Santa Rosa Symphony

How does a machine made with rulers, springs, and scrap metal evoke terror? The Apprehension Engine was designed with an unusual purpose: to disturb listeners and stir fear. It’s the perfect instrument to study during the creepiest, spookiest week of the year. Watch the video to learn more about this frightening device. https://youtu.be/1lTYPvArbGo

Current safety regulations limit the Santa Rosa Symphony to 32 musicians on stage at a time. After seven months apart, how is Francesco Lecce-Chong, Conductor adapting to create something new and special for viewers? He answers this and more in this quick interview with KSRO. Take a few minutes to listen.

Save the date! Our next Santa Rosa Symphony virtual concert is November 15 at 3PM. Our musicians have been hard at work preparing pieces by Joplin, Bruch, Beethoven and more. Subscribe to our Youtube channel for notifications: bit.ly/SRS_YouTube

We love to see music and talent passed down between generations. Cosa Nostra Strings is known for their deep ties to the Oakland jazz community and collaboration with big hip hop names like The Roots. Their cellist, Lewis Patzner, is the son of Santa Rosa Symphony bass trombonist Kurt Patzner. Small world! Read all about their evocative work and watch performance videos in this San Francisco Classical Voice article (You have to see their stop animation music video for The Acrobat. It’s so unique.)

David was 2 when his parents took him to a Santa Rosa Symphony ‘Tiny Tots’ performance. This particular tiny tot pointed to a violinist and announced, ‘I want to do that.’ David McCarrol, a former SRS soloist and Sonoma County native, just won the prestigious OPUS KLASSIK award for best chamber music trio of the year. It’s an honor to have been part of his story. Read more about his accomplishments and those of another outstanding Sonoma County artist in this Press Democrat article.

Some instruments are as artfully crafted as the music they play. See how Lyon & Healy Harps hand-makes their remarkable harps. Video set to a selection from Bach, performed by Elizabeth Hainen: https://youtu.be/q0Cn6g2HBh4

A conductor weaves together the talent of an entire orchestra to bring music to life. See how Francesco Lecce-Chong, Conductor prepares for this daunting task before a concert. Watch and subscribe on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xHz8Z4Miif4

More classical music from home! Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra is airing their virtual concert today at 7 PM. They’ll be performing works from Pergolesi to Respighi and more. Chamber groups range in size from a violin and marimba duo to a string dectet. These kids are truly talented. Watch & subscribe on the Youth Orchestra YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2ILIWOq... Be sure to also follow Santa Rosa Symphony Young Musicians

Lincoln Portrait by Aaron Copland interweaves musical composition with narration on Lincoln’s life and pieces of his most famous speech. Rarely do we hear the blending of voice and orchestration in classical music but this piece achieves something special. It’s an uplifting and inspiring work. Take a moment and listen. https://spoti.fi/3nUxKir

Who is that masked musician? Of course, it’s harpist Chloe Tula (fiancé to SRS conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong) and Santa Rosa Symphony’s Rebecca Roudman on the cello. Listen to their invigorating rendition of Basso for Harp and Cello, an arrangement by Jason Eckl.

Fall in love in five minutes. The New York Times asked musicians what they would play if they had five minutes to convince a friend to love the violin. These are the fiery, spontaneous, contemplative, and sweet compositions they chose to share.

Anyone heard of TwoSet Violin? They make hilarious and informative YouTube videos on all things violin. Recently, they met with child prodigy Chloe Chula for some pointers. This video is so fun, and we even learned a few things. Thank you to Jake More for sharing this with us!

Our youth are the future of classical music. Get front row seats to the Santa Rosa Symphony Young Musicians virtual concert on October 20. They’ll be streaming live on their YouTube channel. Like and subscribe today to catch all their upcoming content: https://bit.ly/SRSYO_YouTube