Come join Ryan Murray & the MSO on a trip to a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert this June 3 & 4 at the Gallo Center for the Arts!
This June 3rd & 4th, the Modesto Symphony Orchestra travels to a galaxy far, far away when we perform Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert, live to film!
Previously MSO Associate Conductor Ryan Murray has conducted our past two film concerts: Pirates of the Caribbean in 2019, and Pixar in Concert in 2020. This time, he will be leading 81 musicians in perfect time as Star Wars: A New Hope plays on a 26’ x 16’ screen (the equivalent of 36 60” TVs!) at the Gallo Center for the Arts. An impressive feat that is a result of only 5 total hours of rehearsal time together!
Read on as we interview Ryan for an exclusive look behind the stage to see what goes into preparing for a unique concert like this.
MSO: How long does it take for you to prepare for a movie concert and is there any difference compared to preparing for a standard classics or other pops concerts?
Ryan Murray, conductor: It takes anywhere between four to six months to prepare for a movie concert and there are some major differences in how you prepare for these concerts compared to a standard classics or pops concert. The major difference in getting ready for one of these concerts is memorizing and internalizing the tempos of the original movie. Unlike in a traditional concert where the interpretation can vary from orchestra to orchestra and conductor to conductor, in the movie concerts you must play exactly in time with the film! And while I have a special screen in front of me with something called punches and streamers on it to help me line up with the film, the orchestra does not have that information, so it’s my job to really know the score inside and out so that we can make sure everything lines up just right!
Conductor Ryan Murray at the podium, with screen that provides film information in real-time.
MSO: Could you explain the how you use the screen in front of you to help line the orchestra up with what is on the big screen?
RM: Sure, while I’m conducting I have a click track and a special screen in front of me that I use to line everything up with the film. The orchestra does not have that information, so it is really the conductor’s job to make sure that all the tempos line up exactly with the film. Once the movie starts there is no margin for error, and we all must work very hard to make everything match! It is actually a very fun challenge and keeps you on your toes as a conductor!
MSO: Movie concerts are popular among audiences not only because hearing the music live is thrilling, but because the movies tend to be nostalgic for most of us. Does the nostalgia or being a fan of the movie, have an impact on you when you’re prepping or when rehearsing?
RM: There is a big nostalgia element when it comes to preparing a movie concert—especially Star Wars. I can’t think of any music that is more iconic than those opening few minutes of the score. I think we are all really excited about this music and for so many musicians we grew up loving this score—so to put it all together with the live movie and our fantastic audience it’s very exciting!
Conductor Ryan Murray leading the MSO in Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of The Black Pearl, March 2019
MSO: What do you think makes this John Williams’ score is so iconic?
RM: To me John Williams’ music is so dramatic and the way he writes for the orchestra is absolutely brilliant. The score is full of wonderful melodies and much like an opera, each main character has their own theme. These themes are then developed and transformed throughout the film to help us understand the emotions and the drama of the scene and this element of the movie becomes even more powerful with a live orchestra on stage!
MSO: Are you a Star Wars fan and if so, what is your favorite Star Wars movie?
RM: Yes, definitely a Star Wars fan! I would say my favorite Star Wars movie is either A New Hope—which we are performing, or the Return of the Jedi. Although I didn’t know it at the time, because I didn’t start studying music until high school, I’m sure the symphonic score was one of the major things that made me such a fan of these movies!
Come join Ryan Murray & the MSO on a trip to a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert this June 3 & 4 at the Gallo Center for the Arts!
Upcoming this May 6 & 7, Grammy-winner tabla master, Sandeep Das will be performing Dinuk Wijeratne’s Concerto for Tabla alongside your Modesto Symphony Orchestra. Fresh from a tour of London, Sandeep took the time to sit down with us to tell us more about this exciting concerto and his instrument, the tabla.
MSO: This is the first time most of our audiences will see this piece performed live, however you have performed this many times before. What is your history with this piece, when was the last time you performed it?
Sandeep Das: I am actually coming in to Modesto right after a tour of this very concerto with the National Youth Orchestra of the United Nations in London, U.K. I feel Dinuk Wijeratne’s Tabla Concerto is one of the finest Western compositions written for my instrument, and I am looking forward to sharing it with everyone in the audience!
MSO: The tabla is an instrument not often highlighted in Western Classical music. Can you tell us more about this instrument, how you got into it, and how it had led you to where you are today?
SD: The Tabla are one of the most popular drums in the North Indian Classical tradition, a complex and highly refined music system that has been passed down orally for more than 4,000 years. There is a fun story about how I got into this instrument:
One day, when I was about 8 years old, I was sent home from school with a note from my teacher. I had been disturbing the class by tapping on my desk, and when asked to stop, I started tapping my feet! They suggested that I be taken to a doctor.
Luckily, I had a smart father, and instead of taking me to a doctor, he gifted me my first pair of Tabla, and my lessons began that very night.
My Guru, Pt. Kishan Maharaj, was a legend of North Indian Classical Music in the same way Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart are revered as legends of Western Classical Music. I learned Tabla in the traditional Indian Guru-Shishya Parampara, a system where the Shishya, or student, lives with their Guru (teacher) as a member of the household while they are learning.
For 12 years, I lived with my Guru in Banaras, an ancient Indian city known as a historical and contemporary center for intellectual, spiritual, and artistic learning. Music was taught to me not just as an art form, but as a way of life. Guruji would teach when and however he pleased. I was even taught while sitting in the garden, riding horses, and performing on stage with him at a concert!
MSO: Music education is something that is very important to you, which is evident through your programs like Harmony and Universality through Music (HUM) and Das Tabla School (DTS). Can you elaborate more about these programs you founded and how they help enrich the lives of your students?
SD: I strongly believe that the youth are our future, and we should do everything we can to open the windows of their hearts and minds to what is beyond the places, people, cultures, and ways of life that they know. Harmony and Universality through Music is an Indian nonprofit organization that I founded in 2009, which strives to promote global understanding through performance and education by the HUM Ensemble and provides learning opportunities and scholarships for visually-impaired children with potential in any genre of art to empower them to lead self-reliant lives. Since its inception, HUM has grown in size and now supports nine children through a National Scholarship.
MSO: Will you have any leisure time while in Northern California? Do you have any fun plans while being here? (Sights to see, places to you have to eat at, etc.)
SD: I am a golf addict and will definitely spend some time golfing!!!
MSO: Any upcoming performances/projects are you looking forward to?
SD: I recently launched a project called Transcending Borders One Note at a Time, which aims to harness the transformative power of music to spread a message of love and compassion, and to inspire positive social change through a variety of media including performances, residencies, community engagement activities, and talks/presentations. As part of that initiative, the HUM Ensemble recently released its debut album, “Delhi to Damascus”, which features a collaboration between Indian Classical and Syrian music. This project is currently touring live performances alongside “Delhi to Shiraz”, a musical celebration of the shared heritage between India and Persia.
Come watch Sandeep perform Wijeratne’s Concerto for Tabla this May 6th & 7th at the Gallo Center for the Arts!
Paul Haas, conductor
Sandeep Das, tabla
Tchaikovsky's fight with fate comes to life with his Symphony No. 4. Conductor Paul Haas dives deeper into Tchaikovsky’s ill-fated marriage and how he overcame his struggles with the help of his best friend, Nadezhda Von Meck.
Hear Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 performed live by the MSO this May 6 & 7, 2022!
Paul Haas, conductor
Sandeep Das, tabla
"History has a way of making sure that excellent music rises to the top." Hear from Conductor Paul Haas why Dinuk Wijeratne's Concerto For Tabla will surely rise to the top of orchestral music in our latest MSO Sound Bite!
Hear Wijeratne's Concerto for Tabla featuring Sandeep Das live this May 6 & 7, 2022!
Paul Haas, conductor
Sandeep Das, tabla
Conductor Paul Haas talks about the tragic tale that inspired Beethoven's Coriolan Overture, and how Beethoven masterfully translates musical themes into storytelling.
Hear Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture live in Modesto on May 6 & 7, 2022.
Paul Haas, conductor
Sandeep Das, tabla
All students interested in attending with the MSO’s Wijeratne & Tchaikovsky concerts or the MSYO Season Finale Concert can attend for free. Free student tickets are available in-person from the Gallo Center Ticket Office with a valid student ID.
The MSO’s free student ticket program was generously sponsored by Dr. Phillip & Margaret Beck and Robert & Martha Falzone.
Nicholas Hersh, conductor
Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra, side-by-side
Fri. April 11, 2025 at 7:30pm
Sat. April 12, 2025 at 7:30pm
The Gallo Center for the Arts Ticket Office is located at:
1000 I Street
Modesto, CA 95354 Maps & Directions
10:00 am – 6:00 pm, Monday–Friday
12:00 noon – 6:00 pm, Saturday
Explore the sights & sounds of space through Argentinian composer, Osvaldo Golijov's work, "Sidereus" with conductor Dirk Meyer!
Composed in 2010, "Sidereus" was commissioned by the League of American Orchestras in honor of former president Henry Fogel's years of service to the orchestral world. Golijov wanted Sidereus, meaning "belonging to the stars," to evoke the emotion he felt while staring up at the night sky over his home in Patagonia, Argentina.
Hear Golijov's "Sidereus" live in Modesto on April 1 & 2, 2022
Andrew Grams, conductor
Simone Porter, violin
Fellow composer, Robert Schumann, thought Brahms to be the next Beethoven. Did Brahms live up to that expectation?
Hear Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C Minor live in Modesto on April 1 & 2, 2022!
Andrew Grams, conductor
Simone Porter, violin
Upcoming this March 4th & 5th, Charles Yang will be performing Korngold’s Concerto in D Major for Violin alongside your Modesto Symphony Orchestra. We caught up with Charles, who last visited Modesto in 2017 with his string trio, Time for Three, to see what he’s been up to since then and to learn more about Korngold’s Violin Concerto.
MSO: We heard in a previous interview that this was one of your favorite pieces to perform, why is Korngold’s Violin Concerto one of your favorite pieces to listen to and perform?
Charles Yang: I remember hearing this concerto for the first time when I was about 14 years old. I had already learned many of the major violin concertos at that point (Brahms, Beethoven, Mendelssohn etc.) but was not familiar with the Korngold. It completely took my breath away. I was hypnotized by the fresh harmonies and its memorable themes. Without knowing Korngold was the “godfather” of Hollywood film music at the time, I remember feeling like I was within a movie when hearing it. I later realized his impact on film music, and it just made so much sense. For some reason unknown to me still, it took me 10 years from the time I first heard this concerto to when I first started to learn it and man…I didn’t eat or sleep for a few days because I was OBSESSED! I’m still obsessed every time I pick it up and I’m so glad I get to do this with your orchestra.
MSO: Korngold, best known for being one of the most influential founders of Hollywood film music, brings a sense of imagery and imagination to all his work, especially his Violin Concerto. When you listen to this concerto, what sort of imagery plays in your mind?
Erich Wolfgang Korngold, composer
CY: There is the sense of awe within this concerto. Everything about it is grand and vast. I envision space whenever I hear this piece, with its expansive harmonies and orchestration. Many of the themes are actually taken from his film scores with the first movement drawing from “Another Dawn” and “Juarez”, the second movement quoting “Anthony Adverse”, and the third movement based on “The Prince and the Pauper”. His music has so much color and texture that every listener can paint their own picture.
“There is the sense of awe within this concerto. Everything about it is grand and vast. I envision space whenever I hear this piece, with its expansive harmonies and orchestration.”
MSO: You’ve recently worked with our conductor, Akiko Fujimoto back in October 2021, what was that experience like and how excited are you to be working with her again for this concert?
CY: I am so happy to be reunited with Akiko on this concerto. It was an absolute joy working with her the last time we did it and I know it will be magical again. When we first were working on this concerto, I remember us talking about the imagery of the music and we both shared the same feeling of space and the greater beyond. It’s always great to be on the same wavelength when collaborating on a piece and I’m excited to paint this picture yet again with her!
MSO: What our audience may not know is that you’ve grown up in the world of Classical Music, with your mother being a violinist for the Austin Symphony. What is it like growing up surrounded by classical music and musicians?
CY: I used to always think it was tough growing up with my mother as my violin teacher. She gave me a violin at the age of 3 and I was actively going to her concerts not long after that. In fact, I was born the day after one of her shows and she remembers me kicking during the Bruch Violin Concerto when I was still in her belly. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t have music in my life, and I definitely took that for granted as a child. Looking back now, I am so grateful for all the hours she put in teaching me how to play and all the concerts I got to attend. At the time it just felt like the norm, but now I see how lucky I am to have gotten so much attention towards my musical upbringing.
MSO: What is it like crossing over the different genres of music that you’ve performed in? Is it challenging switching back and forth?
CY: Learning a new genre in music is like learning a new dialect or language. For me, I have always been curious about learning new “dialects” and how I could tie that into my own voice. Having been exposed to so many great blues, country and rock artists in Austin, Texas (where I grew up), I became fluent in a lot of those genres because I was constantly thrown into situations where I had to collaborate with them. But just like any language, it took trial after trial before I actually was fluent. Because I’ve been lucky enough to play with so many great artists from different genres, I’ve collected so many “tools” to put in my musical “toolbox”. Just like within classical music, learning how to play Bach is stylistically very different from learning how to play Bartok, so with this in mind, I don’t find playing the blues to be that far off from playing the vast canon of “classical music”. Sure, the brain works in a different way when improvising, but just like in anything, it can be trained to feel natural.
Time for Three with the MSO, April 2017
MSO: You’ve performed before here with the Modesto Symphony but with your group, Time for Three back in 2017. What’s the biggest difference when preparing for a solo performance versus your string trio?
CY: When preparing for a solo concerto, I strive to do as the composer intended while lending my own unique interpretation to it. With Time for Three, we often times play music written by us or written for us in collaboration, so our voices were already implemented within the composition. The biggest difference I find is that when working with Time for Three, the “soloist” is actually the combination of Nick, Ranaan and myself. We work as one unit and sound so there is a lot of interplay among us while also trying to blend with the orchestra. When I am a soloist with a concerto, it’s just me and the orchestra so its solely up to me to interpret and blend with the orchestra.
MSO: Do you have any fun plans outside of work while being in Northern California? (Sights to see, places to you have to eat at, etc.)
CY: I might visit my grandma who lives in San Francisco so I’m pretty excited about that but other than that, please let me know where I should go!!!
MSO: What upcoming performances/projects are you looking forward to?
CY: There are some really exciting projects that I am super stoked about! Time for Three just recorded two concertos written for us by Kevin Puts and Jennifer Higdon with the Philadelphia Orchestra which should come out soon! I’m also about to record a concerto written for me by Kris Bowers with the American Youth Symphony which we got to premiere at Disney Hall two years ago right before the pandemic so that one is special to me! Maybe I’ll get to bring these pieces to Modesto one day!
MSO: Why do you believe the Symphony or live performances are still relevant and important to attend?
CY: There is nothing like live music. After almost 2 years of concerts being cancelled because of the pandemic, I can tell how much people thirsted to hear a live orchestra in a concert hall. To be at an acoustic venue with live musicians playing in front of you where you can feel the sonic vibrations hit your soul is unexplainable and transcends any other listening experience. While the medium of how we listen to music has changed so much over the years from LPs to cassettes to CDs and now streaming, the concert hall or live music venue has stayed relevant and steady for a good reason. With so much music written over so many years, going to the symphony is the closest thing to time travel in my opinion.
“To be at an acoustic venue with live musicians playing in front of you where you can feel the sonic vibrations hit your soul is unexplainable and transcends any other listening experience.”
Come watch Charles perform Korngold’s Concerto in D Major for Violin this March 4th & 5th at the Gallo Center for the Arts!
Akiko Fujimoto, conductor
Charles Yang, violin
Fri., March 4, 2022 at 7:30 pm
Sat., March 5, 2022 at 7:30 pm
The Modesto Symphony Orchestra has selected the final four candidates to be the next music director. But what is the music director’s role in an orchestra and how does it affect the MSO’s future?
Most audience members will recognize the music director as being the conductor of the orchestra. The one on the podium, masterfully wielding the baton creating waves of sound from more than 70 musicians in perfect time. However, a music director’s role spans far past the podium. The music director is the artistic leader of the orchestra, who works closely with the administrative staff to produce concerts and act as the face of the organization. Music directors are a unique blend of charismatic and passionate artists, with strong leadership and communication skills.
click to enlarge
The MSO’s search began in 2018 and has since narrowed down to our impressive final four candidates:
delta David Gier
Delta David Gier, currently the music director of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, where he is recognized for his commitment to new music, and dedication to community engagement. He aims to bring this philosophy to the MSO
Keitaro Harada
Keitaro Harada, currently the music director of the Savannah Philharmonic, has a growing international presence and an interest in exploring a broad scope of works including symphonic, opera, chamber, pops, educational, as well as pursuing projects that lead to diverse programs.
Dirk Meyer
Dirk Meyer, currently the music director of the Augusta Symphony, Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, and the Lyric Opera of the North, is a champion for orchestral music being performed in innovative ways, including multimedia formats as well as collaborations of all kinds.
Paul Haas
Paul Haas, currently the music director of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas and the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, sees the beauty in classical music and with his strong artistic vision, invites audiences see the orchestra in a brand-new way.
One of these four will be the next music director of the Modesto Symphony and will help mold and shape the symphony for the future. They will not only reflect our musicians, but be a representative of our MSO family. As an audience member of their coming concerts, you will be able to provide your feedback on each candidate. Your feedback will help us find a dynamic and captivating conductor who will bring the music to life and lead the MSO into a new era.
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