Music Director and Conductor Carol Jacobson will lead the Eureka Symphony in its spring concert, “Distinctive Voices,” at the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts on the evenings of Friday April 12th and Saturday April 13 th at 7:30 PM. The concert will feature solo performances with the orchestra by the two winners of the Young Artist Showcase, Sierra Paliaga, piano, and Aurora Pitts, violin, and orchestral works by Emmanuel Chabrier and William Grant Still.

The concert opens with España, Rhapsody for Orchestra, by the French composer Emmanuel Chabrier. Chabrier worked as a civil servant until he was almost forty, while playing an active part in the Parisian artistic scene and writing music on the side. When he finally committed to composing music full time in 1880, his lack of an academic background turned out to be an advantage, allowing him to compose exactly as he wished. In 1882 he traveled to Spain, where he was entranced by Spanish music and dance. Combining traditional melodies with themes of his own, he created an exuberant piece that might make you think of a popular ditty from the 1950s, if you are old enough to remember Perry Como!

Next Aurora Pitts will join the orchestra for the Finale of Max Bruch’s first violin concerto. Bruch, a German Romantic composer, wrote more than 200 works, including three violin concertos. This one is not only the best known of his three, it is one of the most popular violin concertos in the repertoire. If you work your way up ClassicFM’s ranking of the fifteen greatest violin concertos, big names like Mozart, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Beethoven will flash by, culminating Max Bruch’s concerto in first place. The energetic third movement follows an introductory opening movement and a lushly melodic second movement. The concerto was premiered in 1866, with Bruch himself conducting.

Aurora (Rory) Pitts is 16 years old and in her junior year at Arcata High. She began studying violin at age 3 with Terry Kramer and has been studying with Terrie Baune since age ten. She studies piano with Daniela Mineva. Rory is the concertmaster of the ArMack Orchestra, has been a member of the Eureka Symphony since 2021, and is a member of the Bach On Chamber Orchestra. She serves as choir director for the First Presbyterian Church of Eureka. Rory has sung as a soloist with the Eureka Symphony and the University Singers, was a piano soloist with the All Seasons Orchestra in 2018, and has been a frequent performer with HLOC since age four.

Next, first place winner Sierra Paliaga will play the opening movement of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Although it was published second, this is actually the first piano concerto Beethoven completed. He brought preliminary notes with him when he moved to Vienna from Bonn in 1792, and seized the opportunity to present the completed composition when he made his debut before the Viennese public in March 1795. Though an early work, this sparkling piece hints at his later development, with rapid alternation of contrasting themes and the juxtaposition of forte and pianissimo passages. Chosen by Beethoven in part to showcase his own piano playing, it is a perfect choice for a young artist like Sierra to show her artistry as well. A Humboldt County local, Sierra Paliaga will graduate from Arcata High School this June. She began piano lessons at age 9 with Yumi Watanabe and has studied with Dr. Daniela Mineva since age 12. Sierra plays piano and percussion in the ArMack Orchestra and has sung and played ukulele in Valentunes. Next year, plans to enter a college on the West Coast, majoring in biology and continuing to play piano. Outside of music, Sierra races with the Humboldt Composite Mountain Biking Team and enjoys organizing events as a NorCal Girls Riding Together Ambassador to get more girls on bikes across Northern California. She is also passionate about trail advocacy and environmental conservation and is involved in several local and statewide organizations.

Following intermission, the Eureka Symphony will present Symphony No. 2 in G minor, “Song of a New Race,” by William Grant Still. Still, often described as the “Dean of African-American composers,” is best known for his first symphony, the “African-American,” from 1930. His second symphony should be heard as well in order to understand Still’s vision. A blues theme opens the first movement, followed by a more classical second theme. The second movement combines romantic string passages with folk-like instrumental solos, illustrating what an integrated society might sound like. In the third movement we hear a fast, energetic movement with jazz rhythms, suggesting Black music’s enlivening effect on modern life.

The week of the spring concerts also includes Schools to Symphony, the Eureka Symphony’s yearly offering to the children in Humboldt County. Children in grades 4-6 are invited to attend a live concert by the Eureka Symphony during their school day. The free performances are part of the Eureka Symphony’s commitment to high-quality music education, fostering a deeper appreciation of music within our community.

Schools to Symphony concerts are held in the beautiful Arkley Center for the Performing Arts, and are often the first time local students have heard classical music played live. This year the concert will include Chabrier’s España, Sierra Paliaga’s performance of the Beethoven piano concerto, a movement of William Grant Still’s symphony, and Trinidad composer Michael Kibbe’s Meet the Orchestra, a composition written especially to introduce the instruments of an orchestra. The Eureka Symphony provides teachers with a curriculum to help their students get the most out of their concert experience and works closely with the Humboldt County Office of Education on the complicated logistics of getting nearly 1,500 students from their schools to the Arkley Center.