new Dawn

McAfee Performing Arts Center, Saratoga
Sunday, October 1, 2023, 3:00 PM
Dr. David Vickerman, conductor

It’s truly a “New Dawn” for the San Jose Wind Symphony, as Dr. David Vickerman takes the podium for his first official concert as Music and Artistic Director of the renowned ensemble. Dr. Vickerman has selected some of his favorite pieces to serve as a wonderful overture for the new season, including epic wind band masterpieces Suite Francaise by “Les Six” member Darius Milhaud and Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger. Dr. Vickerman also spotlights his passion for newer works, like Jodie Blackshaw’s Vulnerable Joy and Viet Cuong’s showstopper, Moth. Don’t miss this auspicious debut!

Holiday LIGHTS

McAfee Performing Arts Center, Saratoga
Sunday, December 10, 2023, 3:00 PM
Dr. David Vickerman, conductor

As we celebrate the holidays with family and friends, our hearts go out to those in need. Join SJWS for an uplifting concert of seasonal works, from the sacred to the secular to the Festival of Lights. The concert features a variety of holiday-themed music by composers Leroy Anderson, Morton Gould, Julie Giroux and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, as well as Michael Daugherty’s ethereal Winter Dreams. The concert concludes with a special tenth-anniversary performance of John Mackey’s The Frozen Cathedral.

VIVA ITALIA!

McAfee Performing Arts Center, Saratoga
Sunday, February 25, 2024, 3:00 PM
Pasquale Esposito, Italian tenor

SJWS is excited to welcome one of the world’s most popular and talented singers, Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito, for an afternoon of Italian and Neapolitan vocal favorites.

The accent is on opera as Mr. Esposito joins the Wind Symphony to bring you highlights from the great Italian repertoire, including Tosca, Rigoletto, La Boheme, Turandot, Pagliacci and more. The concert also celebrates the 100th anniversary of Ottorino Respighi’s timeless classic, Pines of Rome.

FIRE / LIGHT

Sunday, May 19, 2024, 3:00 PM
McAfee Performing Arts Center, Saratoga
Sameer Gupta, tabla

As the house lights fade on Dr. Vickerman’s inaugural season, a single spotlight brightens to illuminate our very special guest artist for the afternoon, Sameer Gupta. One of the few percussionists in the world who is fluent in both American jazz and classical Indian music, Mr. Gupta’s unique musical sound combines traditional and modern improvisational styles. His prodigious skills on the Indian hand drums, or tabla, will be center stage he joins the Wind Symphony in performing Reena Esmail’s Chamak. The concert also features Jennifer Jolley’s poignant contemplation on the destruction of California wildfires, Ash, alongside the energetic and rhythmic Dancing Fire by Kevin Day. The concert concludes with Ida Gotkovsky’s epic masterpiece Poeme du Feu. Don’t miss it!