Our 2023/2024 season
Heartwarming concerts: programmed for you.
June 8, 2024
7:30 PM
RCC Coil School for the Arts
Eternal Love, Eternal Harmonies
Composers leverage music to express their feelings of love. Wagner may be considered by some as the love doctor; his distinct extensive musical phrases of ultimate desire are thick and rich. Some listeners have expressed getting overwhelmed by the romance and sweet poetic beauty.
Debussy was in a similar dreamy frame of mind and implemented drawn out chords and melodies. Feathery musical textures keep you lingering on cloud nine.
While some composers are sweet as cotton candy, others are playing hard to get. Schoenberg’s expression of love may be more provocative and dissonant; but as you know, we all have our own ways to express love.
This concert is about harmony and dissonance; the ingredients of love.
The Maestro Tomasz Golka about the program: “The pieces in this program fascinate me. We essentially explore beauty. For example, for me what Schoenberg does with his piece is asking certain questions like: is there objectivity in beauty? Can we measure beauty?
My role as Music Director is to not only feed my audience rich chocolate cake, but I also would like to cook my audience a wonderfully nutritious, well balanced meal. With this program, I will present known flavors and flavors you have never tried before.”
This concert is generously sponsored by Rena Warren.
Concert for Heroes
July 3, 2024
7:30 PM
Amphitheater at the Riverside National Cemetery
FREE CONCERT!
The eve of the Fourth of July is the traditional performance of the Concert for Heroes, a program of stirring patriotic music and popular classic tunes held in a lakeside amphitheater at the Riverside National Cemetery. This concert is provided free-of-charge by the cemetery’s support committee through contribution from their generous donors.
Bring your picnic blanket and lawn chairs, invite family and friends, and join us for this goosebump-inducing, spine-tingling joyous concert.
Past concert of this season:
Bach to the Future
September 16
7:30 PM
RCC Coil School for the Arts
We're featuring the master: Johann Sebastian Bach was likely the greatest musical craftsman and most influential composer in the history of Western Art music. Our program offers his Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 in orchestration from our music director Tomasz Golka -- an unusual, eclectic and, at times, jazz-inspired version. You haven't heard Bach like this before!
Also on the program are two composers from later centuries who were inspired by Bach:
Alban Berg - Violin Concerto (1935) featuring our Concertmaster Sam Fischer as soloist
Johannes Brahms - 4th Symphony in E minor, Op. 98
Generously sponsored by Donna Knox
November 19, 2023
4 PM
RCC Coil School for the Arts
Music for the People
At this concert you will have a hard time resisting the temptation to dance, daydream, hope and love. Our sensational Maestro Tomasz Golka will inspire the orchestra to play masterpieces by Haydn, Bartok and Clyne – each piece full of color, texture and spirit.
Musical geniuses have the talent to convert human emotion into music. From Haydn, to Bartok, to Bruce Springsteen to Taylor Swift: all created high impact pieces and songs that touch millions of people globally, regardless of their age, gender or where they are from.
Our concert “Music for the people” takes you on a never before heard musical journey of expressive blockbuster composers from the 1700s through today.
This concert is part of the California Festival
Generously sponsored by the Magnon Foundation.
December 2, 2023
4 PM
Elliott Duchon Concert Hall
Rubidoux High School
Jurupa Valley
Holiday Concert
A performance in collaboration with Rubidoux High School
This will be spectacle for the entire family to enjoy: violins, trumpets, jingle bells and a choir will kick-off the holidays with a bang!
Sit back and allow the classic melodies to give you the inspiration you need: finally you will know what present to get your uncle this year, what will be on the menu, and which decorations to choose to create a warm and festive home; all the ingredients for a holiday to enjoy with your loved ones.
The Riverside Philharmonic and their Maestro Tomasz Golka create a festive atmosphere with performances of your favorite classics.
Just like caroling, a choir of talented high school students from Rubidoux High School will join the audience in the traditional sing-along. A terrific experience for the whole family.
Silent Night,
Silent Auction
December 4, 2023
5:30 - 8:00 PM
Canyon Crest Country Club
Join us for this annual fundraiser, to celebrate the holidays and support the “Adventures in Music” program.
During this intimate soiree you will enjoy holiday appetizers while bidding on festive silent auction items. A perfect opportunity to browse for unique presents while supporting the Riverside Philharmonic.
Maestro Tomasz Golka will introduce a brass quintet to entertain attendees with holiday classics in an intimate chamber music setting.
What is Adventures in Music?
In this program the Riverside Philharmonic shares the beauty of classical music with Riverside County K-12 students through masterclasses and workshops. Our professional musicians perform at school assemblies to bring the experience of live classical performances directly into the classroom.
February 24, 2024
7:30 PM
RCC Coil School for the Arts
O, Le’ Me Shine
Concert tickets available closer to date
We celebrate Black History Month by featuring composer William Dawson, a talented African American composer. His piece, Negro Folk Symphony, which premiered in the Carnegie Hall in 1934 is written with passion and skill. This music has a comparable emotional intensity to that composed by Mahler or Brahms, while adding Gershwin-like jazzy rhythms to create even higher level of musical excitement. The layered musical complexity will leave us on the edge of our seats during the entire performance.
Also on the program is a concerto by the dazzling composer and violinist Chris Woods, a current day musical genius. To learn about the process of composing a piece, follow Chris on Instagram: @chriswoodsviolin
Don’t miss this concert; it will be a night that will nurture our spirits and souls.
“Black History Month for me is a time to reflect on my heritage. To acknowledge the struggle of my ancestors and celebrate the men and women that courageously fought for change. To see where we are now and what possibilities lie ahead. “ Chris Woods
The composition by Chris Woods is generously commissioned by Kathy Wright and Dwight Tate.
