SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra & Chorus wishes to extend special thanks to:

Arnie Gubins
Bodil & Larnie Fox
C. Bart Sullivan, Benicia Performing Arts Foundation
Citizen Film
Gus Glimis, City Box Office
Marco Salazar, KIQI Radio - La Voz
Michael Erle, City Box Office
Sarah Fitzgerald
Jason Hoover, Palace of Fine Arts

Thank You to Our Friends at BARS!

We are deeply grateful to the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony for their incredible support and for sharing their timpani with us. Together, we celebrate music, community, and collaboration.

Celebrate Pride with the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony!

Join BARS on June 14, 2025, at 7:30 PM at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Guest conductor Martha Stoddard leads a concert featuring: Overture by Grażyna Bacewicz; What the Wildflowers Tell Me from Mahler's Symphony No. 3, arranged by Benjamin Britten; Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra by Juan Sebastian Cardona Ospina (with Jimmy Chan, timpani); and Symphony No. 3 by Jean Sibelius. Tickets are available at www.bars-sf.org.

Acknowledgements to our generous supporters:

The Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra & Chorus gratefully acknowledges our donors for their generous support. This digital program reflects gifts and in-kind donations made from July 1, 2024, to March 20, 2025. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our donor listing. If we have made an error, please contact us at admin@goldengatesymphony.org so we may make the necessary correction.

¡Apoya al GGSOC!

Performers:

ORCHESTRA ROSTER

*Concertmaster  

**Associate Concertmaster

(p) Section Principal

CHORUS ROSTER

CON LA PARTICIPACIÓN DE

Urs Leonhardt Steiner

Music Director / Conductor 

Urs Leonhardt Steiner es un director de orquesta, guitarrista, educador y compositor de renombre internacional. Fundó la orquesta que se convertiría en la Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra & Chorus en 1994. Nacido en Chur, Suiza, estudió en la Universidad de Tubinga y en el Conservatorio de Música de San Francisco. Estudió dirección de orquesta con James Wimer y Gustav Meier, y participó en clases magistrales con Andre Previn, Erich Leinsdorf, Leonard Bernstein y Herbert von Karajan.

Las composiciones originales del Maestro Steiner incluyen las óperas Il Secondo Settenio y Return of the Phantoms, las cuales han sido interpretadas con gran éxito en Suiza y los Estados Unidos. Además de dirigir la Golden Gate Symphony en sus proyectos locales e internacionales, es un frecuente director invitado de orquestas y conjuntos en Europa, los Estados Unidos y Centroamérica.

Loretta Taylor

Concertino

La Sra. Taylor ha sido la concertino de la Orquesta y Coro Golden Gate Symphony desde su fundación. Ha trabajado de manera extensa con muchas orquestas a lo largo del Área de la Bahía de San Francisco y ha tocado con orquestas en San Juan, Puerto Rico y Perth, Australia. Además de ser la concertino de la Golden Gate Symphony, la Sra. Taylor enseña en el Centro de Música Comunitaria de San Francisco y es la primera violín suplente de la Sinfónica del Condado de Santa Cruz. Ha sido coach de música de cámara para los Chamber Musicians of Northern California y el Sequoia Chamber Music Workshop; y ha sido solista con la Old First Orchestra, la Community Music Center Orchestra y los New Millenium Strings. La Sra. Taylor es graduada de la Universidad Estatal de San Francisco, magna cum laude.

Melinda Ellis

Directora

Melinda Ellis es una apasionada educadora musical, multiinstrumentista y directora radicada en el Área de la Bahía. Originaria de Nueva Jersey, tiene una Licenciatura en Educación Musical e Interpretación de Viola, así como una Maestría en Interpretación de Viola por la Universidad de Massachusetts Amherst. Actualmente enseña música general a estudiantes de cuarto grado y cuerdas a alumnos de quinto y sexto grado en el Distrito Escolar Unificado de Vacaville, donde también se desempeña como Coordinadora de Música del Distrito.

Multiinstrumentista activa, Melinda toca la viola, el violín y el saxofón. Se presenta con varios conjuntos locales, incluidos la Golden Gate Symphony (viola), la Orquesta de Cámara del Valle de Napa (segundo violín), la Banda de Conciertos Comunitaria Solano Winds (saxofón tenor) y su cuarteto de cuerdas, The Valley Quartet.

También es Directora Residente de la Missouri Street Theatre Company en Fairfield, donde dirige cuatro producciones musicales profesionales cada temporada, además de conciertos y galas.

Melinda está encantada de unirse a la Golden Gate Symphony como Directora Asistente y de seguir compartiendo la alegría de la música.

Bruce Rockwell

Director

Bruce Rockwell obtuvo su Licenciatura en Música en la Universidad de California en Santa Cruz y su Maestría en Composición en el Conservatorio de Música de San Francisco, donde estudió con los reconocidos compositores corales Conrad Susa y David Conte. Ha enseñado música instrumental en las escuelas Waldorf de San Francisco y en la Town School for Boys. Actualmente, imparte clases de coro, piano y guitarra en College Park High School en Pleasant Hill.

Gabrielle Goozée-Nichols

Soprano

Gabrielle ha cantado con Chora Nova, Golden Gate Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, Festival Opera of Walnut Creek, Contra Costa Chorale, Calvary Presbyterian Church, Piedmont Community Church, Cathedral of Christ the Light, Danville Congregational Church, Congregation Beth Am y First Congregational Church of San Francisco. Ha participado en producciones operísticas como Savitri de Holst, Trouble in Tahiti de Bernstein y Dido and Aeneas de Purcell. Gabrielle tiene varias presentaciones próximas como solista destacada con Chora Nova, SF City Chorus, Golden Gate Symphony, además de un recital en solitario más adelante este mes. 

Natalia Ter Agapova

Soprano

Natalia se graduó en el Instituto Estatal de Música Alfred Schnittke de Moscú con títulos en Canto y Dirección Coral. Ha sido laureada en numerosos concursos vocales internacionales. Su repertorio abarca una amplia variedad de períodos y géneros, desde la música medieval hasta la contemporánea. Ha participado como solista con el coro de cámara de la Universidad Pedagógica de Moscú, el Ensamble de Música Sacra Blagovest, el Ensamble Vocal Intrada, y como cantante de música folclórica ha representado a su país en festivales internacionales en Estados Unidos, China, Perú, España y Eslovaquia. En 2021, Natalia se unió al equipo musical de Calvary Presbyterian Church en San Francisco como soprano solista y líder de sección.

Christopher Poston

Tenor

Trompetista, compositor y cantante. Miembro del Coro de la Oakland Symphony, el Coro de la Golden Gate Symphony, el Coro de Hombres de Acts Full Gospel Church, cantante del Himno Nacional para los Harlem Globetrotters y para las ceremonias de juramento de naturalización del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional en el norte de California. Ha participado en obras de teatro como: Crowns, The Wiz, Beauty and the Beast, Smokey Joe’s Café, Ragtime, Something Rotten, The Nina Simone Story, West Side Story, Tambourines to Glory, Sweet Charity y Guys and Dolls.

Chris también es pintor profesional de casas.

PROGRAM

Russian Easter Overture, Op. 36

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Melinda Ellis, Conductor

- - -

Song of the Volga Boatmen, Op. 97

Traditional, arranged by Aleksandr Glazunov

Katyusha

Composed by Matvey Blanter

Arranged by Tim Salaver

Kalinka

Traditional, arranged by Stan Engebretson

Ave Maria (Bogoroditse Devo)

from All-Night Vigil, Op. 37

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Peasants’ Chorus

from Eugene Onegin, Op. 24 – "Bolyat moi nozhen’ki"

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Bruce Rockwell, Conductor

INTERMISSION

Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47

Dmitri Shostakovich

I. Moderato

II. Allegretto

III. Largo

IV. Allegro non troppo

Urs Leonhardt Steiner, Conductor

 FEATURING

Urs Leonhardt Steiner

Music Director / Conductor 

Urs Leonhardt Steiner is internationally renowned as a conductor, guitarist, educator, and composer. He founded the orchestra that would become the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra & Chorus in 1994. Originally from Chur, Switzerland, he studied at the University of Tubingen and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He studied conducting with James Wimer and Gustav Meier, and master classes with Andre Previn, Erich Leinsdorf, Leonard Bernstein, and Herbert von Karajan. Maestro Steiner’s original compositions include the operas Il Secondo Settenio and Return of the Phantoms which have been performed to critical acclaim in Switzerland and the United States. In addition to leading the Golden Gate Symphony in local and international endeavors, he is a frequent guest conductor with orchestras and ensembles in Europe, the United States and Central America.

Loretta Taylor

Concertmaster

Ms. Taylor has been the concertmaster of the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra & Chorus since its founding. She has worked extensively with many orchestras throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and has performed in orchestras in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Perth, Australia. In addition to being the concertmaster of the Golden Gate Symphony, Ms. Taylor teaches at the San Francisco Community Music Center and is principal second violin of the Santa Cruz County Symphony. She has coached chamber music for the Chamber Musicians of Northern California and the Sequoia Chamber Music Workshop; and she has been a soloist with the Old First Orchestra, the Community Music Center Orchestra, and the New Millenium Strings. Ms. Taylor is a graduate of San Francisco State University, magna cum laude.

Melinda Ellis

Conductor

Melinda Ellis is a passionate music educator, multi-instrumentalist, and conductor based in the Bay Area. Originally from New Jersey, she holds a BM in Music Education and Viola Performance and an MM in Viola Performance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She teaches 4th-grade general music and 5th- and 6th-grade strings in the Vacaville Unified School District, where she also serves as District Music Coordinator. An active multi-instrumentalist, Melinda performs on viola, violin, and saxophone. She plays with several local ensembles, including the Golden Gate Symphony (viola), Napa Valley Chamber Orchestra (second violin), Solano Winds Community Concert Band (tenor saxophone), and her string quartet, The Valley Quartet. She is also the Resident Conductor for Missouri Street Theatre Company in Fairfield, leading four professional musical productions each season, as well as concerts and galas. Melinda is thrilled to join the Golden Gate Symphony as Assistant Conductor and to continue spreading the joy of music.

Bruce Rockwell

Benicia Chorus Director

Bruce Rockwell got his BA in Music at UC Santa Cruz, and his MM in Composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied with the renowned choral composers Conrad Susa and David Conte. He taught instrumental music at the San Francisco Waldorf schools, and the Town School for Boys. He currently teaches choir, piano, and guitar at College Park High School in Pleasant Hill.

Gabrielle Goozée-Nichols

Soprano

Gabrielle has sung with Chora Nova, Golden Gate Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, Festival Opera of Walnut Creek, Contra Costa Chorale, Calvary Presbyterian Church, Piedmont Community Church, Cathedral of Christ the Light, Danville Congregational Church, Congregation Beth Am, and First Congregational Church of San Francisco. She has appeared on the operatic stage in Holst’s Savitri, Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Gabrielle has several upcoming engagements as a featured soloist with Chora Nova, SF City Chorus, Golden Gate Symphony, and a solo recital later this month.

Natalia Ter Agapova

Soprano

Graduated from the Alfred Schnittke Moscow State Institute of Music with degrees in Voice and Choral Conducting. She is a laureate of numerous international vocal competitions. Natalia's repertoire spans a range of periods and genres, from medieval to contemporary. She has appeared as a soloist with The MCU chapel choir, the Sacred Music Ensemble Blagovest, Intrada Vocal Ensemble, and as a folk singer she has participated in international festivals in the USA, China, Peru, Spain, and Slovakia. In 2021 Natalia joined the Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco music staff as the Soprano Soloist and Section Leader.

Christopher Poston

Tenor

Trumpeter, composer, and singer. Member of the Oakland Symphony Chorus, Golden Gate Symphony Chorus, Men's Chorus at Acts Full Gospel Church, National Anthem singer for the Harlem Globetrotters, and National Anthem singer for Department of Homeland Security’s Naturalization Oath Ceremonies in Northern California. Stage plays include: Crowns, The Wiz, Beauty and the Beast, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Ragtime, Something Rotten, The Nina Simone Story, West Side Story, Tambourines to Glory, Sweet Charity, and Guys and Dolls. Chris is also a professional house painter.

AGRADECIMIENTOS:

AGRADECIMIENTOS ESPECIALES

La Orquesta y Coro de la Golden Gate Symphony desea agradecer, especialmente:

Arnie Gubins

Bodil & Larnie Fox

C. Bart Sullivan, Benicia Performing Arts Foundation

Citizen Film

Gus Glimis, City Box Office

Marco Salazar, KIQI Radio - La Voz

Michael Erle, City Box Office

Sarah Fitzgerald

Jason Hoover, Palace of Fine Arts

DONADORES

La Orquesta y Coro de la Sinfonía del Golden Gate agradece sinceramente a nuestros donadores por su generoso apoyo. La lista refleja los obsequios y donaciones en especie realizados desde el 1 de julio de 2022 hasta el 30 de septiembre de 2024.

SOCIOS

PROGRAM NOTES

BEYOND BORDER WALLS 2025: Voices from Near & Far

Music transcends language and geography — it connects hearts across continents. The Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra & Chorus continues its tradition of celebrating unity through diversity, presenting a program that bridges cultures from the Philippines to the world.

This evening’s concert features the much-loved Misa Criolla by Argentine composer Ariel Ramírez, the Filipino masterpiece Lahing Kayumanggi by Lucio San Pedro, a powerful contemporary reflection from John Calloway, and the World Premiere of Last Light – Symphony No. 1 by Benjamin Gribble. Together, these works embody the idea that music — like the human spirit — knows no borders.