Conductor Donato Cabrera Begins 2018-2019 Season

Conductor Donato Cabrera is set to begin his 2018-2019 season, including his sixth season with the California Symphony and fifth season with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, celebrates ongoing growth and success with both organizations. Cabrera’s programming showcases not only the celebrated symphonic repertoire, but also music by acclaimed living composers demonstrating his commitment to keeping the art form relevant and vital.

This season, Cabrera also returns to guest conduct the Philharmonic Orchestra of Jalisco (Mexico), Reno Chamber Orchestra, and makes his debut with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Staatstheater Cottbus (Germany).

The California Symphony’s upcoming season is the first to be programmed since the organization issued a formalized commitment to diversity.

"The 2018-2019 season offers audiences an exciting variety of musical experiences. In addition to European masterworks like Mozart's Symphony No. 39 and Bruckner's epic Symphony No. 7— both being performed for the first time in our 32-year history—we continue to honor living composers," Cabrera said. "We have a whole program dedicated to the music of prodigiously successful American film music composer John Williams, while our holiday program includes a live screening of Howard Blake's The Snowman. Also included is a new commission from our Young American Composer-in-Residence Katherine Balch, plus Bay Area-based composer Gabriela Lena Frank's Three Latin-American Dances. We are also delighted to welcome some wonderful soloists for the new season. Audience favorite Charlie Albright returns to play Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3, Concertmaster Jennifer Cho makes her solo debut since officially becoming concertmaster, and Robyn Bollinger plays a violin concerto that’s being composed specially for her by Young American Composer-in-Residence Katherine Balch." 

With a recently extended contract through the 2022-2023 season, Cabrera continues to advise and oversee the symphony’s celebrated Young American Composer-in-Residence program, evaluate the scope of its music education programs including Sound Minds, the California Symphony’s nationally recognized El Sistema program, and advise on the planning and development of community engagement activities.

For the fall, Cabrera has curated a Danube River Cruise enabling patrons to visit and attend concerts in many of the great musical capitals of central Europe.

The Las Vegas Philharmonic celebrates its 20th anniversary in the 2018-2019 season. Cabrera has greatly changed the Las Vegas Philharmonic’s concert experience by expanding the scope and breadth of its orchestral concerts, and hosting engaging and lively pre-concert conversations with guest artists and composers.

"To mark such an important milestone, as well as to celebrate what the future has in store for our fantastic orchestra, I’ve chosen a mix of pieces that our orchestra has performed during its beginnings, as well as set a path forward with concert experiences that will define this orchestra for the next twenty years,” he said.

Upcoming highlights include works by Leonard Bernstein as part of a worldwide celebration of his 100th birthday; the critically-acclaimed horror film Psycho presented in full on the large screen with the orchestra performing the entire spine-tingling score; a piano concerto by Philip Glass, co-commissioned by the Las Vegas Philharmonic, performed by pianist Simone Dinnerstein; an entire evening dedicated to epic film scores by John Williams; a collaboration with Time For Three, an American trio that boasts an uncommon mix of music from Bach to Brahms and the Beatles to bluegrass; and a finale befitting a 20th Anniversary celebration, featuring Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto performed by violinist Thomas Reif, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with acclaimed vocalists Felicia Moore (soprano), Kelley O’Connor (Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano), Sean Panikkar (tenor) and Raymond Aceto (bass).

Outside of the concert hall, this season marks the introduction of the Music Van, delivering music and its benefits to the diverse community of Las Vegas through mobile activations and experiences, and Cabrera continues to reenergize the Youth Concert Series with an engaging and interactive curriculum-based concert experience.

Cabrera will return to guest conduct the Philharmonic Orchestra of Jalisco (Mexico) on their subscription series September 27 and 30 in a program featuring John Adams’ Violin Concerto, works by Manuel Enriquez, and a new work by the orchestra’s international composition competition winner. On October 13 and 14, Cabrera leads the Reno Chamber Orchestra, the orchestra that gave Cabrera his professional debut at the age of 24, in a program of Michael Torke, Sibelius, and Scriabin, with ancillary events focusing on the phenomenon of synesthesia.  Cabrera makes his debut with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Staatstheater Cottbus (Germany) on January 25 and 27, 2019, conducting Hector Berlioz’ Rêverie et Caprice, and Harold In Italy with violist Sebastian Marschik; a new work by Allain Gaussin, commissioned by the Staatstheater; and Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 with violinist Antje Weithaas.

 For the California Symphony, tickets are on sale at on its website, or through the Lesher Center Box Office by phone (925.943.7469) or in person. 

For the Las Vegas Symphony, tickets are on sale on its website or through the Smith Center Box Office by phone (702.749.2000) or in person.

For more information, visit Donato Cabrera’s website.