Kensington Symphony Orchestra: "The British are coming! The British are coming!"

For its first concert of the New Year, the Kensington Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with the Golden Gate Philharmonic Camerata, offers a program entitled "The British are coming, the British are coming!"

No, not a musical revolution, but indeed four of the most beloved composers from the British Isles are represented in music that spans the expressive beauty and breadth of English nationalism in the early part of the 20th century. To begin the program, Music Director and Conductor Geoffrey Gallegos has chosen the sumptuously rhapsodic tone poem Brigg Fair in all its glorious impressionism by Frederick Delius. Inspired by the George Meredith poem, the spirit of impressionism continues with the soaring, meditative and exquisitely expressive The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams, which features the evening's first soloist, KSO concertmaster Jason Totzke providing timeless skylark flight.

The second half of the concert features the center piece of the program: Sir Edward Elgar's last significant work and deeply heartfelt response to the horrors of WWI, the Concerto in E minor for Cello and Orchestra. Distinguished local cellist Richard Andaya will be the evening's soloist in one of the composer's most impassioned works. The program will come to a stirring conclusion with Sir William Walton's Crown Imperial Coronation March. Written in 1937 as ceremonial music for the coronation of George VI (of particular, recent interest due to the just released and multiple award nominated film "The King's Speech" starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush) and later the current Elizabeth II (George's daughter), this magnificent example of Elgarian "pomp and circumstance" style has become one of Walton's best known and effective compositions.

We hope you will be able to join us for what will surely be an exciting evening of music making. Families are highly encouraged to attend and may have a particular interest given our happy collaboration with members of the Golden Gate Philharmonic Youth Orchestra for this performance.