Poway Symphony Orchestra presents its 20th anniversary season

The Poway Symphony Orchestra will present a lineup of renowned symphonic works and major guest artists to celebrate its 20th anniversary performance season for 2023-24.

The three concerts of the season will all be held at 4 p.m. Sundays at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts at Espola Road and Titan Way.

The opening concert on Nov. 19 will feature Eugene Drucker, violinist and founding member of the world-famous Emerson String Quartet. He will perform “Concerto in G minor, No. 1” by Bruch, as well as Beethoven’s “Romance” in F Major, No. 2. The orchestra will also perform the “Overture to ‘Hansel and Gretel’” by Humperdinck and “Symphonic Dances, Opus 64” by Grieg.

Tickets for the 20th anniversary season opener are on sale now at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts box office by calling 858-748-0505 or online at powaycenter.com.

Over the past 20 years, the Poway Symphony has evolved into a full orchestra with roughly 65 musicians who play at a high level artistically, said Bo Matthys, president of the Poway Symphony Orchestra Foundation.

“The musicians are very talented and eager to play,” Matthys said. “There’s something special about people playing in the orchestra, contributing musical talents and gifts to create a symphony masterpiece by the entire group. That’s what symphony means. Combining sounds from individuals into a complete whole that can transport listeners to someplace they can’t get somewhere else.”

Matthys, a Poway resident of 45 years, recalls the founding of the orchestra in the summer of 2004 by Ulli Reiner.

Reiner was a local violinist and music teacher who organized a music class taught through Poway Unified School District’s adult education program. A small group of about two dozen musicians signed up and participated in the first performance in spring 2005, Matthys said.

The orchestra grew slowly but picked up speed in the past decade with the help of its experienced conductor and music director John LoPiccolo. Another milestone occurred in October 2015 when the orchestra formed a nonprofit to allow the musical group to fundraise to cover operating expenses, Matthys said.

“That’s when some more intensive promotion started and the orchestra began to be better known and attract more musicians,” Matthys said. “Now we’re at a full orchestra, playing high-quality music and attracting musicians that are very talented.”

Audiences have come to feel excitement about the music and appreciate having access to a symphony orchestra in a local venue, Matthys said.

“Some very wise people have said classical music affects the soul of people,” he said. “That’s what many people appreciate when they come to a concert. They have lasting memories of the concert.”

The first concert of the season has special significance for conductor LoPiccolo, who attended high school with the featured musician, Eugene Drucker. They both graduated from the High School of Music and Art in Harlem, New York in 1968, LoPiccolo said.

LoPiccolo, who was studying to play the bassoon, sat next to Drucker in several classes.

“I heard him play with the high school orchestra and I admired his brilliance,” LoPiccolo said. “It was fairly obvious even back then that he was an amazing guy.”

LoPiccolo said they signed each others’ yearbooks and then parted ways as Drucker continued his education at The Juilliard School and LoPiccolo advanced to the music conservatory Mannes School of Music, both in New York. Over the years LoPiccolo listened to CDs of the Emerson String Quartet.

“I basically followed his career and I admired him,” LoPiccolo said.

When LoPiccolo discovered the Emerson String Quartet would be presenting its last concert on Oct. 24 in New York after 47 years of performing, he saw an opportunity for the two of them to make music together.

“I wrote to Eugene and asked, ‘Does this mean you are free to do solo concerts?’” LoPiccolo said. “I asked, ‘Would you consider coming to play with the Poway Symphony?’ He said yes and it literally blew my mind. We discussed the dates and times and repertoire.”

LoPiccolo said the orchestra has been playing quality music to appreciative audiences. The performers have received standing ovations at 27 concerts, including one standing ovation before intermission. They’ve also sold out several of their performances in the 800-seat theater, he said.

“We’re all pulling together and making it happen,” LoPiccolo said. “The payoff is the concert. We want people there to celebrate with us. I’ve spent my life at this, and I believe in it with my whole guts. I can’t think of anything more important. Music is such a joy, a lifesaver for people. Music is everything.”

Matthys attributes the Poway Symphony’s success to enthusiastic musicians, a highly qualified conductor and music director, and a motivated board of directors who want to support the organization through fundraising and by growing its recognition in the community.

“All those things come together to make sure the orchestra is what it is now, which is performing at a high artistic level and gaining recognition in the music world in the North County inland area,” Matthys said. “Another goal is to have a cultural activity for the benefit of the community. Of course, we also have some satisfaction when we have a successful concert. The musicians, the conductor, everyone are happy when a concert is successfully presented.”

The season will continue with a 20th Anniversary Celebration Concert on March 24, 2024 that includes two orchestral masterpieces. The orchestra will be showcased with “Scheherazade” by Rimsky-Korsakov, a musical adventure based on the tales of “The Arabian Nights.” Also on the program is “Sinfonia Sacra” by Panufnik. The work composed in 1963 begins with a solemn trumpet fanfare and contains meditative sections for the strings that develop into full orchestra crescendos.

Then on May 26, 2024 the season will close with Classical Gems, including a “Piano Concerto in A minor” by Robert Schumann, featuring Ching-Ming Cheng as soloist. Cheng is a professor at California State University San Marcos and the chair of the university’s music department. The orchestra will round out the concert with the “Overture to ‘Marriage of Figaro’” by Mozart and “Variations on a Theme by Haydn” by Brahms.

Tickets for the Nov. 19 performance cost $35 to $45 for general admission, $28 to $40 for seniors age 65 and up, $18 to $25 for students, and $15 for children 12 years old or younger. The box office is open from noon to 5 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and one hour before the concert.

For more information about the Poway Symphony Orchestra, visit the powaysymphonyorchestra.org website.

This article originally published here, by Julie Gallant for San Diego Union Tribune