Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra

February is Black History Month, and we wanted to share program notes from our most recent MLK concert featuring all Black composers. Bethany Campbell, the performer, wrote these intriguing and educational notes, which provide historical background on the composers and their works. You can check out the program notes included in this post. . . . .... #blackhistorymonth #blackcomposers #classicalmusic #santamonicasymphony See more

Happy President's Day everyone! Today is George Washington’s birthday, and while he himself did not play an instrument, he had strong opinions about music. In his orders during the Revolution, he complained that the music of the army [was] in general very bad." He required that each regiment set aside time to practice, because to him, nothing is more agreeable, and ornamental, than good music. Luckily, he spread his appreciation of music to his household; his wife, childre...n, and grandchildren studied music. If you would like to learn more about George Washington and music, check out this great article, which the quotes above are from: https://www.mountvernon.org//digital-encycl/article/music/ . . . . #georgewashington #washingtonsbirthday #presidentsday #music See more

Happy Valentines Day! If you’re looking for some romantic music to listen to today, check out Santa Monica Symphony musicians Simon Linn-Gerstein and Lily Press perform the lovely Meditation from Thais by Jules Massenet. We hope everyone has a great day filled with love and joy! https://youtu.be/phNI-9hXG98?t=734 . . .... . #valentinesday #romanticmusic #classicalmusic #julesmassenet #santamonicasymphony See more

#tbt to our performance of Escapades from Catch Me If You Can, composed by John Williams, from our December 2018 concert! The legendary composer celebrated his 89th birthday earlier this week. https://youtu.be/sVKKdnS3l0M . . .... . #johnwilliams #filmmusic #catchmeifyoucan #santamonicasymphony #famousbirthdays See more

Happy birthday to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart! Mozart is considered one of the greatest composers ever, well known for being a prodigy and composing a great number of pieces from a young age. To celebrate his 265th birthday, check out our performance of "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" from The Magic Flute," performed by bass-baritone Mark Edward Smith at the Santa Monica Symphony's 2019 MLK Holiday Concert: https://youtu.be/nGfKxE8x3wY . . . .... #mozart #birthday #classicalmusic #santamonicasymphony #themagicflute See more

As we mark the inauguration of America's 46th president this week, we wanted to share a special project that several of Santa Monica Symphony's female musicians are featured in - the "Madame Vice-President" march written by Major Brian Dix in honor of Vice-President elect and California native Kamala Harris. Female musicians from across the state of California participated in this project, which celebrates America's first female vice-president. We hope you enjoy this upbeat march: https://youtu.be/5gMRUgA9F5Y . . . #historicmoment #firstfemaleVP #music #premiere #virtualconcert #inauguration