PROGRAM

Last Light – Symphony No. 1 (WORLD PREMIERE)

Benjamin Gribble, composer

Buffalo Soldiers in the Philippine American War:

A Crisis of Conscience

– featuring excerpts Itim  & Crisis of Conscience

John Calloway, composer

Kulintang Dialect, led by Conrad Benedicto, with

Jinji Sayson

Michelle Liwanag

John Calloway

Manny Dragon

Ting Alvarez-Maquinta

Umali Cruz Horne

Lahing Kayumanggi (Brown Race)

Lucio San Pedro, composer

Misa Criolla

Ariel Ramírez, composer

Gabrielle Goozee-Nichols - Soprano

Celeste Camarena - Mezzo Soprano

Timothy Echavez Salaver - Baritone

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.

Last Light – Symphony No. 1 (World Premiere)

Benjamin Gribble 

Last Light (Symphony No. 1) unfolds as a meditation on resilience, transformation, and renewal. The work traces the emotional arc of light fading into darkness — and the quiet radiance that lingers at the edge of night. Through sweeping orchestral colors and cinematic textures, the symphony evokes both personal reflection and collective rebirth.

Across its movements, shimmering harmonies and lyrical themes emerge from moments of stillness, suggesting the passage of time and the beauty found in impermanence. Gribble’s writing balances grandeur with intimacy, drawing listeners into a sound world that invites contemplation rather than resolution.

Premiering as part of Beyond the Border Wall IV, Last Light embodies the concert’s spirit of hope and unity — a reminder that even as one chapter closes, another dawn is already beginning to rise.

Buffalo Soldiers in the Philippine American War: A Crisis of Conscience  

– featuring excerpts Itim  & Crisis of Conscience

John Calloway, composer

In Buffalo Soldiers in the Philippine–American War: A Crisis of Conscience, Dr. Calloway brings to life an evocative artistic reflection on identity, solidarity, and history. The work explores the moral and emotional struggles of African American soldiers who fought in the Philippines at the turn of the 20th century. Drawing on personal writings from his grandfather, Sergeant John W. Calloway, and inspired by Gil Boehringer’s Imperialist Paranoia and Military Injustice and Michael Morey’s Fagen, the piece delves into themes of race, conscience, and resistance.

Blending orchestral textures with spoken word and the voices of Filipino American and African American artists, Crisis of Conscience becomes a living dialogue between past and present — a poignant reminder of shared struggles and enduring cultural solidarity.

Itim and Crisis of Conscience are excerpts from this multidisciplinary performance, based on the interactions between African American soldiers and Filipino natives during the Philippine–American War (1899–1902). The African American soldiers of the U.S. 24th Infantry, treated as second-class servicemen by their white commanding officers, faced a moral crisis in carrying out orders of occupation against the Filipino people — with whom they found profound common ground in their shared pursuit of dignity, justice, and freedom. These works are Dr. Calloway’s artistic reflections on his grandfather’s experiences and his own continuing exploration of identity and heritage.

Dr. Calloway’s own multicultural heritage deeply informs his perspective. His father was ethnically Filipino and African American, and his mother was Filipina and Irish American — both born around 1920 in Metro Manila to U.S. servicemen who remained in the Philippines after their service and married Filipina women. Though his parents lived as Filipinos before the Philippines achieved independence, they were also considered mestizos — mixed-race Filipinos of non–Pacific Islander descent.

“My own identity is fluid,” Dr. Calloway shares. “I sometimes use ‘mixed-race person of color’ to describe my appearance, but technically I am a second-generation Filipino American.”

Lahing Kayumanggi (Brown Race)

Lucio San Pedro, composer

Written between 1961 and 1962 and later orchestrated, Lucio San Pedro’s Lahing Kayumanggi (literally “Brown Race”) is a symphonic poem celebrating the heroism and enduring spirit of the Filipino people. Awarded the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1962, this iconic work established San Pedro as one of the Philippines’ most important composers — later honored as National Artist for Music.

The music traces the Philippines’ journey from pre-colonial times through centuries of struggle to eventual freedom. It begins with the Kumintang, an ancient dance form symbolizing the archipelago’s indigenous heritage, then moves through a succession of vividly painted scenes: conflict, pastoral calm, rustic celebration, and finally, a triumphant march toward independence.

Tonight’s performance marks a historic moment — the first time Lahing Kayumanggi will be performed by a non-Filipino orchestra, featuring the Bay Area’s own Kulintang Dialect led by Conrad Benedicto, whose traditional gong ensemble bridges ancestral sound and modern symphonic expression.

Misa Criolla

Ariel Ramírez 

Composed in 1963, Misa Criolla is one of the most beloved choral works to emerge from Latin America. Inspired by the rhythms and melodies of his native Argentina, Ariel Ramírez infused the traditional Catholic Mass with the vitality of Andean folk music.

Each movement draws upon distinct regional dances: the solemn vidala-baguala for the Kyrie, the lively carnavalito and yaraví for the Gloria, the driving chacarera trunca for the Credo, and the syncopated carnaval cochabambino for the Sanctus. The Agnus Dei concludes the work with the gentle sway of the southern pampas.

Written shortly after the Second Vatican Council permitted vernacular texts in the liturgy, Misa Criolla stands as both a celebration of faith and a statement of cultural pride. Its jubilant rhythms and call-and-response choral passages blur the lines between sacred and popular music — a true embodiment of worship through the voice of the people.

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.

Gabrielle Goozee-Nichols 

Soprano 

Soprano Gabrielle Goozée-Nichols has been a featured soloist with Chora Nova, Golden Gate Symphony, SF City Chorus, Fillmore Choir, Calvary Presbyterian Church, and more. Her repertoire ranges from early music to oratorio and opera, with repertoire including Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem. Gabrielle has sung with Berkeley Symphony, Festival Opera of Walnut Creek, Contra Costa Chorale, 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’s upcoming engagements as a soloist include performances with Chora Nova, and Golden Gate Symphony as well as a solo recital in the Spring. For more information, follow @gabrielle_soprano on Instagram.

Celeste Camarena 

Mezzo Soprano

Celeste Camarena, originally from Michoacán, Mexico, studied voice performance at the Conservatorio de las Rosas and earned her master’s degree in San Francisco, where she now thrives as a performer. She has sung with the San Francisco Symphony, California Symphony, Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra, Opera Cultura, and more. Passionate about Latin American music, she’s performed themed recitals across the U.S. and Mexico. Operatic roles include Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Frida (Frida), and Sor Juana (With Blood, With Ink). A strong believer in the power of art to connect and uplift, Celeste has worked as a teacher, radio host, and conductor. She now serves as education program manager at the San Francisco Opera Guild, bringing the transformative power of music to communities across the Bay Area.

Timothy Echavez Salaver 

Baritone

Tim Salaver, a versatile baritone, has enjoyed over 50 years in choral music as a singer, director, producer, and arranger. He began as a boy soprano with the San Francisco Boys Chorus, later performing with the San Francisco Opera and Symphony, and currently sings with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Founder of Areté Singers, he will lead their Carnegie Hall debut in 2025, and his leadership roles include Chorus Manager for the Pacific Chamber Orchestra and Chorus Master for The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses tour. He has directed choirs at the White House, Kennedy Center, and National Cathedral, producing over 300 concerts and two musicals, and has sung under renowned conductors including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Seiji Ozawa.

Dr. John Calloway

Composer

Dr. John Calloway is a nationally recognized multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator whose five-decade career bridges performance, education, and cultural advocacy. He has performed with legends such as Israel “Cachao” Lopez, Omar Sosa, and Max Roach, and is a longtime collaborator of John Santos at the heart of the Bay Area’s Latin jazz scene. His compositions and arrangements have earned multiple GRAMMY nominations, an Emmy Award (2019) for No Hay Nada Más SF, and credits for HBO’s Hemingway & Gellhorn. Recent works include Asere Ko (2016) and Buffalo Soldiers in the Philippine–American War: A Crisis of Conscience (2023–2024). A passionate educator for over 30 years, Calloway led youth and university ensembles and was honored with the Jazz Hero Award, the Illuminating Culture Award, and induction into the California Jazz Educators Hall of Fame.

Benjamin Gribble

Composer

Benjamin Gribble is a San Francisco–based composer and music educator whose work explores the intersections of community, storytelling, and sound. A graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied composition with Conrad Susa and Dan Becker, he teaches piano, theory, composition, electronic synthesis, and improvisation privately and at the Hamlin School for Girls. Active in the Bay Area’s vibrant music scene, he collaborates with Sunset Piano and regularly performs at Flower Piano in the San Francisco Botanical Garden. He performs with the St. Larsen Duo alongside Esther Aeschbach and has created spoken word–art song collaborations with poets Scott Bird and Ayla Ginger. His chamber projects include work with the Sqwonk bass clarinet duo and the renowned Anderson & Roe piano duo.