Steppin' Out

Story

Symphony Silicon Valley taps into folk for season opener

By Heather Zimmerman

Symphony Silicon Valley has something in common with the world-premiere piece that it will present at its season opener, "An American Anthem." In a sense, both are making brand-new music from a familiar tune.

"An American Anthem" opens Symphony Silicon Valley's sixth season on Sept. 29, 8 p.m. and Sept. 30, 2:30 p.m. at the California Theatre, 345 S. First St., San Jose.

Conductor Paul Polivnick will be at the podium for this program, which features Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F Major Pastorale and Janácek's Sinfonietta. The pieces will bookend the debut of David Amram's Symphonic Variations on a Song by Woody Guthrie, a symphonic version of Guthrie's classic folk song, "This Land Is Your Land." Guthrie's family and Amram will be in attendance at the concert.

Of course, the idea of reworking a standard is more figurative in the case of Symphony Silicon Valley, which grew out of the demise of the 123-year-old San Jose Symphony.

The organization boasts about 80 percent of the musicians from the defunct symphony, but employs a model that's unusual in the symphony world. Whereas most traditional large orchestras retain resident conductors and offer a huge complement of programs throughout the year--everything from the classics to family concerts--Symphony Silicon Valley brings guest conductors to lead the performances featured in a selective season of what is currently eight programs, up from four in its first years. "When you come together for a more unique group of times, eight programs a year, each time the musicians sit down with a new conductor and the music in front of them, there's a chance to make wonderful magic there," Symphony Silicon Valley president Andrew Bales says.

Symphony Silicon Valley has certainly succeeded with this formula. The organization has been in the black for all of its six seasons and enjoys the rare distinction of earning more than 65 percent of its revenue each year. Bales says that it's more common for symphonies of a similar size to earn about 35 percent of their budgets. The symphony has 70-75 musicians in its core group, with another dozen who perform as their instruments are required.

With its streamlined schedule, Symphony Silicon Valley can't serve as the sole source of income for musicians. "I call them tenured free agents," Bales says, noting that the musicians have a standing in the orchestra and union privileges, as well as the ability to leave at any time. "My job is to make sure that what they want to do, we give them the opportunity to do, so that they'll stay," he says.

Keeping the musicians on board, and audiences coming back for more, means making a point of keeping things interesting for everyone--namely skillful programming. "We absolutely make it a musician-based orchestra and we also make it a music-based orchestra. We tout who's performing at a concert like anybody does," Bales says. "But we don't say 'We'll sell more tickets if we get this level of conductor or this level soloist.' We say 'What's the best music? What's the music that they want to play, that our audience wants to hear?'"

The symphony regularly surveys audiences and consults its musicians about programming.

"An American Anthem," the season opener, brings together well-loved works with Amram's piece, which offers a new look at an old favorite. Amram is known for his blending of world music into his compositions. The Guthrie Foundation commissioned his symphonic version of Guthrie's song, which Bales notes, was itself offering a new twist on a more conventional view of patriotism. "This Land Is Your Land" was written toward the end of the Great Depression and meant to reach out to many disenfranchised groups, including the poor and recent immigrants. Accordingly, Amram draws on diverse influences, from jazz to Asian music, to complement the song's six verses.

Although the song is nearly 70 years old, its democratic ethos, spurring citizens to action, is still as relevant as ever, Bales says. "So the idea is let's refresh it, let's talk about it today. It's very exciting for us to be involved in the premiere of this piece."

Tickets are $37-$73. For more information, call 408.286.2600 or visit www.symphonysiliconvalley.org.