Draft:Santa Rosa Symphony

Corrick Brown (1958-1995)

In 1958, Corrick Brown became music director at age 27, beginning a 37-year tenure.^[4] At the time, the orchestra was largely composed of volunteer musicians.

During this period, the orchestra transitioned toward a professional ensemble and expanded its programming and community activities.^[5]

In 1982, the orchestra moved to the 1500-seat Luther Burbank Center for the Arts to accommodate its growing audience, where it remained for approximately 30 years.^[6]

Jeffrey Kahane (1995-2006)

In 1992, Jeffrey Kahane appeared as guest soloist with the Santa Rosa Symphony in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5. He was appointed music director in 1995, succeeding Corrick Brown.^[7]

In 1998, the Santa Rosa Symphony launched the Young People’s Chamber Orchestra, a strings-only ensemble for advanced student musicians under the direction of principal violist Linda Ghidossi-DeLuca.^[8]

In 1999, the orchestra entered a partnership with Sonoma State University that contributed to the development of the Green Music Center, which opened in 2012.^[9]

Bruno Ferrandis (2006-2018)

In 2006, Bruno Ferrandis succeeded Jeffrey Kahane as music director of the Santa Rosa Symphony.^[10] That same year, construction began on the Green Music Center main concert hall at Sonoma State University, a performing arts complex intended as the future home of the orchestra.^[11]

In 2007, Ferrandis’ first season coincided with the orchestra’s 80th anniversary. A gala concert featuring selections from opera repertoire marked both the anniversary and Ferrandis’ appointment as music director.^[12]

In 2012, the Santa Rosa Symphony became the resident orchestra at Weill Hall in the Green Music Center at Sonoma State University, following the completion of the concert hall.^[13]

During Ferrandis’ tenure, the orchestra expanded its programming to include premieres and works by living composers, and maintained education initiatives including the Simply Strings program.^[14]

Ferrandis concluded his tenure following the 2017–2018 season.^[14]

Francesco Lecce-Chong Years (2018-present)

In 2018, Francesco Lecce-Chong was appointed as the fifth music director and conductor before the age of 30.^[15][16][17]

In 2019, Lecce-Chong and the Santa Rosa Symphony launched a four-year First Symphony Project in partnership with the Eugene Symphony, commissioning four American composers to write their first symphonies. The project included co-commissions with donor families, composer residencies, and community engagement activities across both orchestras.^[18]

In 2020, Lecce-Chong and the Santa Rosa Symphony presented chamber music performances during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also launched SRS@Home virtual concert series, which included recorded performances from Weill Hall and was distributed via the orchestra's Youtube channel.^[19]

In 2021, the Santa Rosa Symphony continued the SRS@Home virtual concert series. The series initially drew nearly 3,000 unique viewers at its premiere and later averaged more than 5,000 viewers across 22 U.S. states and three countries. Three recorded concerts conducted by Lecce-Chong and filmed at Weill Hall, Green Music Center,^[20] were broadcast on Northern California Public Media stations KRCB and KPJK, marking the first televised concerts in the orchestra’s history. The broadcasts reached an estimated 2.8 million households across the greater Bay Area.^[21]

In 2022, the Santa Rosa Symphony released Cello Concerto & Other Works on the Delos label, featuring works by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich and performances recorded during the orchestra’s 2020–2021 virtual season.^[22] That year, Lecce-Chong and the Santa Rosa Symphony commissioned Valley of the Moon by American composer Michael Daugherty, which premiered in April.^[23] Lecce-Chong also led the first season of the Rachmaninoff and the Hollywood Sound project, a four-year initiative pairing the symphonic works of Sergei Rachmaninoff alongside works by Hollywood film composers.^[24] In June 2022, the orchestra premiered Los Braceros, a cantata by Enrico Chapela Barba for mariachi ensemble and orchestra, featuring Mariachi Champaña Nevin.^[25]

In 2023, Michael Berkowitz retired as Principal Pops Conductor.^[26] That year, J. Andrew Bradford was appointed President and CEO of the Santa Rosa Symphony following the retirement of Alan Silow, who had served in the role for 21 years.^[27] Also in 2023, Conductor Emeritus Corrick Brown, the orchestra’s second music director, died at the age of 95.^[28]