, Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley
Symphonic III: Rejoice
06.12.22
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
We’re opening the final symphonic concert with the World Premiere of Rise, a celebratory work written in honor of our 50th Anniversary season by Berkeley-based composer Jimmy López Bellido. The commission is made possible through the generous support of Kathleen G. Henschel & John W. Dewes and New Music USA.
The final piece of the season is Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony featuring a reimagined libretto set by former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith commissioned by Carnegie Hall.
Special guest artists include Shawnette Sulker, soprano, Gabrielle Beteag, mezzo soprano, Edward Graves, tenor, and Nicholas Davis, bass-baritone. Our multi-generational chorus directed by Dr. Lynne Morrow consists of 100 diverse voices drawn from communities all over the Bay Area.
Enjoy a free festive celebration on Sproul Plaza following the concert sponsored by Bayer Corporation.
PROGRAM
Joseph Young, Music Director
Dr. Lynne Morrow, Chorus Director
Jimmy López Bellido Rise (World premiere made possible through the generous support of Kathleen G. Henschel & John W. Dewes and New Music USA)
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony featuring new text from former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith commissioned by Carnegie Hall
Shawnette Sulker, soprano
Gabrielle Beteag, mezzo soprano
Edward Graves, tenor
Nicholas Davis, bass-baritone
Press
SF Datebook: Berkeley Symphony: Rejoice!
Berkeleyside: Berkeley Symphony caps 50th season with epic Beethoven’s Ninth remix
48Hills: SUN/12: SYMPHONIC III: REJOICE
A Note on COVID Safety
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Our Health & Safety Protocols
About the Artists
Jimmy López Bellido
An “undeniably exciting composer” (Opera News), with “a brilliant command of orchestral timbres and textures” (Dallas Morning News) and “a virtuoso mastery of the modern orchestra” (The New Yorker), López Bellido has created works performed by leading orchestras around the world and in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, Gewandhaus Lepzig, Kennedy Center, Vienna’s Musikverein, Konzerthaus Berlin, Nordic Music Days, the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, and the Aspen, Tanglewood, and Grant Park music festivals. “Fiesta!”, one of his most famous works, has received over a hundred performances worldwide making it one of the most performed contemporary orchestral works. “Bel Canto”, a full-length opera commissioned by Lyric Opera of Chicago as part of the Renée Fleming initiative and based on Ann Patchett’s bestselling novel, premiered on December 2015 to wide critical acclaim and was broadcast U.S. nationwide on PBS’ Great Performances. “Dreamers”, an oratorio which he wrote in collaboration with Pulitzer Prize-winning Playwright Nilo Cruz, was recently premiered by Ana María Martínez, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. Symphonic Canvas, a new album with Miguel Harth-Bedoya and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra was released in August of 2019 on MSR Classics. Mr. López Bellido completed his three-year tenure as Composer-in-Residence at the Houston Symphony in the spring of 2020. A native of Lima, he studied at the city’s National Conservatory of Music prior to graduating from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with a Master of Music degree. López Bellido completed his Ph.D. in Music at the University of California-Berkeley. He is published by Filarmonika Music Publishing.