The Stockton Symphony kicks off its 100th season Saturday, September 12 at 6 p.m. with a 100th Birthday Bash, and the centerpiece is a world premiere with deep local roots.“Rhythms of the Range,”written by Chris Brubeck, honors his father, jazz legend Dave Brubeck, and folds in recorded narration of Dave recalling his childhood on an Amador County cattle ranch near Ione.
Those ranch years never really left the music. Dave Brubeck drew rhythmic ideas from the gait of horses and the steady churn of windmill water pumps, sounds that fed the polyrhythms that became his signature. Chris Brubeck says the piece traces his father’s early identity as a would-be cowboy, long before jazz fame found him. Conductor Peter Jaffe, who has led the symphony in 16 Brubeck works including six Chris Brubeck premieres, points to the orchestra’s loyal Central Valley audience as the reason it has survived the Depression, World War II, and the pandemic.
Founded by Italian immigrant Manlio Silva, the symphony is the third oldest continuously operating orchestra in California. Saturday’s concert is a rare chance to hear a major new work born from our own region’s landscape, played live on a milestone night. Have you ever heard a piece of music that reminded you of home?
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Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
