Carnival of Kibble: Pet Food Drive & Raffle

It’s a Carnival of Kibble!

Help feed our furry friends in need & enter to win tickets to Verdi’s Requiem!

We're collaborating with Stanislaus Animal Services Agency and hosting a Pet Food Drive at our Carnival of the Animals concerts. Donate and enter a raffle to win 2 tickets to Verdi's Requiem!

Suggested Donations to Enter:

• 1 can of kitten or puppy formula

• 4 cans of cat or dog wet food

• 5 lb bag of cat or dog dry food

Donations will be accepted before the start of each concert on April 11 & 12 starting from 6:30 pm until 7:15 pm. A winner from from each concert will be chosen. The winners will be contacted by April 18, 2025.

Read / Creating Magic in the Music Room

Meet MSYO Music Director Elisha Wells

Creating Magic in the Music Room

From discovering her own passion for music as a student to now creating a warm and supportive space for others, MSYO Music Director Elisha Wells’ approach goes beyond teaching the notes on the page. She fosters an environment where young musicians not only grow their musical skills but also gain important life lessons along the way.

MSO: How did music impact your life and what inspired you to be a music educator?

Elisha Wells (EW): Growing up, I was a church pianist at the age of nine. My mother drove me to church services, weddings, funerals, and other events until I could drive myself. As a teenager, I also sang in a country/rock/polka band while playing the piano and trumpet. We were called “Broken Promise” (not the best wedding band name…) and we traveled far and wide to play for weddings and parties. I also was the drum major of my high school marching band and sang in the church choir from ages five to 18. These rural Texas musical opportunities were wonderful and impactful, but I always knew there was more music to experience. So, while I didn’t have elite musical training in Texas, I strived for my personal best at everything and said “yes” to a variety of musical experiences that each shaped me to be the person I am today.

My life completely changed after hearing the sound of an orchestra and the inspiration for becoming a music educator came from a deep connection to “the magic in the room.” I never played in an orchestra until I was 18 years old and attending college. As a young child, I thought that I was going to be a concert pianist, but over the years, I began to play horn and fell in love with the experience of playing in orchestras. I knew that this was the music I’d been missing all my life. I realized how impactful my orchestra conductors were, so I studied and observed everything they did, hoping to be like them someday. My love for achieving my personal best as a performer is what inspired me to be a music educator. There is nothing better than encouraging young people to do their best, and seeing them reach and exceed their goals

MSO: What do you most enjoy about making music with an orchestra?

EW: I often think of a concert set from start to finish, like a large Rand McNally paper road map, the ones we all used before iMaps. I think of it as a journey, from the very first thought I have when thinking of repertoire, to the very first rehearsal, all the way to the last note of the performance. Sometimes the journey takes us through steep mountains and over bumpy roads. The most important time during that process is the journey, or the rehearsals. The concert is a gift, both to the audience and to the performers. I guess the answer to that question is: I enjoy every second that I’m able to make music with an orchestra. At the end of each concert, I feel as though we have all accomplished a great task together, and it’s the greatest feeling!

MSO: What is the value of music education and how does the MSYO impact our community?

EW: The Modesto area and regional cities offer a first-class music education experience in the school districts. We encourage and support MSYO students to participate in their school music programs, and we believe that MSYO is an enhancement to what they are already receiving in their school programs. When our school music programs succeed, we also succeed! Music education teaches the whole individual, not just academically or physically. An orchestra is a place where students learn self-discipline, how to multi-task like experts, how to be vulnerable and brave, how to care for others and be good citizens, and so much more. These students go out into society having finer social skills, critical thinking capabilities, and are able to function as productive members of any community.

When we hear a professional symphony play beautiful music, we enjoy listening, but most of us don’t think, “Wow, they must have worked so hard to sound that great!” When students play a successful performance, it’s all the more inspiring because they’ve worked to achieve that goal while learning their instruments and growing their musicianship, and that’s what makes it also 1,000 times more rewarding! Music education is desperately needed in our society. The appreciation and understanding of the arts, in general, produce humans that are more understanding, empathic, and compassionate toward others. We need that more than ever in the world!

“The concert is a gift, both to the audience and to the performers…

…I enjoy every second that I’m able to make music with an orchestra. At the end of each concert, I feel as though we have all accomplished a great task together, and it’s the greatest feeling!”

MSO: What do you hope students will take away from being in the MSYO?

I hope our students take so many things from their experiences with MSYO. A few of them are musical excellence, a deep love for music making, a sense of gratitude and appreciation for the gift of music making, and a sense of how important it is to nurture our music community, be good citizens, work hard, and be kind.

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LEarn more about Elisha

Sensory-Friendly Open Rehearsal: The Four Seasons Mixtape

SENSORY-FRIENDLY OPEN REHEARSAL OF MODESTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S THE FOUR SEASONS MIXTAPE

As part of our values to create a warm and welcoming environment for everyone, the Modesto Symphony Orchestra will have a sensory-friendly rehearsal of The Four Seasons Mixtape on November 1, 2024.

A Sensory-Friendly Open Rehearsal is designed to create a welcoming symphonic experience for people with autism, sensory input disorders, sensory sensitivities, or other physical, cognitive, or developmental disabilities, and their families and caretakers. The rehearsal is adapted for persons with light and audio sensitivities, and to allow for patron movement and talking. A sensory-friendly rehearsal is also a great way for young ones to experience the symphony for the first time. All are welcome to experience the MSO in a safe, non-judgmental environment.

• Rehearsal attendees are invited to come and be themselves. Etiquette expectations will be relaxed, talking or vocalizing is accepted. Patrons may move freely in their seats and the aisles, within appropriate safety parameters.

• House lights will remain on throughout the rehearsal.

• Some loud sounds and notes will be modified for this performance.

• Seating is general admission, and wheelchair spaces are available. Please let us know if a wheelchair space is needed.

Sensory-Friendly Open Rehearsal: The Four Seasons Mixtape

$5.00

November 1, 2024
3:30 pm to 5 pm

Gallo Center for the Arts

$5 price is per seat.

Quantity:

Purchase

Read / A Season of Energy, A Season for Everyone

Read / A Season of Energy, A Season for Everyone

Conductor on conductor interview

After a summer break, we sat down with Music Director Nicholas Hersh and Principal Pops Conductor Ryan Murray as they chatted about our upcoming season.

Ryan Murray, Principal Pops Conductor (RM): Nick, I’m really excited for your Classics Series! I think every Classics concert this year has something for everyone—something that makes this music accessible. It’s a little bit away from the “overture-concerto-symphony” format, and although that may be scary to some people who are comfortable with that model, there are still giant symphonic pieces in there. Can you talk about how this season is going to appeal to the long-time classical music lovers, but also those that are thinking about coming to the concert hall for the first time?

Nicholas Hersh, Music Director (NH): Thanks for that! The thought behind our Classics Series was to provide a unique experience at every concert. You could come to all of them and have a completely different experience each time. Our first concert is probably the most traditional, but the concerto element of it is probably the LEAST traditional bit of it. It’s featuring a saxophone first of all, which is a very rare instrument for concertos, and featuring one of the absolute best in the world at it, Branford Marsalis. He’ll be playing two very jazz-inspired pieces by Milhaud and Williams, and that’s paired with the amazing ever-green Symphonic Dances of Rachmaninoff, which again, sort of takes that idea of what a symphony can be and takes it a step further.

“The thought behind our Classics Series was to provide a unique experience at every concert. You could come to all of them and have a completely different experience each time.”

And then we come to our second concert where the traditional format is tossed out the window! We’re doing this ‘mixtape’ idea, which in this case, is featuring the Four Seasons. We’ll be playing some of Vivaldi’s “Seasons”—but only one as a matter of fact. Each “Season” is written by a different composer, and each of them has their own voice. Some of the Seasons are inspired by Vivaldi, such as Max Ritcher’s ‘Autumn’, and it’s an exciting way to experience how music evolves.

We pair that “quartet of seasons” with a couple of other pieces that emphasize seasonality: Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream and “La Calaca” by Gabriela Oritz, which I’m very excited about. La Calaca is about Day of the Dead, which is the very weekend that we’ll be having that concert.

Then we come to your feature performance on the Classics Series, Fantasia in Concert, maybe you could talk a little about that, Ryan?

RM: I’m really excited about that, I just conducted it in May 2024 [with the Auburn Symphony], and it’s just an unbelievable show. It’s the greatest moments of classical music with the brilliance of Disney animation. There’s Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, Firebird—it’s exciting music, but it’s an incredibly difficult show for the orchestra and the conductor. I’m looking forward to taking on that challenge again—it’s just a magical, magical thing.

It's going to be great fun to share with our audience in Modesto, in the beautiful Gallo Center, and it’s always nice when you can do a show a second or third or fourth or fifth time, because you find different things in it as a conductor. It’s like you’re starting from level two instead of level one or zero.

A question I get a lot about Fantasia from patrons is: “Is it the original or is it the new one?” It’s actually a mix of pieces from both the original Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 that Disney in Concerts has put together for us.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Dance of the Hours, The Nutcracker Suite, and Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony are from the 1940s version, as well as Clair de Lune, which didn't even make it into the original cut of the film, but was recorded and is also in this concert. Then we have Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Firebird, Pines of Rome, and a few other pieces from Fantasia 2000.

NH: The greatest hits, isn't it?

RM: Yeah, absolutely!

NH: Of course, we finish our Classics Series with two concerts, one featuring the talents of our Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra joining us on stage for a performance of Copland's Rodeo. As well as Carnival of the Animals, which is all about discovery and youth.

We’re finishing off the Series with Verdi's Requiem, which is as epic as it gets. It’s one of the great masterpieces of anything written for orchestra. It features our MSO Chorus in an unbelievably intrinsic way, even more so than Beethoven's Ninth Symphony last year. They’ll have to sing the entire way through, and I’m very much looking forward to working with our fabulous chorus and our chorus director, Daniel Afonso on that. And meanwhile… we have a great Pop Series coming on as well!

RM: We do! The Pops Series this year, in a way, is kind of like a season of second chances because we have some great things that we just slightly missed out on in the past.

Nikki Renée Daniels was going to sing Holiday Pops! with us two years ago but was unable to join us. Now, she's coming back this year, and I'm really excited! Her voice is just unbelievable, and she's been singing everywhere since then—with major orchestras and major Broadway shows and companies.

Then when we head into spring, and Capathia Jenkins will return for her Aretha Franklin tribute show. I was so sad that the audience didn't get the chance to hear her at Picnic at the Pops in 2023 because of the unbelievable torrential rainstorm and lightning. But I can tell you just from the dress rehearsal—she is one of the finest artists I have ever worked with.

Capathia brings this amazing musicianship and subtlety and such incredible colors to her singing, and although it works outdoors—it's going to be even more exciting indoors, where people will be able to intimately hear all the amazing things that she's doing with her voice. It's a fantastic show, it's brilliant music, and I can't wait for Capathia to come back.

We’re finishing off the season with another film, and although we've made our way through the original Star Wars trilogy—we're sticking with John Williams. We're doing Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark! What a fun summer adventure movie with the incredible music of John Williams. It's just going to be another smash hit!

NH: Oh, yeah, that's one I haven't had the pleasure to conduct yet! Is this your first time as well?

RM: Yeah, I haven't done it before, either. It’ll be fun to dig into it. The great thing about John Williams is that every time you open a new score, it’s like visiting an old friend. There are new things, but there is this language he has that is so natural for the orchestra.

"The great thing about John Williams is that every time you open a new score, it’s like visiting an old friend. There are new things, but there is this language he has that is so natural for the orchestra.

NH: That's what it is, isn't it?  It's one of those amazing things with him where when you start rehearsing it, you look at it on paper and it seems very virtuosic, and very, very difficult. But then, it just fits, it just works.

RM: It just clicks, yeah.

NH: You don't have to futz with anything, every dynamic, every timbre is just *so*. It’s challenging and yet fluid at the same time. I can think of very few other composers like him who have that kind of flexibility.

RM: The rhythms are exciting, the melodies are beautiful, and the orchestration—it works brilliantly.

So, it's a great Pops Series with lots of different kinds of music for different audiences.

And of course, our Holiday Candlelight Concert. This is such a special concert in the unbelievable St. Stanislaus Catholic Church. It’s an amazing chance to showcase the traditional music of the holidays, and the incredible ability of our MSO Chorus.

I think it's so fitting and so perfect that Daniel Afonso conducts this concert. He does a beautiful job with it, and it’s a real chance for our audience to get to know him better as the incredible musician that he is, and to meet our chorus on a more intimate level. And paired with the Opus Handbell Ensemble, it's just such a fun and festive event and I always enjoy when I can be there as an audience member too.

NH: I think that ties in beautifully with the concept of the Classics Series. Each of these performances is its own experience. They bring a different kind of energy, and we’ve called this season, the “season of energy.”

Audiences will get to see something new and rewarding from each concert. It's been great fun putting this together with you, Ryan, and our wonderful staff of the MSO.

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A Season of energy!

Plan Your Picnic-Perfect Evening!

Plan Your Picnic-Perfect Evening!

Whether you’re a seasoned Picnic veteran, or this is your first time enjoying Picnic, we know a lot goes into planning your picnic-perfect evening. The MSO has put together a Picnic Planner to ensure that you have an unforgettable night with us!

1. pack for success!

• Bring a comfy blanket, or low sand chairs to sit and enjoy the show (seats lower than 9”, and backs must be lower than 32” from the ground)

• Water, don’t forget to hydrate!

• A cooler for your non-alcoholic beverages, your favorite snacks, or picnic meal.

2. Skip the Line!

• We will have an Express Bag Check for anyone with a clear bag or no bags.

• Pre-orders are now closed. Scrip is available for pre-order online to pick up on the grounds!*

3. leave these at home.

• No outside alcohol please!

• Video and audio recording equipment.

• Grills, cooking devices, or anything with an open flame.

• Pets (Service animals are welcome).

• Please, no fireworks, noisemakers, or items that may disturb the peace.

4. Save a tank of gas!

• Worried about finding parking? We highly encourage you to use a RideApp service (like Uber or Lyft), especially if you plan to enjoy our wine offerings at Picnic.

• There is a designated pickup and drop-off spot for services located in the GREEN Premier Parking Lot 4. Use address 100 Administration Circle and follow the signs to the right for RideApps drop-off and pick-up.

5. pack a picnic!

• Guests are welcome to bring their own picnics, as simple or complex as they like, to Picnic at the Pops!

• Don’t want to worry about the hassle? We got you covered! Pre-order a picnic dinner from Greens on Tenth to have ready on-site for you to enjoy.

6. Add-on to your Picnic Fun!

• Wine generously donated by GALLO will be available to purchase on-site. 100% of wine sales proceeds benefit the Modesto Symphony Orchestra. Skip the line! Pre-order your beverage scrip tickets today and pick them up at Picnic. To pre-order scrip & the full wine & beverage menu, click here.* Pre-orders for scrip are now closed.

• Purchase delicious food from the Sinaloense Food Truck and dessert from Yogurt Mill’s Froyo Truck.

• Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra will be selling Glow Products to help you light up your night. 100% of proceeds go towards MSYO scholarships. (Glow product sales are cash only.)

7. Where can you buy tickets?

If you want to get your tickets today, visit in-person or call the Gallo Center for the Arts at 209-338-2100. Tickets are also now available to purchase from our ticket outlets below:

• Modesto Symphony Orchestra Office:
  911 Thirteenth Street, Modesto, 95354
  Monday – Friday
  10 am to 4:30 pm

• Gather:
  2425 McHenry Ave, Modesto, CA 95350
  Monday – Saturday
  10 am to 5 pm
  https://www.gather2gether.com/

• Carnegie Arts Center:
  250 N. Broadway, Turlock, CA 95380
  Tuesday – Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm
  www.carnegieartsturlock.org

Groups of 10 or more can save 20% off General Lawn Seating tickets! Call the Gallo Center ticket office at 209-338-2100 for more information.

We hope this quick guideline helps you out and we can’t wait to see you all this September!

*updated 9/4/24

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Dance in the streets with the mso!

Come watch Chester Gregory, Crystal Monee Hall, & Terron Brooks, conducted by Ryan Murray, perform Dancing in the Street: The Music of Motown alongside the Modesto Symphony Orchestra this September 7th at the GALLO Grounds!

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Modesto Symphony's 2024/25 Season of Energy!

Welcome to a season of Energy! The MSO has a fantastic season of concerts that run the gamut of emotions: from Picnic at the Pops! Dancing in the Streets to a new spin on Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons to bringing Walt Disney’s beloved animated Fantasia to life on screen and stage! You’re guaranteed to move and be moved this season at the Modesto Symphony Orchestra.

Our 2024/25 Series: