Red, White, and Bassoon
We’re hoisting tri-colored flags in this diverse program of music from England, France, and the United States. Purcell’s beautiful English Suite begins our tour, then we’re on to France where our featured soloist, bassoon virtuosa Karla Ekholm, will amaze you in Jean Francaix’ delightful Divertimento for Bassoon and Strings. We end at home, where we’ll perform the First Suite for Strings by northern California’s own modern genius, Lou Harrison, whose unique and fascinating compositions blend influences both East and West.
Saturday, June 2, 2012 – 8 pm
Cubberley Theatre @ Cubberley Community Center
4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra
Benjamin Simon, conductor
Ariana Kim, violin
Bach to the Future
From the glorious, golden Baroque to our edgy modern existence, our program illustrates the beauties of classical music’s past and our future-in-the-making. Ascending superstar Ariana Kim makes her PACO debut in J.S. Bach’s Violin Concerto in E major, and we present the world premiere of Elizabeth Ogonek’s Window Watchers in a City of Strangers. In between, we celebrate Giacchino Rossini’s leap-year birthday with his lovely String Sonata No. 2, and celebrate our amazing viola section with the luscious Nachtstück by the romantic Max von Weinzierl.
Sinfonia Concerts
Sunday, November 13, 2011 – 3 pm
Cubberley Theatre @ Cubberley Community Center
4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Sinfonia Orchestra
Benjamin Simon, conductor
Angela The, violin
Tessera Chin, viola
Sunday, March 18, 2012 – 3 pm
Cubberley Theatre @ Cubberley Community Center
4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Sinfonia Orchestra
Michel Taddei, guest conductor
Sunday, June 3, 2012 – 3 pm
Dinkelspiel Auditorium @ Stanford University
471 Lagunita Drive, Stanford
Sinfonia Orchestra
Benjamin Simon, conductor
2011-12 Concerto Competition Winners
Debut Ensemble Concerts
Sunday, November 20, 2011 – 3 pm
Cubberley Theatre @ Cubberley Community Center
4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Debut Ensemble
Eugene Sor, resident conductor
Sunday, February 26, 2012 – 3 pm
Cubberley Theatre @ Cubberley Community Center
4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Debut Ensemble
Eugene Sor, resident conductor
Saturday, May 19, 2012 – 3 pm
Cubberley Theatre @ Cubberley Community Center
4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Debut Ensemble
Benjamin Simon, conductor
Preparatory Orchestra Concerts
Friday, January 27, 2012 – 7:30 pm
Cubberley Theatre @ Cubberley Community Center
4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Preparatory Orchestra
Kris Yenney, director
Friday, May 18, 2012 – 7:30 pm
Covenant Presbyterian Church
670 East Meadow Drive, Palo Alto
Preparatory Orchestra
Kris Yenney, director
SuperStrings Concerts
Friday, February 3, 2012 – 7:30 pm
Cubberley Theatre @ Cubberley Community Center
4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
SuperStrings
Kris Yenney, director
Friday, June 1, 2012 – 7:30 pm
Covenant Presbyterian Church
670 East Meadow Drive, Palo Alto
SuperStrings
Kris Yenney, director