As the California Theatre celebrates its 100th anniversary, Symphony San Jose shines a spotlight on its Mighty Wurlitzer organ and honors the distinct role the theater plays in this community’s cultural landscape.
Like the organ itself, Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte moves effortlessly between centuries, echoing Baroque elegance, bending classical forms and revealing unexpected sonorities.
Francis Poulenc’s Organ Concerto is solemn, playful and gloriously theatrical. Performed by renowned organist Margaret Kvamme, the concerto showcases the organ’s extraordinary range, from hushed, prayer-like intimacy to bold, blazing grandeur.
From its hushed beginnings to its blazing, triumphant finale, Camille Saint-Saëns’s Symphony No. 3 uses the organ not as an accompaniment, but as a force of nature. With the mighty Wurlitzer unleashed in all its glory, the symphony’s final pages promise a sonic experience as monumental as the California Theatre itself.
Program:
- Caroline Shaw: Entr’acte
- Francis Poulenc: Organ Concerto
- Camille Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 (“Organ”)
Performances:
- Sat., May 8, 2027 @ 7:30pm
- Sun., May 9, 2027 @ 2:30pm
For additional information, please visit Symphony San Jose’s website.
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