Capital Region Cares Capital Region Cares 2018-2019 | Page 33

SACRAMENTO
philharmonic
& opera
Sacramento's premier performing arts
W
hat began as the Sacramento
Symphony in 1948 is now the
Sacramento Philharmonic
& Opera, returning as a melded
organization in 2015. One of the Central
Valley’s finest arts ensembles, the
organization brings the best artistic
talent to audiences throughout the
region.
“We returned with a plan of fiscal
responsibility. Knowing this community
had been through many ups and downs
with arts groups, we were determined to
avoid those mistakes,” says Alice Sauro,
Executive Director. “We closely watched
expenditures to come back in a way
the community would appreciate. We
listened, too, learning what people did
and didn’t like from the past and what
kind of programming interested them.
Our approach really resonated with the
public and we sold out concerts that
very first year back.”
classical series, two of those with an
opera focus, and a three-concert pop
series.
“Support and generosity from
the community has been absolutely
incredible. This is a fantastic time to
be in this city as it comes into its own,
and we want to ensure Sacramento
finds us an important part of the fabric,”
concludes Sauro.
(sacphilopera.org)
Committed to giving to the
community, the board enthusiastically
funds music education. Through the
Link Up program, which addresses the
dearth of music teachers in today’s
schools, professional musicians go to
schools to teach classroom teachers
how to teach music to students. In
2015, they served 3,700 students and
this year that number is more than
5,000.
“Also in 2015, we launched our
pop-up concerts and held them on the
Capitol steps, in libraries, at farmers’
markets, parks, and hospitals,” says
Sauro. “Musicians talk to people and
let them handle instruments right on
the street, organically drawing them in
without the barrier of the stage.”
The regular season runs from
October through April or May at
Sacramento’s Community Center
Theater and consists of a six-concert
SACPHILOPERA.ORG
profile generously sponsored by

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