Three New Musicians Join the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera

SACRAMENTO, CA – September 5, 2024 – The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera (SP&O) received a fresh injection of artistic talent with the appointment of three new musicians to the orchestra: Section Violin Annamarie Arai, Section Bass John DeMartino, and Section Viola Mitso Floor. The new SP&O musicians will begin playing with the organization starting in the upcoming 2024-25 season.

“I continue to be impressed with the quality of musicianship in this orchestra, and I know that the addition of Annamarie, Mitso, and John in their new positions will make the orchestra even stronger artistically and more consistent,” SP&O Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor Ari Pelto reflected. “I congratulate each of them and look forward to working with them to bring the best in orchestral music and opera to this community.”

The new musicians join the orchestra at a time when the SP&O is on a trajectory of artistic growth and overall achievement. The 2023-24 Season ended with multiple sold-out concerts, a subscription base that has fully returned to pre-COVID levels, and a record number of donors. The 2024-25 season will begin in October and continue through May 2025, with 8 performances at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center.

About the new musicians

Annamarie Arai, Violin

Currently based in San Francisco, Annamarie Arai is a member of One Found Sound, a democratically-run, conductor-less chamber orchestra in San Francisco for the past 11 seasons. She is also a violinist with the Santa Cruz Symphony and often performs with the Reno Philharmonic, as well as other regional northern California symphonic organizations. In addition to her performances in traditional classical settings, she has shared the stage with Kygo, Michael Bublé, Geographer, and Portugal the Man in their respective California tour stops. Annamarie is a passionate educator and, in addition to cultivating her private violin studio, is a Teaching Artist at Enriching Lives through Music (ELM), a non-profit music program in San Rafael. She holds degrees from UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory

John DeMartino, Bass

John DeMartino is a native of South Windsor, Connecticut. He completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Boston University where he studied with Todd Seeber and Edwin Barker of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He also briefly studied at the Royal College of Music in London under Anthony Hougham, principal double bass of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. In Massachusetts, John served as principal of the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra and played section bass in the Cape Symphony. He has performed with groups throughout the New England area such as the New Bedford Symphony, the Hartford Symphony, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and A Far Cry. John will also be a fellow of the San Francisco Academy Orchestra 24-25 season.

Mitso Floor, Viola

Mitso Floor is an avid chamber and orchestral musician from Seattle, WA. Outside of his positions in Sacramento Philharmonic and several other regional orchestras, he is the violist of Friction Quartet, an ensemble that primarily champions the eclectic sounds of new music. Equally at home with music new and old, he also plays with historical performance ensembles such as Voices of Music and Cantata Collective, and is a regular substitute with the San Francisco Symphony.
When not playing the viola, Mitso can be found riding bikes and trains to far-off locations, knitting, 3D printing, or creating videos of himself simultaneously playing many different instruments (and non-instruments) for his YouTube channel “Beanzo”.

Photos left to right: Annamarie Arai, John De Martino, Mitso Floor

Record audiences and contributions: 500,000 greater Sacramentans reached;
$13 million in gifts and sponsorships made

The key to SP&O’s artistic growth and fiscal stability has been a reliable and growing subscription base coupled with Sacramento’s philanthropic generosity. On the heels of the previous year’s substantial subscription revenue growth, subscription revenue grew again by 50% compared to a year ago, with the number of total subscribers crossing 1,500. This represents a full return to pre-pandemic levels.

Since 2015, over $13 million in gifts and sponsorships have been made in support of the SP&O and the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera Foundation, steward of the SP&O’s Endowment. The 2023-24 season ended with a record number of donors to the Annual Fund, with $1.71 million contributed by 700 donors. Leading the way was a transformational gift from the Nancy and Hank Fisher Family Fund, which helps the SP&O continually grow its artistic quality as well as grow its relationship with Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor Ari Pelto.

A key tenant of the organization’s mission, the SP&O has presented nine operas for a combined audience exceeding 18,000 since its comeback, featuring nationally celebrated artists and directors who have earned critical and audience acclaim. The organization will again feature two operas in the 2024-25 season, opening with The Marriage of Figaro in October 2024.

“It is a tremendous privilege to be able to serve Sacramento with exceptional music,” exclaims Giuliano Kornberg, the SP&O’s CEO. “Selling hundreds of thousands of tickets to orchestral, operatic, and pops performances in ten years was once viewed as a pipe dream. Now, it’s the new baseline for our ambitions and a foundation from which we will continue to serve our community and partner with audiences across the Region. We are looking forward to our next decade of artistic, programmatic, and fiscal excellence.”

In addition to those attending orchestral and opera presentations, SP&O has reached 30,000 3^rd-5^th grade students in Title 1 schools through music education offerings including full orchestra “Link Up” concerts in partnership with Carnegie Hall. As one of the largest and most frequent Sacramento-based tenants of SAFE PAC, in ten years the SP&O has held more than 300 concert events and rehearsals at the SAFE PAC, engaging more than 650 greater Sacramento classical musicians and bringing to Sacramento some 175 internationally celebrated guest artists and conductors. The SP&O continues to provide live music for all performances of The Nutcracker with the Sacramento Ballet, and will perform Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Live in Concert in October 2024.

“While our home is the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center, our commitment to the greater Sacramento Region extends into every corner of our region,” observes Sheree Meyer, SP&O Board President. “In recent years, we have offered 175 pop-up concerts, and our remarkable musicians have performed for some 300,000 individuals outside the SAFE PAC at events including Run to Feed the Hungry, a 4^th of July performance at Sutter Health Park, and Andrea Bocelli at the Golden 1 Center. It’s an incredible story of service to our Region.” SP&O’s 2024-25 season is on sale, with subscription sales already outpacing last year’s strong results. Among the highlights of the new season are concerts featuring renowned pianist Awadagin Pratt, Grammy-award winning violinist Augustin Hadelich, and local Sacramento virtuoso pianist Parker Van Ostrand, as well as four engagements with Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor Ari Pelto. Musical highlights include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, Copland’s Suite from Billy the Kid, and Brahms’s Violin Concerto. Opera will be an integral part of the season, with performances of Mozart’s wildly popular and beloved The Marriage of Figaro and Mascagni’s gripping Cavalleria Rusticana. The season will end with Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D major, “Titan,” sponsored by Congresswoman Doris Matsui and Roger Sant, to commemorate the SP&O’s return in 2015.

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Artistic and Financial Achievements and Momentum Leads to Contract Extension

SACRAMENTO, CA – June 4, 2024 – Sending a strong signal that his leadership has dramatically propelled the institution forward in service to the greater Sacramento region, the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera (SP&O) Board of Directors has extended Executive Director Giuliano Kornberg’s contract with the organization. This four-year extension goes through June 30, 2028.

In addition to the contract extension, Kornberg will also be the organization’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), in recognition of his leadership and vision for the organization.

“The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera is earning unprecedented success and, under Giuliano’s leadership, has taken advantage of fresh and exciting opportunities to grow our artistic excellence and service to Sacramento while maintaining a solid financial foundation. There is a palpable sense of forward momentum – something Giuliano’s tireless leadership will sustain and advance,” said Board Chair Sheree Meyer. “In extending Giuliano’s contract, the Board has taken an important step to position the organization for the future.”

Kornberg began his tenure as Executive Director in 2022 and has since led the SP&O through enviable artistic success and financial growth. Last year, SP&O announced that it had performed for a record 400,000 greater Sacramentans; subscription revenue had increased 45%; and the organization had raised over $10 million in gifts and sponsorships to both the SP&O and the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera Foundation (its Endowment) since 2015. Additionally, conductor Ari Pelto was named Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor in Spring 2023, and SP&O’s management and musicians are currently in a three-year collective bargaining agreement, securing a robust slate of performances through the 2024-25 Season.

Prior to being named Executive Director, Kornberg began leading SP&O’s fundraising efforts in 2016 and later added responsibility for ticket sales. Under his leadership, the SP&O’s annual giving has increased from $630,000 to $1.7 million, the SP&O Foundation’s assets have grown from $400,000 to $3.2 million, more than 1,250 season subscriptions have been sold, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-relief funding were previously secured.

“The SP&O’s mission to deliver inspiring musical experiences and foster a vibrant cultural community remains at the heart of everything we do. Moving forward, and in collaboration with the board, staff, musicians, and the community, I look forward to building upon our work of the last several years, helping grow our artistic excellence and expand our impact in the community. Together, we can achieve new milestones, reach wider audiences, and deepen our engagement with the region’s cultural landscape,” said Kornberg.

Looking to the future, the momentum continues. Subscriptions for the SP&O’s next season are on sale, with subscription sales outpacing this year’s strong results. For the first time, a Sunday performance was added to the schedule, with Beethoven, Brahms and Hadelich to be performed on Saturday, January 25 and Sunday, January 26, 2025. In addition to orchestra programs, two operas are planned – The Marriage of Figaro in October and Cavalleria Rusticana in March. Subscriptions are available at www.sacphilopera.org; single tickets go on sale in August

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Thank you for joining the SP&O’s season finale, Don Giovanni, on May 11th!

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Thank you for joining the SP&O and Tim Myers conducting the SP&O Orchestra in Beethoven & Grieg on April 6, 2024.

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SP&O Announces Return of Harry Potter Film Concert Series with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™ In Concert

Tickets available starting Friday April 19 at ticketmaster.com

films. Since the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Concert in 2016, more than 3 million fans have enjoyed this magical experience from The Wizarding World, which is scheduled to include over 2,973 performances across more than 48 countries worldwide through 2025.

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, cars fly, trees fight back and a mysterious house-elf comes to warn Harry Potter at the start of his second year at Hogwarts. Adventure and danger await when bloody writing on a wall announces: The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. To save Hogwarts will require all of Harry, Ron and Hermione’s magical abilities and courage.

Earning a Grammy nomination for the score, the incredible music composed by John Williams became an instant classic, conjuring beautiful and soaring motifs continuing the adventures of Harry Potter on his magical journey.

Justin Freer, President of CineConcerts and Producer/Conductor of the Harry Potter Film Concert Series explains, “The Harry Potter film series is a once-in-a-lifetime cultural phenomenon that continues to delight millions of fans around the world. It is with great pleasure that we bring fans for the first time ever an opportunity to experience the award-winning music scores played live by a symphony orchestra, all while the beloved film is simultaneously projected onto the big screen. This is truly an unforgettable event.”

Brady Beaubien of CineConcerts and Concert Producer for the Harry Potter Film Concert Series added, “Harry Potter is synonymous with excitement around the world and we hope that by performing this incredible music with the full movie, audiences will enjoy returning to the Wizarding World.”

Tickets go on sale Friday April 19 at 10 AM via ticketmaster.com for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in Concert.

For more information on the official Harry Potter Film Concert Series, please visit www.harrypotterinconcert.com

Thank you for joining the SP&O and Principal Conductor Ari Pelto at Pictures at an Exhibition on March 9, 2024.

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Thank you for joining us in Sacramento to witness piano virtuoso Michelle Cann!

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SACRAMENTO, CA – December 12, 2023 – The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera (SP&O) received a fresh injection of artistic talent with the appointment of four new musicians to the orchestra. The four new members, who include Principal Viola Jacob Joseph, Principal Bassoon Jordan Farber, Section Viola Evan Buttemer, and 2nd Bassoon Nicolasa Kuster, begin their tenure immediately.

“I have been extremely impressed with the quality of musicianship in this orchestra, and I know that the addition of Jacob, Jordan, Evan, and Nicolasa in their key new positions will make it even better. Stronger, deeper and more consistent,” SP&O Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor Ari Pelto reflected. “I congratulate each of them and look forward to working with them to bring the best in orchestral music and opera to this community.”

The new musicians join the orchestra at a time when the SP&O is on a trajectory of artistic growth and achievement. The SP&O named Pelto to the new post of Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor in April 2023 while producing regularly sold-out concerts and setting fundraising records. The 2023-24 season began in October and will continue through May 2024, with 7 performances at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center.

About the new musicians

Violist Jacob Joseph has a varied career as a freelance musician in his native bay area. Aside from appearing with many of the regional symphony orchestras and with touring Broadway productions, he is a founding member of the Oakland based Town Quartet who perform in weekly and monthly residencies throughout northern California. He has been a member of the Schleswig-Holstein, Glimmerglass, and Spoletto festival orchestras as well as the orchestra of the New York City Ballet, and has performed in chamber music recitals with members of the Juilliard String Quartet, The Claremont Trio, and with pianist Alon Goldstein and violist Toby Appel. He has also shared the stage with the likes of Johnny Mathis, The Eagles, The Moody Blues, and Nick Cave among others. When he’s not practicing the viola He can be found smoking meat on the BBQ, making pickles, or at the Oakland Coliseum for an A’s game.

Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Jordan Farber has appeared on stages across the world. He began his studies at The Colburn School in Los Angeles, where he is currently in the fourth year of his undergraduate studies. As well as being the newly appointed principal bassoonist in Sacramento, Jordan had performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Symphony, and the Fort Worth Symphony, among others. As well, he was a fellow in both the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra, and the Music Academy of the West. Jordan is a passionate teacher of both bassoon and reed making, with students accepted to numerous conservatories and colleges, as well as participating in the National Youth Orchestra USA.

Bassoonist Nicolasa Kuster is Associate Professor of Bassoon and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music in Stockton, California. She balances her full-time position in higher education with a rich orchestral, chamber, and solo performing life around northern California and beyond. She founded and continues to lead the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition and Bassoon Symposium, a biennial competition for young women bassoonists from the Americas and a three day event surrounding it. Kuster is Principal Bassoon of the Stockton Symphony and New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestras, Second Bassoon of the Monterey Symphony, and performs on occasion with the San Francisco and San Diego Symphonies. Previous positions include the Wichita Symphony, the Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and the Virginia Symphony. She is a Double Degree graduate from Oberlin College and Conservatory with a B.M. in Bassoon Performance and a B.A. in Religion. Her solo CD, Metamorphosis, can be found online.

Photos left to right: Jacob Joseph, Jordan Farber, Nicolasa Kuster. Photo unavailable for Evan Buttemer.

The 2023-24 Season is Generously Underwritten by The Nancy and Hank Fisher Family Fund

Thank you for joining us and Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor Ari Pelto in his first concert of the season, featuring cellist Zlatomir Fung!

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