"Intimate. Stirring. Satisfying."
“Music painted in bright bold colors.” — San Francisco Examiner
With Songs of the Heart you can bask in the sumptuous sound of PCO’s strings and be swept from aching beauty and tenderness to vibrant color, playfulness and sheer joy.
Saturday, September 19, 3:00 pm,
Del Valle Theater, Walnut Creek
Sunday, September 20, 3:00 pm,
Bankhead Theater, Livermore
What Makes This Concert So Special?
This is the only concert this season devoted to the sumptuous sound of PCO’s string orchestra—rich and vibrant one moment, intimate and transparent the next.
And PCO’s strings are dazzling, led by two new artistic leaders: Tchaikovsky Competition prize-winning violinist Eric Silberger and cellist Eileen Moon, who spent 19 years with the New York Philharmonic. Learn more about Eric and Eileen HERE.
During the concert, Maestro Kohl will reveal how these five very different works reflect off one another, forming a uniquely complementary palette that is touching, colorful and memorable.
This is a must-experience musical treat.
About the Music
This program features one of America’s most beloved works, frequently ranked among listeners’ favorite classical pieces, Barber’s Adagio for Strings. It begins in quiet simplicity and builds inexorably to an almost overwhelming intensity. Featured in films such as Platoon and The Elephant Man and heard at some of our nation’s most profound moments, its aching beauty has touched generations of listeners.
Then, what a change of world! Vibrant, colorful and wonderfully playful, Gabriela Lena Frank’s An Andean Walkabout draws upon the landscapes, games, identities and musical traditions of the Andes. Berkeley native Gabriela Lena Frank was awarded the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Music and named Musical America’s 2026 Composer of the Year, placing her among today’s most celebrated American composers.
And there is so much sheer pleasure in the music for strings. Elgar’s beloved Serenade for Strings is intimate, affectionate and deeply melodic, while Dag Wirén’s Serenade for Strings sparkles with rhythmic energy, playfulness and an irresistible joy for life.
And then there is Britten. Bask in the beauty of one of the twentieth century’s most beloved works for voice and orchestra. Benjamin Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings is tender, mysterious and breathtakingly beautiful, weaving some of England’s most evocative poetry into a captivating dialogue between Samuel Faustine’s lyrical tenor, Craig Hansen’s golden French horn and PCO’s vibrant strings.