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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Thank you for joining us at our October 21st season opening concert of the season, American Landscapes: From the New World!

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The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera welcome inductees Lora Painter, Lars Gjerde, Jennifer Harris, and Adam Marszal

SACRAMENTO, CA – August 22, 2023 – The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera (SP&O) received
a fresh injection of board leadership last week with the election of four new members to the
Board of Directors. The four new members, who include journalist Lora Painter of ABC10, arts
advocate Lars Gjerde, Sacramento State administrator Jennifer Harris, and corporate leader
Adam Marszal, begin their tenure immediately.

“SP&O is honored to have these four experienced business and community volunteers join our
Board of Directors,” said SP&O President Sheree Meyer. “Our board has a track record of
tremendous success, as our recent accomplishments demonstrate, but with these new
members sharing their passion and knowledge, SP&O is poised to reach even greater heights.”

The new board members join the board at a time when the SP&O is on a trajectory of growth
and success. The SP&O’s recently completed 2022-23 season ended with a chorus of
unprecedented achievements, including a reliable and growing subscription base, sold out
performances and, since 2015, over $10 million in gifts and sponsorships made to the
Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera and the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera Foundation.

About the new directors

Lora Painter anchors weeknights at 5, 6, & 11 p.m. for ABC10. The California native has a
master’s degree from New York University in Broadcast News & Documentary, and a bachelor’s
degree in Communication from California State University San Marcos. She has two Emmy
nominations for anchoring and writing, and has twice received a “Best Anchor” award from the
Michigan Association of Broadcasters. Lora has been a board member of the Kalamazoo
Institute of Arts and continues to be a member of its Asian Art Advisory Council. She is a former
professor at Anyang University in South Korea. She is also an accomplished singer and plays
several instruments including piano and clarinet.

Norwegian native Lars Gjerde earned his doctorate in organ from the Eastman School of Music.
During his church music career, Lars taught, led choirs and orchestral musicians, and created
events to support charities. He engaged in regional leadership through the American Guild of
Organists. Lars later earned his Nurse Practitioner degree from Yale University and is now a
Nurse Practitioner Supervisor at UC Davis Medical Center. A recent Chapter President of the
California Association for Nurse Practitioners and Chapter Dean for the American Guild of
Organists, Lars is thrilled to serve the visionary board of the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera.

Jennifer Harris is the Associate Vice President of Budget Planning and Administration at
Sacramento State University. A Sacramento native and Sac State Alumna, Jennifer has worked
in a variety of fiscal management and oversight roles with the State of California, including the
California State Auditor’s Office, the Department of Finance, and CalPERS. Jennifer credits her
love of classical music to her elementary school violin teacher who took her to hear the
Camellia Symphony Orchestra perform. She is excited to help support classical music and opera
in our community, and in particular increasing youth access to and appreciation of music.

Adam Marszal was born and raised in Carmichael, CA and currently serves as the CEO of his
family’s petroleum company and commercial real estate business. He takes pleasure in being
involved in organizations and different causes in Sacramento. In his free time, Adam enjoys
golfing and being with his wife, Maggie, and their two daughters, Lucy and Blair. Adam’s
interest in music stems from his time in Jesuit High School’s choir as a teenager

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Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera
With its mission to build community, inspire a love of the performing arts, and enrich lives
through music, the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera is the collaborative leader in the cultural
growth of the Greater Sacramento Region having reclaimed its place as one of the region’s
leading performing arts organizations. Since its triumphant return in 2015, the SP&O has made
tremendous artistic, community, and fiscal strides through a business model that has solidly
moved from one of instability to one of stability.
Today, the SP&O serves as a vibrant cultural community asset – one that is shaped by
Sacramento, whose offerings are uniquely of Sacramento, and whose vision for the future is
designed for Sacramento. The SP&O continues its stellar concerts, operas, and community
engagement programs that bring the passion of classical music to schools, hospitals, shelters,
and more. We look forward to continually benefiting this region through our work and
expanding our impact and how we’re able to serve this growing, thriving community.