Symphony San Jose presents SYMPHONIC SPOOKTACULAR “Haunting Harmonies” October 26 and 27, 2024

Even Symphony San Jose is getting into the Halloween spirit this year. The program includes everything from J.S. Bach to John Williams. The shows are at the beautiful California Theatre and tickets are $35-$115. The full press release is below and you can buy tickets here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 

Just in time for Halloween, Symphony San Jose and Symphony San Jose Chorale conjure up some of classical music’s scariest hits.

Symphonic Spooktacular features “Haunting Harmonies” with music including J.S. Bach’s Toccata & Fugue, Saint-Saëns Danse Macabre, Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho Suite, and John Williams’ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

 

It’s the perfect Halloween concert for the entire family. A Costume Contest with Spooktacular prizes will be held for those who feel like dressing up. Don’t feel like dressing up? Come as you are and enjoy the costume parade.

 

Who: Symphony San Jose presents

 

What: SYMPHONIC SPOOKTACULAR “Haunting Harmonies”

 

When: Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 7:30pm and Sunday, October 27, 2024 at 2:30pm

Where: The California Theatre, 345 South First Street, downtown San Jose, 95113. Convenient, inexpensive parking is available at a city-owned garage one-and-a-half blocks from the theater at San Carlos Street with entrances on Second and Third streets. 

SINGLE TICKET PRICES: $35 - $115   (Additional $6.50 fee per ticket.)

TICKETS: Phone: 408.286.2600 

Website: www.symphonysanjose.org 

Email: jmeyers@symphonysanjose.org

Walk-Up Box Office: 325 South First Street, San Jose, 95113. Located between San Carlos and San Salvador Street next to the California Theatre. Ticket Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 10am to 5pm.

THE PROGRAM:

J.S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, BWV 565 in D minor

Camille Saint-Saëns: Danse Macabre

Modest Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain

John Williams: Devil’s Dance (from (The Witches of Eastwick”)

Andrew Lloyd Weber: Phantom of the Opera

Edvard Grieg: In the Hall of the Mountain King

Franz Schubert: Die Erlkönig

Bernard Herrman: Suite from Psycho

John Williams: Double Trouble (from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)

John Williams: Duel of the Fates (from Star Wars The Phantom Menace)

 

ARTISTS

Conductor: Peter Jaffe

Symphony San Jose

Symphony San Jose Chorale

 

FUN FACTS:

The violin solo in Danse Macabre represents Death playing the fiddle, while the xylophone imitates the sound of rattling bones.

The screeching violins and eerie melodies of the Psycho score have become synonymous with suspense and terror in cinema, influencing countless horror film composers in the years since its release.

 

ArtWork: Courtesy of Symphony San Jose.

Photos courtesy of Symphony San Jose.

sjDANCEco Opens 17th Season October 18 and 19, 2019 in San Jose

Photo by John Parencia

Features World Premiere, two West Coast Premieres, Company Premiere and Masterwork by José Limón.

Who: sjDANCEco presents

What: Etched in Time   

When: Friday and Saturday, October 18 and 19 at 8:00 pm.  

Where: California Theatre, 345 South First Street, San Jose, CA 95113

Why: sjDANCEco’s 2019-2020 season opens with a World Premiere, two West Coast Premieres, a Company Premiere, and a masterwork by José Limón. The program is performed to live music by San José Chamber Orchestra.  

Tickets: $45 to $70.

Saturday night’s VIP tickets are $100 and include entry to the after-show Gala with sjDANCEco dancers and choreographers.

Available online at www.sjdanceco.org or 408.520.9854 

More: The 17th Anniversary of sjDANCEco opens with “Etched in Time”, a program of modern dance featuring two new works that premiered in March at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.  Included on the program are a World Premiere based on the experiences of a DACA/Dreamer, a 1950 masterwork by José Limón, and a revival of a piece inspired by Nelson Mandela. This season also marks the 10th year of collaboration with conductor Barbara Day Turner and the San José Chamber Orchestra.  

The Dancers: Mario Barron, Maria Basile, Kevin Gaytan, Kelisha Gardeen, Sarah Hernandez, Katherine House, Hsiang-Hsiu Lin, David Le, Gabriel Mata, Danielle Sullivant, Ryan Tucker, and Jazmyn Turner with guest artists, Fred Mathews and Gary Masters.

The Program:

José Limón’s powerful 1950 masterwork “The Exiles” is a male-female duet inspired by John Milton’s poem Paradise Lost, set to Chamber Symphony No. 2, Opus 38 by Arnold Schoenberg, an Austrian composer who emigrated to the United States in 1933 to escape the Nazis. (He began writing his Second Chamber Symphony in 1906 but did not complete it until 1939.) A version created by the composer will be played four hands on two pianos by Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi (ZOFO). The piece will be danced by Kelisha Gardeen and Gabriel Mata.

A World Premiere from choreographer Gabriel Mata entitled “This is where/I Begin...” is set to JENUWINE FLOW by Michael Wall. It is a solo work performed by Mata which is inspired by the plight of a Mexican/American DACA/Dreamer immigrant living in the United States. The piece addresses the current sociopolitical climate and civil unrest while using humor to engage in levity, optimism and hope.  NOTE: Very nice piece just published by IN DANCE magazine about Gabriel here: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/240090/2/#zoom=z 

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Hsiang-Hsiu Lin with music of the same name by Randall Thompson is based on the poem by Robert Frost, and performed by the San José Chamber Orchestra with the San José Choral Project.  It is danced by eight members of the company.  

Hsiang-Hsiu Lin will also present her Company Premiere of “Tomorrow”, set to ‘For All We Know’ written by J Fred Coots & Sam M Lewis. Danced by Katherine House.     

Maria Basile’s “Inner Edge” is a tribute to Nelson Mandela set to Piano Concerto by Michael Ching (1996) with piano soloist Michael Touchi. Danced by eight company members. 

“Etched in Time” is a group collaborative that explores the multi-generational experiences of the dancers. It is set to music by Jazon Escultura that was commissioned for the piece. The music was actually created AFTER the dance. It was a collaborative effort of Gary Masters, Barbara Day Turner and composer Escultura who together watched video of the dancers and then discussed how the music should sound. It was originally a “sound scape” computer-generated score, but has now been transcribed and will be performed live by the orchestra. Danced by Maria Basile, Kelisha Gardeen, Gary Masters, Gabriel Mata and Fred Mathews. 

ABOUT US

sjDANCEco is a year-round contemporary dance company based in San Jose, California that produces world premieres by its core and guest choreographers, and presents the very best of Contemporary and Classic Modern Dance and Masterpieces of the American Modern Dance Repertory. The company has also participated in International Dance Festivals in New York and Taipei and produces a FREE Spring Festival each year celebrating National Dance Week. sjDANCEco ignites the spirit of dance.

Changing Boundaries: The History of San Jose

The first full-length feature film about San Jose is going to premier at the California Theatre on January 22nd. Changing Boundaries will track the stories of of the working people, political leaders, and dreamers who built this city. Interviews that will be weaved into the film include Tom McEnery, Blanca Alvarado, Norm Mineta and a variety of historians.

CreaTV San Jose, History San Jose, and Norm Kline Productions are working in partnership to produce this documentary. The film is directed by Tricia Creason-Valencia and narrated by actor Peter Coyote. The musical score is composed by Robert Barry of Soundtek Studios and will reflect the historic time periods and rock and roll "firsts" in San Jose.

I can't wait to see the final product! For more information follow the Changing Boundaries Facebook page over here and check out the trailer below. You can also get your tickets for the premier here.

I'm in Love With a Church Girl Premiers in San Jose

Okay, normally I wouldn't be promoting a mainstream theatrical movie on the blog but there are three important reasons why "I'm in Love With a Church Girl" is an exception:

1.) The producer/writer is a pastor in San Jose, the funders and the crew are also based here.
2.) The national premier of the movie is today at the California Theater Downtown (playing in movie theaters everywhere starting this Friday, Oct 18).
3.) The film was almost entirely shot in San Jose. Check out the trailer below. There are at least three shots of Downtown San Jose (Fairmont, Plaza de Cesar Chavez, California Theater) and one of Santana Row. I'm sure you guys will find more.

Oh, it's also based on a true story. Check it out!

San Jose Stage Company Presents The Buddy Holly Tribute Concert at the California Theatre

Friday, June 28, 29 and Sunday, July 1

San Jose, CA -- June 12, 2012– San Jose Stage Company presents a Buddy Holly Tribute Concert at the legendary California theatre in downtown San Jose.

For three performances only as a special benefit performance for the Stage, the stories and music of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valenz, and the Big Bopper will be performed. Not everyone knows that Waylon Jennings had a role in ‘the day the music died.’

The Buddy Holly Tribute Concert is the story of February 2, 1959, told through music as well as the narrative of Waylon Jennings, who gave up his seat on the airplane that crashed. Waylon will tell the story of the musicians, the music and the legend as it really happened.

Randall King, director of the Buddy Holly concert says of this show, “Buddy Holly, like Elvis, broke the rules of popular music and laid the foundation of rock and roll in a musical rebellion that continues to this day”

“Without Buddy and the Crickets, there would have been no Beatles.” Buddy is the guy who changed made music what it is today. The history of the evening that he died is legendary and this concert will tell the true story,” added King.

The lead role of Buddy Holly will be played by Travis Poelle. San Jose Stage Company originally co-produced "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story," which ran for eleven weeks at The Stage* before transferring to San Francisco. Poelle received critical praise for his work as Buddy.

Also from San Jose is actor/singer Manuel Romero, who plays Ritchie Valenz. Also getting raves for this role, Romero has recently released a CD and has won a Latin Grammy.

Buddy Holly’s celebrated quote says it all, “If anyone asks you what kind of music you play, tell him ‘pop.’ Don’t tell him ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ or they won’t even let you in the hotel.”

Performances are Thursday, June 28 at 8 PM; Friday, June 29 with opening remarks and concert at 8 PM; and Sunday, July 1 at 3 PM.

Sponsorships are still available by calling The Stage and will include an exclusive VIP pre-show reception at the California Theatre for Friday’s performance.

Tickets are $75 and $100 and are available online at www.thestage.org or through the Box Office by calling 408.283.7142. Visa and MasterCard are accepted, and discounts are available for groups, students and seniors.

The California Theatre is located at 345 South First Street in downtown San Jose, CA and is handicapped accessible. The elaborate California Theatre opened in 1927 and is today one of the best preserved examples of historic movie houses of the ‘20s.

*Reviews for “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story”:

“Travis Poelle slings his Stratocaster like a Tommy gun while playing Holly as a defiant charmer” - San Jose Mercury News

“More than anyone else, Poelle carries the show...performing with a verve that delivers Holly’s passionate musicianship. He looks like Holly, and he rocks out irresistibly.” - San Francisco Chronicle

"Manuel Romero as Ritchie Valens had the audience roaring" - Metro

"Manuel Romero is a pitch-perfect Valens leading the ensemble on a rousing La Bamba" - San Francisco Chronicle

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SAN JOSE STAGE COMPANY

Founded in 1983, San Jose Stage Company is recognized as The Bay Area's Premiere Off-Broadway Theatre, and known for its devotion to new and cutting-edge work and for its commitment to showcasing high-quality local talent. In 1986, San Jose Stage Company set precedence as the first arts organization to negotiate and receive support from the Redevelopment Agency and the City of San Jose when over $500,000 was appropriated in support of the development of a new 200-seat theatre featuring a 3/4-thrust stage, which opened in 1990. Now in its 29th Season, SJSC continues to center its operations in this facility and has successfully produced over 138 productions and premiered 44 new works, including 11 world premieres and is acclaimed for maintaining high artistic standards, investing in local talent and supporting the region’s community of working artists while taking artistic risks. In addition to its core programming, San Jose Stage Company offers five core education and outreach programs and has housed over 200 independent performance groups. San Jose Stage Company is a vital force in the community and has earned a reputation for artistic excellence by providing high-quality, edgy theatrical experiences that engage, educate and provoke audiences. San Jose Stage Company serves an audience base of 30,000 and is recognized as a leader in the arts for a theatre of its size. For more information www.thestage.org

Choral Kicks Off 25th Season with "Carols in the California"

On December 10th at 7pm, the Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale will open their 25th Anniversary Season at the California Theatre. The family friendly event will have plenty of holiday music along with an audience carol sing-along. For more information click here.