On Freedom

Friday, July 31, 8:00pm, Doors at 7:30pm
Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium

The 64th season kicks off with Music Director Cristian Măcelaru leading the Festival Orchestra and audience in a powerful meditation on the distance between national ideals and lived reality.
 
Vivian Fung's America the Beautiful? (Festival Commission & world premiere) opens the season with a work responding to the U.S. National Anthem through the lens of her intersectional identity as a dual Canadian-American citizen with Chinese familial lineage. The piece confronts the tension between patriotic tradition and the deeply imperfect struggle to uphold democratic values for all.
 
Pedro Emanuel Pereira's Clarinet Concerto (Festival Commission, world premiere), featuring clarinetist Carlos Ferreira, blends Portuguese musical traditions with experimental timbres and performative innovation, reimagining virtuosity for the present moment.
 
The program concludes with Philip Glass's Symphony No. 15 Lincoln (West Coast premiere)—featuring GRAMMY® award winning baritone Zachary James—is a six-movement symphony incorporating Abraham Lincoln's own words, including the Emancipation Proclamation and reflections on law, power, and ambition. The work resonates forcefully with the urgencies of today.
 
6:30PM • PRE-CONCERT PICNIC + TALK:  A free outdoor pre-concert experience featuring a brass sextet and a special welcome by Music Director Cristian Măcelaru. Bring takeout or some snacks from home. Table seating available.

All service charges, taxes and fees are included in the prices shown.
Wheelchair Accessible and Accessible Companion seats are available in all price zones in the orchestra floor seating.
 
Please note: Programs are subject to change. No children under age six will be admitted to concerts (except for the free Family Concert). Please silence your phones out of respect for the artists performing and fellow patrons. We encourage you to take non-flash photos and videos before or after the concert. You may take videos (under 30 seconds for copyright/legal reasons) and non-flash photos during Festival open rehearsals. Always be mindful of your neighbors when using your camera. Tag us on social media! Please review General Event Policies for exclusions. All sales are final, no refunds.


Wheelchair Accessible and Accessible Companion seats are available in all price zones in the orchestra floor seating.