California Symphony: Schubert in Vienna

California Symphony’s first concerts of 2026 feature a genre-blending program that showcases the wind and brass instruments of the orchestra, moving from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's classical elegance to Friedrich Gulda's jazz-inspired Cello Concerto. The concert begins with excerpts from Mozart’s brilliantly witty and melody-filled opera Don Giovanni in an arrangement for the Harmoniemusik of Mozart’s day, when bands of wind players would roam the streets of Vienna to promote coming attractions. Friedrich Gulda’s Cello Concerto, performed by Bay Area native Nathan Chan, is a fusion of jazz, rock, and European folk dance performed with a big band brass section, electric guitar, bass, and drum set. Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 – aptly known as The Great – is a grand and majestic journey through soaring melodies and lively folk rhythms, almost all of which are first introduced by the woodwind and brass sections.

California Symphony takes the stuffiness out of the concert experience: Take selfies at the photo booth, order a signature cocktail, and sip at your seat. Tickets include a free 30-minute pre-concert talk by award-winning instructor Scott Foglesong, starting one hour before the show.