_____ Saturday, September 26, 2026, 7:30PM ~ “NORTHERN LIGHT” Soloist: Jon Nakamatsu, piano Hammer Theatre Center – 101 Paseo De San Antonio , San Jose Jon Nakamatsu, piano Emily Mayer Faust Overture, Op. 46 Edvard Grieg Piano concerto in A minor, Op. 16 Jon Nakamatsu, Piano Jean Sibelius Symphony N. 3 in C major, Op. 52 Side By Side: Fremont High School Click here for more information about Jon Nakamatsu Notes from the Conductor This program brings together three composers who each stood at important moments of artistic change within European musical life. Emilie Mayer, Edvard Grieg, and Jean Sibelius all sought to shape distinctive musical voices while balancing the traditions of German Romanticism with growing ideas of national identity and individual expression. Their careers reflect a period in which composers increasingly looked beyond established cultural centers and embraced the landscapes, literature, and traditions of their own countries as sources of inspiration. At the same time, each composer faced the challenge of creating music that could honor inherited forms while speaking in a fresh and personal language. Heard together, these works reveal a broad cultural movement toward greater individuality, clarity, and emotional directness in orchestral music. They also highlight the diversity of voices that contributed to the development of the symphonic tradition at the turn of the twentieth century, reminding audiences that innovation in music often emerges through the blending of tradition, imagination, and national character. _______ Saturday, October 24, 2026, 7:30PM ~ “SUNLIGHT AND DANCE” Soloist: Pepe Romero, guitar Hammer Theatre Center – 101 Paseo De San Antonio , San Jose Pepe Romero, guitar Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga Los Esclavos Felices Obertura Claude Debussy / Orch. Hubert Mouton Rêverie (Daydream) Joaquín Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez Pepe Romero, guitar Darius Milhaud Le Boeuf sur le toit, Op. 58 (The Ox on the Roof) Alberto Ginastera Ballet Suit