Dear friends, family, and music lovers,
In these uncertain times, it is more important than ever to keep beauty in our lives. It breaks my heart not to be able to share music with you all alongside my colleagues in Eugene and Santa Rosa. However, I hope this page is a small substitute to keep us connected through great music and performances. Below you'll find information on my Happy Hour Watch Parties, weekly Spotify playlists, educational videos for children, and other great resources to check out.
Thank you for your kind thoughts and wishes, and please continue to keep our dear musicians and staff in your thoughts in the difficult weeks ahead. Please stay safe and healthy with your loved ones. And be assured that with your help, we will be back stronger than ever and committed to making the world a kinder, more beautiful place.
Sincerely yours,
Francesco
Watch Parties
Join me and a fun community of music-lovers for Happy Hour Watch Parties on my Facebook Page from Tuesday-Friday at 5pm PT/8pm ET. I've curated from many of the wonderful performances available to the public on Facebook and provide short introductions. Mainly, it's just a chance to listen to music together until we can be in the hall again.
SCHEDULE:
March 31 Classic Tuesdays:
Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6
April 1 Family Wednesdays: Gershwin's Cuban Overture; Copland's Lincoln Portrait
April 2 Quirky Thursdays:
Poulenc's Organ Concerto
April 3 Epic Fridays:
Mahler's Symphony No. 3
If you miss a Watch Party or want to watch it on your own time, they are all archived on my Youtube Channel.
Spotify Playlists
Favorite Recordings of Beloved Masterpieces
Week of March 30: My favorite recordings Brahms' First Symphony and Bruch's Scottish Fantasy - both works packed with some of the most gorgeous melodies ever written and orchestrated!
Discover a New Masterpiece
Week of March 30: Enjoy two of my favorite American works this week - John Adams' Harmonielehre that rocked the music world in 1985 and very unfairly neglected symphony by Paul Creston from 1944 (which I programmed for my final conducting exam in college).
What I'm Relaxing To
Week of March 30: Probably my favorite non-classical album ever - The Who's Quadrophenia. But who am I kidding? It's an opera that packs the same emotional punch as La Boheme! And an album from one of my favorite contemporary singers - Sara Bareilles.
Educational Videos
The Eugene Symphony and Santa Rosa Symphony both have extensive education programs for students which have had to be put on hold. With students at home, we want to make sure that our young people still have access to arts education. My fiance, Chloe Tula, is a harpist with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach (where we're holed up at the moment!) and we'll be producing weekly videos where you can sing and/or play along with us on some famous orchestral melodies! You can also join us live for the Facebook premiere of these videos every Monday at 10am PT/1pm ET on the Eugene Symphony Facebook Page.