Here’s an online holiday program from the San Bernardino Symphony – San Bernardino Sun

The San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra recently announced its 2021 season, which will begin in February with a virtual performance.

But before the 2021 season opens, the symphony is offering a free online holiday music event, hosted by Anthony Parnther, the orchestra’s music director. In the program, Parnther will share his favorite holiday music and holiday memories, according to a news release.

The holiday program will be available from 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, until New Year’s Eve at www.sanbernardinosymphony.org.

“We couldn’t let the holidays go by without sharing a little musical joy,” Dean McVay, president of the symphony’s board of directors, said inn the news release. “When Maestro Parnther offered to host this family-friendly event, we were thrilled and we hope the community will be, as well.”

The symphony’s 2021 season is planned to include online concerts and, later in the year, in-person performances at the California Theatre of Performing Arts in San Bernardino.

“These unprecedented times have required some creativity in the design of our concert season, and thischange allows time for the safe reopening of our venue and provides a full five-concert season patrons can schedule well in advance,” McVay said in the news release.

“The first three virtual performances will be recorded live, then made available at the scheduled dates and times. These events were designed to maximize the audience viewing experience, including exclusive behind-the-scenes material available only in this format,” McVay said. “Once safely back in the California Theatre, the concert experience will return to the pre-COVID structure, including the Symphony Guild’s beloved post-concert receptions.”

.The online programs, which will be available only at the scheduled times and dates, are “Brass, Bach and Bernstein,” 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13, featuring music by Leonard Bernstein from “West Side Story”; “Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Grieg for Chamber Orchestra,” 3 p.m. March 28, featuring Parnther soloing in Mozart’s Concerto for Bassoon; and “Mozart and Beethoven,” 7:30 p.m. May 1, including excerpts from Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute” and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

“I am excited to perform the Mozart concerto for the first time in nearly two decades,” Parnther, who will conduct the orchestra as he plays, said about the March 28 concert.

“The bassoon is typically utilized in a supporting role in a symphony orchestra, so this is one of those rare opportunities where we get to witness the bassoon at its utmost, as both a deeply lyrical and virtuosic instrument,” Parnther said in the news release.

The San Bernardino Symphony anticipates returning to the California Theatre by the fall of 2021 and is planning two in-person concerts there.

The first is “Elvis, Wynton and Strings,” 7:30 p.m. Oct.. 23, featuring “A Fiddler’s Tale” by Wynton Marsalis and Michael Daugherty’s “Dead Elvis” with Parnther attired as the King as he plays the solo bassoon part.

The 2021 season will conclude with “Strauss, Price and Archuleta,” 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11, including the recently restored version of American composer Florence Price’s Piano Concerto, the first symphonic work written by a Black woman ever performed by a major American orchestra, according to the news release. The concert will also feature international recording artist David Archuleta performing holiday favorites and original songs of the season.

Season tickets and single tickets will be available at www.sanbernardinosymphony.org. Returning season subscribers will be able to buy season tickets at a reduced rate to reimburse them for tickets they purchased for concerts that were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

For information, go to www.sanbernardinosymphony.org or call 909-381-5388.