Orchestra Opening Season Oct. 4 at Temecula Community Theater

The following was submitted for publication on behalf of the California Chamber Orchestra:

The California Chamber Orchestra opens its 10th season on Saturday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m. with an all-Beethoven program. The concert, under the direction of Artistic Director and Conductor Dana Zimbric, will be at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater. The concert is part of the Temecula Presents Classical Series.

“I’m always looking for interesting combinations of instruments to feature together with the orchestra,” Zimbric said. “And I’ve been so impressed with the Neave Trio, that I wanted to work with them. With a sponsorship from patron and board member Robert Culverhouse and his wife, Elaine, we were able to pull it together. And the Beethoven Triple Concerto was the first piece that came to mind to headline the concert.”

The Neave Trio includes Anna Williams, violin; Mikhail Veselov, cello; and Toni James, piano. They’ve performed in Temecula several times, as part of the orchestra’s Classics at The Merc recital series. “We call this combination of instruments — violin, cello, and piano — a ‘piano trio,’” Zimbric explains. “While there’s lots of music written for piano trio, there are relatively few pieces for piano trio and orchestra. The Beethoven Triple Concerto is probably the best known.”

In addition to the concerto, the program also features two other Beethoven works: the Grand Fugue for Strings, and the 8th Symphony. “The title of the concert, ‘Beethoven Triple,’ is both a shorthand name musicians use for the Triple Concerto, and a clever reference to the fact that we have three works by Beethoven on the concert. I’ve always loved Beethoven, and this concert lets us share three pieces that may be less familiar, but are all wonderful examples of his work.”

Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors. The series offers a special Family Discount: patrons may request up to two free tickets for students 16 and under with each paid adult or senior ticket. Student rush tickets are available for $10 on the day of the performance.