San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra has partnered with the Montecito International Music Festival Orchestra to present two concerts at the historic Sturges Center for the Fine Arts on Saturday, July 14. A matinee will be performed at 3 p.m. and an evening performance will begin at 7:30 p.m.
The concerts will include Tchaikovsky’s beloved String Serenade, as well as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons which will feature guest artists Linda Wang and Ken Aiso, and two outstanding student soloists, Yuanmiao Li and Kenta Nomura. The Festival Cello Ensemble will also perform a variety of exciting pieces.
“This is the type of partnership that truly enriches our community,” said Symphony Board President Dean McVay. “In the Symphony’s role as a local arts leader, it is incumbent upon us to seek out the finest orchestral talent and make it readily available for all to enjoy.”
The Montecito International Music Festival Orchestra and its ensembles are comprised of select attendees of the annual Montecito International Music Festival which, this year, is held at La Sierra University in Riverside. Its close proximity inspired the partnership in this, the Festival’s tenth season.
Festival participants attend more than two weeks of intensive master classes designed to strengthen their instrumental, vocal, and composition skills. Throughout the program, they perform in on-campus recitals. The July 14 concerts will be unique in that they are the only off-campus performances for the Festival’s finest 70+ participating strings players this year and, of course, that they are at one of the region’s most historic cultural settings.
In fact, the Sturges Auditorium opened in 1925 as a junior high school named for former teacher David Brainard Sturges. Over the years, the iconic structure with the bright red doors and carved façade was used to educate and entertain thousands. Following a remodel in 1982, and various renovations throughout the following decades, it now welcomes more than 150 shows each year.
Maestro Dean Anderson, who will conduct the concert performances, is particularly excited to bring the Montecito International Music Festival Orchestra to a local venue.
“This will be my 4th season conducting the Festival Orchestra and I could not be more thrilled,” said Anderson. “These students come from all over the world, including Asia, Eastern Europe, North and South America, and their level of talent is simply phenomenal. I am looking forward to these special concerts and I am especially grateful to the San Bernardino Symphony Association for hosting this event!”