Tickets on Sale for Cal Phil's Ambassador Series
Maestro Victor Vener and the California Philharmonic Orchestra open their second season of performances at the historic Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena on Oct. 28.
Concerts will be held on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.
“California Philharmonic concerts share the joy of live performance in a very unique way and Ambassador Auditorium’s elegant beauty and world-class acoustics provide the perfect environment for great music,” said Vener. “Our repertoire of classics and contemporary works, with a dose of commentary, make Cal Phil concerts a memorable experience for all members of the family.”
Presented by the Zeilstra Foundation, the Ambassador Series features favorites from the stage and screen, a musical journey to Italy, a holiday celebration and what is considered by many as one of the greatest hits of classical music.
“Gilbert & Sullivan on Broadway” opens the season on Oct. 28 and 29. Featuring America’s premiere G&S; repertory company, Opera A La Carte, the concert will include songs from “The Mikado,” “The Sound of Music,” “Mama Mia!,” “The Pirates of Penzance,” “Hair” and “Grease.”
Kick off the holidays with Cal Phil’s Holiday Spectacular on Nov. 25 and 26, with selections from “Hansel & Gretel” and “The Nutcracker,” “Festive Sounds of Chanukah,” and sing along to the Hallelujah Chorus and favorite Christmas carols. Guest artists include Carin Gilfry, mezzo; Suzanna Guzman, mezzo; and Khorshed Dastoor; soprano. John Williams has been called cinema’s greatest living composer, and Cal Phil will pay tribute to him with a survey of his film music on Feb. 24 and 25. One of America’s top emerging violin virtuosos, Lindsay Deutsch, will perform the heart-wrenching and nostalgic “Three Pieces” from “Schindler’s List.” The concert also includes Williams scores from blockbusters including “Star Wars”, “Harry Potter,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Superman” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” as well as music that inspired Williams from “The Planets” and “Don Juan.”
That’s amoré when Cal Phil presents “Viva Italia!” on March 24 and 25. Audience members will be transported from the grandeur of ancient Rome to the glitzy glamour of Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas by such selections as Respighi’s “The Pines of Rome,” Vivaldi’s “Guitar Concerto,” melodies from the soundtrack of “Cinema Paradiso,” a medley of hits made famous by Frank Sinatra, the rousing Funiculi Funicula and the haunting “Theme” from “The Godfather.” Guitarist Stuart Fox performs the Vivaldi concerto. Classical music’s greatest hit, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, “Ode to Joy,” will be performed April 28 and 29.
Tickets for Cal Phil’s second season of the Ambassador Series range from $30 to $90.
Tickets are available by calling 626-300-8200.