Visions of Elysium
Sunday, September 14, 2025 at 4:00PM
First Congregational Church of Berkeley 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704Berkeley Symphony’s opening concert, conducted by Montreal’s Dina Gilbert, invites audiences on a quest for transcendence that spans from tranquility to triumphant heroism. The evening opens with Samy Moussa’s otherworldly vision of Elysium, the paradisiacal afterlife of Grecian heroes. Next, cello soloist Gabriel Cabezas leads listeners through shadow and fog in Alyssa Weinberg’s Caligo and to emotional heights in Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky’s Pezzo capriccioso. We conclude with Ludwig van Beethoven’s monumental Symphony No. 3, a bold declaration of humanity’s aspiration toward an ideal world.
Samy Moussa
Elysium
Alyssa Weinberg
Caligo
Gabriel Cabezas
Pyotr Ilycih Tchaikovsky
Pezzo capriccioso
Gabriel Cabezas
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 3, "Eroica"
About the Artists
Dina Gilbert
Conductor Dina Gilbert has received critical acclaim for her energy, presence on the podium, and the breadth of her repertoire. From Québec, she is currently Principal Conductor of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Associate Conductor of the Orchestre symphonique deMontréal andMusic Director of the Walla Walla Symphony where she is known for her contagious dynamism and innovative programming.
Regularly invited to conduct internationally, she has conducted the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the national orchestras of Lyon, Pays de la Loire, and Metz, as well as on tour in with Japan the Sinfonia Varsovia. In addition to premiering more than 40 works by Canadian composers, she has reached thousands of children with her interactive and participative Conducting 101 workshops across Canada.
Gabriel Cabezas
