Join Mission Chamber Orchestra (MCOSJ) for "Illumination" on Saturday evening, May 11, at Shannon Theatre of Fremont High School in Sunnyvale. The concert is guest conducted by Anthony Rivera, the last of four inspiring finalists in our search for a new Music Director. "I am excited to present this program with MCOSJ," says Rivera. "From Bach's melodic fireworks, through Caroline Shaw's contemporary techniques, an oboe concerto by Jean Françaix, and Sibelius' dramatic symphony, it is music is that is fresh and relevant today.".
Dr. Rivera is currently Director of Instrumental Music at Santa Clara University. He is an active conductor, lecturer, clinician, and presenter in the US and overseas. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in wind conducting from the University of Maryland, a Master of Music in wind conducting from the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Central Florida.
Dr. Rivera has chosen a program showcasing a full gamut of orchestral music, ranging through time from the dances of J.S. Bach in a fresh arrangement by Eric Nathan, all the way to the 21st century with the haunting Entr'acte by Caroline Shaw, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2013 and a Grammy in 2022.
Oboist Robert Scott is soloist in Jean Françaix's concerto L'Horloge de Flore (The Flower Clock), completed in 1959. Composed in a neo-classical style, the concerto is one of the most popular solo pieces in the oboe repertoire. Scott is a freelance performer in the Bay Area. He is MCOSJ's principal oboist, and has performed with ensembles including Santa Rosa Symphony, Ensemble Monterey, and Cadenza Chamber Orchestra. He previously performed as soloist with MCOSJ in 2016 and 2019, and was recently soloist in Bach's Oboe Concerto in A with Ensemble South Bay Baroque. The concerto takes its name and concept from the "Flower Clock" created by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus (1707-78). Linnaeus assigned a series of specific flowers to represent times on the clock according to the hour at which each blooms. Françaix paints each flower with the variety of colors of the solo oboe. "Robert is a longtime friend from our days at the Peabody Conservatory." says Rivera. "It is a joy to work with him on this pastoral, yet at times sharp and poignant concerto.".
Jean Sibelius' dramatic Symphony No. 2 completes the program. Rivera describes it as "an aural sensation." It was greeted enthusiastically by audiences at its first performances in 1902 and has been popular ever since. It is a work that explores a full range of orchestral colors and emotions, from apparent bleakness to an optimistic ending. Seen by the Finnish people at the turn of the twentieth century as an expression of their struggle to win freedom from Russian domination, its message is still relevant in our own times.
Don't miss the chance to enjoy this colorful concert with us - reserve your tickets now and join us for this evening of inspiring music in a relaxed, intimate environment. With ticket prices held at pre-pandemic prices, it's a concert everyone can enjoy.