Santa Rosa "Mystery"
Symphony Announces Its 2005-2006 Season 

by Janos Gereben 

San Francisco Classical Voice, March 8, 2005 

It's one of the finest public-relations spins this observer (well-experienced with such) has encountered. The Santa Rosa Symphony announced its 2005-'06 season on Monday, characterizing it as one of "excitement and mystery." Orchestras are routinely excited about themselves, but "mystery"? 

It works like this: with the pending departure of music director Jeffrey Kahane (for the Colorado Symphony), the search for his successor will continue throughout the upcoming, 78th, season. Until the selection is made, we don't know who will lead the orchestra, and that state of ignorance may, indeed, account for an air of mystery ÷ and there you have your clever, fact-based spin. Bravo! 

The current season accounts for the introduction of Joana Carneiro and Christoph Campestrini as guest conductor/candidates. The next season will add five more: Federico Cortese, David Amado, Michael GŸttler, Steven Smith and Bruno Ferrandis. Says Kahane: "This is the most impressive group of candidates I have ever seen for a major regional orchestra and is a testament to the national recognition that the Santa Rosa Symphony has achieved." Kahane himself will conduct the last two concerts of the next season, featuring Mahler's First Symphony and the premiere of the orchestral version of Osvaldo Golijovās Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind on April 22-24; Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony on May 13-15. 

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(Janos Gereben, a regular contributor to www.sfcv.org is arts editor of the Post Newspaper Group. His e-mail address is janosg@sbcglobal.net)

©2005 Janos Gereben, all rights reserved